A/N: Please review; I'm open to all compliments, comments, concerns and complaints. Enjoy.
Summary: It has been a year since Kagome host all of her friends to Naraku. She misses them all, but are they really gone? Or are they closer than she thinks…
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters; they belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi. However, I do own the plot and all original characters (Kuro, Kazuo, Yasuo, Akemi, Hanako, etc…) that can be used with permission. This disclaimer applies to all chapters.
Forever Yours
Prologue
Kagome watched in horror as one of Naraku's tentacles pierced through Sango's body.
"No!" she cried, as Sango fell to the ground, clearly dead. "Sango!" She started to run toward her.
"Kagome, get back!" roared Inuyasha. He looked at Sango's body and added, "I'm not going to let anyone else die!"
Naraku smirked evilly. "You killed my incarnations so I am going to kill all of your little friends Inuyasha. Furthermore, I am going to kill you last."
"Don't count on it!" Miroku yelled. "Wind tunnel!"
"Miroku no! The insects!" Shippo screamed.
But Miroku wouldn't listen. The purplish -black wind proceeded to swallow everything in its path.
Naraku just smirked wider. "Goodbye Monk."
Before he had finished talking, Miroku started yelling in pain and the wind picked up drastically.
"Kagome! Shippo!"
Kagome felt herself being lifted into the air and she landed a good distance away. She heard Inuyasha tell her to stay put.
She looked at the spot where she was standing seconds earlier and saw an immense crater.
Miroku…he…his wind tunnel swallowed him.
"Kagome!"
She turned toward the sound of the voice and her eyes went wide with fear.
"No! Shippo!"
"This kitsune may be weak but he is a youkai so he will become one with my body."
Inuyasha tried to cut Shippo out of Naraku's body but it was too late; Shippo was absorbed.
"Now I will kill the miko."
The tentacle headed straight for her. She closed her eyes, braced for the impact and-
"No you won't!"
All at once, Kagome felt a shadow pass over her and she was sprayed with warm blood. It was not her blood…
Kagome opened her eyes and screamed.
Inuyasha was lying on his back with a tentacle through his heart. Kagome ran to his side and took one of his hands in both of hers. He squeezed weakly.
"K'gome," he said quietly, "Sorry…couldn't…protect…love…you."
"Inuyasha don't die, please don't die. I-" his hand went limp in hers. I love you, she finished mentally.
"Time for you to join him. Such a pity, I really wanted him to die last." Naraku said coldly.
Kagome glared at him with more hatred than she knew was possible. She grabbed her last arrow and set it to her bow. I only have one shot at this…
"You're going to pay," she said furiously. "Inuyasha died to save me." She aimed carefully. "I will not let that be in vain." She pulled the arrow back. "This one's for Inuyasha!"
She let the arrow fly. She held her breath as the arrow hit its mark, Naraku's heart.
Three hours had passed and Kagome was still crying. Kiara had helped her take her friends back to Kaede's village, where she had buried all of her friends (but she couldn't bury Miroku), said a prayer for their souls and said Good-bye. Kaede took Kirara into her hut and promised to take care of her if Kagome decided to return to her own time.
Now she was at Inuyasha's grave and she couldn't talk. She had tears cascading down her cheeks and a huge lump in her throat. Kagome remembered burying him and kissing his lips for the last time ever.
"Crying will not bring him back," said a voice.
Kagome turned and saw Kikyo looking at Inuyasha's grave. Her face was expressionless but her eyes were filled with emotion. It was the first time Kagome had ever seen so much emotion in Kikyo's dead eyes.
"Why…why did he have to die?" she choked. "It's not fair!"
Kikyo kneeled beside her. "Nothing in life is fair," she replied calmly, "Everybody has a time when they must leave this world."
"I know but…I never got a chance to…to say how I felt about him, how much he meant to me," she said trembling. Why am I telling Kikyo this?
Kikyo said nothing for a few minutes.
"Tell him now."
"What?"
"Tell Inuyasha's soul how much you love him, I know he wants to here it."
"Kikyo…" Kagome said in amazement, forgetting her tears momentarily. "But what about…I thought you…?"
"His heart no longer belongs to me, I heard his last words, I would never dream of binding him to me while he cares for you more than anything." She stood up. "Inuyasha wanted you to live, you too will see each other again. Tell him that you love him."
"Kikyo…if my message…if it…."
"If it doesn't reach him I will tell him for you." She started to walk away.
"Kikyo wait!" Kikyo stopped. Kagome hurried toward her.
"I want you to take this with you." Kagome opened her palm to reveal the completed Shikon no Tama. "Please take this to Inuyasha."
Surprise was visible in Kikyo's eyes, but she nodded. "I will. I know he will protect it as well as he protected you," she paused, "Good-bye Kagome, I will see you again"
"Thank you Kikyo…for everything."
Kikyo gave her a rare smile before she walked away.
Kagome knelt down at Inuyasha's grave.
"Inuyasha…I don't know what to say…you have given me so much, more than I can ever repay you. You have changed so much from when I first met you…back then you wouldn't trust anybody and you hated me so much," she laughed softly. "When I shattered the jewel I thought you were going to tear the earth in half."
"Inuyasha…you have protected me and saved me countless times and I never even thanked you. Thanks doesn't seem like enough…but I will say it anyway…Inuyasha thank you for everything, everything! You were my best friend, my protector, the closest thing I have ever had to a boyfriend. Wherever you are, wait for me. I promise that I will never love anybody but you for the rest of my life. I love you Inuyasha and I will see you again."
Just then, Kagome felt a soft, warm breeze around the grave and she knew that Inuyasha had heard her. She smiled softly, while tears flowed from her eyes.
"Good-bye Inuyasha."