Kagome sat in the bath of the small rotenburo that the palace housed. She had been stewing in the water and her thoughts simultaneously for well over an hour, and she was swiftly getting nowhere. According to his mother, Sesshoumaru bore some form of affection for her. And, according to this same mother, she also bore affection for him. They were bound to each other for eternity, and would have to remain close to one another to avoid some sort of pain. That all seemed peachy keen, but she still felt conflicted.
There was still her responsibility to the jewel. She had merged the two halves and it now hung, whole once again, around her neck. The plan had always been to grant InuYasha's original wish and make him human, but it had been long since they had discussed this.
She sighed as she reflected that it had been well over two years since their journey had started all together. If she had never tumbled down the well, she would have been finishing high school this year. She would be deciding whether she would go to college or work at the shrine full time, not whether she would see this 'marriage' through. Now that she thought of it, she had never really wondered where she would go, what she would do after all was said and done.
When she'd been in love with InuYasha, she had fantasized about staying in the Feudal Era and building a life with him, or even taking him to the future after he had turned human. Now, she realized with a start that she thought of her affection for the hanyou as 'had been' and buried her face in her hands as she mourned the loss of her first love. She heard someone enter the bath and quickly tried her best to stop her tears. With a last sniffle she looked up with a smile.
"You can't fool me, Kagome-san," Sango gently admonished her as she settled into the pool, "Tell me what is on your mind."
A thousand things flitted across her thoughts, but she finally settled on her most recent discovery. "I don't love InuYasha anymore."
Sango blinked at her. "Yes, I know."
"You know?! I only just realized it myself, how could you know?!"
"We thought you knew, Kagome-san."
"WE?!"
"Yes, Miroku, Shippou and I. The only one who didn't realize, is InuYasha, but what does he realize?" Sango's lips quirked.
Kagome couldn't help a snort escaping her. "Care to tell me what else you know?"
"I know that you are well enough to travel, and I know you know that as well. I don't know why you have been delaying."
"I can't just leave, Sango, Sesshoumaru saved my life!"
"Obligation does not beget love, Kagome-san."
"No, but absence also doesn't really make the heart grow fonder."
Kagome sighed at the older woman's frown. "I just… we're stuck to each other, Sango, and however unexpected, however baseless, however flawed our start, I want to see if there's something there."
Sango's frown melted away for a bright smile. "So go see, Kagome-san."