~*~*~

Inuyasha and Kagome return through the well to the feudal era. It is starting to get dark out so they head toward camp with Kagome riding on Inuyasha's back. As they cross the stream, a demon jumps out and startles Inuyasha, who accidently drops Kagome into the stream. After failing to find the demon, Inuyasha returns and takes a wet Kagome on to camp. By now it has gotten dark and cold out and Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara are already asleep. Kagome sits down and gets close to the fire to try to dry off and warm up. She sits there shivering and Inuyasha comes over and sits by her.

Inuyasha: "Kagome, are you going to be alright?"

Kagome: "If I can just get warmed up, my clothes might dry off."

Inuyasha: "Here put this on, it will help." (He wraps his outer haori around her and sits back against a rock.)

Kagome: "Are you sure you won't get cold, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha: "I'll be fine, are you getting any warmer?"

Kagome: "I think so." (Kagome sneezes)

Inuyasha: Well, the way you're going, you are going be sick again." (pause) "Come here." (Inuyasha has Kagome lay up against him and wraps his haori around both of them.) "I was always told that body heat works the best."

Kagome: "Thank you, Inuyasha." (Kagome snuggles up to his chest and drifts off to sleep.)

Inuyasha looks up for a moment and then decides it was his imagination. 'There is no way Kikyo would be out at this time of night, walking around.' Off in the distance, Kikyo watches as Inuyasha falls asleep with Kagome in his arms.

The next morning, Kagome goes off to the stream to get some water for breakfast. As she walks through a clearing Kagome runs into Kikyo.

Kikyo: "I think it is time that you went back home for good. Inuyasha doesn't need to be distracted by saving you all the time."

Kagome: "He does not save me all the time! Anyway, I'm not leaving till we find all the shards of the Shikon jewel."

Kikyo: "You can either leave on your own, or I will make sure that you can't come back. I will have my soul back and my Inuyasha." (Kikyo raises her bow and aims at Kagome.) "You don't belong here!"

Kagome can't believe that Kikyo is going to try to kill her again, over Inuyasha.

Meanwhile, back at the camp.

Inuyasha: "What the hell is taking that Kagome so long?"

Shippo: "Do you think something might have happened to her?" (Inuyasha hits Shippo on the head.)

Inuyasha: "Don't be stupid." (Inuyasha wonders if Shippo might be right.) "I'll go get her, I'm getting hungry." (Inuyasha goes off to look for Kagome)

Shortly, after he leaves, Kohaku's weapon comes flying through the air and barely misses Miroku's head. Miroku, Sango and Kirara take off after him to find out what is going on.

Inuyasha arrives just in time to hear Kikyo threaten Kagome's life. He can't believe what he is seeing. He sits up out of the way to see what is going to happen next.

Kikyo: "This is your last chance, either you leave your way, or you leave my way." (Kikyo pulls back the bow)

Kagome: "No! I'm not leaving Inuyasha."

Just then two demons come out of the forest and grab Kikyo and Kagome.

Inuyasha jumps down out of his hiding place and gets ready to take them out when Naraku appears.

Inuyasha: "What the hell are you up to?"

Naraku: "Well, I have decided to make you suffer some, so I am making you choose. These demons are going to take Kikyo and Kagome to the cliff and then drop them. It is up to you who will live and who will die."

Unknown to the others, Shippo is hiding behind a rock listening to the whole plan. Naraku motions for the demons to take off with the girls. Shippo follows the demon that has Kagome.

Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku loose Kohaku somewhere in the forest and finally decide to go back to camp. Naraku distracted them long enough to get his evil plan into motion.

Naraku: "Here is your chance to decide who is more important to you. Have fun. I know I will enjoy watching you make your decision."

Inuyasha doesn't know what to do. Then he hears Kikyo scream in the distance and goes after her. He chases down her scent and catches her just as the demon drops her off the cliff. Inuyasha takes Kikyo back to the top of the canyon.

Inuyasha: "Kikyo, are you ok?"

Kikyo: "I'm fine." (Then she walks off.)

Inuyasha: "That's it! I save your life and you are just going to walk off."

Kikyo: "What do you expect after that display that you put on with Kagome the other night?"

Inuyasha: "So that was you!"

Then Inuyasha realizes that he had forgotten about Kagome.

Inuyasha: "Oh, no. What have I done?" (Inuyasha looks over the cliff to see Kagome is gone.)

Shippo followed the demon who had Kagome to the cliff and waited for his chance to save her. The demon tossed Kagome off the cliff and Shippo jumped down and transformed to save her. Then Shippo brought Kagome back up to the top and takes her to a clearing where it is safe.

Shippo: "Are you ok, Kagome?"

Kagome: "Yes, except now I know that Inuyasha will always love Kikyo more than he could ever care for me." (Tears start to fall from her eyes.)

Shippo: "That idiot."

Kagome: "Well, I can't take it anymore, Shippo. I have tried and I have decided that I am going to go home for good. Kikyo was right. I don't belong here."

Shippo: "Please don't go, Kagome! We need you."

Kagome: "I'm sorry Shippo, but I can't take watching Inuyasha and Kikyo together anymore."

Kagome and Shippo go off towards the well. When they get there Kagome gives Shippo her jewel shards.

Kagome: "Take these and give them to Inuyasha." (pause) "I will really miss you, Shippo."

Shippo: "I will miss you too, Kagome. Don't forget about us."

Then Kagome jumps into the well and returns home.

Miroku and Sango are already back at camp when Inuyasha arrives.

Inuyasha: "Is Kagome here?"

Sango: "No. We thought she was with you."

Inuyasha: "Well, we had a run in with Kikyo and Naraku and things didn't go the way I planned."

Miroku: "What you mean is that you did something stupid and now Kagome has disappeared."

Inuyasha: "Feh."

Shippo returns from the well with tears in his eyes.

Sango: "What is wrong Shippo?"

Shippo: "Kagome went back to her time. She said that she didn't belong here and she gave me the jewel shards to give to Inuyasha."

Miroku: "Boy, Inuyasha, what did you do to Kagome?"

Shippo: "He chose saving Kikyo's life over Kagome's. Luckily I was there to save her or she would be a flattened Kagome at the bottom of the canyon." (Inuyasha's ears flatten to his head.)

Sango: "Oh, well then I don't blame her for going back. How can you keep doing this to her, Inuyasha. She really cares for you and you just step all over her feelings."

Miroku: "Yes, how could you be so inconsiderate of Kagome's feelings?"

Inuyasha: "Well, I'm going to go bring her back. She has to help find the rest of the jewel shards."

With that, Inuyasha goes off towards the well to go into Kagome's time.
Inuyasha comes out of the well, into Kagome's time and sneaks up to her bedroom. Its dark out so he is careful not to make too much noise. He gets up to Kagome's window and hears her crying. He starts to go inside when he hears her start talking.

Kagome: "How could I have been so stupid to let myself end up like this. I knew a long time ago how much Inuyasha loved Kikyo. Why... couldn't I have just gotten over it? Then I told him I was ok with it. I was way more into his feelings... than I was mine. I just wish..."

Kagome drifts off to sleep. Inuyasha wants to know what she was talking about. He slips through her window and sits and watches her sleep. Inuyasha gets nose to nose and wakes Kagome up. She looks up at Inuyasha and he jumps back against her dresser. Kagome sits up in bed.

Kagome: "What are you doing here, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha: "Don't be stupid. I came to bring you back with me."

Kagome: "I'm not going back this time, Inuyasha. Not any more."

Inuyasha: "Why not?"

Kagome: "Do you really want to know?"

Inuyasha: "Yes."

Kagome sits and thinks of what exactly she is going to say and then looks at Inuyasha.

Kagome: "Well, if I'm going to tell you, you have to promise to sit and listen and not say anything until I'm done. Ok."

Inuyasha: "Ok?"

Kagome: "I have one question for you before I start."

Inuyasha: "What is it?"

Kagome: "Why do you think that I come to the feudal era?"

Inuyasha: "To help find the jewel shards."

Kagome: "No. Not any more. That is how it started out. Now, its because I love you and I want to be with you. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way I realized that I came for you and not the jewel shards. I know this is something that you probably don't want to hear but you asked for it. I thought that I could handle you running after Kikyo all the time, but everytime you do it breaks my heart a little more. After today, I decided that you didn't need two of us around to be saving. I never belonged in your time so it only made sense that I be the one to leave. You are welcome to stay, but when you leave I won't be coming with you."

Inuyasha was left speechless, goes outside and sits on the roof for a while and thinks about what Kagome said. Kagome lays back in bed and starts to cry again. Inuyasha comes back in the room and asks if he can sit down with Kagome and talk. Kagome sits up in bed and scoots over. Inuyasha sits down and hugs Kagome. He sits back and lays her head up against his chest.

Inuyasha: "Kagome?"

Kagome: "Inuyasha, I have never really understood the relationship between you and Kikyo. You had so little trust in each other that it only took one incident for Kikyo to totally loose confidence in you. Even though you and her think that you owe her your life, I don't. Its not your fault that Kikyo died. Its not your fault that she carries such hatred for you either. (Kagome starts to cry again.) She even made it a point to make you suffer by not letting you forget her. I hate seeing you hurting because of her. I think that you should be able to do something wonderful with your life. I think that you owe it to Kikyo to live your life to the fullest for both of you. I'm sorry for sounding selfish but I just love you more than anything in the world and I just want you to smile a lot and be happy."

Inuyasha: "I'm so sorry Kagome. For everything that I have done to hurt you. This has been really hard for me to deal with. I guess it has been an out of sight, out of mind deal. Please don't cry anymore. I love you and I promise not to go after Kikyo anymore. I want to be with you."

Kagome: "Are you sure?"

Inuyasha: "I have never been more sure of anything. No one has ever accepted me as easily as you did. I never trusted anyone before you, and I know you would never do anything to hurt me." (Then Inuyasha looks down at Kagome and wipes a tear from her face.)

Inuyasha: "I love you, Kagome." (Then he kisses her.)

They lie there for a while thinking to themselves. Kagome looks up into the amber eyes that she loves so much.

Kagome: "Can I ask you a question, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha: "Sure."

Kagome: "Why do you still want to be a full-demon?"

Inuyasha: "To be stronger, ...I don't know, I guess I have ever since I found out about the Sacred Jewel."

Kagome: "Aren't you afraid of what you might turn into? Like the other times, you were nothing more than a monster. You didn't even remember any of us."

Inuyasha: "No, I hadn't really thought of that happening. I don't think I would change like that."

Kagome: "Well, you might, so maybe you should think about it. I think that you are perfect just the way you are."

Kagome snuggles into Inuyasha's chest and they both drift off to sleep. Dreaming of the future and of other things to come.