Disclaimer, which applies to all chapters:
Inuyasha? Belong to me? Ha! I don't even own an Inuyasha plushie... but I want one!----------
They stood around the well silently. The words they wanted to say echoed throughout their minds, but none said a thing. It had been a long journey; one filled with tragedy, joy, sadness, anger, and maybe even love. But now... now, it was over. Naraku was dead. The Shikon no Tama was complete. And all that was left, were goodbyes.
"Kagome..." Shippou began, his green eyes wide and filled with tears, "Will you ever come back? I don't want you to leave forever."
Kagome smiled slightly, hugging the young kitsune, "Maybe I'll come back one day, Shippou-chan." She said quietly, though she knew, as well as everyone else did, that she wouldn't be able to return once she left. After the Shikon no Tama's completion, she had given it to Inuyasha. And without the jewel, she wouldn't be able to travel back to the Sengoku Jidai anymore.
Shippou nuzzled his face against Kagome's neck as his little paws clutched onto her shirt, "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too. Everyone." She replied, looking at the others.
The kitsune sniffled and leapt out of Kagome's arms, running back towards Kaede's village; where he would be living from now on.
Kagome watched his tiny form disappear, before letting out a sad sigh, and sitting back on the ledge of the well. Shippou was taking it pretty hard, and she knew she would probably end up crying once she was in her own era once again... "So... what are you going to do now the jewel is complete?" She asked, speaking to the others there, wanting to prolong her leaving as long as possible.
"Kohaku and I will return to our village." Sango said, casting a slight smile in the direction of Kaede's village, where her brother was waiting, "Once we get the village cleaned up and rebuilt, we'll offer to train people, so we won't be the only taijiya left."
Miroku came up to stand beside Sango, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "And I'll be there to help you, Sango."
Sango nodded a bit, blushing slightly. They did have a marriage promise, after all. And now that Naraku was dead, and Kazaana was gone, they could finally fulfill that promise.
Kagome smiled slightly; glad to see her friend happy. And Sango really deserved to be happy, after everything that had happened, and Kagome couldn't be happier for her. Turning her attention to her silver-haired companion, she realized he hadn't said anything for a while, "Inuyasha? What are you going to do now that you have the jewel?"
The hanyou was silent for a moment, before donning his characteristic smirk and tossing the jewel into the air. As he caught it again, he replied, "Become a full-youkai of course! It's why I wanted the Shikon no Tama in the first place."
"Of course." She said, laughing a bit. Then, swinging her legs over the edge of the well, she looked down into its dark depths, "Well... I guess I should go then." She prepared to jump into the well, but stopped suddenly, "Oh, almost forgot!" She turned and stood up, walking over to Inuyasha, "I should've done this a long time ago, but here." She said quietly, as she lifted the bead rosary from around his neck. As she held them in her hands, they glowed a faint purple color, before fading to their normal color once again; the subduing spell was broken. It was strange, she thought as she looked at the rosary, Inuyasha was so much stronger than her, and yet he couldn't lift it off himself because of a simple spell.
"Inuyasha." The miko said quietly, looking at the hanyou once again. "Osuwari."
Inuyasha winched from pure instinct, and closed his eyes. Even though the necklace had been removed, he was still used to hitting the ground at that one word. Slowly, though, he opened his eyes again and let out a barely audible sigh of relief, "Finally." He muttered under his breath.
Kagome smiled, and giggled at his reaction, then handed him the beads, "Here. You keep them... as a reminder... of me. I'll never forget you, Inuyasha... or Miroku-sama, or Sango-chan. I'll miss you all. Be sure to tell Kohaku-kun goodbye for me, Sango-chan." Looking around at her friends one last time, she offered them each a final smile, before turning and disappearing into the well. A light blue glow rose into the air for a few, brief seconds, and then she was gone.
The three remaining people stood in silence for a moment, before Sango finally spoke up again, "Well, Kohaku's waiting, so I guess I should get back to him. Maybe we'll meet again, Inuyasha." She said, looking to the hanyou momentarily. Then, turning to Miroku, she asked, "Are you ready?"
The monk nodded, "Of course, Sango. Lead the way." He said, placing a hand on her back. Though, it wasn't long before his hand began to travel lower... much lower.
"Houshi-sama..." Sango said quietly, in a sickenly sweet voice.
"I'd had hoped after Naraku's death that you would actually begin using my name, Sango." Miroku said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Well, you know what I had hoped for?" She asked, in that same sweet voice. But, before Miroku could answer, she continued in a more angrier tone, "I'd had hoped that you'd stop groping me at every turn!"
SLAP
!!"But, Sango, I thought since we were going to live together--"
"Mou, that doesn't mean I want you to start groping me!"
As the pair continued to argue, Inuyasha turned his back to them and rolled his eyes, "Bye, then." He said, though he was sure they hadn't heard him. Then, without another word, he leapt into the air and disappeared into the surrounding forest.
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AN: Yes, yes, I know! I have no business starting another story; not when I'm still working on Kakera no Unmei, but this idea just won't leave me alone! So, here it is.
So, why is Kohaku alive? Why does this sound like a Sango/Miroku story? What will Inuyasha do with the Shikon no Tama? Why do I always ask questions? The world may never know o.o Okay, seriously, this will be an Inu/San story (as if you could expect any less from me), and Kohaku's life, along with other things, will be explained further into the story. Until next time, ja! And please review!