"Kagome, wait!"

She stops and turns to face him, streams of tears pouring from her eyes. The tears stop him in his tracks as does the growing pain in his chest at the sight of them. Kagome has always held herself together, she was too stubborn to allow Inuyasha to see her cry. But this time, the tears broke free and they didn't stop.

"Kagome … I –"

"Why?!" She cut him off. "Why, Inuyasha?!" She shouted through her tears.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Answer me! Why did you do it? Why do you always do this? Why do you hurt me like this?" She fought so hard to stop the tears and keep her voice even, but she couldn't do it. The pain was for once overwhelming and Kagome could've sworn that if she listened closely she could hear her own heart shattering, taking enough damage to the point of no return. There was no coming back after this. She knew that much. And by the look on Inuyasha's face, he knew it too.

"Inuyasha?"

The half-demon was snapped out of his daze by the calling of his name, the memory of the raven-haired priestess of the future fading to the back of his mind. He shifted his attention to the one who called his name.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Kikyo. No need to worry. Go back to sleep." Inuyasha lied to the undead priestess. She rested on the other side of the fire pit where they set up camp for the night. The light of the fire shone on her clay features beautifully to him, she was the same sight as when she was alive. The concern in her eyes didn't falter but she still smiled at him.

"Come lay with me, Inuyasha."

He didn't hesitate to move to her side. They laid together wrapped in the silence of the night. Kikyo drifted back to sleep but Inuyasha knew slumber was most likely the last thing he will get tonight. Even with his love in his arms, the face of his former comrade haunted his mind along with the memory of a few days before when he saw her last.

Kagome awoke from her spot next to the fire pit with the odd feeling that something was missing. As she opened her eyes she discovered she was right. More that someone was missing. She looked around and grew worried that he wasn't by her side, where he was when she fell asleep. She made the decision to look for him and grabbed her bow and arrows in case he was in trouble.

Wandering through the trees, it didn't take her long to find him. Her heart dropped to her stomach at the sight before her. Everything around her seemed to turn silent and still, making the sounds of pleasure even louder in Kagome's ears. The moans coming from Inuyasha's throat made her want to vomit.

Pale hands were scratching at Inuyasha's bare back as he thrusted his lower body into the woman below him. He moved closer to her, bringing his mouth to the woman's neck and allowing Kagome a better view of the woman even though she already knew who it was. The clay undead priestess, Kikyo.

Kikyo's cold eyes met Kagome's and her lips curled into a wicked smirk. As if to torture the girl even more, Kikyo began to moan even louder. The sounds rolling off her tongue pushed Inuyasha to go harder, deeper. She was chanting his name like a mantra. He was close, so close. Until his ears picked up something.

He stopped and turned to make sure no danger was near. His eyes went wide as he noticed Kagome standing not too far from them, all color leaving her face and her watering eyes staring at the scene he didn't want her to see. Kikyo groaned in annoyance at being denied her release but neither the half-demon or the futuristic priestess paid her any mind. They stayed still, unsure what to say or do, their eye contact refusing to break. But Kagome couldn't take it anymore. She released a breath she didn't even remember holding in before breaking off into a run. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. She just needed to get as far away from Inuyasha as possible.

Inuyasha grabbed his discarded hakamas and robe and ran after Kagome. He didn't look back at Kikyo but he could feel her disappointed gaze watching him as he departed. With his speed, it wasn't long before he saw her.

"Kagome, wait!"

When she stopped and turned to face him, her face was wet with fresh tears that didn't stop falling. It was like something inside her broke and nothing could stop the tears she was shedding or the pain she was feeling. His chest hurt at the very sight of her tears. He has seen Kagome cry before, but this time he was the cause of her sadness. Guilt was a word that didn't come close to describing how he was feeling.

"Kagome … I –"

"Why?! Why Inuyasha?!"

It was a good question. Why did he do it? Why did he leave Kagome alone in the middle of the night to find Kikyo? Why didn't he hesitate when he noticed Kikyo's soul collectors were nearby?

"Kagome, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Answer me! Why did you do it? Why do you always do this? Why do you hurt me like this?" Her questions hurt worse than the tears in her eyes because he couldn't find the answer to them.

But his silence was enough for her, "You can't answer me, can you?"

"Kagome, please let me explain. We can figure this out, we can work it out."

"No! No more!" Her words made him flinch. He dreaded the words he knew was coming. There was no going back after tonight, he pushed her to the breaking point and whatever she was going to say tonight would only confirm that his selfish actions hurt Kagome more than he could imagine. No matter how much he'd wish he could make things better, the pain she was feeling was too great.

"I – I can't do this anymore, Inuyasha. I know I said I was going to stay by your side … but it's not worth it anymore." The tears poured from her eyes the more she spoke, "I'm going to collect the jewel shards on my own. I don't ever want to see you again." With those last words being said, she turned and continued running.

"Kagome!"

"Leave me alone!"

Kagome's last words to him echoed in Inuyasha's ear, taunting him with the fact that his best friend, the woman he'd protect with his life, the woman he loved dearly, never wanted to see him again. She was gone, and he only had himself to blame.

He glanced down at the sleeping woman on his chest. The first woman he ever loved. He lost her once, he lost Kagome, and now that he and Kikyo were finally together again he wasn't going to let her go. It saddened him that he wasn't going to see Kagome again, but he knew deep down that Kikyo has always held his heart. He held onto the woman tightly and breathed in her scent. She smelt like graveyard soil instead of the jasmine scent she once had that he loved so much. One day, after Naraku is destroyed, he will find a way to make her alive again.

Everything will be the way it was supposed to be, Kikyo. I promise.