See Only Me:
He was old, so painfully old. His dark hair had returned to its original silver color but only because of age. He had long since given up his past, given up the wild side of himself and he gazed out into the morning sun feebly. Years had passed, making him older, making him wiser. And he still saw visions of a young girl with long dark hair and cheerful dark eyes. He still saw visions of a wandering monk and the tragic face of a girl who had lost too much too quickly. And sometimes he saw the face of another young woman, only her eyes were sorrowful. And when that face faded away it was replaced with the face of another woman, another one who had passed on, who had lived such a lonely life apart from the one she had loved. And he understood what it was to love someone and to be apart. To spend a lifetime waiting to die just to move on. He understood. And he was ready in the end. After such a long life, he was ready.
He brought his eyes away from the morning sun and he looked down to his sword, still resting against his shoulder. All these years and he had never grown used to sleeping any other way except sitting up, his sword at his side. He ran his hand over the blade slowly, gently, and he wondered for a moment what would happen to it when he passed. Who would claim it in his name? Who would wield it?
At his side came a small sound and he looked up absentmindedly, meeting the eyes of a young-looking male with red hair. The boy stood silently, merely resting against the wall beside him and he managed a small smile for him, bowing his head once more.
"It won't be long now, will it?" the boy asked him quietly.
He didn't respond for a long time, merely running his wizened hand over the blade. Up and down, up and down. And as the sun was reflected in the blade's flat surface he said softly, "It's been too long as it is."
The red-haired boy did not reply to that, his head bowing. And they both listened to the morning, the birds that chirped, the crickets that moved. The breeze as it played with the trees. They heard it all and it was as it had once been, so long before. Closing his eyes momentarily, the boy's fox tail twitched and he sighed, remembering. Remembering it still.
"Will you tell her I miss her?" he asked the older man quietly.
The man nodded faintly, also closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall. And he saw her face still, heard her laugh and saw her become impatient with him, screaming for him to sit. He would have allowed her to sit him always had it just worked out. If it still had the chance of working out. All these years would mean nothing, would just as soon be forgotten along with the sorrow and the heartache if he could see her and stay at her side. All would be well again.
The boy smiled faintly, lifting his eyes to the sun and he murmured, "Tell her I miss her ramen. And I miss her love." And he looked down at the old man but the old man did not respond and did not acknowledge his words. His face saddening, the boy knelt beside the old man to gaze at him and he seemed to sleep almost, his face peaceful. The boy hesitated, merely staring at the old man and then, tentatively he reached out to pass a hand over the man's shoulder, to rest upon the flat of the Tetsusaiga.
"Better yet, I'll tell her myself one day," he murmured.
When you find your one true love, do you know? Do you automatically just know?
She didn't know why but she always dreamt of a young man with silver hair and amber eyes. And dog ears. It was very strange, to say the least, but when she thought of him her heart seemed to sing and hurt at the same time. And he never really smiled which made her want to make him smile. And sometimes, when he annoyed her enough, all she had to do was scream at him to sit down and he actually did. Sure, he would hit the ground pretty hard and when she stood up he was always angry at her, but she loved him still and deep inside she knew he loved her.
So…did one automatically just know?
"Kagome!"
Her mother's voice came up the stairwell and she checked her clock once more. Late for class again. Why did this always somehow happen to her? She threw the remainder of her books on her bed as she searched for her backpack frantically. "I'm coming! I'm almost done!"
There, under her desk. She snatched up the backpack, unzipping it. Reaching out for her books she began to shove them in. And at the bottom of her bag gleamed something white. With a small frown she reached in and pulled it out slowly.
A long, silver strand of hair.
She had half a mind to squeak and check her hair quickly for more offending gray hairs. But instead she merely gazed at the single strand, her lips parting. It wasn't one of hers. It couldn't belong to anyone she knew either, not at that length. Slowly, she set it aside, staring at it for another moment as it gleamed on her desktop.
He always has silver hair…
She looked away, turning her attention back to the matter at hand. She was running late. She would be late for class again. She always figured college would be different from high school but no, it seemed any kind of class or institution of higher learning would have the same effect on her. She would always be late and always be absent no matter how much she fought against it. It was almost sad.
"It is my choice. My decision..."
She shoved the rest of her books into her backpack, those same words running through her head as she worked, as she zipped up the bag.
"I want you to have control of the Shikon no Tama. I want you to make your wish."
She had been hearing those words in her head for a little over a year now. She didn't know exactly when those words had come to her, didn't remember ever saying them but they brought her comfort. Everything was a choice after all, wasn't it?
"I want you to be happy…"
She loved those small phrases, even though she had no idea what a Shikon no Tama was. She paused, looking down at her backpack. And slowly, she felt her eyes get dragged over to the silver hair once more. It shimmered delicately in the morning sunlight. And she felt the comfort once more, a familiar longing.
And the small voice in her head told her that today was going to be a different day, a better day. Today her life would take a turn for the better, that she would know it when she saw it, when she saw him.
"Kagome!"
With a gasp she brought herself back, flinging the backpack onto her back and dashing out of the room.
"Your lunch! Your lunch!" her mother called out after her and she waved a small tray at her as she rushed by.
"Oh! You know you don't have to do this anymore, mom," she said to the older woman but she stopped to smile and give the woman a peck on the cheek as she took the lunch. "But thanks!" And she raced off, stopping only to pull on her shoes and then dash out. Her bike waited beside her grandfather, the old man looking off toward the small shrine house. Towards the well. She paused, slowing, and looked over as well, beginning to frown. "Grandpa?" she asked faintly.
"There was a small shift today…" the old man murmured and he tossed an impish look at his grand-daughter. "I feel great power…"
Kagome managed to control the twitching eyebrow. "Do you?"
The old man nodded and he backed away from the bike. "A great power…"
She trusted his musings as much as his lies. With a sigh and another peck, this time to the old man's cheek, she climbed onto her bike. "If you happen to see a little girl climb out of the well it's because you didn't make a copy of the video," she threw over her shoulder.
"And we hired someone to take care of the shrine," the old man said, his voice lightening. "I'm getting old, too old to do it myself…" and it sounded suspiciously like a whine.
"You hired someone?" she asked him, turning to look at him. "Mom and I could have handled it. Even Souta-"
"He's there, under the tree," the old man continued, motioning. She glanced in the direction he pointed and he mumbled, "He's a lazy one, though…"
A young man leaned against her favorite tree.
My tree…
His hair was long and dark, falling down his back and his face was seemingly not amused. In fact, he looked downright impatient, merely leaning there, his arms crossed over his chest.
The arrow…
He wore the red and white uniform of the shrine, long red pants and a white haori. He also wore what seemed to be a heavy chain around his neck, a beaded necklace, and he looked like he was in one of the foulest moods imaginable. She hesitated, staring at him.
The past…
The boy yawned, stretching out his arms lazily and then he scratched at his ear with a cupped hand, the way a dog would.
"He's very familiar, strangely enough," her grandfather said and he sounded distant, lost under the sound of rushing air. Kagome blinked, dismounting from her bike and she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
"His name is-"
"I know his name," she whispered instantly even though she didn't and she found herself moving, no longer in control. He was so familiar, so familiar…
The boy caught sight of her then as she neared and he straightened, gazing at her with slightly widened eyes. And that clinched it. She knew him from such a long time ago. A long, long time ago…
As she came to stand before him he studied her, his lips parting. She returned the gaze, her own jaw falling open even though no words came out.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked her, his voice rough and yet gentle.
She stared at him as his dark hair blew around his face and she was taken aback at how familiar he was, stunned to see that he had brilliant amber eyes that glowed in the morning sunlight. He seemed like the kind to have dark eyes to go with his dark hair but the amber eyes were gorgeous nonetheless. But she couldn't…remember. She couldn't remember him, no matter how much she tried to.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, shaking her head slowly. "I can't…place you…"
"It's fine," he said to her quickly, and he smiled, a mischievous grin that made her shiver and glow all at once. "We can start fresh. As if we've never met before."
Kagome agreed slowly, nodding at him. "All right…"
And he nodded as well, his smile slowly fading. Tentatively, he reached out and took her hand, bringing her closer and she went a step, her eyes widening as he looked down at her. His lips parted to speak, and he was hesitant, as if he didn't know exactly what to say and she waited for him, frowning faintly.
"I see you, Kagome," he whispered to her, his amber eyes serious. "I see only you."
And at his words she suddenly knew his name, remembered his face as it had once been. The silver hair on her desktop, shimmering in the morning sun. And she didn't know how she knew him, only that she had been in love with him once and now that she had seen his face once more she had missed it achingly.
"Inuyasha…" she murmured.
His amber eyes widened as she said his name, as she lifted both hands to his face to hold it gently, her fingers cupping his jaw and running over his skin, his very human ears.
"I wished for it," he said to her, his face blurring as tears suddenly rose in her eyes. Alarm entered his expression, sadness, and he said again softly, "I wished for it, wished for you. For myself. For everyone. And the jewel ceased to exist when I did. When I made my choice-"
"It is my choice. My decision…"
"I wished for humanity, for you. And I died a long time ago, without you. But I was allowed to come back to be with you."
Kagome nodded, her tears falling free.
"And…here I am."
Here you are.
Kagome nodded once more and slowly closed the space between them, burying her face in his shoulder. He smelled like the wild. Trees, soil and earth. The past. And the scent surrounded her as he embraced her tightly, as if he was afraid to ever let go again.
See only me.
"Hey, you lazy kid! Get your hands off my granddaughter!"
Inuyasha hesitated, his frame falling wearily. "He's been yelling at me for a while now," he growled under his breath.
Kagome's voice came muffled and still thick with tears. "Have you been slacking off?"
He snorted indignantly and then paused in thought. "Keh. Maybe a little."
"I don't pay you to stand around and fondle my granddaughter-"
"You haven't paid me for anything!" Inuyasha barked back over Kagome's head. "Besides…" and his voice dropped mischievously, "I'd fondle your granddaughter for free…"
Kagome burst out laughing into his shoulder.
"I didn't come alone," he said to her after another moment and she lifted her head then, meeting his amber gaze questioningly.
"Who did you bring?"
Inuyasha glanced around, his expression becoming bored. "They're around. I'm surprised you haven't run into them-"
"Stop asking every girl!" came an angry feminine voice and Kagome whirled in time to see a darting figure sneak out the front door of her house, followed by a breathless girl. "That's Kagome's mother! She already has two children! She doesn't have to bear you anything!"
The first figure paused, turning to the heaving girl in a rather sudden movement. "Then, Sango, will you-"
"Don't even think about it," came the flat reply.
Kagome whirled to face Inuyasha once more, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"I came across them a few months ago," he said with a shrug. "And they were still fighting…"
And also from the house came a small child with red hair, following Souta as he poked his head out quizzically at the fighting couple. Kagome stared, a hand lifting to her mouth in utter incredulity.
"They're all here…how-"
Inuyasha was smiling faintly as she looked at him, his amber eyes trained on the group, ignoring the angry shouts that erupted between the first two figures. "I couldn't make one perfect wish so I ended up making a long one instead. One that involved a lot of 'ands'," he explained and Kagome stared at him in confusion. He glanced at her. "Don't ask."
Kagome nodded, looking back toward the group as a third head joined the redhead and her brother, his eyes trained on the very angry girl still screaming at the first figure.
"Um, Sango-"
"Kohaku, get back in the house," the girl growled and she was rolling up the sleeves of her shirt, advancing on the man smiling uncomfortably before her. "This is about to get ugly…"
"Sango," the man said in a calming tone, "I wouldn't be asking half the women I do if you would just agree-"
"I did agree. Which is why I'm seeing you. Which is why you're still alive," she said, still in a threatening tone. And she squeaked in surprise as the man suddenly swept her into his embrace, planting a kiss firmly on her mouth.
"There. See? There is more than one way to keep you quiet-"
And he broke off as she smacked him upside the head, her eyebrow twitching.
"Eww, cooties," the small red-haired boy said in distaste.
Kagome gazed wordlessly, her heart nearly filled to breaking with happiness. Behind her Inuyasha shifted, his arms still tight around her. "A long time passed without you," he said quietly and she turned to look at him once more. His amber eyes were a bit sad as he stared at the group, their bickering fading away into the background. "I lived a long human life and I was alone. I didn't fall in love again in my entire human lifetime and I always searched the face of every woman I encountered, thinking maybe, somehow, I'd see your face there. But you never came back and I was never allowed to come into your time again. So I had to wait years for this one moment in time."
Kagome returned his stare as he looked down at her. "Was it worth it? The long wait?" she asked him quietly.
He hesitated thoughtfully and she had half a mind to whack him off the head. But then, in a serious tone he replied, "You're worth that and more."
She smiled brilliantly. "Good answer."
"Had a nice long life to think that one up," he let her know. And he sighed, his arms tightening around her once more. "So, now that I've found you and we're all together once more, what should we do?"
"I'll tell you what you should do, you lazy-" came Kagome's grandfather's voice once more.
"I have class today," she said to him, cutting off her grandfather, who mumbled under his breath and wandered back toward the house. She lifted her head to gaze at Inuyasha, her eyes dropping to his lips. "But I'll be back tonight if you want to…talk."
Inuyasha gazed at her. "Talk," he stated as if he didn't believe her.
"Hey, you kids, get off my front porch!"
"Gomen nasai, Kagome's Grandfather," came Miroku's apologetic tone followed by the sharp sound of a slap.
"Stop grabbing me there!"
"Ouch…"
"You don't want to talk?" Kagome asked him, her eyes widening slightly.
Inuyasha thought it over, glancing up once more and staring absentmindedly as Sango growled and ran after Miroku, the boy laughing and ducking her flying hand. "I think we have more than enough time to talk. I think there are better things for us to do with our time…"
Kagome smiled mischievously. "Like what?" she asked slowly.
"Like eating! Man, I'm starved…"
Kagome felt the sweat drop slide down her head. "That's…great. You eat while I go to class-" and she went to slip out of his arms but he dragged her back with a smile, finally kissing her gently. She paused, taken off guard and then she sighed into the kiss, her arms lifting and winding around his neck.
"Eww…more cooties…" whispered Shippo from close by.
"Mmm," Inuyasha murmured against her mouth. "If cooties taste like this…"
Kagome burst into laughter once more, turning her face away. "All these years and you still haven't grown up," she quipped. And she paused, gazing at him silently for a long moment. He returned her gaze for as long as he dared before finally bowing his head and turning faintly crimson.
"What?"
She smiled at him gently. "You don't know what you have until it's gone. And you don't know what you've missed until you find it again." And that summed it up between them both.
Inuyasha nodded silently. And he took her hand in his, squeezing it. "Go to class. I'll be here when you get back," he murmured, dipping into her once more for another small kiss.
Yes, you will be.
Kagome's smile widened and she also nodded, finally pulling free and still it took a moment for their hands to separate as she floated away.
And you see only me. Finally.
She turned to look toward Sango and the girl waved at her, shrieking, "Kagome-chan!" as Miroku literally swept her off her feet and swung her around. And Shippo also waved, hopping a bit and joining Miroku, Kohaku behind him in the same school uniform as Souta. And she felt herself exhale at last, lifting her gaze to the sky and breathing deeply into herself.
Today would be a good day. And she paused thoughtfully. No. Today would be the best day. And she smiled brilliantly at the blue sky.
Pray, I don't know if it's sacred or not,
You say that we can fall apart at anytime,
Breathe for the whole world we can't fight,
They starve for the love that we supply
These are the fallen souls.
~ Fallen Souls – Ours ~
~ FIN ~
Alright then, let's see if I still have fans. Yes, this was a very sappy ending but I figure after how dark this fic was, they deserve some kind of happiness, ne? Anyways, I hope all questions were answered and all fears and death threats were put to rest. =) Now we go on to all the thanks and all that other happy stuff, LOL. This is going to drag out…
Ok, definitely for the following people because they caught on fairly early and were very, very kind with their reviews:
Iseult: I'm hoping this fic lived up to what you wanted although maybe not what you were expecting, LOL. Thanks very much for making me laugh, making me shriek and making me want to write. And thanks for always reading. Although I'm a bit upset that you foresaw the deaths of Miroku and Sango. Does this mean I'm predictable..? Man, that sucks. And thanks for complimenting me on my…balls. ROTFLMAO! And yeah, Midoriko and Shiki. Who'd have thunk it, LMAO!
Hope and Harmony: To you for cracking me up and…threatening me, sure. What the hell, right? What a good review without a few words of…doom and destruction…don't get over the Asian guys because I like them too much and misery loves company. =D
Quickening: I haven't had much of a chance to see if you've done anything new, too busy trying to finish up this fic but definitely, definitely keep writing. You made me want to keep writing just because I loved the way you carried your fic! People like you, who can manage to keep characters' personalities down and work them to make them your own are talented and should always do what they love!
KayJuli: Of course I did that! I had to do that! We couldn't have such a happy ending between the two! Someone needed to die! But you got it right on the nose, babe! Inuyasha does end up living his life out alone and as a human and he does end up meeting up with her in the future. I wasn't joking in the fic when he made a nice long wish. It probably sounded something like, "I wish to become human and to see Kagome again and to see Miroku and Sango again when I'm reincarnated and…" LOL. Damn, I really am that predictable… *Glares at Iseult* But hey, as long as you liked the story, I'm deliriously happy, LOL! ;)
KMF: Because you were the first to review and because you were there until the very end, my hat is off to you. If you like a fic, always review. It will always make the writer feel good!
BronteJD: *Hands over a glass of water* For the lump in your throat… =( But yes, a happy ending, I am at your service! Hee-hee, careful though, Ain't Afraid to Die is also going to have some twists and turns before any of them have a happy ending too… but in all seriousness, thanks for reading. Really. You always reviewed, always had nice words and always hung on. I hope you do the same for my other fics. =)
Cataluna: For reviewing and for being part of the club, LOL! I'm really happy you're following me into CB because it will convince me to keep writing. Thank you for reviewing always and I hope you stay close, you're too cool to drop!
Aldrean Treu Peri: I see your name a lot these days, LOL! And I still have a hard time spelling it, it's very sad. But because I fins your name familiar, I also know you reviewed a lot so thank you for that! And I hope you decide to keep reading Ain't Afraid to Die because that one might start being not as dark but just as heavy as Fallen Souls. =) Also, I downloaded Angie by Rolling Stones because of you, LMAO!
And now for all the following people for reading, for making me laugh, making me realize mistakes and making this whole process worthwhile:
VA13361: Wishful thinking is the only thing that saved you, mwa-hah-hah… ok, well in all truthfulness, I knew the epilogue would be a happy ending, just didn't realize how mushy it would be. But hey, a happy ending, right?! I hope you weren't depressed for long but thanks you for reading and reviewing for as long as you did. =)
Ithilwen: Yeah, I left Shippo. I never forgot he was alive but for me, Shippo was never really a huge part of the anime, not the way the others were. And I think somewhere deep inside it would have just been wrong to kill off Shippo so I wasn't about to do that to anyone. But hey, Shippo grew up and stayed by Inuyasha's side. =) Anyways, I'm hoping it was a good ending. It made me smile as I wrote it. =) Thanks!
Riaka: I'm sorry you read the story three times, LMAO! But at the same time, I'm happy you did! Just goes to show me that people just might sit down one day and read the whole thing over from the beginning. I do know Faye Wong (For a long time FFVIII was an obsession of mine. I think at one point all the FF games were obsessions of mine…) but I've never heard the song. I may have to download it now, LOL. Thank you for reading (three times) and for reviewing!
KiTtEn: Holy crap, did I get the name right?? And yeah, I got the whole "damn!" thing, LMAO! Does this mean you liked the fic??
Aurora Earth: I like to think that Inuyasha ended up becoming a useful member of society (ok, or maybe just Kaede's village) up until her death and then, with Shippo and Kirara at his side he wandered around a bit, worked out whatever problems he had left (Sesshoumaru, Kouga, etc) before finally returning to the village an old man and dying. He made his wish after all. So yeah, that's what I think. =) It would have given him a worldly wisdom, LOL.
Poppy: I'm sorry it didn't end the way you thought it would but there was no way I was going to get Sesshoumaru to really revive Sango and Miroku. For one, I spoke to the guy and he was like, "No, no way, you insignificant mortal," so I didn't take kindly to that which is why in a hidden chapter, I as author, killed him off too. Ok, that's a complete fabrication but if Sesshoumaru could never get along with his little sibling in the long years they lived before there was no way he would get along with a complete mortal afterwards. So that's why I like to think that Inuyasha at least tried to fix problems between himself and his older brother. I wouldn't mind exploring the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Rin after the complete massacre that was this story, though. I just might try my hand at that. Something about Fluffy makes me all warm and squishy inside… ;) Thanks for asking though, LOL!
Jezunya: ROTLMAO! "At least an 'I lovED you.'" ROTFLMAOOOOOO!! Noooo, that was just too damn funny to me… I actually considered making one of those little chapters that can only be viewed on my site. I haven't actually ruled it out, either. Then again I kinda wanted one for Sango and Miroku as well after they were killed off. Maybe I will do one, though. Keep your eye on the site, I just might do it now… =) If anything, I'll post a bit of it on Fanfiction.net and then be like, "Go to the site to finish it!" LOL, thanks for pushing for the idea! So yeah, I did kinda gag on all the sugary-sweet feelings in the epilogue but I think they deserve happiness after everything I did to them. =) And Eien meant Eternity. LOL, thanks for reading, babe!
Momo-chan: *Pauses for a moment* Uh, you ok there? You sorta rambled in your last review and I was just wondering if I had traumatized you… LOL! So did you like the epilogue at all? Better yet, if you're going to confuse me entirely mebbe you shouldn't answer that question, LMAO! Thank you for reading!
Hosi-ni-onegai: Did you really cry?? I am so happy! It means you got totally into the fic, I'm freaking happy! LOL. But wait…are you still crying? C'mon! The epilogue practically gave me cavities!
Raijin-san: Sugoi!! I took a Cowboy Bebop quiz to see what my song was and it was Goodnight Julia, LMAO! So I ended up downloading it to hear it and it was totally such a kewl little theme! I'm so happy you cried like a…little….biotch. Really, I…am. Did you really? LMAO! Cowboy Bebop fans unite! Now you make me want to go update Ain't Afraid to Die.
Saro: Ø_Ø Damn girl, you wanted everyone dead, didn't you?? Yeah, so did I but I needed Inuyasha to go through some more angst before I killed him off. I can just see Kirara being the only one left to tell the story. *Bunch of growls and purrs* Shippo: Speak up, Kirara, I can't understand you… LMAO. But hey, at least I tried to end it happy. Should I have left it a sad ending?
AutumnFire: *Humbly picks up the eyeballs and hands them back to the owner before handing over the Prozac* I'm kidding! See, it was a happy ending!! Really, it was! Don't kill me! And yeah, I felt your pain about typos. I try not to make many of them but sometimes the little buggers get through. Did I really depress you every time I sent out a chapter? OMG, LMAO! I'm so sorry! But happy ending, happy ending! =)
Kinoko: LMAO, no I don't think I'll be making a sequel to this. I think I've grown passed Inuyasha. My current obsession is Cowboy Bebop and once that's done who knows what it will be but I won't mind taking a few trips back to Inuyasha to make one-shots. Another long, angsty fic like this just might kill me. And yes, I will stop by and read your fic, kewl? LMAO, thanks for reading!
IcyRayven: I've gotten so much exercise trying to beat off those people who wanted to kill me. I'm in better shape now than I have been in years, LOL! But here it was, the only happy chapter in the entire story! Woo-hoo! I hope you liked it and didn't die from the sappiness!
Amie: LOL, still crying? But it was a happy ending! Really, it was! Until I decide to reconstruct the Shikon no Tama and resurrect Shiki and…oh, oops, too much info! ;) Thank you for reading!
Yani Cardaria: Ok, put the sword down. It was a happy epilogue, put the sword down. No, really, put the- *Realizes she isn't putting the sword down* Aww, man… LOL! :)
Vold: Yeah, when I originally thought of making this fic I was like, "It would be cool to have Midoriko play a part. And to be in love." I mean, sure, she was this rocking Priestess and all, but I didn't want to think of her as untouchable either. So why not make her untouchable but through no fault of her own? So of course to have her in love with the main villain was just heartbreaking to me. And just the way I would have wanted it! I'm so into angst, you would not believe. Or actually, after reading this entire fic, mebbe you would believe. ;) I hope you liked the whole thing!
Leena: D'oh! LMAO! I can just see you being like, "Oh, Inuyasha will live into Kagome's time…except that he's human now!! Nooooooooo!" LMAO! Sorry but a lifetime alone is enough for anyone. Inuyasha didn't need lifetimes (plural) to be alone. That would have just been mean…Yeah, this coming from a chick who just killed off half the team, LMAO! And besides, I didn't want to bring back Sango and Miroku. I firmly believe that before their respective ends, they accomplished (or had the things accomplished for them) everything they had originally set out to do. Miroku did save himself from the Kazaana, ending the curse, but he could not save himself from his death at Kagome's hands. He lived only long enough to see to it that someone was left with a fighting chance. And then he went to be with Sango. Just because he and Sango died, it's not to say that they were separated in death. They do return later together to be with Inuyasha and Kagome. And Sango went to see about Kohaku and once Kohaku was killed there was no reason for her to go on. She had failed in the end and I like to think she knew that the battle would not end the best way. But it didn't stop her from finally letting Miroku know how she felt for him for so long. And in that I like to think she didn't ultimately fail in battle. Which is why Inuyasha didn't bring them back. It was over for them and they had worked so hard for so long, they deserved some kind of peace. What would be the point bringing back two characters if they would all only mourn the past? It was hard enough for Inuyasha, I would like to believe that he wouldn't want to put anyone through what he was feeling, much less two people who had taken so much pain as it was. So, yeah. Damn, was that really just…psychological or what? LMAO! Anyways, I hope that gave you something to think about (and why did that sentence come out sounding like I'm scolding you?? Geez, I'm not, I swear!). Lord knows I thought all these things while writing this and I knew it would be a huge thing to try to write but I also hoped people would see to the core of it all and understand that this was going to be a painful story. Well, this was a huge note, sorry but thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
Hikaru Li: Yooooo, have you ever read The Separate Existence? It was another story I wrote, (for Cardcaptor Sakura, it's under my profile) just as angsty as this one but nowhere near as long and one of the main characters in the second world is called Hikaru! I like the fact that you used Li as her last name but you might have to read the story to understand the reason why that is. I'm not about to give it away. =)
Kainu1329: Man, I am that predictable! Eeek, now I'm going to have to rewrite the entire epilogue and keep them apart! Ok, maybe not but did I scare you?? Hee…
Nhyemia: Man, that was really nice of you to say! I'm just happy I had such an effect on you because we all know that this couple have something really special between them and it couldn't always go smoothly. I so wanted it to go out with a bang and this story, while it didn't come together in one day, definitely did have me thinking long and hard, LOL. But that's a good thing. When something makes me think, it sorta makes me want to succeed as well which is how this story was done. Eeeeeh, I'm so happy you liked it!! LOL, thank you so much!
WickedWolf: Holy shit! Man, and I always try to make sure I don't make mistakes like that, especially between ground and floor. You would not believe how much I am stressing that mistake! There are a lot of things I try to always correct, like not using the same word in the same sentence to describe something (Ex: Inuyasha raised his arms, lifting the Tetsusaiga into the air) or in the sentences immediately following the first sentence, stuff like that. And the difference between floor and ground is up there in No-no's so the fact that that one slipped by…grrr. But thanks for noticing, really!
SimplyTurquoise: Yep yep! Had to go through angst before they could be together happily. =) Don't worry, I don't lie to readers. If I say the story is going to be angsty, prepare for angst. But if I say it's going to have a happy ending then rest assured there will be a happy ending! Now be prepared for more death and violence, mwa-hah-hah- oh, all right, I'm kidding. =)
ShadiyaRay: You know, looking at your name, I have a character in an original fiction piece that I've been writing for years, whose name is sorta like yours. I have never noticed that until now! Anyways, LMAO, thank you for the compliments and yes, happy ending, happy ending! I hope it's happy enough for you and everyone else, I was dying of the sugary sap… =)
Taltos: Hee hee. Usually when I upload to Fanfiction.net, I save the chapter I'm uploading as an html document in Microsoft Word and then upload that. It comes up with italics and all. I'm not sure if that helped you at all…
SylverAngel: I'm so happy you dug the Miroku-Sango ending! Everyone else is kinda like, "OMG, Inuyasha lived!" LMAO! I couldn't just leave Sango and Miroku like that, together but separated. It would have been so sad. =) But thanks for reading and for liking the story! LMAO!
Nqhi: Alive…alien word. Does not compute. Please try again later. =) I'm kidding! Yes, alive! Everyone will be alive! Shoot, you ppl!! I should have warned you all that that I love killing off characters. Makes the story that much harder to take and that much harder to let go of. =) So did you like it? LOL!
And now, last but not ever least, for all the other readers who reviewed in passed chapters and who have been reading for sooo long. My thanks go out to: Ookami-chan (Ookami-sama, LOL), Kaoru Wolf, Nekochan614, Nozomi, Pink Straw, Jenna, Lulu, Utsukushi (that means Beautiful in Japanese, right?), Alex, Phoebi, Silvermoon Maru (I've seen your name a lot too, reviewing, so thank you!), Nekoi, DracOnyx, Dunken, Chibionna (Small Woman..? Is that right?), Tidus, Icy Discordia, Stormrunner, someone who only referred to their self as Person (LMAO), Red, AliQua, Lachesis, Tsukinoko, Mikoyru Kaniu, Merith, Tessa, AoiHyou, Demonic Little Sister (Hmm…I have one of those…LOL), someone who left a review called ^-^ LMAO, Tony, DiaBlo, Clow Angel, NightChild0101, Jammincat9, Lil Washu, Kookie, Laura-chan, Marean Beast, Chibi Makoto, Lizzie, D.J., KenYasha, Nassau, Sammi-chan, Sorena, Tonz82, Obsession171, Kurotenshi (Black Angel, I like…), Rain, Libra, Rio, Demonblade, Peek, Lord Cirenmas, Angel7669, Meamiko, KharmaSmack, Mara-chan, Shin-chan, Demon_chan, Zel no Miko, and Inaho. A lot of names are familiar because lots of you guys left numerous reviews and I just wanted to say thank you one last time. You guys make writing and sharing stories totally worth it! If I left anyone out, I apologize from the bottom of my heart!
Ok, that's about it, LMAO! Like that's not enough. But anyways, the other stories under my profile are also angsty (it's all I write, can't write anything else, LMAO). I'm now doing a Cowboy Bebop fic, Ain't Afraid to Die, and that's going to be angsty too but hopefully I'll be able to keep the characters in character and still be angsty. =) Anyways, for my thoughts on everything that happened with this fic, just read my note to Leena, it's up above a bit and …that's it! I'm signing off!
Take care people, and thank you from the bottom of my heart!
-Cassandra *listening to Eric Clapton and BBKing's Hold On I'm Coming to get into the mood to write some Cowboy Bebop!*