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Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned either Inuyasha or Doctor Who, you would know.

—To Go or Not to Go—

In the end, it took about three days for the TARDIS to eradicate her 'case of the sniffles.'

Kagome was actually a bit…disappointed and sad that soon, she would be back in the Feudal Era never to see the Doctor again. It was so… nice. To be free from the tension weighing down on her, the responsibility of the shards, the impending doom as the threat of battle loomed over her and her friends, and worst of all, the constant fear of next time being it; the fight that tears their family apart—the one in which not everyone gets to come back home after.

It was refreshing to be free of all that and it swung a wild punch of guilt to her gut just thinking about it because, as far as she knew, in the three days that she spent relaxing, sharing stories, and discovering that there was life beyond Earth, they could already be fighting Naraku. They could honestly be dying and what did that say about her? The person who brought the damn Shikon Jewel back into the Feudal Era in the first place?

She didn't want to know, honestly, and she tried her damnedest not to give it much thought. It worked for the most part but she had her moments, glutton for punishment that she was.

She had only just changed out of the pajamas the TARDIS so kindly provided her and back into her priestess outfit—sans the haori as she'd taken to just wearing a simple white tank top— after having breakfast when she was told the news.

"TARDIS is back on and running," the Doctor told her just as she stepped into the console room.

"Well, that's good news, isn't it?" Kagome replied, leaning against a coral strut, watching as he busied himself at the controls.

The Doctor nodded, a corner of his lips quirked. "That's always good news."

Kagome patted the guard railing beside her. "She feels better, I can tell," she murmured, her eyebrows furrowed gently. "She's brighter, her aura. A beautiful, warm gold…" she trailed off as her fingers traced the railing.

The Doctor stared at her. "You can see her?" he asked quietly, a touch of wonder to his voice and an indecipherable light in his eyes.

Kagome nodded absently. "Like you said, she's alive. Didn't notice at first because I didn't think to notice, to look… didn't think a ship could be alive in the first place. But when you mentioned it, I couldn't help it, and she has an aura unlike anything I've seen. She's everywhere, in every single part of her, surrounding us…"

With a soft smile on her face, she looked up when the Doctor didn't answer only to see him staring at her thoughtfully. After a moment, he turned away and started fiddling with the controls once again. Twisting a switch, he regarded her with a hint of hesitation in his brown eyes. "Before I take you back… how about I throw in a side trip?"

Kagome paused and she regarded him with thinly veiled interest. "What kind of side trip?" she replied slowly, the curiosity too strong that she was unable to help herself.

The Doctor's lips twitched and he wagged his eyebrows. "Oh, you know," he said with barely suppressed excitement. "A little something to make your discovery that aliens do exist really hit home." And he gave a little shrug. "Something to say goodbye. Something to remember this by," he went on, not looking at her.

Kagome stared at him for a moment, speechless. "You'd—" She cut herself off and cleared her throat—it had gotten a bit too thick with eager awe for her tastes. Regardless, the Doctor picked up on it, if his little, smug grin and giggle meant anything. Tongue darting out to lick her lips, she went on in almost breathless wonder. "You'd take me to an alien planet?" Trying and likely failing to compose herself, she went on. "I mean, not that I need it to remember this. Seriously, how could I forget you? Forget all of this?" she told him, spreading her arms out in an all-encompassing gesture. "But really?"

For just a second, that had the Doctor giving her the smuggest, proudest look she had yet to see on her face, before all indications of smugness and pride were wiped away in favor for a nonchalant shrug as he turned back to the controls. "Sure. If you want." His eyes shifted, and he peered at her from the corner of his eyes. "Your choice, of course."

Kagome couldn't help but grin. "How can anyone say no to that?" she exclaimed, before faltering as she remembered. The Jewel. Naraku. Inuyasha. SangoMirokuShippo… Her shoulders drooping, she sighed and looked away, disappointed. "But… no, I shouldn't. I can't—I need to get back though…"

The Doctor let out an exasperated breath and threw his arms up, turning on her. "Honestly, you humans. And you especially!" he exclaimed, leveling her with a finger. "You're a time traveler for goodness sake!" Kagome's eyes widened, realizing where he was going, and she would have started grinning again if it weren't for his next words. "And you were so clever too…" he trailed off in wistful disappointment, tsk'ing and shaking his head.

Eye twitching, Kagome glared at him and she strode over to whap him against the arm, taking immense pleasure at his resulting "Ow!" and exaggerated pout. "Excuse me if my human sensibilities were a bit overwhelmed for a moment," she drawled, rolling her eyes. "I've only just discovered that aliens do exist a mere few days ago and one just offered to take me off of Earth to visit another planet."

"Ah," the Doctor said, rubbing the arm she hit. "Well, technically…" he drew out, his voice hitching a little higher than normal as he grimaced a bit. "I've already took you off of Earth. You have been since you first got here, actually."

Kagome blinked as she eyed him incomprehensively and there was a moment of silence. The Doctor fidgeted under her stare. Finally, she spoke and bit out, "You what?"

The Doctor winced at her blunt tone. Chuckling nervously, he moved around her and walked over to a two-panel door across the room. Giving her a sheepish smile, he threw the doors open. "Welcome to space?"

The sight outside knocked the breath out of her.

Earth.

It was Earth.

Right there in all its glory was the planet Earth; it was unmistakable, and it paled in comparison to the pictures she saw in school. Big and blue and green and staring her in the face, almost glowing ethereally. Words couldn't possibly describe it properly…

Kagome's knees buckled and her hand shot out to grasp the console and steady herself. Once she was relatively sure she could stand on her own, she took a shaky step forward. Then another, and another, and as the shakiness left, replaced by awe and amazement, she walked over to stand by the Doctor at the doors and stare.

"This is surreal…" Kagome breathed out. "And beautiful…" She looked up at the Doctor, who was gazing down at her, watching. "How—"

"Are we breathing?" the Doctor finished gently, and he looked outside the door, one hand gently tracing the doorframe. Kagome looked back outside, drawn to the sight. "It's the TARDIS. She has a force field to keep it safe, but just don't step outside," he added, grasping her arm to brace her when her foot lifted out of its own volition in the desire to go closer. "Works only a bit from the outside," he warned, "Don't want you drifting off and out of it. Wouldn't be fun."

"The TARDIS?" Kagome looked back outside, unable to tear her eyes from the glorious sight of Earth in its natural environment, with the moon to the right and a spatter of stars burning brightly in the distance. And, holy shit, was that Mars in the very back, an almost tiny little reddish dot?

The Doctor didn't answer and when she glanced at him he only winked at her before reaching over to pull the doors close. As he walked back to the console, Kagome shifted and took a moment to lean against the wall—it thrummed underneath her back, surprising her.

Curious, Kagome opened up her senses again—she had always sensed something but there was never a response, until now—and pressed a palm against the wall. Her eyes widened when a presence—warm and comforting and welcoming and bright and golden—brushed against her mind.

"So what do you say? Are you prepared to be blown away—yet again?" the Doctor asked with no small hint of cheek.

Kagome's head snapped up and she took the moment to watch him shuffle around the console. When he looked up at her he gave another little grin of his, and she let out a breathless laugh. "Seriously. How can anyone say no to that?"

o.O.o

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Till next week,

RainLily^^

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