Seekers Of The Fang by Kagome357

Goodbye To The Past

This was it. It was the end of things. Kagome sighed. The jewel was now whole again, Nakaru was defeated and the Jewel of Four Souls finally restored to Midoriko, it was time for her to go back to her own time. It has been three long years of searching, fighting, camaraderie, pain and heartache. Kikyo's soul finally found peace and had gone into the afterlife long before the final fight and Inuyasha had decided to remain in the village as its protector. Their feelings now resolved, it was time to move on.

It was difficult for her to leave her friends behind; Shippo, who she had considered like a son but couldn't enter her world, her best friend Sango and the lecherous monk Miroku who despite his perverted ways, had grown to become a big brother to her. He and Sango had decided to wed and look after Shippo. Sango had been the one to lovingly hold Kohaku in her arms and kiss his cheek as she pulled the shard from his back, releasing from his enslavement to finally peace in death, thanking her as he faded away. Kaede, who had taught her so much about herbs and had been a mother to her since she fell through the well, had inspired her to help others in her timeline.

All that was left was for Inuyasha to return her to her time through the well.

"I didn't think this would hurt so badly," Kagome said, voice full of emotion, "I wish I could come back and visit but I can't. It's time to end this. I'm tired and need to move forward. I love you and will miss you all." She couldn't stop the steam of tears that flowed from her.

Sango and Shippo walked up to her and hugged her, crying as well. Miroku watched Kagome with happiness and sadness. He had seen the 15-year-old blossom into a confident but world-weary 18 year-old.

"Kagome, it's time," he said softly as he gave her a gentle hug. "Think about us always as we'll never forget you."

Kagome tried to stem the flow of tears as she buried her face into the monk's robes. "Thank you for looking after me, Miroku and thank you for being my friend."

"Kagome, we have to go." Inuyasha said gently.

Wiping her tears as best she could, Kagome nodded, looked over at her friends for a final goodbye and she and Inuyasha walked into the forest towards the well. They got into the clearing near the sacred tree when from behind it stepped a tall figure clad in white. Inuyasha tensed up. "Sesshomaru!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Merely seeing if the story I heard is true; that your miko is indeed from another time." the stone faced demon said. "Is she leaving?"

"Yes Sesshomaru, I'm going back to my own time." Kagome said voice still full of emotion. "I won't forget you and thank you for the times you've saved me."

"I was not saving you, miko," he said, expression never changing. "I could have cared less if you lived or died. You were merely a participant in this game Naraku created and now that it is over, I shall not be bothered with your constant interference."

"Whatever," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be happy to never see you again too." She turned to Inuyasha. "I'm ready."

Inuyasha put his arm around Kagome's waist and together they jumped into the well. Sesshomaru walked over to the well, seeing the blue light flair and then disappearing. He turned and walked back into the forest.

Inuyasha and Kagome touched down in the bottom of the well on Kagome's side of the world. Still holding her, he leaped up and out of the well. Leaving the well house, they walked over to Kagome's house where her mother, grandpa and brother Sota were waiting. After Inuyasha said his goodbyes to them, he and Kagome walked back to the well.

They stood under the sacred tree, staring at each other wanting to say so much but not knowing where to begin.

"Kagome," Inuyasha started.

"I love you, Inuyasha. I'll always love you no matter what." Kagome suddenly said, her wide eyes brimming with tears.

"Kagome" Inuyasha said breathlessly as he pulled her close to him, hugging her with every ounce of his being not fainting from the pain. He had loved her but was never in love with her and knew it would have been wrong to mislead her in any way.

"I wish I could have felt different for you, Kagome, but it was unfair to you because my feelings about you were more about you being Kikyo's reincarnation. But I do love you, as a friend, and I won't ever forget you. Please be happy in this world." Kagome nodded and for the first time, kissed.

They held each other tight, neither willing to let go. Finally, they slowly pulled apart and looking into each other's eyes, Kagome repeated an incantation that Kaede had taught her. Slowly the beads around Inyuasha's neck started to glow and then floated over his head and into his hands. Their connection was finally severed. Inuyasha looked down at the beads with sadness. He hated being subjugated with them but he felt oddly empty without them. Kagome looked deeply into his eyes, the last time she would ever see his beautiful golden eyes. She wanted to look into them forever but it was never meant to be.

They walked to the well house, down the steps and to the well. He looked at Kagome, reached over and kissed her on the lips again and without another word jumped into the well. The blue light flared and then flickered out. Kagome ran from the well house, past her family, up to her room and onto her bed, crying herself to sleep...

In the shadows of the shrine ground, a shadow had watched the entire thing. He adjusted himself, turned and walked away, his silver hair blowing in the breeze...he would wait for the right moment...

Three years later

Kagome looked out the window of her office and frowned. She had originally thought of becoming a doctor but with so much school missed she had instead gone into the wonderful world of social work, which basically meant she spent her days pushing paper, visiting senior citizens, pushing more paper, sitting behind a desk and pushing more paper. Just three years earlier the time that young girls usually spent going to the mall and movies and on dates were spent shard hunting and saving the world from a crazed half demon and this was her reward – a life of endless monotony. She felt embittered and sad. The bright future she had envisioned on her 15th birthday as gone into a world of endless monotony. Her friends had all gone off to college and she no longer had anything in common with them. Any men that would approach her immediately distance themselves because she held an air of disdain for them. It wasn't just them, she had a disdain for life altogether.

Kagome left her office for her lunch break, heading over to the sushi bar down the street. She shuffled her feet, shoulders hunched, not really caring about herself or anyone around her. A shadowy figure watched her, silently following as she made her way through life. He had been watching her since she came back through the well and it both pained and angered him to see her like this. He had hoped for something more out of the spirited miko he remembered.

The Kagome of today was a sad shadow of the Kagome who had happily roamed the Sengoku Jidai countryside. She had given up on life.

It's time, he thought...