16A|N: There will be one last chapter, uploaded tomorrow (6.23) it will be the last ACTUAL chapter of this series. Once again, I do not own any characters
Kagome rushed quickly to catch up with Sesshomaru. As she ran up behind him she couldn't help but spot her bare feet. She hadn't even noticed that her shoes had gone missing, but as she started to look herself over, she looked horrible and probably reeked of earth and blood. She rolled her eyes and focused ahead of her, her eyes connected with Jaken who gave her the look of death.
"What is SHE doing here, Lord Sesshomaru...Are we keeping her again..?"
Sesshomaru glanced back at Kagome then looked back at Jaken. He said nothing and kept walking.
Kagome's eyes narrowed as she stopped and eyed Jaken. "I'm coming with you two from now on...Is there a problem..?"
Jaken huffed and kept walking, keeping his staff of two heads close to his side, as if he was ready to attack Kagome if she planned on doing anything funny.
Kagome kept walking; she could feel the bottom of her feet getting rawer. Each branch she stepped on, each pebble rubbed and snipped at her flesh but she kept going. Sesshomaru and even Jaken had endured much more pain than this, she had to become tough.
As they finally came to a stop she looked around and noticed how familiar the area was. As Sesshomaru stepped aside the bone eaters well was revealed. Kagome's eyes widened as she looked at Sesshomaru then the well. She didn't want to leave. Or did he want her to leave?
"Se...Sesshomaru... I can't...I told you I wa..."
Sesshomaru slowly turned to her, "I understood that..." His eyes were narrowed more than usual, as if he was upset at her.
"I'm sorry.." She lowered her head and stared at the ground, her fists clenched, she always felt so weak around him.
"If you are coming with me, you must become stronger.."
Kagome nodded, listening intently, hoping not to hear the words, 'go home'.
"If you are staying here, you must let whoever is on the other side of that well know this. When you return to this side, it will be your last journey to that side."
Kagome's head slowly rose as her eyes connected with his. There was no hint of kid or mockery in his eyes. He was being serious, with every ounce of his being. She could feel it, even through the large distance between them.
"Sesshomaru.."
He did not reply he merely looked at her.
Her eyes averted for a second, for that split second Inuyasha's face poured into her memory. She could see him, hurt and confused. She could feel herself beginning to feel weak again. Her eyes then shot back towards Sesshomaru.
Her fist clenched, her fingers were digging into her palms so hard she feared that they might break skin. "Under one condition…"
Silence...
"I have to see Inuyasha..One last time..." Her fingers finally started to gain feeling as she loosened them, "I owe him that much..."
"I will be here, hurry."
Kagome nodded and quickly rushed toward the well. She hoped through and felt herself breathing in the whole-hearted and earthy air for one second, and then it quickly switched to slightly polluted as she lowered onto the soil of the other side. Her home.
As she climbed her way out of the well, she could hear crickets singing their songs in the grass nearby the shrine. Kagome slowly made her way through the door and made her way down the steps to her home. Smelling the air a whiff of dashi entered her nostrils and she knew her family was just now sitting down to a hot and comforting home cooked meal.
She slid open the door and called out, "I'm home!" only the worlds trickled from her lips, and came out as a pathetic whisper.
"Kagome?" She heard a few things shuffling around then her mom appeared in the doorway, with a warm smile. "So glad you're home, dear. We just got done eating; I can reheat the soup for you though..." Her mom pulled her into a tight hug and Kagome hugged back, tighter than usual. She was so use to her appearance when she returned that she hadn't even given Kagome a full look over.
"Mom.." Kagome's voice was so worn, if only she had time to rest.
"..What's wrong, dear..?" She could feel her mom's embrace loosen and turn into a concerned embrace.
"You may not approve of this decision but I have to do it.." Kagome nuzzled her head gently into her mother's shoulder, finding it hard to hold in her tears at this point. "I have to stay with him.."
"Kagome, with who..? Inuyasha..? The boy on the other side of the well..?"
Kagome bit her bottom lip, forcing herself not to cry. She gently shook her head, "No..no mom..I have to fix what I've done. I have to stay by his side, he needs me there, he does.."
"Kagome, let's come inside for a moment, I'm not sure I understand."
As Kagome came inside, she saw her mom finally giving her a good look and noticing that things were far from perfect. She watched as her mother rushed her grandfather and brother out of the kitchen and had Kagome sit on the opposite side of the kitchen table. "Now please..explain.."
Kagome spent the next 15 minutes thoroughly explaining her situation, excluding a few unneeded details and surprisingly keeping herself from crying the entire time. During the discussion she could see her mother getting a bit upset but sat and listened until the very end. "He's waiting now.."
"Kagome..I feel as though everyone has their own special purpose in life. You are very dear to me.." Her mother was now staring at the table, but now brought her eyes up to Kagome and could see tears there, but she was smiling slightly, "And this is your purpose, I don't fully support it, but you seem to understand what you are doing. Just..be strong. Keep being strong."
After a few moments, they both scrambled around trying to gather together a few belongings and essentials for her journey to the feudal era. Her mother was insistent on walking with her to the shrine. As they stood at the well, she gave her mother one last hug.
"I will be strong. In heart and mind." Kagome smiled at her, then hoped through the well.
As she climbed to the top of the well, she saw a hand stretched out toward her. Looking up, the moon's light was covering the face but she knew it was Sesshomaru. She quickly reached up and took hold of it, as she was lifted from the well, she spotted the outline of ears, but these were on top of the silhouette's head. Her heart sunk as was now standing in front of Inuyasha. She quickly let go of his hand and searched around, Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight.
Her eyes darted toward the ground as she cursed a million times in her head.
"I..followed your scent here.." Inuyasha's voice was barely audible; she had to strain to hear him speak.
"Inu.."
"I wasn't sure at first..but I knew.. I knew if I kept going.."
"yasha.."
"I fought Sesshomaru, he eventually fled.. I'm guessing he told you to leave, huh..?"
"He said he would be here.." She said, finally looking at him. As soon as their eyes connected she felt her heart drop deep into her stomach.
His eyes were a pinkish red, his eyelids were pink from his aggressive eye wiping. He a few fresh scraps across his face from his battle with Sesshomaru. But when she saw his face, her heart didn't break, her soul didn't scream in protest. She just felt horrible, horrible for leading him on, horrible for pulling that arrow from his chest and putting it right back in only months later.
"Inuyasha..I'm..I'm sorry.." She could feel her lips quivering, but she calmed them and continued, "I'm sorry for putting you through this..but I am going with Sesshomaru..I can't..I cannot travel with you..I cannot be with you..With Sesshomaru is where I am suppose to be.."
She watched as Inuyasha's pupils became more and more restricted, as if she was sucking his soul from his body. She could feel nothing but bad aura oozing from his body.
"Why…"
"Inuyasha..I.." She shook her head, "I have to go.. I'm sorry.." She bent over to pick up her bag when she felt his hand on her arm.
"Don't.."
"Inuyasha..let go." She said sternly, trying to yank her arm away.
"Don't."
"Inuyasha..let me go!" His grip was becoming tighter and she could feel his nails digging into her arm.
He let go for a split second but his hand had now moved to her throat, and it was squeezing tight. She clawed at his hand, she could see his arm was now bleeding and so was hers.
"Inu..inu…" She gasped for air, scratching and clawing at his arm, then she saw it..those prayer beads. "si..Si..Siiii" She took on last breath of air. "SIT BOY."
He went crashing to the ground and she fell beside him, sitting up and coughing. She quickly grabbed her bag and took off into the forest. She would have yelled a billion more sits but he was only seconds from crushing her windpipe, so yelling anything at this moment was out of the question.
"Sess..Sessho.." She cried out, her voice resembling that over an old woman.
As she looked up at the visible sky through the thousands of tree branches, she saw someone jump from the branches and land in front of her.
A tired smile spread across her lips. "Sessho..maru.." As she felt her legs wobble, he was already there, holding her and bringing her back to her feet. His hands then moved back towards his sides.
"Kagome.."
She looked at him, her body completely worn out at this point.
"I did say hurry, did I not..?"
Kagome smiled and at that point she collapsed into his arms.