Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Birds chirped and the sun broke through the trees onto the group of warriors, all tired and amazed at their intact bodies. The early morning light caused the orb in a raven haired girl's palms to glow brighter, half from purification, and half from anticipation.

She closed her eyes, grasping it so that the light shone through the cracks her fingers created.

I wish the jewel disappeared from existence.

She felt her eyelids grow heavy-

-and then a hand nudging her shoulder. She blinked, seeing a darkened hut from a sideways angle. A dim orange light flashing against the enclosure's walls.

"Kagome! Wake up! You'll miss the celebration!"

She blinked more, feeling the weight of her body against a futon. "Wha..?"

Sango's face appeared from around her shoulder. "Their having a festival in honor of the battle!"

Kagome was glad she always over packed. She was also thankful that one of the group members had put her yellow backpack next to her. She pulled out the baby wipes and began cleansing herself of all the dirt and grime that had managed to stick to her. Sango stood watch in the doorway with a fresh yukata and a smile, and after completing the look by tying her hair in a bun, Kagome took to the slayer's side as she walked out the door and onto the dirt pathway towards the Goshinboku. "Sango…?"

The tree looked like it was bathed in sunset from all of the lanterns fixed around it, and a large fire raged not 20 meters away, with people dancing joyously as what little bards the village had played.

She spied Inuyasha dancing merrily, and suddenly her heart felt light. Her friend had become her attachment to the world and she had become the one person who truly cared about him, but he seemed to be making new ones. Somewhere in the months leading up to the battle, they had settled their relationship and come out not as lovers, but as something that felt far more stable and far less emotionally taxing.

Rin and Shippo swung their arms around their heads and at each other in time to the music, and Miroku surprisingly gave only Sango's shoulder a squeeze with his new, unbound hand as she strolled up to him, grabbing the other hand and leading him closer to the throng of people.

Which left the stoic youkai in the corner, sipping from a cup in the corner like a proud wallflower at a high school dance. She strolled up to him, desperate to fix that.

"Miko," he nodded.

"Youkai," she answered in an attempt at his voice.

He raised an eyebrow past his bangs, slightly twisting the crescent moon marking on his forehead.

She giggled, and reached a hand out, feeling like sleep hadn't completely left her. Maybe this was a dream and she was still sleeping, though. "Dance with me?"

This time the other eyebrow joined its brother. "Miko, what-"

"Everyone else has a partner." Did she just cut him off? What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so bold? It was like the first step towards him gave her a high, and she just kept riding it.

He set his drink on the ground, hardly bending and looking regal as ever. "You are very daring tonight, miko."

She felt like grinning, and only now did she seem to begin controlling her actions. Instead, she smiled cautiously. "Well, I haven't died yet, but today feels like a day to push my luck." She blinked at her own words. Was she flirting? Did she actually say something like that aloud? Sure, she and Sesshoumaru had had conversations before after he had joined their rag tag group, but flirting? She felt her cheeks heat up.

He smirked, and her face heated further. However, he hadn't denied her wishes, and she wondered just how far she could take the new, far more courageous and flirtatious Kagome tonight.

The answer was too far.

She had fled the scene right after it happened, like a girl that didn't want to be caught stealing cookies off the counter. He had simply watched from the bed of grass he laid on, his face instantly washing away any emotion and replacing it with his mask of indifference.

Her backpack was now on her back, with her shoulder aching, and she had just kept running; fueled by fear induced adrenaline as she ran towards the well, needing to find comfort and something to see that wasn't connected to him or the place where it had just happened.

It was like she went from mature adult back to girl-child in seconds.

Yay short clips! I have been reading soooo much Sesskag and finally I was like, "I have an idea, I need to write it out." So bear with me, but I'll try to update this regularly and most chapters should be longer than this.