Well, folks! Here it is! The final chapter of my story! As I mentioned earlier, there shall be a sequel, so keep any eye out for that! I have enjoyed writing this story and am sending out a huuuge thank you to everyone who has reviewed and for the support you have shown me!

Final Disclaimer (sad face!): I still do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters!

Chapter Thirteen: Darkness and Light

A sharp sliver of chill cut down Kagome' back as she stared into the well. Through all the times that she had jumped through it, she couldn't remember it ever looking as dark as it did now. Did I really use to just jump in there without even thinking about it?

With great effort, Kagome forced herself to walk to the very edge of the well. She carefully laid her hands on the worn wood that she had climbed over so many times. This well meant so much to her. It led her to Inuyasha, to Miroku and Sango, to Shippo and Kirara and Kaede. It had changed her life forever, which was something that she was grateful for. All of the missed tests and all of the struggling to keep up with her classmates…she realized now how it was all completely worth it.

But fear held her in place. Kagome Higuraishi, a girl that transversed time itself and fought demons, a girl that stood up to Naraku and wasn't afraid, a girl that lived and thrived in the feudal era with bravery that a simple human miko shouldn't have…was afraid of the dark.

Kagome mentally chastised herself, but she couldn't deny the utter dread that suffocated her and glued her in place. No matter how many times she repeated to herself that it was ok, that the darkness couldn't hurt her anymore, Kagome couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to the couple of weeks that she had spent inside the jewel. She had never thought that she was going to see the light again, and now the thought of throwing herself back into darkness was driving her to near-hysterics.

Collapsing onto her knees next to the well, Kagome leaned her back against its side and faced towards the entrance to the shrine that the well was in. She felt relieved that no one from her family had followed her mad dash out towards the well; she knew that she probably had her mother to thank for that. No one understood her quite like her mother did. The last thing she wanted was for her family to see her as miserable and downtrodden as she was at this moment.

Inuyasha.

Her thoughts centered around the half demon that was somewhere on the other side of the well. Or so she hoped. A different type of fear grew inside her when she remembered that the last place she had seen him was inside the sacred jewel. She had no idea where the jewel had deposited him or even if he was ok. Dread leaked into the mixture of emotions that she was feeling and she allowed a single tear to flow unchecked down her face.

Without another glance into the darkness, Kagome clambered to her feet and dashed out of the well house. The sunlight that beat down on her was welcoming and she stopped in the middle of the family shrine, her delicate face turned upwards to the sun.

"Please…forgive me, Inuyasha," she whispered to the sky, hoping against all odds that he could somehow hear her or sense her and know that her thoughts were on him. "I love you too," she muttered, lowering her face. She felt guilty that she had never told him how she felt. She knew, maybe more than anyone else, how much he looked down on himself, simply because he was a hanyou.

Glancing mournfully back towards the well house, Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes and headed back inside her house.

The scene in Kaede's hut might have been comical under different circumstances, but as it was, everyone was tired and downtrodden. In one corner of the hut, Inuyasha lay, bound at wrist and ankle by Miroku's special sealing sutras, growling menacingly. He thrashed as wildly as he could with his hands sealed behind his back, thumping continuously into the wall. Hours before, he had been throwing threatening comments at everyone and anything that came within his sight, but Miroku quickly ended that with another sutra to his mouth.

"Inuyasha…" Miroku's normally calm voice was filled with exasperation. His eyes had dark circles under them; he hadn't slept much over the past few days, mostly thanks to Inuyasha's constant noise making, but also because he normally took the late night shift in watching over the well, almost desperately waiting for Kagome's return. Sango and Shippo were there now. He heaved a sigh. "You are going to accomplish nothing except bruising yourself."

"Maybe ye should unseal him?" Kaede offered her two cents from the other side of the small cooking fire that lay in the center of the room. She knew that Inuyasha was never going to stop thrashing around if he was tied down; his demon side made sure of that. When he was backed into a corner, his more animal sides tended to come out.

"He will be released if he can promise not to run off to the well immediately. If he agrees to sit down to one meal with us, and trust that Sango can handle watching for Kagome," Miroku's calmness had returned, and he glanced at Inuyasha over the steam of the cup of tea that he held gently in his hands. He inwardly smirked at the stillness of the hanyou. Kagome's name always did have that effect on him.

"Do ye agree to the terms, Inuyasha?" Kaede stared openly into Inuyasha's eyes. She could easily pick out the sorrow in them, and the usually present anger that sharpened them to hard gold was gone, replaced instead by a soft, molten color. His silver head nodded wearily.

Miroku stood, his staff jingling lightly. With one swift motion, Miroku cut the sutras off of Inuyasha's hands and legs. The hanyou didn't even flinch. Kneeling in front of still man, Miroku gently removed the sutra from Inuyasha's mouth. He marveled at the fact that his friend remained where he was, sprawled across the worn wooden floor.

"Thanks," Inuyasha muttered before slowly pulling himself to his feet. He was tired; there was no denying it. But he couldn't stand being restrained. Now that he was freed from the restraints, his mind seemed to clear. He held no grudge towards his friends. As twisted as it was, them knocking him out and tying him up was there own special way of caring for him. Without another word to either miko or priest, Inuyasha took the bowl of stew from Kaede and sat near the fire.

The silence pushed in around the three companions as they ate in silence. Miroku smiled at the fervor with which Inuyasha ate. He devoured three bowls in the time it took Miroku to eat one. He heard a soft chuckle echo from Kaede.

"So, you said Sango was watching the well?" Inuyasha's voice finally broke the silence. The sadness that Kaede had witnessed in his eyes seemed to grow at the mention of the well; the well that stole Kagome away from him, away from them all.

"Aye, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku have been taking shifts out in the forest," Kaede uttered, clearing away the dishes left over from dinner. Two bowls of stew remained, which Miroku grabbed.

"Come, Inuyasha. Let us see what the two are up to." Miroku nodded his thanks to Kaede before pushing his way out of the hut. He knew without looking behind him that Inuyasha was following. Nothing could keep his hanyou friend from the well. He had been connected to it by destiny, and it would always draw him like a magnet as long as Kagome was involved with it.

The two men walked side by side silently and Inuyasha stared up at the sky. The stars were out and dotted across the sky in stark contrast to the darkness behind them. He remembered a conversation with Kagome about them, back when they had all been after Naraku. He never thought that he would desire to be back in those times.

Kagome let out her breath slowly as she plopped down onto her back beside him, her ebony hair fanning out on the grass behind her. He continued to sit cross-legged beside her, pointedly keeping himself from gazing down at her face.

"The stars are so beautiful here," she whispered, knowing that he could hear her easily. He huffed.

"What's so special about a bunch of stupid twinkling lights?" He crossed his arms over his chest and stared up at the dark sky. It was the same as it was on any clear night, darkness dotted with billions and billions of twinkling lights. What did she see in such a stupid thing?

"Well, they are nowhere near as clear in my time. A lot of things are much more beautiful in this time," she said, remaining on her back. He could hear the wonder and innocence in her soft voice. In amazed him that she could still call the feudal era beautiful, after all of the things that her brown eyes had seen. He said nothing in response.

"Plus," she added, almost as if an afterthought. "No matter where I am, I know that we are looking at the same sparkling stars. It means that I am never far from you, Inuyasha. It means that you are never truly alone."

Shocked, Inuyasha finally looked down at the young woman's face. She wasn't looking at him; instead, her eyes were locked above her. He noticed, for the first time, how the stars reflected in her eyes. It was in that moment that he realized the true beauty of the stars.

Not being able to show his more sensitive side, Inuyasha let out a mock sigh and fell to his back beside Kagome. He saw a smile grow upon her face out of the corner of his eye, and he felt a smile grow on his own face as well.

Kagome awoke suddenly, her eyes snapping open. She sighed in relief at the dim light coming from the new night-light in her room. This was the third night in a row that she had dreamt of nothing except deep darkness. Pushing the blankets off, Kagome hardly noticed that her clothes were stuck to her with sweat. Getting silently to her feet, the miko flung open her bedroom window. The cool breeze separated her wet hair from her forehead and she gulped in the fresh air.

Feeling her heart finally settle into its normal rhythm, the raven-haired woman sat gingerly on her windowsill, leaning into the night. She tried to push the memory of her dream aside, but it lingered in her mind. She saw the well, black and all consuming, in front of her, ready to swallow her into its eternal darkness. A familiar feeling of cold fear grew in her, and she struggled to push it aside.

Golden eyes suddenly cut through the darkness in her mind, and a warm feeling filled her instead. Kagome found herself unconsciously staring into the night sky. She smiled, remembering how bright the stars were in the feudal era. She remembered how the brightness of the stars made the overwhelming darkness of the night not seem so horrible. Even when the darkness is impenetrable, Inuyasha will always be there to see me through. He's like my own shining star in the darkness.

"He came for me," she whispered into the night, as sudden awareness took hold in her mind. "He will always come for me. I have no reason to be afraid when I have Inuyasha."

And with that final thought, Kagome hurriedly closed her window and rushed back into her room, the sight of the stars still fresh in her mind's eye.

Inuyasha sneezed.

"Bless you," came a silent reply from the branch below his. Glancing down, Inuyasha caught sight of a tuft of orange hair. Before he knew it, the little kid was perched at the end of his branch. "Kagome said you're supposed to say 'thank you' whenever someone blesses you, Inuyasha."

"Keh, don't be stupid, ya little runt," he growled out, digging his claws menacingly into the wood. He had tried to order the little fur ball back to Kaede's hut with the rest of the humans, but they were all afraid that he wouldn't leave the…

Inuyasha's nose twitched. A strong scent of flowers and unclean air wafted up to him. He felt his body go numb with anticipation as he glanced down towards the well. It can't be…

In the back of his mind, he knew Shippo was talking to him about something, but he didn't hear a single word. Every thought focused on the task at hand as he jumped swiftly out of the tree that he had spent days waiting in; days of waiting, all simply for this one moment in time.

The scent was clearer now, and he could smell salt water mixed in with it. He remembered the terror that was present in Kagome's eyes on the day that he had found her in the jewel. It was a look that he wasn't likely to ever forget, and it was one that he was going to try with everything in his power to prevent from ever happening again.

He reached the well after what seemed like hours and, with a single bound, he leapt over the broken and worn wood and down into the darkness. He could feel the damp air of the earth swirl around him as he carefully made his decent. The darkness slowly grew around him.

Kagome felt the chill of the well replaced by the warm arms of Inuyasha. She felt herself rising out of the darkness, but she couldn't help but bury her head deeply into his red robe, taking in his scent of the woods through deep, labored breaths.

"Kagome!" The young woman recognized the voice instantly as belonging to Shippo, but she still couldn't bring herself to remove her face from where it was hidden beneath the curtain of her own hair. She dug her nails deeply into the cloth, hoping in the back of her mind that she wasn't hurting Inuyasha.

"Shippo. Go back to Kaede's," she heard Inuyasha demand. She didn't hear anything for a while after, and she could picture the young fox demon, ready to protest and cry. Even more, she could easily picture the dangerous look on Inuyasha's face, daring the fox to argue with him. The miko heard a soft scuttling and she knew that her and Inuyasha were alone.

Inuyasha let out a small breath and slumped into a sitting position next to the well. Kagome relaxed as he gently rubbed her back in small circles. She felt her tears beginning to dry, and her limbs stopped shaking in fear.

"Kagome…" He whispered her name slowly. Gently, he brushed the curtain of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Kagome pointedly kept her gaze glued to his chest, not wanting him to see the dread and fear that she knew was still present in her eyes. She forced the tears to stop falling, knowing how much he hated them.

A tapping foot almost brought a smile to her face. She could feel his gaze on her face and his impatience was clear to her. It was one of the qualities about him that someone else would find horrible, but that she found endearing. It was one of the many things that made him Inuyasha. She wouldn't trade that for the word. Bracing herself, she finally gazed into his golden eyes. The concern for her was written clearly in them, and the relief at her finally being back in his arms was evident in the small smile that broke out on his face.

"Inuyasha…" She muttered his name and allowed her eyes to wander over his face, memorizing it once more. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I was so scared and I…"

"Baka," he whispered, causing her words to die on her lips. She glared at him for a moment. "It isn't your fault, Kagome. Please just don't ever leave me again."

His words, no matter how simple or unromantic, always had this effect on her. She sighed, allowing a warm smile to fall on her face.

"I followed the stars, Inuyasha. I followed them back to you." He watched as she averted her eyes and a light blush coated her cheeks. She gazed off into the distance, as if lost in memory. He once again noticed the reflection of the stars in her eyes.

After changing into her school uniform, Kagome quietly tip-toed down the stairs, thankful for the moon that shone through the windows of her house, lighting her path. Quietly, she made her way out of the house and ran across the shrine grounds.

Pure adrenaline carried her to the well house, and she gripped the wooden handles with confidence and pulled the doors open. The outdoor lights lit the path down to the well, but beyond the pathway of light laid the darkness of the well. The icy tendrils of fear wound their way towards her heart, but Kagome pushed them aside. Glancing once more at the stars above her, the young woman took one shaky step after another to the mouth of the well.

She placed both hands on the rim. Running her fingers over the wood that had been worn down to smoothness over the years, Kagome simply stared into the darkness. Her entire body felt numb and her mind drifted back to the long amount of time that she was trapped within the jewel. Golden eyes underneath long locks of silver hair interrupted the darkness of her mind. Swallowing any lingering fear, Kagome threw herself over the edge of the well and plummeted into the consuming darkness once more.

The familiar weightless feeling surrounded the young woman, and a small smile grew on her face. She did it! The great sense of accomplishment was short lived however, as Kagome was stuck in the darkness once more. Crying, she bundled herself into a small ball and backed into the corner of the well, waiting and hoping that Inuyasha was somewhere nearby.

Kagome snapped back to the present when Inuyasha's arms tightened around her. She leaned into his warmth and gazed upward at the dark sky dashed with a billion gleaming lights. She glanced back at Inuyasha and found him staring at the stars as well. He caught her staring at him and glanced down, giving her a small smile. Smiling back, Kagome continued to stare into the vast expanse of the sky, amazed that her and Inuyasha managed to find each other in such a large universe.

"Kagome…Where are you?" he whispered suddenly into her ear. Confused, she turned to give Inuyasha a quizzical look, but he was no longer there. Neither was the small meadow with the well in it. Kagome turned forward and found herself floating in darkness, surrounded by the stars. It was as if she had been thrown into space. Calming herself with the fact that it wasn't completely dark, Kagome spun around, feeling suddenly dizzy and sick.

"Kagome..." She could hear Inuyasha's voice, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't understand!" Kagome screamed into the stars that surrounded her, trying to piece everything together. Had she been dreaming?

Inuyasha blinked. He felt weightless, as if jumping into the well after Kagome's scent had sent him through. It was different this time though. He glanced around and noticed that the darkness was studded with billions of twinkling lights. Stars? The last thing he remembered was leaving Shippo behind after smelling Kagome's scent coming from the well. He knew that he jumped it, but she was nowhere to be found.

His nose twitched mercilessly, and he realized that he could still smell her. Awkwardly, he half swam through the space that he was in, noticing that slowly, the lights were starting to blink out, leaving blank areas of pure darkness. Hold on Kagome, I'm coming!

Panic gripped Kagome's heart when she noticed the first star twinkle and then fade away. Others followed it, and slowly, she noticed that the darkness was eating away at the lights. She froze, feeling cold suddenly. Her breath began to pound through her lungs, and she gulped in large quantities of air.

"Inuyasha!" It took her a moment to realize that the hysterical screaming of the hanyou's name was coming from her lips. She continued to scream until her throat felt raw. Nothing she did was helping, as one by one, the last of the shining lights went out, plunging her into a deep darkness once more.

Inuyasha's ears shrunk back against his head at the shrill voice that was screaming his name. He could smell the fear and desperation in her scent, and it propelling him to move faster. He called her name back at her and noticed how close her voice sounded. Dread encased him when the last of the lights was finally consumed by the darkness. His heart went out to Kagome. Her scent was getting closer and closer. Frustrated, Inuyasha cut his arms through the darkness, desperately trying to reach her.

One more stroke, one more kick. He moved sluggishly through the darkness. Angrily, he thrashed, trying anything to move himself forward. He threw one arm forward…and it connected with something solid, something soft. Elated, he grabbed out, fisting his hand in the soft fabric that he knew had to belong to Kagome. He pulled, dragging the young woman into his arms. She thrashed wildly, trying crazily to break free.

"Shhh, Kagome, it's me. It's me," he snarled, tightening his grip on her and ignoring the weak punches that she was throwing into his side. Her struggling died immediately, replaced by deep gulps of breath.

"Inu…yasha?" she breathed out. He could feel her heart racing wildly. "Is it really you this time?" He stroked her hair and remained silent for a moment. There was no denying how much her comment confused him.

"What the hell do you mean? Why wouldn't it be me?" He squinted his eyes, trying to see anything of her in the darkness, but it was useless. He settled for running his hands over any part of her that he could get to, making sure that she was ok, while avoiding any parts of her that would make him like Miroku. He smirked when he accidently rubbed her side with his fingers and she giggled against her will.

"I…I think I dreamt that I was with you. In the meadow by the well, underneath the stars. I don't know how I wound up here." He could hear the quiver in her voice; feel her body shiver against his own. He held her tightly against his body, wrapping her completely within his arms.

Before he could reply, a sharp blast of light split through the darkness like a bolt of lightning on a stormy night. Inuyasha shielded his eyes and felt Kagome turn her face into his chest. Slowly, the light dimmed to a pleasant glow, and both Kagome and he turned their faces towards the source.

Encased in what could only be described as a heavenly glow, was a dark haired priestess. She wore the familiar attire of the miko, only she also wore a chest plate of silver metal and a sword was buckled to her waist. Inuyasha's thoughts instantly twisted towards Kikyo, the stoic look on the mysterious woman's face reminding him entirely of Kikyo's serious demeanor. The woman was familiar to him in a way that he couldn't place. She opened her deep eyes and stared intently at the embraced duo.

"Inuyasha. Kagome." Her voice was velvety smooth as she addressed both of them. Her long raven hair floated gently behind her.

"Midoriko," he heard Kagome whisper in reverence. She recognized the woman from various dreams and from the stature that was immortalized within the cave by Sango's village. Kagome noticed that the gaping hole that was once in the woman's chest was gone.

"Indeed," Midoriko nodded towards Kagome, a light smile gracing her lips.

"What are we doing here?" Inuyasha's patience had reached its limit. He felt Kagome lay a restraining hand on his forearm, but he ignored it, glaring pointedly at the woman before them. The miko simply laughed light-heartedly.

"In due time, Inuyasha. Firstly, I am here to thank both of you," she spoke, bowing her head towards them in a sign of thanks. Kagome's gaze once again fell towards where the gaping hole no longer was. Is she thanking us for getting rid of the Shikon no Tama and returning her soul?

"For what?" Brash as always, Inuyasha voiced Kagome's question…although he did it a little more harshly than she would have done herself. Midoriko's eyes simply sparkled with amusement at the hanyou's impatience.

"For setting me free. My soul was chained to the jewel, forever cursed to be in eternal battle. But your bravery and cunning has finally allowed my soul to be put to rest." She paused, her gaze settling upon Kagome. "You risked life and love to rid the world of the jewel. Know that you forever have my thanks."

Kagome laughed nervously. She wasn't used to being in the eternal gratitude of someone.

"Would you get to the point?" Inuyasha growled from beside her, keeping up his angry façade. Kagome would never be impolite enough to say it aloud, but she secretly desired to know the true meaning behind the appearance of the ancient miko, and more importantly, where they were. "I know you didn't come here just to spout off this 'thanks' bullshit."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said his name with the dangerous undertone that usually promised a good round of sits. He smirked when he realized that the curse held no weight when they were floating, but he kept his mouth shut nonetheless.

"This is my thanks to you. It is the only thing that I can give to you, now that I am about to depart this world," her voice was still velvety smooth, but Kagome thought that she could sense it tinged with sadness.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked gently, a gnawing sense of foreboding dread rising in the pit of her stomach. Alarms saying that she should know what was going on sounded in the back of her head, but she felt as if one piece of the puzzle was missing, and without it, she couldn't put everything together.

"I wanted to give you two the chance to say goodbye," Midoriko finished, her smile finally fading. She looked as if the words physically pained her.

Kagome froze at the words and she felt Inuyasha stiffen beside her. Glancing up at him, her breath hitched in her throat when his golden eyes met hers. The pain was evident in them, but rather than admit to feeling pain, Inuyasha twirled and set his wrath upon the mystic miko in front of them.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha snarled and Kagome couldn't remember a time that she had ever seen him this angry. She flinched away from him in reflex, but he kept one arm wound tightly around her waist, afraid that if he let go of her for even one instant, she would disappear.

"You two were born in different worlds. The power of the jewel is going to separate you. For how long, I cannot say. I do know that the portal between your two worlds is no longer functioning, and no amount of magic is going to fix it, save the magic of time." Her face was once more stoic, as if she suddenly remember her training as a miko that dictated that she remain emotionless and detached from those around her.

Kagome felt her heart hitch in her chest. Every beat seems to send pain throughout her entire body. She turned and looked at Inuyasha. Anger was evidence upon his face, in the way that his teeth were bared and a low growl was coming from his throat, but she knew him better. She could see the pain underneath the surface that he was trying so desperately to hide.

"Why should we believe you? How do we know…" Kagome silenced Inuyasha's raging words with a gentle hand to his face. She cupped his face in one hand and forced him to look at her.

Inuyasha felt the heart that he had just recently admitted to having start to break within his chest. He laid one clawed hand over the small hand that Kagome had on his face. He saw her eyes begin to swell with tears and he desperately tried to force back the stinging sensation in his own eyes, not wanting Kagome of all people to think that he was weak. He needed to be strong; not only for himself, but for her as well.

He opened his mouth to speak, but fell short. There were no words to express how he felt at this moment. Everything he thought to say seemed to pale in comparison as to how he really felt. He felt frustrated, but the look on Kagome's face told him that there was no need to find the perfect words. He knew that she understood every thought that went through his mind, perhaps even more so than he did sometimes.

"Kagome…" He settled for simply saying her name, enjoying the sound of it on his tongue. She forced a small smile to her face before throwing herself into his arms. He held her against himself tightly, not willing or ever wanting to let her go. "It just isn't fair. It isn't fucking fair!" He couldn't help the bitterness that seeped into his words.

"I know, Inuyasha. I know," Kagome whispered from within his arms. She pushed herself away from him so that she could see his golden eyes once more. A speck of hope was still lit in her heart, at the fact that Midoriko didn't say that they would never see each other again. There was always hope that she would see him again.

"I love you, dammit!" Inuyasha gripped her by the shoulders and admitted his feelings once more, in true Inuyasha smile. Kagome didn't have to force the smile to her face this time. She felt giddy with the excitement of his proclamation. She intended to reciprocate this time though, before they could be pulled away from one another again.

"And I love you, Inuyasha," she said innocently, as a light blush tinged her cheeks. He was her first love and she had never admitted feelings like this before. She watched, as he grew nervous as well. Rather than stumble over pleasantries, Kagome pulled herself up and pressed her lips eagerly against his.

Inuyasha felt his entire body light on fire as Kagome's lips pressed softly onto his own. He was startled for a moment before his body reacted automatically. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tangled his other hand into her ebony hair, pushing her head towards his own in order to deepen the kiss. Kagome sighed lightly and wrapped both of her arms around his neck. Everything felt all right in the moment of that one simple kiss.

And then it was over. Inuyasha opened his eyes and found himself sitting at the bottom of the dark well. He was alone. Punching the ground with one fist, Inuyasha cursed. He could still feel her and he reverently brushed his fingers over where she had so eagerly pressed her lips against his.

"Inuyasha?" A childish voice called his name and he glanced up to see Shippo's green eyes looking eagerly down at him. He sighed to himself before springing out of the well.

"Is Kagome…" The little fox demon stopped his questioning at the look on Inuyasha's face. He looked destroyed. Shippo glanced down the well as the last bit of hope he had was dashed away. He couldn't help the small tears that welled up in his eyes.

"She's gone," Inuyasha muttered softly, trying to keep the hurt from his voice. "There's no need to keep watch over the well anymore." With that, he turned and began to walk back to the village; the village that he had slowly grown to call home. He thought of the friends he had there. It was all because of Kagome. She had taught him how to be happy and how to trust people again. She had single handily turned his life around and now she was gone.

He stared into the sky as he walked back, and a small sliver of hope grew in his chest. No matter where I am, I know that we are looking at the same sparkling stars. It means that I am never far from you, Inuyasha. It means that you are never truly alone.

Kagome found herself in the darkness of the well once more; only she was completely alone this time. She shivered, but it was due to the cold more than fear. She was too emotionally drained to be afraid anymore. Frowning, the young woman climbed out of the well and into the well house. She looked around at her home. Home? It might have been before, but now I fell as if the feudal era is my true home.

Wearily, she made her way back to her bedroom and flopped onto her bed, grabbing her pillow and holding it tightly against her chest. She could feel her lips still tingling from where she had kissed Inuyasha. She remembered their exchange of how they truly felt. She remembered the dream she had where he had held her by the well.

Hope rekindled within her. Midoriko had seemed to elude that they would see each other again, and she remembered the look that she had seen on the miko's face when she had slitted her eyes open during her kiss with Inuyasha. Midoriko had a small, knowing smile on her face, as if she knew a secret that they didn't. It gave Kagome hope.

It would be a difficult road ahead until she was reunited with Inuyasha, but as long as she could see him again, Kagome was willing to do anything.

Thank you all so much once more! I hope this last chapter is long enough and offers enough closure. Sorry that all my stories seem to have sad endings haha. There will indeed be a sequel, so keep an eye out for that!