Silly Human Mating Rituals…

Complete. Naraku has been defeated. How will Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship progress now that Naraku is gone? From Inuyasha's point of view. Inu/Kag, Fluff, Lemon Continues from Inuyasha Manga Vol 55.

I recommend that you go to freelance dot 110mb dot com if you would like to catch up on the current Inuyasha manga. My story pretty much follows from Chapter 547+.

A Final Trip to the Well

Inuyasha helped carry Kagome's backpack to the well. He knew that he was supposed to say something. But he seemed to just stammer and nod in her direction as she talked to him.

"I'll just be gone for a day or two. I need to let Mom, Souta and Ojii-San know that we defeated Naraku and that it is over," said Kagome cheerfully.

As cheerful as she sounded Inuyasha couldn't help but feel regret and a little sorrow. He always felt this way when she left to the well and to her world on the other side. Not that he'd let her know that. "Feh. That would just be showing weakness," he thought.

As Inuyasha walked Kagome to the well he started to think back to what had happened earlier that same day. It was that same day wasn't it? It actually seemed like a lifetime ago.

He remembered fighting Naraku with Kagome. As they approached the corrupted and complete shikon jewel he remembered his demon blood rising and his mind receding. All he could recall was Kagome's body falling way from him, with blood on her arm.

By the time he had regained control of himself and had reverted back to being a half-demon--Kagome was gone. Naraku taunted him and had convinced Inuyasha that he had killed Kagome while in his full-demon form. After all her blood was on his hands! He almost sobbed when he thought about it. He wandered in a delirium after that. His mind was lost until he had smelled her scent again and heard her voice calling to him. It woke him from his nightmare and his broken heart. (Manga Vol. 55) Kagome then found and purified the jewel and gave it to him for a wish. Only the right wish would enable the jewel to disappear from this reality forever. He had wished with all of his heart and the jewel that had haunted his life for the past 50 years had disappeared!

Inuyasha sighed deeply. They had been through so much. They all needed a little time to recover. He looked in front of him. The bone eaters well was looming.

His heart was so heavy. He didn't want her to go again. Every time she left through the well he was always worried that she wouldn't make it back. They never really understood how the well worked or why only he and Kagome could go through the well. The sheer unknowns worried him. At the beginning he really didn't care that much if she stayed or went. But after traveling with her, he had come to enjoy her company. He had been alone for so much of his life, that he had simply accepted the bitterness of loneliness. With her smiles and courage, she had warmed him. And even though he would never want to admit it to her. He had fallen in love with her. Of course, he had also been in love with Kikyo—which confused the poor hanyou immensely. They both had the same soul. Didn't it make sense that he loved them both?

And since he couldn't truly accept or deny either one of the women he loved—he kept them at a certain distance. A distance brought out by his confusion. But he really didn't have to be confused anymore did he?

His mind wandered back to the day Kikyo had died a month ago. She had been wounded by Naraku and all of her spiritual power had been depleted. She lay there in his arms looking at him as she died. He had kissed her passionately that day, telling her that she was the first woman he had ever loved. Then she died and her body disappeared-- only a myriad of sparkling souls were left in her place. He remembered watching as most of the souls ascended to heaven, but he carefully watched as one of the souls made it's way back to Kagome. (Manga Vol. 47) He took some solace in knowing that her soul was shared by Kagome. And here was Kagome beside him, his Kagome…not that he had ever claimed her. He was honestly a little too shy to do that. But his heart warmed to know that she was Kikyo's reincarnation. But she was also Kagome. Kagome was warmer to him than Kikyo had ever been. Kagome was a wealth of smiles and unabashed caring. Kikyo had never treated him in such a loving way. Kagome had melted his heart away over the past year and he really couldn't imagine living his life without her now.

And now she was leaving him and going down that accursed well again.

Kagome beamed at him as he handed her that huge overstuffed yellow backpack of hers. "Be back soon!" she said as she jumped in the well.

Inuyasha's heart lurched. What if she could never return? He wanted to desperately grab her and pull her back to him. But he controlled himself and his fears. He tried to stand stoically at the side of the well and tried to act as if her departure didn't faze him.

He looked for the blue flash that permeated the well as she jumped. The flash never happened.

Thud! "Ouch!" yelled Kagome as she stumbled at the bottom of the well. "What happened…?" she murmured as she rubbed her rear that had unceremoniously landed at the bottom of the well. Inuyasha had a good view of her pretty tush that peeked out from under her short green skirt and there was also a quick view of some peach colored panties. Not that he was looking mind you…

Inuyasha smiled and then quickly hid his smile. It wouldn't do to have her see him grin at her not being able to go back home or at the view he had just seen. He immediately jumped down the well to join her and looked around the well walls. Suddenly he felt an immediate surge of gratitude for the well. He had always hated the well for taking her away from him. Now it wouldn't let her leave! But he knew that he would hear "SIT" if he looked like he was enjoying this. So he did his best to be serious and perhaps sound a little concerned.

"This stupid well no longer works…," Inuyasha said as he kicked the well walls.

Kagome looked up at him and the looming well walls. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"No, don't do that!" he thought. "Anything but tears!" Sure demons he could handle. But a teenage girl who was crying was simply something he had never learned to properly handle.

"Kagome, I'm sorry…," said Inuyasha. Yes, he was indeed sorry that she was crying, but honestly his heart was leaping for joy that she couldn't go back to her time where she went to that awful school, awful tests that gave her nightmares and there were all those awful boys… He would miss the ramen. But hey, he would give up ramen for Kagome any day or any lifetime for that matter!

Inuyasha then did something he rarely did, but he was feeling braver than normal now. He stepped up to Kagome and briefly paused before he held her and let her cry on him. He didn't think that he had ever let her cry on him before. Sure she cried all the time. But he never knew what to do. Now he would try to hold her and to soothe her. Just as he had seen Miroku do with Sango when she had cried over her younger brother. Miroku wasn't always the best role model, but in the ways of women he was usually infinitely wiser.

Inuyasha held her tightly. "There, there Kagome…I'm here…"

"I can't go back, Inuyasha…I can't go back. I'll never see Mom or Souta or Ojii-San ever again…," she sobbed. "What will I do? I want to see my family."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say, but then he was never good with words. He simply held her and even made his first ginger attempt at stroking her hair. He had always wanted to stroke her hair, actually for that matter he wanted to do a lot more than stroke her hair. But he was patient. He had waited 50 years while he was pinned to a tree. He could wait a while longer for Kagome.

"I'll take you back to Kaede's," said Inuyasha as he took her backpack from her shoulders and lifted her on his back to give her a piggy back ride.

He leaped out of the well and he knew in his heart that he would probably never go in that well again. That accursed thing that kept Kagome away from him no longer worked! He just needed to stop grinning. Kagome was smart, she might eventually catch on that he was simply delighted beyond words. It was good that her face was buried in his silver hair, otherwise she might have seen how joyful he looked.