Chapter Two - Down the Well, and...Never back again?

"Is ye sure you want to leave right now? Ye is going to go home...looking so...miserable..Ye will do your mother concern."

It had been the next day, and they had travelled to Keade's village. They had already buried Inuyasha's ashes next to where Kikyo's ashes used to be. Kagome could barely sit through the ceremony but managed to put on a stone face.

Kagome nodded replying to Keade. "My mom...is probably already worried by now...and it's time...I get back to school..." The old woman nodded understandingly looking down. "Well..if Ye is leaving today...it's best to say proper goodbyes to everyone."

Kagome agreed thinking about it. "But...am I ever...going to come back..." she wondered.

Walking up to her three friends, they stopped talking and looked at her, giving Kagome their attention. She paused for a minute looking down.

"I'm going home today, for school...and my family...and..I don't know when I'm coming back.." she told them watching their faces.

Sango answered first hesitantly.

"Well then...I wish you luck...back at home..." Miroku gave her a kind smile and nodded excepting her decision. "And I wish the same."

Shippo looked up at her with watery eyes. She returned him with a small understanding smile.

"Kagome, you better come back soon." he demanded jumping into her arms. She hugged the Kistune, missing all of them already, and she wasn't even gone yet. Next she hugged Sango and then Miroku. They all looked disappointed but put on loving faces.

Walking through the forest, her chest felt heavy with pain and every step that drew her nearer to the well made her want to cry, she felt it growing up in the back of her throaght. "Everyone...goodbye...Goodbye..I can't come back here..I don't belong...I did..what I had to do...and...it will. Only hurt me more if I see all of you again." she said out loud shutting her eyes, to stop the tears from flowing.

It looked exactly the same, the Well. The area quiet and beautiful sat there waiting for her, just like any other time. It was different today, the thought of going down it and never coming back up was terrifying, she was almost scared to go home. Putting her legs over the edge, her backpack over her shoulders, before she left she reached down and picked the nearest flower and looked at it's delicate petals.

Letting herself drop into the darkness, the starry blue atmosphere surrounded her and she was soon floating towards the other side. She was crying, her arms stretched out her tears flying back behind her.

Ending up on the hard ground in her shrine, she sat on the bottom of the well her fists clenched. She sat there thinking to herslef, until she felt like standing. Pulling herslef out of the darkness she was greeted by the normal walls of her grandpa's shrine. Or, was it normal at all? Was it this place that had become normal, always had been normal, or was it the place she had been 500 years ago?

Stepping outside the sun beat down on her face. Souta who was in the yard stopped kicking his soccer ball and looked at her. "Kagome! Your back!" he said with a smile, turning to call his mom.

Soon Kagome was at the table with her mom's cooking placed in front of her. She gave her biggest effort to smile, but how she really felt completely broke through her fake attempts. "So Kagome, what kind of demons were you fighting this time?" Her grandfather asked picking up a vegetable with his chopsticks.

Kagome looked up from her plate and an awkward silence broke out until she answered. "We defeated Naraku."

Her grandfather's mouth dropped open as food fell out. "Well this is wonderful news!! Isn't that the most threatening one? Does that mean your finished?"

Kagome nodded her head keeping her eyes down. "Yes.."

Kagome's mother watched her face studying her expressions. "Kagome, did something happen...In the battle...?"

Kagome fell silent and didn't answer.

"Kagome...honey...Did something happen?" she said making her words clear. Kagome looked up giving a pain filled face. "Kagome, are you alright? Are they ok?"

Kagome's struggle on keeping her emotions down collapsed as she looked up at everyone.

"HE'S DEAD! HE'S DEAD!!!! Inuyasha...HE'S DEAD!!!" she screamed throwing her chopsticks and soup bowl on the floor as the sound of it shattering filled the house along with her screams.

She turned herself around and ran up the stairs. Bolting into her room she slammed the door and flung herself onto the bed.

Kagome's mom put her hand over her mouth shocked and upset. Souta froze in his spot and her grandpa was sorry he even asked.

"I had...no idea..." she said through her hand.

Kagome cried into her pillow, "How am I going to do this? I can't do this, everything is going to set me off! I'm so...I'm so weak!" she told herslef shaking her head at her actions. "Inuyasha...If...I had done more...Maybe you would be alive."

Kagome woke up and flipped her body around looking at the window. It was dark, and she couldn't remember how long it took her to cry herself asleep. Getting up she turned on the light and rubbed her eyes that were tear stained. Glancing at the clock it read 3:30am.

"How long...have I been asleep...?" too mixed up to do math, Kagome sat on her bed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm going for a bath." she announced to herself grabbing pajamas from her dresser.

Running the water, she put her hand under the tap to feel the temperature and adjusted the water. After five minutes the tub was full and she stepped in, washing the cuts on her legs. She exaimened large bruises across her stomach and one spreading across her collarbone. She was going to be sore.

She had to admit the warmth of the bath comforted her, and made her feel better, but not a whole lot. Soaking, the sound of the echoing water filled her ears.

"I'm going to try. I'll try my best. I'm doing this for you."