Disclaimer: I was recently made God, and so I took InuYasha for my own. But then people claimed I was abusing my power, and they kicked me out. So Rumiko Takahashi still owns InuYasha.

Sorry for dragging this whole thing out. But it is important, and i think it should be recognized as such. We must remember that Kagome is the first person that truly accepted InuYasha. Kikyo doesn't count, since she wanted to change him. It's like losing your oldest and dearest friend, something I've experienced myself. It sucks. Hard.

LOST AND FOUND

InuYasha paced in front of the well. Kagome had been gone for one week, and it felt like a month. He felt sick to his stomach every time he thought of the fight that they'd had. He knew better than to let his temper loose a girl. It was wrong, immoral, and cowardly. He knew that, and yet once again he'd let his temper get the best of him. He wouldn't blame Kagome if she never spoke to him again. It was no less than he deserved. But she had to come back. She just had to.

"She may not return this time, InuYasha."

InuYasha growled at Miroku's calm voice. "You don't think I know that!" He snapped. "But she has to come back. She just has to."

"Kagome has never been under any obligation to help us on this quest, InuYasha." Miroku reminded him, an edge of steel in his voice that was very rarely heard. "She has no personal grudge against Naraku. She has a life on the other side of that well. The only reason she is here is because she feels responsible for the shattering of the jewel, and because she cares about what happens to all of us. She does not have to return if she does not wish to."

"Yes she does!" InuYasha insisted. "She promised!"

Miroku looked like he was about to respond, but before he could, the well flashed. Miroku turned his all-knowing gaze on InuYasha. "Don't screw this up, InuYasha." Miroku warned. "She is too precious. And not just to you." Then he left, knowing that the two of them needed to sort this out for themselves.

The first thing InuYasha saw was her bag. The large bulbous yellow bag that she had been carrying since the very beginning was thrown over the side of the well, and for a moment, InuYasha thought that everything would be fine. Especially when he saw Kagome using the footholds she had forced him to carve out on the inside of the well to pull herself over the side. He started forward as soon as she touched the ground. "Oi, Kagome! You're late!"

Kagome turned to him, and InuYasha froze. The strangest look was on Kagome's face, one he'd never seen before. Nervous, his ears lowered until they were pressed so closely against his skull that they nearly disappeared in the mess of his hair. Even the small smile Kagome produced didn't set him at ease like it would usually do. Hesitantly, he watched as she lifted her bag onto her shoulders. The nervous feeling grew as Kagome walked directly passed him without even looking at him. This was all wrong. She should have yelled at him when he said she was late. She should have tried to make him carry her bag back to the village. She should be screaming at him, or else she should be smiling and laughing. She should be not speaking to him, ignoring him, or even screeching at the top of her lungs. Or, if she really had forgiven him, she should be chattering on about some random things while trying to get him to say something. Why was she acting so weird?

Kagome made it to the trees before InuYasha finally came to his senses. He quickly ran to her side before falling in step beside her. Kagome didn't acknowledge his presence at all, and the nervousness started to morph into panic. What if she never spoke to him again? His hands clenched at the thought. Maybe he really should try to apologize. He thought about it for a moment, then shook off the thought. She'd never needed an apology before. Now shouldn't be any different.

InuYasha kept waiting for Kagome to say something, but she never did. Nor did she ever look at him, or interact with him in anyway. He was beginning to think that there was something wrong with her when they finally managed to get to the village. Miroku must have warned them that Kagome was coming, because the entire group was waiting for them at the edge of the village. InuYasha saw how the familiar sadness on Sango's face had lifted, how Miroku's constant state of silent irritation had vanished, how Shippou's pout had been replaced by a smile, and how Kaede's world weary shoulder seemed lighter. Kagome really was the only one who could keep them together. Without her, everything just fell apart.

Predictably, Shippou was the first to jump forward. "Kagome!" He squealed, running forward on all fours to get to her faster.

For a moment, InuYasha was sure that Kagome would ignore him too. But instead, she dropped her bag to the ground and knelt so that Shippou could better reach her for their hug. As soon as the kit was in her arms, Kagome wrapped Shippou in a bone crushing hug. "Oh, I missed you, Shippou!"

"You were gone for forever!" Shippou complained.

Kagome laughed and squeezed him again. "Feels that way, doesn't it?"

By this time, Sango had reached the younger girl that she considered a sister. "It's good to have you back." She said softly as she waited for Kagome to rise. She did so quickly, and Sango enveloped her in the tightest hug she could manage. Sango had been absolutely sure that Kagome was gone for good, especially after she had heard what InuYasha had done. The peace she saw on her sister's face took away and doubts she might have had left.

"You guys act like I've been gone for months." Kagome said with a laugh as she returned Sango's hug. "Honestly, it's only been a week."

"Too much of a week." Sango muttered. "Don't do it again." She released Kagome with a frown, making sure to keep Kagome's forearms securely in her grip. "I mean it."

Kagome smiled at Sango and nodded. "I promise. No more."

Sango nodded before she let go of Kagome's arms. Miroku, who had just made it to them, took her place nearly immediately. "You are brave and wonderful, Kagome." Miroku said, making sure to catch InuYasha's eye when he spoke. "I'm glad that you have returned to us."

Kagome smiled and hugged the monk back fiercely. For all his perverted tendencies, Miroku's calm had never wavered. She didn't know how many times she had used it as a life raft when she had been on the edge of oblivion. "Sorry to have made you worry." She said apologetically. "Won't happen again, I swear."

Miroku squeezed her tight for a moment, before deciding that Kagome's return had become much too serious. Using his tried and true method of stress relief, he allowed his hand to slowly drift towards the miko's buttocks. Unfortunately for him, Kagome and Sango were now used to his tricks, and had been watching him closely. In unison, the two women screamed. "HENTAI!" The next moment, Miroku felt two bursts of pain: one on the cheek from Kagome's slap, and one at the back of the head from Sango's hiraikotsu.

"I tell you, it is a curse!" Miroku proclaimed as he gently released Kagome and stepped back. "I cannot control it."

"But Miroku." Kagome answered sweetly. "It's you other hand that has the wind tunnel."

Miroku looked at her as if the thought had never occurred to him, which it probably hadn't. "Well then, allow me to correct the problem."

Kagome laughed and hurriedly came to stand behind Sango. "Thanks, but I'll pass on that offer."

Miroku faked a sigh. "Oh, how hurt I am, that so beautiful a lady would turn me aside. Oh, woe is me."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Ignore him, Kagome. Tell me, what exactly took so long in your time?"

Kagome smiled. "Well, here's what happened. . ." That was all it took to have the two women in their own little world. They started off back to the village, arm in arm like real sister, with Shippou perched on Kagome's shoulder. The two men watched them go, and Miroku waited until they were out of earshot before he turned to InuYasha.

"What happened?" He demanded.

InuYasha growled. "Nothing." He picked Kagome's bag up off the ground and shouldered it. "Absolutely nothing."

Something was very, very wrong.

Kagome sat in Kaede's hut beside Sango, with Shippou in her lap, Miroku across from her. The fire roared in front of her, and she was slowly inching closer to it as the night grew colder. She laughed, smiled, teased, worked, and even acted normal. But something was very, very wrong.

She didn't speak to InuYasha. She didn't look at him, or acknowledge his presence in any way unless it was absolutely necessary. She even "forgot" to get a ramen bowl for him. Anytime it looked like they were going to be alone, she would find some way to make sure they either went their separate ways or someone else joined them. She hadn't even sat him, and he was doing plenty to deserve it.

Of course, she'd only been back since that morning. So maybe it wasn't so bad. . . "Oi!" InuYasha shouted in horror. "Where's my ramen!"

The entire group froze. Kagome looked up speculatively and counted the group. Then an expression of obvious mock horror crossed her face. "Oh deary me. Did I not make enough ramen? How very silly of me." Then she went back to her conversation like nothing had happened.

InuYasha stared at her in disbelief. He wasn't wrong. Something was very, very wrong with Kagome. He jumped so that he landed directly beside her. "What the hell is going on with you?" Kagome looked at him blinked, then turned back to Sango. InuYasha growled and grabbed her shoulder. "Oi! I asked you a question." When she continued to ignore him, he pulled on the shoulder until she was forced to face him. "Answer me."

Kagome sighed and gently nudged Shippou off of her lap. "I suppose I've been acting a bit childish, haven't I?" Kagome muttered. She stood and pulled InuYasha's hand off of her shoulder. "Come with me, InuYasha."

Something sunk to the pit of InuYasha's stomach. His ears flattened against his skull as Kagome walked away. Somehow, he got the feeling he wasn't going to like what Kagome was being so childish about. He followed her slowly, as if by dragging his heels he could forestall the inevitable. But eventually, they were once again at the edge of the village, away from prying eyes and ears.

Kagome sighed, and once again had that strange look on her face. InuYasha still had no idea what that look meant. She gave him a small smile, and the feeling in his stomach grew. He wasn't going to like what she had to say. So as she opened her mouth, InuYasha blurted it out. "I'm sorry." Kagome looked startled, and her mouth closed. Seeing that this was going away from her plan, and probably in a good direction for him, he kept going. "I shouldn't have hit you. I know I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. You're not some demon that I can take my anger out on. I swear to you, it will never happen again. I won't let it happen again."

The look on Kagome's face was still set in that incomprehensible one, but it now had a saddened tinge to it. "I accept your apology, InuYasha." She said softly. InuYasha grinned, for a moment believing that everything had been fixed. But then Kagome kept speaking. "But I can't forgive you."

InuYasha stared at her, and the nervous butterflies in his stomach were replaced by fear. "What do you mean? That's what accepting an apology means!"

Kagome shook her head. "I'm so-" She stopped herself, refusing to apologize for this. "I can't forgive you for this, InuYasha. I could forgive the insults that you constantly throw at me, because they are just words and I know that you don't mean them. I can accept you sneaking around in order to see Kikyo, because the fact that you go behind my back tells me that you know that it hurts me and you're trying to spare my feelings. But this?" She shook her head. "I'm not stupid. You've always had a temper, and that's part of the reason why you're so good. You channel your rage into your jiaki, and that makes you stronger. But it also makes you dangerous, especially when you become angry around people who are your friends. You've been taking it out on Shippou for years. I suppose it was only a matter of time before you did the same to me."

"But I promise!" InuYasha shouted desperately. "It won't happen again!"

Kagome looked at him, the strange look completely taken over by sadness. "I can't trust that, InuYasha." She bit her lip and looked away, trying to compose herself. "I'm not going to leave. I will still help defeat Naraku and complete the Shikon no Tama. But once that's finished, I'm going home. And this time, it will be for good."

InuYasha wanted to shout, but all that could escape his throat was a pathetic whine that was, thankfully, too low for Kagome to hear. Kagome had been the first to truly accept him. Even Kikyo had wanted him to change. But Kagome, from day one, had taken him as he was. And now. . . how she just abandon him like this? She had promised to stay by his side forever. How could she betray him?

The shock of her statement was enough that he hadn't even realized Kagome had moved until her arms were wrapped around him. "I do love you, InuYasha. And I probably always will. And I am still your friend, no matter what you might do." She pulled away slightly, just enough to have her hands on his shoulders. "But I have a duty to complete the Shikon no Tama and defeat Naraku. I can't do that if I let myself be hurt, either physically or emotionally."

Her eyes met InuYasha's and begged him to understand, and InuYasha couldn't help but do so. He had truly screwed up, and this time, Kagome wasn't coming back. He had no one to blame but himself. But even knowing this, he couldn't stop the pain that started to spread through him. He lunged forward and pulled Kagome into a bone crushing hug. For a moment, he let her scent, that unique scent that was all Kagome, surround him. He let the warmth of her body spread through him one last time. Then he let her go and stepped back. "I'll. . . try." He whispered brokenly.

Kagome smiled sadly, almost regretfully, and patted his shoulder gently. "I know." Then she pulled herself away. As much as she wanted to melt into those strong arms, like she had longed to do for so long, she just couldn't let herself do it. She had made her decision, and she was going to stick by it. "Good-bye." That was all she said before she walked away, forcing herself not to look back.

Kagome was once again running through Tokyo Conservational Park. It seemed to be becoming a tradition now. But recently, she'd found that if she didn't run through Tokyo Conservational Park, she wouldn't be able to sleep during the night. The run helped bleed off the nerves and the worries that seemed to plague her during the night.

The last trip had almost been a complete disaster. InuYasha and Kagome rarely spoke, and when they did, it was usually in quiet, clipped tones. Sango and Miroku insisted on trying to push the two of them together as much as possible, and though they easily resisted the attempts, Sango and Miroku had only become more persistent. To sum it all up, InuYasha had gotten his hand trapped to a giant boulder by three monkey minions of a missing local monkey god. He had been irrational, irritable, and just plain annoying. And he hadn't even bothered to thank her when she had finally figured out that the missing monkey god was being used as a pickling stone. Only the information provided by the monkey god had made the trip worthwhile at all.

Now, Kagome had to prepare for a journey that would likely take weeks, if not months. Exactly what she needed. . . NOT!

"Come on, Shiro!" Kagome froze at the familiar voice. "Can't you keep up with pair of old geezers?"

"Shut up, you old hag!" Kagome turned to see her favorite elderly couple running with a new member. For a moment, Kagome could have sworn she was looking at InuYasha. But then she saw how short his salt and pepper hair was, the absence of puppy dog ears, and the wrinkles and sagging skin. There was no way this was InuYasha.

A moment later, a yelp of pain interrupted her thoughts. "What the hell was that for, you bastard?"

"I am not the bastard, Shiro!" Kin bit out. "And you will refrain from insulting my wife."

"Oh Kin, relax." Ao answered with a chuckle. "I stopped being offended by his posturing a long time ago." She looked like she was going to say more, but Kagome never gave her the opportunity to. Kagome slammed into the older woman with surprising speed. Ao let out an oof as Kagome wrapped her arms around her in a hug. After a moment, which Ao used to identify the person who had just assaulted her, the older woman returned the embrace. "I take it you were worried." Ao said breathily.

Kagome chuckled and let her go. "You're alright, right? You're allowed to run and everything?"

Ao laughed. "My dear, you saw what Kin was like before my heart attack. Do you think that Kin would let me run if I wasn't allowed to?"

Kagome smiled sheepishly. "I guess not." Reminded of the presence of the others, Kagome turned to Kin. "How are you Kin?"

"I am well." Kin answered with a nod in her direction. "Yourself?" His question seemed loaded, and Kagome knew he wasn't really asking about her health. "You have fixed your problem?"

"Yes, I have." The sadness was evident in Kagome's voice. "I'm doing my best to keep it that way."

Ao looked at her closely, then smiled. "Oh, where are my manners." She took Kagome's arm and spun her to face their salt and pepper haired friend. "Shiro, this is our friend Kagome Higurashi. Kagome, this is my best friend and brother-in-law, Shiro Nishinoshu."

Kagome bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nishinoshu."

For a moment, Shiro seemed frozen. Then, after Ao nudged him, he quickly bowed. "The pleasure is mine, Kagome."

"Well, I only have a few more minutes of running time." Ao announced. "Have fun you two." She and Kin took off simultaneously, leaving Kagome and Shiro alone. She glared after them, wanting to know what exactly they were thinking.

"I'm going to kill them." Shiro muttered. "What do they expect us to do?"

"Come up with a nefarious plan to destroy them?" Kagome suggested darkly. Shiro raised an eyebrow, and Kagome sighed. "I apologize. I've had a pretty hard time recently." She looked around and saw the coffee place Ao had taken her to a few months ago. "Listen, why don't we go and get some coffee. We can wait there and ambush them."

Shiro chuckled. "Sounds like a very good plan."

Together, they crossed the street to the café. While they ordered drinks and chose a seat, an awkward silence stretched between them. Kagome was more than slightly unnerved by the way Shiro was staring at her. Finally, she had had enough. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but could you please stop staring at me? It's creeping me out."

Shiro blinked, and a look of horror crossed his face. "I apologize, Ms. Higurashi. I hadn't realized that I was staring. I'm just wondering if there is some way that you are related to Ao."

Kagome blinked, then shook her head. "Not that I know of. May I ask why?"

Shiro chuckled. "It's just. . . you seem nearly exactly as how I remember Ao being when I first met her. She was about fifteen then."

"Kin and Ao have been dating since they were fifteen!" Kagome exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

Shiro shook his head, and a sad look crossed his face. "Actually, I knew Ao before Kin did. We were. . . well, not exactly dating, but something very close to it, for nearly five years. Then Ao dumped me and ended up going out with my brother."

Kagome gaped. "That's. . . that's just terrible!" Kagome gasped. "I can't believe Ao would do that."

Shiro chuckled. "That's what I thought at the time." Shiro shook his head. "But it was probably the best thing she could have done."

Kagome shook her head. "I can't believe that." She declared. "For someone to go behind another person's back like that. . . it's just wrong!"

Shiro laughed. "As much as I appreciate you righteous anger, Ao didn't go behind my back. She broke up with me because I was horrible to her. I'm the one who was cheating on her."

"Oh." Kagome answered. "Well then, you sir, are a terrible person!"

Shiro laughed again. "Believe it or not, I really didn't think I was doing anything wrong until she finally broke it off with me. I tried to apologize, but she never did forgive me." He sighed. "That hurt. At first, I felt as though I had been betrayed. She was supposed to be with me forever. It was how the story was supposed to go. But then she changed the story."

Kagome bit her lip, then decided to speak. "But you hurt her as well, didn't you? Maybe she was just trying to protect herself."

Shiro's smile was sad as he answered. "I know that now. But back then, I couldn't see it. She was so cold to me after we broke up. Now I know that she was trying to protect herself in the only way she knew. But back then, I thought that she was being deliberately cruel, that it was a personal attack on me. I was depending on her, and she let me down." Shiro shook his head. "Luckily for me, she gave that up rather quickly. I don't know why, but she made up with me, though she still made sure I understood that we were only friends." He grinned, and Kagome was nearly dazzled by it. "That was one of the greatest days of my life. It was hard at first, to get over her and to understand why she needed to protect herself, but I did eventually. It helped when she and Sesshoumaru got together and she was firmly in the taken category."

Kagome looked at him, and saw the joy that he had about finally being on good terms with Ao. Hesitantly, she asked the question. "You don't think that it would have been better for both of you, if she had cut off any kind of friendship? You don't think that she would have been safer?"

Shiro closed his eyes and gripped his mug tightly. "The day that I hurt Ao was one of the worst in my life. What I did to her. . ." He trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, and Kagome could see every bit of guilt and pain etched on his face. "It taught me a lesson that I very desperately needed. Even if I regret my actions, I am grateful for the lesson. But if she had turned her back on me after that, I don't think I would ever have been able to trust another person being again."

Kagome stared down at her drink, thinking over his words carefully. Never able to trust again?

An hour later, Shiro Nishinoshu, once known as InuYasha, greeted his brother Kin, also known as Sesshoumaru, and his sister-in-law and best friend Ao, also known as Kagome, into the café with a glare and a growl just audible enough for the two of them to hear as they sat. "I'm going to fucking kill you." He snarled.

"Language, hanyou." Sesshoumaru hissed.

Kagome sighed. "Five hundred years, and nothing's changed. Really, you two are horrible." She smiled at InuYasha, pointedly ignoring the growl fest between the two nonhumans. "So, did you have a nice chat?"

InuYasha smirked. "Yeah. I think I might be able to fix things for myself." Kagome and Sesshoumaru were stunned into silence for a moment, before InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax. She's not going to get back together with me. She's just going to not be a human glacier to me."

Kagome grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."

"Ya think?" InuYasha asked sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru nearly snarled. "I put up with your insults before, hanyou. Do not think I will hesitate to rip that tongue of yours from your body if you cross the line."

"You couldn't do it before. You certainly can't do it now." InuYasha sipped his coffee. "You know, Kagome told me you like that Demonic Espresso. Maybe I'll try it." He looked at Kagome pointedly. "After all, as was once said, 'If you can't hit him in the body, hit him in the ego!'"

Kagome burst out laughing at the ancient reference, quickly covering it with a cough when Sesshoumaru glared at her. Once she was silent, Sesshoumaru focused on InuYasha. "Strange advice, considering that even then, you failed so miserably."

"Let's not forget that I could touch the sword." InuYasha quipped.

Kagome couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

InuYasha wasn't waiting for her outside of the well. He wasn't in the forest. He wasn't in Kaede's hut. He wasn't in the village. He wasn't at the Goshinbuku. Which left only one place where he could be: the tree next to the river. As Kagome walked up the side of the hill that led to what she had dubbed as "InuYasha's Tree," a basket of fruits on her arm, she had flash back to her first days here. It was here that she had first tried to get passed InuYasha's guards. It was also the tree he had sat in when she had been bathing. The image of her sitting him off the edge of the miniature cliff made her smile. Then there was right after he had discovered the Tetsusaiga, and she had teased him about not knowing how to work his own sword. It was where they had first heard that Kaede was going after the witch who had taken her sister's ashes.

Kagome sighed. One more memory to add to the bunch, and it would either be the best of them all, or the most disastrous. But it needed to be done.

Kagome made it to the base of the tree, and saw InuYasha sitting on its branches, facing out towards the cliff that overlooked the lake. Just as she had the first time, so many years ago, Kagome reached into her basket and pulled out an apple. She looked up, and with all the strength she could muster, launched the apple at InuYasha's back. And just like he had the first time, InuYasha easily reached behind himself and caught the apple. He lifted it to his face, then turned around.

Kagome smiled up at him. "Hey! Don't you want to eat?"

InuYasha glared down at her, until he saw the basket on her arm. "Where'd you get all that stuff from?"

"The villagers gave it to me." Kagome laughed. "Why not come down from there and help me eat it?"

InuYasha hesitated, just as he had five years ago, before he hopped down from the branch and sat at its roots. Kagome ignored the suspicious look on his face as she came to sit beside him. She carefully placed the basket between them and grabbed one of the apples. "Eat up. I've heard they're good." She took a bite herself and leaned back against the tree, just waiting for him to make the next move.

InuYasha glared at her suspiciously. "Whatever you're up to, I ain't buying it." He announced.

"Buying what?" Kagome asked innocently. She kept her gaze off towards the cliff, not sure if looking at him would do any good.

InuYasha picked up one of the fruits and stared at it for a while. "You've ignored me for a week. Now all of a sudden, you're acting. . ."

Kagome saw him struggling for the words and sighed. "Do you remember the first time we did this? It was probably the second or third day I was here. I was a spoiled fifteen year old who was ignorant and rude. I was really naïve."

InuYasha snorted. "You're still all that."

Kagome glared at him, and he backed off. "Anyway, I believe the next part went something like this. 'Look, it's fair to say you don't like me.' And you said-"

"Way more than fair." InuYasha responded, a smirk on his face.

Kagome smiled back. "And I said 'It's not even me you dislike. It's this Kikyo person.'" InuYasha's smile disappeared at that. "Then you got all offended and jumped back into this tree. I called up. 'I'm not Kikyo, okay. I'm Kagome.'" She kept her eyes on the view, knowing she would probably cry if she looked him straight in the eyes. "Just the first in many times."

"Kagome, I-"

"Just let me finish." Kagome interrupted. "Then I asked if we could call a truce. You laughed and said 'I knew it! What you don't get is that I'm only after the jewel. You're just trying to lure me into a false sense of security.'" She shook her head, her smile growing slightly. "Then I, in my childish manner, responded. 'Oh really. That's funny, considering all I have to do to make you obey is say the word'" She paused, shaking her head and chuckling. "Well you know what word I said then. Also the first of many times." She mock glared at him. "You know, I did apologize for that."

"Keh. Like you meant it." InuYasha grumbled.

Kagome giggled. "You're right, I didn't." She sobered quickly as her mind moved on. "Looking back on it, that conversation pretty much sums up every reason why we could never be together."

InuYasha was silent for a moment as he weighed her words. Finally, he had to ask. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there's Kikyo." She looked back to the cliff. She couldn't afford looking at the hurt in his eyes. "No matter what you say, or how many times you say it, or what you try, I'll never be one hundred percent sure that when you look at me, you don't see Kikyo. Back then, I thought that my only problem with that would be that you hated Kikyo. But the fact that you loved her, and now she's back and further confusing the matter, makes it nearly impossible to deal with. I'll never have the security that I'm the one you love, and not her."

She looked at InuYasha quickly, and saw the understanding in his eyes. She looked away as soon as she was sure he understood before moving on. "Then there's how you were so suspicious of me. I don't know if you really care for me or if you're just happy that for the first time, you can actually trust someone. I like-" Her voice broke over the next part. She cleared her throat and pressed on. "I like being someone you trust, and I don't want that to change. You're still my friend, and the first I ever had here, and the first one to really see me as me. I don't want to lose that. But I also don't want that to be the only reason you stay with me."

Silence stretched between them for a moment, before a small smile spread across her face. "And then there's me."

InuYasha whirled on that one. "What!"

Kagome laughed out loud. "What, did you think I was so immature as to blame you for everything? I'm not that stupid you know." She shook her head. "I've been childish and immature since the very beginning. I can't even remember how many times you've saved me, and in the end, I still have you chained like an overgrown puppy dog. I really don't know how you can trust me when that rosary is just proof that I don't trust you." Her hands shook as she thought about what she was about to do. But it was something that needed to be done. "So, I think it's time that that necklace got removed."

InuYasha watched, frozen, as Kagome slowly reached forward towards his rosary. He felt the warmth from her hands as she firmly grasped the rosary. But as she started to lift it from around his neck, InuYasha snapped back to himself. He grabbed Kagome's wrists as she tried to lift the rosary over his eyes. "Don't." He whispered.

Kagome looked at him, a confused expression on her face. "But why?"

"The rosary. . . it doesn't mean you don't trust me." InuYasha answered. His voice never rose over a whisper. "It means you care enough to stop me when I lose control, and that you trust me enough to still be around when its over."

Kagome nodded slowly, and placed the rosary gently back around InuYasha's neck. "Whenever, wherever." Kagome told him softly. "The minute you want it, that's when I'll take it off."

InuYasha nodded, grateful that she would let him keep it. They stayed silent for a moment longer, before InuYasha had the courage to ask. "So. . . what does this mean for us?"

Kagome placed a hand on InuYasha's. "I can't be with you like I was before." She confessed. "But that doesn't mean that I hate you, InuYasha." InuYasha's head jerked back to her, and she smiled. "You're my best friend, InuYasha. I want you to stay that way."

InuYasha stared at her for a long moment, then smiled in return. "Keh, whatever wench. Just don't expect me to give ya any special treatment."

Kagome laughed, and for the first time in a while, it was true laughter. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

Author's Rant

Horse Wolves: Update 4 of the Lost Muse OG. Still no sign of her anywhere in the InuYasha fandom has been searched high and low, but there is no trace of OG. So today, I started interrogating people who might know what happened, starting with Sesshoumaru. . .

[earlier in the chapter]

Horse Wolves: Sesshoumaru, how are you?

Sesshoumaru: I feel, like, totally grody. Do you, like, have any lilac scented deodorant? I'm all out.

Horse Wolves: Okay. . . so Sesshoumaru, when was the last time you saw OG?

Sesshoumaru: [thinks] Hmm. . . I think I like, saw the Jody a few days ago. But she was in this absolutely barf me out swimsuit, and I was like, "EW! That hair with that suit!" Are you serious?

Horse Wolves: Okay, do you remember where this was?

Sesshoumaru: As if! I was on my way to the shoe sale!

[present]

Horse Wolves: Needless to say, I left in a hurry.

End of Author's Rant

Shiro: white