A/N: The final part is up at last! A huge apology to anyone who was waiting for me to update...I kind of forgot about this story. Well, here's part three. I also changed the last line of part two, and added chapter titles.

DISCALIMER: still don't own it


She Loves Me

Part Three

Blissful dream wrapped around the sleeping miko. None of her dreams were acute or memorable, mostly just flashes of light, flickers of color, and the ever-familiar presence of a certain silver-haired hanyou. A small smile ornamented the girl's pretty face, and she murmured contentedly.

"Kagome." A whisper broke through her slumber, but she only snuggled closer to the figure sitting beside her.

"Kagome." The whisper came again, only louder. This time it woke her.

"Nnn?" Kagome mumbled sleepily, blinking her eyes. "Inuyasha?"

"Sorry I woke you." The hanyou bit his lip, not meeting her eyes. Kagome blinked again, and then propped herself up on one elbow to look at him better. His golden eyes were wide, and anxious. Kagome felt a pang of worry.

"What is it?" She pushed her hair out of her face with one hand.

"It's just-I-" he broke of nervously. "What are you going to do?"

"Do?" Confused, Kagome sat up the rest of the way, turning her body so she was facing him. The slow breathing filling the camp signified that their companions were all still asleep.

"You know. After we defeat Naraku." Inuyasha met her eyes, staring deep into them.

"I…" Kagome hadn't thought about it, really. She couldn't imagine a time when Naraku was gone, when the cursed jewel would at last be complete. The jewel complete…that's right! "That depends." Her voice was soft. She was almost afraid to ask. "What will you do?"

"Me?" Inuyasha seemed startled. "What do you-oh. Oh." He bit his lip, staring at the blanket twisted around Kagome's legs.

"Do you…still plan on using the jewel to become a full-fledged demon?" Kagome lowered her voice to a whisper. "Because if that is what you want…I won't stop you."

"Baka! Don't be an idiot, Kagome!" Suddenly, Kagome had the breath knocked out of her as her hanyou pulled her roughly to him. "You know what I want."

"Mm?" Kagome blinked up at him. She knew he loved her, but…his desire to become the full demon he had always wanted to be ran deep. How could he give all that up for her?

"I want you," he whispered gruffly.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "I know. But…"

"I told you I'd stay a half-demon for you, didn't I? Why would that have changed?"

"You said 'for a while.' Not forever."

"Keh," the hanyou snorted. "That was before." Kagome looked up at him. His eyes told her what was implied. Before you risked everything to admit you loved me. Before I chose you, my true love, over a past love I could hardly bring myself to forget. Before we sealed our future. But a question was still there, behind it all. Kagome could sense it.

"I-what do you mean, what will I do?" Kagome pulled back a bit, but she noticed he did not let go of her. Not even close.

"Damnit, Kagome!" He shook her the tiniest bit, but she could feel his muscles tightening, tensing. He was being extremely careful, checking his strength, so that he did not hurt her in the least. Kagome smiled. "Are you leaving me?" he asked.

"What?" the miko stammered, jerking back. "W-why would I leave you?"

"Keh." Inuyasha looked down. "You know. When there's no jewel…you might not be able to go through the well anymore. If you go home…you might never come back."

Ah, yes. Kagome had thought about that a lot. Although she could not picture Naraku's defeat, or the completion of the jewel, more and more over the past week she'd thought about the well. How it worked. Why it worked. If it would keep working.

Kagome bit her lip. "I don't know what will happen to the well when the jewel is purified. But…" And here she looked up at him, steadily meeting his amber gaze. "I will never leave you, okay? Never. Not even if you want me to." He stared strait back at her, and his eyes softened noticeably. He let out a sigh of relief, and Kagome giggled as it hit her face. She stroked his cheek with one finger.

"I didn't think so. I just-I couldn't-you can't ever leave me, Kagome!"

"I won't! Inuyasha no baka, don't even think about it." She snuggled close to her hanyou again, smiling. His warm arms went around her, and she could feel every breath he took, as it blew gently over the top of her head. "What brought this on, anyway?" she asked, settling into his warm chest.

"I…just…" She could feel him shake his head. "It's nothing."
"Inuyasha…"

"I had a dream, okay? Just a dumb dream. Forget about it."

"Yeah, right." Kagome reached up and brushed a lock of frosty hair out of his face. "What did you dream, Yasha?"

"Keh." His body tensed, and Kagome snuggled up to him, brushing her lips over his cheek.

"Can you tell me, so I can reassure you that none of it is true? I can't do that if you don't tell me, you know."

"It was stupid. Just got me thinkin', was all."

Not only did Kagome desperately want, no, need, to comfort him, she was starting to get very curious. "Something got you to think?" she teased him. "My Inuyasha, thinking? Are you sure I've got the right hanyou?" Jokingly she peered into his eyes, as if to determine that he really was Inuyasha. His eyes narrowed, but he smirked at her.

"Oh yeah? Who says I can't think, woman?"

"Me," Kagome replied sweetly, tweaking one of his ears.

"Well, what do you know?" He leaned his face closer to hers, his smirk turning into a smile. She could feel his breath on her cheek.

"Plenty." The word was whispered, and she barely got it out in time before his lips were on hers, his arms tightening around her. Kagome tilted her head upwards, returning the kiss, relishing in its warmth. How did I live for so long without ever having kissed him?

"Mmm." He pulled away, looking into her eyes. "I love you."

"Love you too." Kagome had never imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that he would ever tell her those three sweet little words, that had been promised to another for so long. Even after he had told her, she'd been sure he'd brush it off, pretend it never happened. But clearly, he had more resolve than she'd thought. Or maybe he'd even matured. Either way, he seemed to find great pleasure in telling her that, whenever the fancy struck him, which was often. It all happened so fast. Like it was just waiting to happen, and it just needed one more fight with Kouga, one more encounter with Kikyou, and it would all begin. Finally.

"So will you tell me?" Her lips only an inch from his nose, she smiled persuasively. I can't stand the worry in his eyes. I'd do anything to see his eyes completely carefree, happy, worriless. That'll never happen. There's nothing I can do to erase his past. But if I can help with the little things…

"Fine. Bossy wench." But his words were not brash or rough like they usually were. They were soft, loving. Only Inuyasha could make an insult seem like a declaration of love, Kagome thought fondly.

"Good." She kissed him once, briefly, and then wrapped her arms around him again. He pulled her closer.

"In my dream, it was now. I don't think it was the future or nothing. But we'd finally killed that bastard Naraku. You reached into his remains and pulled out the jewel. Then you took the pieces we had left, and you joined them…

They fit perfectly. There were no pieces missing. Inuyasha watched in awe as a pink light began to glow steadily brighter, surrounding both the jewel and the girl.

"Kagome!" he cried out. His miko did not respond. Her face was fixed, frozen. What's happening to her? the hanyou thought, in a panic. But then the light faded. Kagome was still there. The jewel was not.

"W-what…what happened to it?" Inuyasha stuttered, rushing over to Kagome's side.

"I don't know. It's gone."

"Did you get to make a wish? What was your wish? What happened? Did-"

"No." Kagome looked up sadly.

"What?"

"I didn't make a wish. It's just…gone. I think Midoriko was finally ready to let go."

"Oh…" So it was all for nothing? The years of searching, and then the jewel was purified into nothing? That was impossible. It had to have done something!

"It's all over." Inuyasha turned to see a very white Miroku, staring into his empty right palm. "It's over," the monk repeated.

"Yes." Sango came up behind him, Kirara on her left shoulder, Shippou on her right. "Naraku is dead."

Yes. It was over. Inuyasha turned to Kagome, slowly extending his arms. At last they could be together…

He stopped short. She wasn't there! Where-

He spun, and his eyes caught a flash of green. She was perched on the edge of the well, yellow backpack slung over one shoulder. "Kagome? Where are you going?" He looked at her curiously. Was she going home to tell them the good news? Already?

Then he remembered something. The jewel was gone. She carried no shards. She wouldn't be able to get back to him!

"No, Kagome!" He reached out and grabbed her wrist. She gave him a puzzled expression. "You won't be able to get back here! You don't have shards!"

"Of course not! The jewel's gone."

"But-" Inuyasha's heart began to pound. What was she saying?

Suddenly, the miko laughed. "What, you didn't think I'd stay here, did you?"

He met her brown eyes with his gold. "I…" Of course he did! He loved her, and she loved him! She-she'd promised to stay with him! She couldn't leave!

How can she leave? She can't! She won't! She loves me! She loves me. She loves me…

"This isn't real, Inuyasha! Not to me. This isn't my time, or my life. I broke the jewel, so of course I had to get it back together. But now that's over with, and I can get back to my real life."

"But…what about…" Inuyasha's heart had stopped. He was drained of all emotion. She was slowly crushing his heart.

"What about what?" She gave him a confused, slightly annoyed look. "I really have to get back. I have a test to study for!"

"Us!" the hanyou screamed. He wasn't aware of screaming it, of angrily stepping away from her, of the flicker of red in his eyes. "You love me, remember! You LOVE me!"

"Don't be silly." Kagome rolled her eyes. "I had some fun so long as I was stuck here. Now I'm going home."

"But don't you remember! All the times…everything…we kissed…I love you! You love me, goddamnit! Remember! We were-it was-you-I-" he broke off, stuttering, too broken even to cry.

"Whatever. Bye! This was interesting. I wonder if my kids'll ever believe I spent a year in feudal Japan, huh?" With that, his precious miko, his love, his soul, his life, jumped into the well. Into the future. Taking her five hundred years away from him, forever.

"NOOO!" Without thinking, he jumped after her. He would get her before she got back. He would make her remember. She was his! She couldn't leave him!

He landed hard on the bottom of the well. He could hear Kirara mew, up above. He was still in his time.

"What-how-Kagome! No!" He scrabbled wildly at the ground, in a desperate attempt to break through. His claws broke. The rough dirt scratched at his skin. Blood ran down his hands. "NOO! KAGOME! COME BACK! I NEED YOU!" He screamed the words to no one. And then, for the first time, he collapsed.

"I thought…she loved me…"

Inuyasha took a shaky breath. "And that's when I woke up," he muttered. Kagome gasped, sucking in more air, even though she hadn't let out her breath for the whole second half of the dream.

"Inuyasha…" Emotion flooded her, and she yanked him closer to her, burying her head in his chest. She could feel tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. And then she got angry. How could he dream something like that?

"Inuyasha, you stupid, stupid, idiot!" she cried, pounding her fists against his chest. "How could you even think that? Baka! Bakabakabakabakabaka!"

He looked down at her in surprise. "W-what? Kagome…" And then she felt him take a very deep breath, and he tightened his hold on her immensely, as though unwilling to ever let her go. And for the first time ever, he agreed with her. "I know. It was the stupidest thing I've ever dreamt."

"Of course it was, Inuyasha no baka." Kagome raised a teary face so she could look at him. "You must really hate me."

"What!?" His eyes flew open all the way. "I don't hate you! I love you!"

"Then how could you dream that?" Kagome shook her head, but she was smiling again. "That wasn't me, in your dream. It wasn't anything like me! You mean more to me then…well…anything! How could I live without my life?"

"Kagome…" his grip on her did not loosen, not one bit. "Exactly. I can't live without my life, either."

Kagome laughed her soft laugh. "It really wouldn't be possible, now would it?"

"Course not."

Smiling, Kagome leaned up to kiss him. His lips were as soft, and as sweet, as ever. I lived the first fifteen years of my life without ever even knowing my life. Now that I've found it, it's part of me. Leaving it…isn't even an option. It…or he…

Kagome felt her hanyou deepen the kiss, and she followed suit. One of his hands gently stroked the back of her head, combing through her hair. It continued to do so as her lips slid from his, and she cuddled into his chest, yet again.

"Promise me, Kagome. Promise me you'll never leave me."

"Never…meaning…" Kagome's heart began to pound. A promise was big. Was he…

"Meaning you'll stay with me forever. Say you will."

"Of course I will, Inuyasha. I love you. Always."

"Always," he whispered. It was an acceptance. An agreement. A promise.

Kagome's heart swelled. No matter what happened, they would always be together. That was all they needed to know.

Kagome wasn't sure how much time passed before she heard his rough whisper. "Go back to sleep, Kagome."

She opened her eyes and smiled at him, slipping off his chest onto her pillow. But she missed his warmth.

"Stay with me?" she asked softly. He understood. Silently, he uncrossed his legs and slid down so he was lying beside her.

"Mmm," Kagome murmured happily, snuggling up to him. He wrapped his arms around her, and they were just as warm as ever.

He smiled.

Inuyasha drifted off to sleep more easily than he had before. He'd never really slept lying down. It was surprising how nice it was. Even nicer was having Kagome so close to him.

There was an easy transition between reality and the land of dream. He dreamt he was holding Kagome, just as he really was. They were standing at the bottom of the well. He wasn't sure how they'd gotten there. He didn't really care. They were together. Just as they always would be.

Because she loves me.


End

Arigatou to those of you who've reviewed. Reviews are still appreciated, they're what keep me writing. Flames will be disregarded. If you don't like it, just don't read it, K?

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