Deceitful Time
Chapter Nineteen: Dread

Eventually… three days passed and he felt as if he had hit a wall. Three whole days without finding Kagome. Three fucking days of who-know's what being done to her. Three goddamn days of dealing with his bothersome other…

"This is—!" he began to shout only to press his lips together and tighten his clenched fists. The mortals, even his former self, had to stop for the first time in those three days to rest. He hadn't any intention of lingering too long with them. He just needed a break for a brief amount of time before he kept on.

"This is?" He heard the half-breed scoff.

"This is your goddamn fault!" He declared as he spun around to point at the tired looking silver haired man before moving on to the other two so-called 'warriors', "and yours! And yours! I should never have let her comeback here to say goodbye! I should have just kept that fucking well sealed up! I knew nothing good would come of it!"

"You're the one that sealed the well!?" the red clothed man snarled as he jumped up to his feet to stand face-to-face with what he may become.

"Of course I did! I knew she'd die here," he retorted bitterly before turning away and walking to the edge of the small clearing within the woods they had built a fire in.

"Kagome's… she's going to be OK," Shippou assured meekly as he held back a sob, "she's always OK. She's really strong… she'll be OK."

"Of course, Shippou," Sango soothed as she cradled the little boy in her arms, "Kagome is brave and tough, she will be fine."

"Naraku would not kill her," Miroku began as he closed his eyes and let his staff rest upon his shoulder, "he would most likely use her to lore us into a trap."

And that… was what both Inuyasha truly worried about. Naraku didn't have to kill her to traumatize her forever… he could be tormenting her the entire time… doing awful things to her… the very thought rejuvenated them both.

"I'm leaving," they declared in unison, only to have a strange feeling struck both of those, a cringe caused them to glance at the other. It felt so… wrong, to stand face-to-face with youself and know that it wasn't because of a mirror.

"It's," the full blood began with difficulty, "dangerous here, isn't it?"

The half-demon just cocked a brow and narrowed his eyes on him.

"Can't you see that? You know, don't you? That Kagome is better off in her era, that it's safe there, demons don't prowl around, she has a normal life that she enjoys, she goes to school, she has human friends, she can be with her family… when we find her," because they had to find her, "do the right thing. Let her go."

Was it the right thing, though? Or was it what he desperately wanted to be as such? He wanted her to be with him, in the era he now called home, he wanted her to… stay, stay with him, so very, very, very badly.

"I…" the other began as his yellow stare averted him, "Kagome likes it here…"

"Do you," he stopped himself for a moment before taking a breath and letting it go.

"What?" He snarled.

"Nothing," he couldn't… he didn't want to talk about it. 'Do you know the full circumstances of her death?' of course he wouldn't, if he told his past-self of the child that died that day, too, would he let Kagome go safely home? Maybe, but most importantly… he couldn't talk of it. He just shook his head before heading off in the last direction they could catch a scent of Kagome.

Of the woman he loved… of the woman he lost.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

An open field… a beautifully green, yellow flower blossom field. Kagome would like that, he thought, so he had stopped for another break there. Well, that and the fact that he had completely lost track of her scent now. How could this be happening? Why couldn't fate be kind to him for once? Why couldn't it allow him the woman he loved? Was… there simply no changing it no matter how hard he tried? Would he always lose her?

"I'm shocked you caught up," he muttered, mildly detached from his words as he heard a few thuds behind him. The scents said it all, Sango, Shippou, Miroku, and his old half-blood self.

"Keh," he scoffed, "you're full of yourself!"

"I don't think you are one to talk," he retorted weakly, not even bothering to turn to see the group, "I lost her scent." And that meant that his other self had, too, because with the help of the shikon jewel and five hundred more years of practice he was more than certain he had a far better nose.

"Naraku will surely show himself soon," Miroku murmured, "he must want to use the fact that he has Kagome against us."

"Yes," Sango agreed, it seemed, though, that they were simply saying that for their own benefit. To try and reassure their fading hopes that their dearest friend was fine.

"Mutt face!" A gust of wind caught all of their attention as their heads turned to the left to see a tornado head straight towards them only to stop a few feet away from Inuyasha, grasping at his red kimono immediately. "I caught your nasty scent and yet no Kagome? Where is she?!"

"Fuck off, Kouga!" Inuyasha retorted as he freed himself from the wolf demon's grasp.

"She better be alright, you son of a bitch!" Kouga threatened before his hard gaze moved to the newer Inuyasha, "who's this? A relative of yours?"

"Something like that," he scoffed.

He had forgotten how Kouga looked until that moment… well, Kagome was right when she said that Takeo looked exactly like his father. That was rather impressive, he supposed.

"What the hell are you staring at so intently?" Kouga growled.

"A mangy wolf, it would seem," he wittily replied before turning his stare back towards the field before him. It took no effort for him to reach up and grab the foot that was heading towards his head and hold it there as the wolf struggled to pull it back. "A weak mangy wolf, at that."

"You bastard!" Kouga cursed once Inuyasha finally released his leg, "what are you!? That mutt-face's brother or somethin'?!"

"Move along, cretin," he demanded, "I'm busy."

"Why you—!"

"Kouga!" Ginta and Hakkaku panted once they finally caught up to collapse at the side of their leader.

"Ah, grand, a pack of fowl smelling imps," Inuyasha muttered to himself.

"I'll kill you!" Kouga threatened.

That got a smirk out of Inuyasha as he finally turned all the way to see the wolf, "I dare you to try. I'd like that, actually, I think marring you would make me feel better."

"You," the wolf snarled but before he could get another word out the fox child jumped in to stop the impending fight.

"Kagome's missing! We're looking for her, Kouga!"

That seemed to cease the sizzling hatred that had built up in the wolf almost right-away as he turned to look at the two humans and little demon, "what?"

"Naraku has her," Miroku admitted, "we were on her trail but it ends here."

"You idiots!" he shouted, "I knew leaving her with a half-breed—"

"Fuck you, Kouga!"

"You should have watched her better!" Kouga turned to the one who had addressed him, "come on, Ginta, Hakkaku! We're going to go retrieve Kagome!"

"Yes, Kouga," they both weekly murmured before Kouga disappeared in his whirl-wind and headed across the field, them following a few metes behind him until he smacked right into something and fell to the ground mid-way through the flock of flowers.

"A… barrier?" Miroku awed, "do you think that means…?"

"Naraku's fortress?" Sango gasped, "maybe that's why Kagome's scent was lost here!"

"It must be a trap, though," Miroku mused as he lifted his hand to cup his chin.

"Fuck that," the demon dog dared as he ran over to right where the wolf had been knocked out, his two followers attended to him loyally. Apparently, touching it would be a bad idea.

"I've got this," the one of them with Tetsusaiga declared as he unsheathed his most trusted sword, allowing it to transform first before he focused all his might into striking at the shield. It was but a flicker, for only a few moments, but enough time for the two of them to slip in and—to their shock—their two human comrades and cat demon as well.

"Miasma," Sango warned as she placed her mask on, "be careful."

"It's quiet," Miroku whispered. All their eyes glanced about the seemingly empty castle; the area was built on dead ground, purple mist mingled in the air all about.

"Welcome!" a boastful voice echoed about.

"I don't have time for this!" The full-demon declared as he removed his leather jacket and threw it to the side, "just show yourself so I can kill you already!"

"Oh, and who are you?" The man questioned with an almost joyful sounding laugh.

He didn't bother to reply, he just cracked his knuckles and sped forward towards the castle, slamming into the wall and breaking the wood. Quickly, a figure shot out of the gloomy castle, flipped about in the air, and landed not too far from the trio.

"You're the one that took Kagome," the half-breed growled, "where is she?"

"In there, in there," he shrugged with a nod towards the castle, "but you won't find her. It's like a maze in there and only I can tell you where she is."

"Uh-huh," the other grumbled as he leaped off of the porch of the castle to stand by his former self, his golden gaze glancing over the demon, "I think I'll find her just fine."

"I don't know who you are," he scoffed, "but you are a fellow demon, are you not? What are you doing aiding these things?"

"I want Kagome back," he replied, "if you give her to me right now I might not kill you."

That just got a whole new set of laughter out of the colorful man, "is that so? I will have to respectfully decline. When Naraku hired me to take that girl he did not mention that there would be a dog demon with such spunk in the group. I have to say, it simply makes it more interesting."

"You aren't one of Naraku's incarnations?" Miroku questioned.

"Me? No, no," he shook his head lightly, "he gave me a rather large jewel shard to take the girl and kill all of you. I think it's worth it."

"Just a jewel shard?" Inuyasha smirked as he brushed some of his jet-black hair out of his face, "you'd need more of that to defeat me."

"Like I said, I enjoy your spunk, how about we see about that though?" he grinned as he ripped the spear he had tied to his back off and pointed it towards him, "let's play!" With a slash a blue light blasted from his weapon and towards the Inuyashas, the both dodge it—one with far less effort than the other.

"I'm going to kill you!" One cried out as he slashed his sword towards the man, emanating a yellow blast of his own that was counteracted with another slash of the man's weapon.

"Did I mention Naraku also gave me full permission to do with your woman, half-breed, as I like?" He taunted right as their weapons clashed, metal to metal, their gazes locked intentionally—one filled with murderous thrill, the other burning hatred.

"If you laid a finger on Kagome," he started with a growl.

"You'll what?" But before he could not gain an answer for he felt a tearing pain strike threw his chest. His eyes widened as they glanced down to see a hand threw his chest, his still beating heart grasped tightly in it before it withdrew.

"Slice him in two," the pure-blood requested as he squashed the heart in hand. He didn't have to ask himself twice before the other tore his sword threw the man. "Idiot," he scoffed to the half-demon, "that thing was weak, how could you let it take Kagome?"

"That was rather remarkable," Miroku mumbled to Sango.

"Yes, Inuyasha has become stronger over the many years," she nodded, "it's like… he can turn off and on his aura."

"You—!"

"Shut up," the demon sighed, "I have to find Kagome now."

{xoxoxoxoxo}

Time trickled away as the maze carried on, a turn here, a turn there, and a constant series of the same—walls, floors, ceilings. It carried on so much so that they were gradually walking less, panting more, and mouths drying.

"I have to ask," Miroku began, breaking the silence that had ensnared them for so long, "it should have been far more difficult to kill that demon than it was. He had a large chunk of the shikon," one that Sango now carried, "yet it took no time for you to sneak up behind him and rip his heart out."

"Keh," the canine grunted, "I used the full shikon jewel to become what I am. I have had five hundred years to perfect my skills," he scoffed a weak laugh, "why would some petty demon get in my way?" Takeo, the little runt that he was, could have even killed that demon without effort. After all, if one survived what killed most all of them then they were the strongest of the strong.

"Well, I suppose you can find solace in the fact that you become as strong as you want to, Inuyasha," Sango sassed.

"Who are you talking to?" The half-breed bickered.

"That is true," Miroku mumbled, "we will have a hard time if we need to constantly address you two as Inuyasha."

"Shiro," the older one muttered, "you can call me 'Shiro'."

"Why?" Shippou grumbled as he lazily hung off of Sango's shoulders, his lids heavy.

"Because that's what people have been calling me for a few years," Shiro sighed, "this is ridiculous… Maybe I shouldn't have killed him. I should have gotten him to take me to Kagome."

"You care about her a great deal still, hm?" Miroku couldn't help but pry, after all, what did they have to do besides talk as they simply became more lost with each turn?

A smile crept up his lips but none could see that since he was in the lead, of course he did… would it be wrong to taunt his former self about the night Kagome and him shared just four days ago? Probably and he was sure that Kagome would be embarrassed so he bit his tongue and carried on until just a hint of that blessed scent swirled up in his nose. He stopped to take a deeper breath in.

"What?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Kagome's scent," he replied before he took off, Inuyasha not too far behind him and the others lagging behind. Eventually, Inuyasha, too, picked up on his scent so he could stop following the other to sprint forward. At the same time they broke through a wall to a room that held nothing but Kagome, lying in the dead center

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, pushing Shiro out of the way so he could slide down and pull her into his embrace in one swift motion. She was taking, deep, long, breaths, her eyes were shut, and her heart still beat—that's all that mattered. "Kagome?"

Shiro knelt down on the opposite side of Inuyasha, his eyes glancing about the sleeping girl. Shortly afterwords the two humans entered the makeshift door but lingered a distance away. Shiro's pure ambers glanced up to the half-breed who's gaze was only locked on the beauty's face… he had not noticed anything more than her red cheeks, the fact her hair was lightly damp, and how she smelled as if she was washed recently—leaving behind no scent but her own. The far more pessimistic one had noticed her bruised thighs… her bruised inner thighs. Hadn't he warned her about wearing her uniform in such a time?

"In… Inuyasha?" A meek murmur escaped her parched lips as her head tilted more towards the man that held her.

"Kagome," he replied, "are you OK?"

"Nn," was all she could reply with before her eyes slightly fluttered open, they lingered on him only briefly before they ventured around the room—her two friends caught her attention for a moment—then on Shiro. Her breath hitched in her throat as her hand reached out to him, which he took promptly with both of his, "Inuyasha."

"You'll be alright," he assured as she pushed away, weakly, from the past to have the future, allowing him to take her into his arms so she could wrap hers around his neck and rested her forehead against his shoulder. If he had been looking anywhere but the girl who started to shake with sobs then he'd noticed—and mostly relished—the look upon the other Inuyasha's face, the dumbfounded shock, or the same that was written across the face of her two friends. Of course, though, he wasn't. He couldn't. Nothing in the world mattered but what he held in his arms—damaged goods?

"Inuyasha," she stammered in between gasps for air.

"It's alright," he kept up in a sweet, soothing, whisper as he held her tighter and stroked his hand that had dried blood of the demon on it through her cool, moist, locks of ebony. "I'm here. I'll take care of you. Everything will be fine. Kagome."

"Inuyasha," she simply repeated.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

"She'll be fine," Kaede declared after she allowed the rest in.

"Are you sure?" Shiro inquired as he knelt down beside the sitting girl.

"I'm fine," Kagome smiled, she couldn't even recall why she had cried. "I really am. Don't worry."

"We're so glad that you are alright and back," Sango sighed with relief before wrapping her arms around her friend, "we were worried."

"I really am fine," Kagome promised with her usual joyful laugh, "you guys worry too much."

"What happened?" Miroku inquired as he sat down to his half-demon companion, "you were gone for three days."

"Three days?" Kagome muttered, "really? I thought… I was only gone a day. Really? Three?"

Miroku nodded as his eyes wondered over to Sango, "do you not recall being gone that long?"

"I don't…" she whispered before looking over to Shiro, "remember much… of anything, now that I think about it. It's like… there's a fog clouding my memories… like I was…"

"Drugged?" He inquired listlessly, "don't worry, you are fine now." There was no need to remember a thing… no need to recall whatever restless hell she might have gone through. It took a few moments as their eyes were locked before the panic painted upon her hazels faded. "Let me take you home now."

"I…" she started as her attention moved over to Inuyasha then away from both of them, "I…"

"I told your mother I'd bring you home," he stated firmly, winning her gaze back, "she must be worried out of her mind. I'm not saying you cannot come back," though he'd very much like it to be so, "but I did give your mother my word. Please, Kagome?"

"My mom?" she mumbled, "oh… I've been gone for so long and I never told her I was coming here. I should go home to tell her I'm OK." With that she got up and motioned for Shiro to do the same, "I'll see you guys tomorrow, OK?"

"Alright," Shippou pouted, "but you promise?"

"I do," she had to give the little fellow a hug and spending some time saying goodbye to her other friends--those most was reserved for the weary Inuyasha.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

"Thank you, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi bowed her head to him lightly before she gave him a warm cup of tea, "I was worried… but I knew you'd keep your word."

"Of course," it was nice that at least one of them had faith in hm.

"She told me she's returning tomorrow… to see them again," she sighed lightly as she raised her tea to her lips, "I don't want her to go back anymore… I miss my daughter. I worry about my daughter, I… if she continues she will not return. I fear that more than anything. She loves you… if you…" if you could, would you make her stay? That was what her eyes asked him, he was sure, that's what her frown beckoned for, and that's exactly what he wanted, too… but how? They both knew there was only so much they could do, that she was headstrong with a spirited way about her, and there was no stopping her when she put her mind to something. He could, he supposed, but the chains back on the well but... she'd only get flustered with him, then.

His pride, was it that...? Wanted to have it so there was nothing but him persuading her to stay in her era.

Still, he nodded as his eyes wondered to the dark sky just outside the window, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," she whispered back before he finished off of his cup of tea and headed up the stairs only to run into Kagome midway to her room.

She laughed lightly as she stepped to the side, "sorry, I'm going to take a bath. Are you going to stay longer?"

"I am, just to make sure you are alright," he replied with a nod, "I'm going to go take a nap on your bed for a bit, is that OK?" After all, he hadn't gotten more than a few moments of shut-eye since she went missing.

"Yeah, of course," she nodded before heading to the bathroom and he the room. It took no time at all for him to fall to sleep upon her soft, warm, frilly bed.

"Inuyasha," he heard a weak whisper and felt a shake, "Inuyasha," he heard once more, "Inuyasha?"

"Uh?" He grumbled back as he turned over in bed, away from the noise and the pushing.

"Inuyasha!" He jerked up after that one and finally looked to the girl that had her hair tied up and wore nothing but a towel and smelled of body wash and her orange-mint shampoo, "Inuyasha…"

"Huh? What?" He grumbled as he ran his hand through his ruffled hair.

"Inuyasha," she sighed shakily as she closed her door, locked it, and let her towel drop, "wh… where did all these… come from? What… what happened to me?"

He swallowed shallowly before his ambers moved from her dread tainted expression to her revealed body. Her upper arms had hand marks on it, her stomach was a little bruised, her thighs… then her shoulders. She turned around to show him what took a great deal of strength to look into a mirror to expose to herself. A few more minute bruises were scattered around her back, a line mark around her ankles, but it was the strange bite mark on her left hip that got him to get up and walk over to hover his hand over it. It was an oval, red fused purple mark that had sharp teeth imprints circling it fully.

"Inuyasha, how'd this happen?" she whispered as she turned her head only slightly to the side.

"Kagome," he hushed back before she spun around and pushed him back a bit, he took another willing step until he sat upon the bed. His eyes fixated upon her determined expression as she walked over and placed a knee on either side of his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck so she was face-to-face to him.

"What happened?" she repeated in a timid tone.

"I don't know," he replied with a small shake of his head, he couldn't keep his ambers locked with her hazels much like she couldn't look him in the face. Her breath was deep yet erratic before she shut her eyes and leaned in to kiss him, at first it was only a gentle press of skin to skin before she tried to expand it as she pressed her body onto his her arms tightening around him.

"Wait," he whispered as he removed her arms, tenderly, from him and turned his face away from hers, "no… you're upset right now."

"Jerk," she scoffed as she slapped him in the chest and slide off his lap to grab the folded PJs that were upon her dress and speedily put them on. Yes… it was true, she wasn't thinking straight but what could she infer from the injuries? From the lack of memory? From the small ache between her thighs than… than? No. She didn't want that, she felt her body tremble slightly as she bit her lips together and blinked away tears. She didn't want to know any other man in that way besides Inuyasha… somehow, for some reason, it just seemed right to throw herself at him… as if it would cleanse her, as if it would erase whatever might have transpired. Whatever horror she had blocked…

"Kagome," he began after she had pulled on her shirt and tightened the string on her pants. It took some time but she finally turned around to look at him, "come here."

He beckoned her with a small wave of his hand and she nodded lightly as she walked over to allow him to pull the covers down so she could crawl into the bed, "you're not leaving, right?" She sped when he only leaned lightly away.

"No," he assured as he undid his belt.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, maybe she made a move on him a moment ago but her senses had returned enough now that was the last thing she wanted.

"I don't want to sleep in my jeans, they're uncomfortable," he replied as he kicked them off before climbing under the covers with her, she quickly took her place in his strong, safe, arms and buried her face into his chest. She could faintly smell whatever expensive cologne he wore—leather and the wilderness invaded her senses, or was that just the way he smelled now? She closed her eyes and took a set of steady breaths… it was comforting.

"It's funny," she mumbled after a few minutes of silence.

"What is?" he asked with his lips to the top of her head, one of his hands stroked her back gently as his other held her to him.

"How different you two are…"

"Me and who?"

"The other Inuyasha… It's like you two aren't the same person at all. Who would have thought that he'd become so well off and wear such expensive clothe?" She lightly, silently, laughed before biting her bottom lip. "Why'd you change so much?"

"Would you rather I have stayed the same way forever?"

"No… on the outside you are really different, really, but… here," she pressed her hand to his chest, "is the same, I think. That sounds stupid, huh? And corny and cliché but it's true… I can tell, when you hold me like this, that you're still you. You still have a good heart, you still… love me."

"More than anything," he swore. Some more hush took them, he wouldn't have started up another conversation if he knew she was asleep but her hand still traced a design on his chest, he could still hear steady, shallow breaths, and even her eyelashes as she blinked. If he allowed her to be so quiet then she'd just think about the past few days, wouldn't she? "It's woman's fault."

"What?" She sighed.

"Why I changed… on the outside, it's Akiko, Chi, and Mi's doing. Living with those women… well, it became a hobby for them to take me on god-awful shopping trips and forcing me to buy new wardrobes at each turn of the century. I guess… somewhere along the way it just became a habit to buy the best."

That, thankfully, got her to laugh openly as she moved her hand from outlining the strange pattern on his shirt to wrap her arm under his and around him. "Is that so?"

"Uh-huh," he could finally smile knowing she was, "you know… I'd buy—"

"Inuyasha," she hushed.

"I would, whatever you want, you deserve it."

"Mm-hm," she nodded her head against his chest, "I'm fine, thank you."

"Just throwing that out there."

"Goodnight, Inuyasha."

"Night, Kagome."

{xoxoxoxoxo}

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered as she propped herself up with one of her arms and with her other she pushed him slightly. He looked so peaceful as he spewed one of his legs and arms off her small bed, his others were once tangled with her but she had broken that bond to sit up. Really, she'd like to just sit there and watch him as he slept for a while but she couldn't, the pulsing need in her made her keep prying at him, "Inuyasha?"

"Wha…?" He grumbled as he tilted his head to face her but still refused to open his eyes. He mustn't have slept while she was away… he must have worried terribly about her and that did kill her but…

"Inuyasha, please wake up," she whispered once more as she raised her hand to cup his face and stroke his cheek with her thumb, "please?"

"I'm awake," he sighed before he pried his eyes open to look up her body to those pretty eyes that stared down at him. "What?"

"I…" she pressed her lips together briefly before lowering her head enough so she could kiss him quickly, "Inuyasha, I…"

This again? He didn't want to be a bad boyfriend—he was still her boyfriend, right?—and take her when she's in such a wreck of an emotional state but there really is only so much a man can take… he closed his eyes as he rubbed his hand over them, "Kagome, really, not that."

"No, no," she assured, "but… Inuaysha… I really… I can't sleep. I need to know what happened to me. I just… I need to know."

"Kagome," he began but when he looked back up to see such a tormented need on her face he gave in, "I know… a doctor that I could take you to."

"But… with a doctor they'd want me to explain what happened and they might want me to file a police report or," she panicked but he put a stop to that as he sat up and pulled her into his embrace.

"She's a friend of mine; she has a practice in Tokyo. She's a demon, too, and who a lot of us go to if we have any problems. She won't ask any questions, she'll just give you an exam."

"She," Kagome grumbled as she grabbed his shirt and buried her face into it again. Why'd it always have to be a 'she'? Didn't he have any male friends…? Oh my lord, now that she stopped to think about it all his friends that she met were only females! What a dog! Really, such a thing shouldn't bother her so much when other pressing matters were at hand but she couldn't help but feel that pull of jealousy all the same... the absolute and utter desire to be the only 'she' that mattered in his life.

"I know a guy doctor, too, I go to him," he assured, "but I was pretty sure… under the circumstance you'd rather go to her."

"Oh," she sighed, "OK. I want to go to girl..."

"Though so... Alright, I'll take you first thing tomorrow," he promised as he motioned for them to lie back down but she only pulled away.

"No, can't we go now?"

"Kagome," he sighed, "come on, it's two in the morning. You need to sleep."

"The sooner the better, right? Please?" She pouted with furrowed brows, "or do you think she won't see us this late? Please? Inuyasha?"

"No…" he muttered, "she'll see us. Just…" he struggled for a moment before finally getting out of the warm bed and grabbing his pants, "get changed into something warm and I'll take you now."

"Thank you," she'd smile but… it just wouldn't come, no matter how much she'd like it to.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If, by chance, all things end so that Kagome could be with one of the Inuyashas, who'd you like it to be? It's really only out of curiosity that I ask since I'll still go with what I think best ends the story. I'm not sure how I want the story to end yet, though, I have a few scenarios in mind...

So, the whole time/travel/paradox/thing had my mind spinning for a very long time. I didn't know how to treat it or anything like that and then my older brother finally forced me to watch the new Star Trek movie and that gave me my answer! It was such a relief, and the movie actually turned out to be very entertaining. I thought it would be geeky and stupid, it's always nice to be wrong sometimes. So, by Inuyasha interfering in fate like he did by waiting 500 years he's changed the course of history and created an alternate dimension of sorts, hence why past-Inu and future-Inu can see each other and not have time collapse on itself or anything dreadful like that.

Anyway, enjoy and please review.