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Happy Birthday to Kirrtash! Thank you for having such wonderfully inspiring works to choose from!

This entire story was inspired by this painting by kirrtash

“Don’t talk to me!” Kagome screeched, having taken off at full speed to get to the well and through before Inuyasha could catch up to her.

“Not my fault Kikyō called me; goddammit Kagome wait up!” Inuyasha called after her, but she was almost there! She could see the place between feudal and modern times! Just a couple more…

Kagome launched herself down the planked wooden well, breathing a sigh of relief as the blue sky gave way to the mists of the timeslip. That was, until she felt a hand grab her arm.

“Thought you could get away by running ?” The raspy voice of a certain annoying as hell dog half-demon made Kagome’s face pinch.

She wanted to sit him. She really really wanted to sit him. But the two of them were falling through time, and even her rage would not make her that stupid.

“O-su-...” That didn’t mean Kagome couldn’t psych Inuyasha out.

“What the fuck Kagome?! You’d do that to me now?” Inuyasha yelled, clawing at the beads around his neck, his fangs bared.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone ?!” Kagome shouted right back. She wanted to add, Go back with Kikyō, it’s where you want to be. But she held her tongue.

“ Keh. Fat chance,” Inuyasha mocked. “You’d only get yourself into trouble. And then where would we be?”

“I wish...” Kagome scowled, letting the venom drip from her voice. “I wish I had never met you! ”

At the moment of Kagome’s declaration, she felt an unnatural tug on her midsection, as if she’d been yanked. Moments later, her feet touched the bottom of the well, and she caught, only for a second, a flash of hurt in Inuyasha’s eyes. It was only an instant, but it was enough to make her regret what she had said.

“Whatever, wench.” Inuyasha crossed his arms, and looked away from her, his ears pinned back.

Kagome sighed, then began to climb up, up, up.

“Kagome?” A strong jerk to her ankle had Kagome tumbling down into Inuyasha’s arms. “Somethin’ ain’t right.”

Kagome ignored the way her nerves buzzed at his touch. She was still so angry at him. Angry that he followed her through the well. Angry he wouldn’t just leave her alone . Angry that he… went to see Kikyō .

“Let me go !” Kagome shoved out of Inuyasha’s arms and scrambled back up the wall of the well, though he followed right behind her, close enough to grab her again.

When Kagome peeked over the top, her eyes squinted; something was wrong. The slatted light from the well house was not laid in little neat lines from the midday sun, but instead was chaotic. Kagome took in the building, just barely stifling a gasp. The stairs were all broken, and the walls of the enclosure, which were usually so tidy, were warped; many boards were worn down so much that only a single nail was keeping them in place.

“What-what happened ?” Kagome climbed out of the well and started scrambling toward the dilapidated structure. Mama? Gramps? Sōta? Please let them be alright.

Strong arms came around her again, pulling her back.

“Kagome, no ,” Inuyasha growled, not letting her go. “Something about this world is fucked up. ” He stood up, his arms now protectively wrapped around Kagome. “And I am not letting you out of my sight!”

Kagome let out a growl, rounding on Inuyasha. “Osuwari!”

Unfortunately, Inuyasha’s promise that he was not letting Kagome go meant that she went down with him, both of them crumbling into a pile on the dirt.

“You don’t get it . Something happened with the well. I need to go see if they’re okay Inuyasha…” Kagome’s growl evolved into a whimper.

“Then fucking go !” Inuyasha shouted, pulling himself up. “But I am coming with you .”

Kagome’s retort died in her mouth. She needed to go—she needed to run . But… the first busted step disintegrated the moment she put her foot on it, causing her to stumble forward.

“Clumsy woman,” Inuyasha scowled, catching her by her shoulders. “Get on my back. It’ll be faster for me to do it anyway.”

Kagome didn’t want to. She’d run for the well to avoid Inuyasha. But… he followed her. Because he always followed her. Everywhere. Except of course when he followed Kikyō.

“Fucking hell Kagome. I don’t give two shits about whatever-the-fuck is goin’ on in your brain right now. Things don’t smell right . At all. And I am not gonna let you go charging off when it could be dangerous .” Inuyasha growled lower than usual. “Now. Get the fuck on my back. And… when we figure out what is happening, you can say the word as much as you fucking want.”

Kagome made to retort, but when she looked into his eyes, she couldn’t. Fear . The fear she remembered seeing the first time he hugged her. And every time she was in real danger.

Which meant, whatever was going on, Inuyasha thought she was in danger.

“Okay,” Kagome nodded, then trembled.

Inuyasha squatted, letting her climb on, then with a single hop, they’d made it to ground level. The door was still there, barely clinging to its rusted hinges. Inuyasha’s grip on Kagome tightened as he kicked out the door.

What they saw on the other side made them both gasp. It was… not modern Tokyo. The shrine was not the Higurashi Shrine that Kagome had lived her life in. The Goshinboku still stood tall against the flat shrine grounds, yet it somehow looked more ominous than she had ever seen it look. The carefully tended bonsai that lined the fence between the well house and the tree didn’t exist, and the house— her house—was not there. The only two buildings that seemed to exist on the grounds were the husk of the well house and the actual shrine, though it was smaller and more austere than it ever had been before. As if… the shrine had not been updated for centuries. The plants had taken over everything: vines twisted around the now rust-colored torii gates. Ferns and grasses and even some smaller trees had begun to encroach on the gravelly grounds, and the stairs that used to wind down to the busy Tokyo streets were nothing but a rocky path. Something had gone horribly wrong with the well.

Where was her home? Where were the signs of civilization? Where was Tokyo?

“Fucking shit ,” Inuyasha whispered, looking around and trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

“Inuyasha… we need to go back,” Kagome choked out.

Inuyasha nodded, and without letting Kagome off his back, he bounded back through the well house and threw them back down the well…

...Only to land solidly at the bottom.

“ Fuck , we can’t get back?!” Inuyasha yelled, and Kagome could hear the fear in his voice.

“No. We’re… we’re stuck ,” Kagome answered, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “Okay. Well. Let’s… let’s go see what’s in the shrine for now. We can… we can regroup there.”

“O-okay,” Inuyasha answered, squeezing Kagome’s thigh, before launching them both back out of the well and the wellhouse. “We’ll figure it out Kagome… we always do.”

Never in her life had she been so grateful that Inuyasha had not listened to her when she demanded he leave her alone.

Kagome tapped Inuyasha to get off of his back, and the two walked toward the shrine. The building’s structure was still solid, with the walls completely intact, and the door seemed more stable on its rusted hinges.

“I smell…” Inuyasha muttered, his arm coming protectively around Kagome’s waist. “I smell… death.”

Kagome’s pace immediately quickened with Inuyasha’s admission. She needed to see, needed to understand. Inuyasha pried the rusted door open, and the two looked into the room. While decay had eroded the outside of the shrine, inside the little building felt frozen in time. There was a lumpy futon rolled neatly in the corner, as well as tatami mats laid down in a makeshift living area. At the far end of the room, there were more relics: a table with rolls upon rolls of paper, and what looked to be bamboo ink containers stacked in a neat pyramid, and finally, a single hunched figure sitting in the middle of it all.

“They—are they—?” Kagome swallowed, trying to keep tears out of her eyes.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha answered. “They died a… a long time ago.”

Kagome nodded vigorously. She’d seen dead bodies before: men, women, children. Demons didn’t seem to care. She’d watched as demons carved holes in her friends (including Inuyasha) and she’d watched humans do equally dark and evil things to one another. But…

This wasn’t Sengoku Jidai. This was home , her home . But… was it? It was in the same location as where she used to play ball with Sōta, and where she would gossip with her friends. Where she’d roll her eyes as Jii-chan handed her yet another (fake) Kappa foot. Where Mama cooked her miso soup and sang her lullabies. Where she’d write her wishes and hang them on the trees for New Years.

“Kagome?” Inuyasha’s soft voice broke her out of the sickening comparison of what she knew and what was in front of her. “Dunno if this helps. But whoever that is, it’s not… they’re not... “

“My family,” Kagome answered, relief pouring through her. “I think… we should… find out what happened.”

“Y—yeah,” Inuyasha stuttered, his arm still wrapped protectively around her.

So, Kagome took the first step forward, hoping that the stacks of paper and the hunched figure in Shinto robes could help her make sense of it all. Inuyasha stayed in physical contact with her as they edged forward, both terrified of what they would find out, and desperate for the very same answers.

When Kagome was finally within meters of the hunched figure, she forced her eyes to study it. The figure was a man, seated cross-legged, with his hands gently holding his sutra beads. His eyes were closed and his face was serene, as if he was a living Buddha. There were no signs of foul play, and the state of the shrine building seemed to indicate that he’d been caring for it until his meditative demise.

“Probably been dead at least a decade…” Inuyasha mumbled. “Wh—what should we do?”

Kagome looked around the room, and saw, there in front of the mummified monk, was a piece of paper. The handwriting was neat and… surprisingly antiquated.

“There.” Kagome pointed to it, and before she could reach for it, Inuyasha had grabbed it and placed it gingerly in her hands. Kagome studied the script. “It… it’s a final testament.”

The scroll read:

I do not know if any will ever find this record, but as the last shrine keeper at the Sunset shrine, it is my duty to provide an accurate record of what has happened. The Sunset shrine seems to be one of the few places that demons have not been able to infiltrate. We believe it is the spiritual power of the Goshinboku. If you are human and have found your way here, please use this place for sanctuary.

One hundred years ago, a cataclysmic event set into motion the extinction of humans at the hands of demons. The demons possessed a weapon able to protect them from the spiritual powers of monks and mikos. They wiped out humanity, save for a few safe havens like this place. When demons finally succeeded, we thought that it would be the end. But demons seemed incapable of stopping their quest for power. Battles broke out amongst the demons too, and now I fear that they are eradicating themselves with as much fervor as their eradication of humans. Through the years, the keepers of this shrine have chronicled the events as best we could, and leave it as a record that I hope will outlive me.

Fewer and fewer other humans found their way here. And I truly believe that I am the last. Follow the scrolls to understand the fate of this world, and thank the kami of the Goshinboku for protecting this place. I plan to meditate and leave the earthly world behind, becoming yet another protector of the Sunset shrine. Perhaps in the afterlife I should see another living soul. Something that I have not had the privilege of for the last twenty years.

To whomever finds me, the Sunset shrine is yours. If there is the possibility of rebuilding, rebuild. Humanity never stood a chance against the demons. And demons don’t seem to stand a chance against each other either.

“Holy shit .” Inuyasha broke the silence of the room. “Demons fucking won ?”

Kagome hadn’t been able to break herself from the neat kanji that told the story of this man, this Higurashi. A man who had not seen another person for two decades .

“I want to bury him,” Kagome said, standing up and walking out of the suddenly-stifling room.

“Wait, Kagome—it’s not safe .” Inuyasha chased after her, but he didn’t try to stop her.

Kagome trotted to the edge of the grounds, where there was still soft earth and began digging a hole. She couldn’t stop herself. Because if she stopped to think about it, that would mean she had to accept that they were in a future where humans were extinct. A world where she’d just seen the last Higurashi, who’d chosen to die rather than to live in that world alone any longer.

Inuyasha, for his part, didn’t fight, didn’t even say a word. He just sat down next to her, and began digging until the hole was deep enough to fit the last Higurashi. Kagome stood up and began to head toward the shrine.

“Let me.” Inuyasha stopped her with a gentle hand to her shoulder. “I… I can do it easier.”

“But… your nose,” Kagome muttered, still holding back the tidal wave of emotion that threatened her.

“Keh. I smelled worse things,” Inuyasha shrugged, and was off.

He returned only moments later, cradling the small hunched figure in his arms. As Kagome watched, Inuyasha set the man into the bottom of the pit they’d dug, and they got to work filling the dirt back in around him. As soon as the earth was piled high over the man, Inuyasha rushed away once more, returning moments later holding a red spider lily to mark the grave.

“I… smelled ‘em,” Inuyasha mumbled. “They’re the ones that Miroku would use to…”

Kagome nodded. Spider lilies could mark graves if there was no incense to burn.

It was too much. Kagome realized if she tried to speak, to move, to do anything except stare at the spindly red flower sitting on the mound of new earth, she would break. And… she couldn’t break.

“Ka—Kagome?” Inuyasha’s whimper was laced with concern.

Damnit . Kagome couldn’t hold it in. She collapsed, letting the tears finally flow. Something had gone wrong with the well, and everything she knew had disappeared in the blink of an eye. She cried for the loss of her family. She cried for the destruction of Tokyo. And she cried for the lonely Higurashi. She could feel Inuyasha’s hand rub her back as she sobbed.

Suddenly Kagome felt something warm and soft draped over her shoulders.

“You’re all dirty. You’re gonna need some new clothes.” Inuyasha muttered, the sleeves of his suikan having been removed, “I… think I saw some more stuff in the shrine.”

“Th—thanks,” Kagome sniffled, seeing the earnestness in Inuyasha’s eyes as he looked at her, his sleeves now draped around her protectively. 

Her world had been turned upside down except for one thing, one constant: Inuyasha. He was there, in this hellscape with her, protecting her. And when Inuyasha was there, there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish. They could get home. She knew they could get home. She just wished that he would always be there. But, she couldn’t think about that. He was here now.

“We… we need to figure out how to get back. How to make the well work again.” Kagome swallowed down the rest of her tears, replacing them with resolve.

“How do you suppose we are gonna do that?” Inuyasha asked, the usual mocking tone absent from his voice.

“I think we need to talk to the kami of the Goshinboku,” Kagome answered. “Maybe… the answers lie in some of those scrolls, maybe they can show us how the world got here.”

“Keh. That’s gonna take all night,” Inuyasha grumbled.

“I guess it is,” Kagome agreed. “We better get started.”

“I guess…” Inuyasha’s grumble became quieter.

“If we split the work, we can get through most of them tonight.” Kagome stood up and walked back into the shrine building. It was almost sunset, and Kagome knew they would need to light a fire.

“Fine,” Inuyasha scowled, but his golden eyes were softer than Kagome had seen them… ever.

That night, over the light of a fire, Inuyasha and Kagome unrolled each and every scroll in the shrine, reading and discussing them. They’d discovered that the last Higurashi had put them in chronological order, so they were able to follow the new and broken timeline that the well had spit them out to experience.

It was hard to tell if Naraku had won or lost, but he no longer existed in the first of the Sunset shrine chronicles. Indeed, how demons had come to overpower the spiritual powers of humans was not well documented. It was as if a particularly crafty demon had wished to be resistant to spiritual powers on the Shikon no Tama. But there were also no chronicles of the jewel (save for the couple shards that were hanging around Kagome’s neck.) Slowly the demons overran humans, leaving fewer and fewer human strongholds, until only islands around kami-blessed shrines provided enough protection from the onslaught. Once the humans were mostly wiped out, the chronicles turned to the way demons turned on each other.

“This one is saying something about what clothes to wear that seemed the least likely to draw demons’ attention.” Kagome broke the silence of their reading. “Think we should both… change?”

“I ain’t gonna wear dumb human clothes, wench.” Inuyasha crossed his arms, “There’s a reason I wear the robe of the fire rat.”

“Stronger than armor, I know,” Kagome frowned. “But… can’t you wear just some of it?” She looked over at the little living area and could see a pile of neatly folded shorts and pants and shirts in the corner. “You stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Make ya a deal.” Inuyasha leaned forward. “I’ll wear that stupid shit, but I’m still gonna wear some of my robe. And so are you.”

Inuyasha was… requesting that Kagome wear his… clothing. It caused her to blush. But she didn’t refuse him. Kagome knew why he was insisting. It was because he didn’t have any idea what was out there, what they had to do to get home, and it terrified him. Giving her one more thing to keep her safe would put his own mind at ease.

“Fine. But… only as long as we blend in,” Kagome acquiesced. She needed to get out of her grave dirt-covered clothes anyway.

“You got a lot to learn about this thing,” Inuyasha smirked, shaking out the ruby-red suikan sleeves. “I’m gonna go dig around for stuff that will fit me.”

Kagome kept her eyes trained on the scroll in front of her as she heard the sound of fabric sliding against fabric; Inuyasha was changing. Did she want to peek? No (Yes). But, he wasn’t hers. He was Kikyō’s, and someday Kikyō would take him back. And Kagome would be alone.

A swish of fabric landing on Kagome’s lap interrupted her.

“Here. Put them on. They’ll… fit ya,” Inuyasha instructed. “And some other stuff that was in the pile that I thought would… fit ya.”

“Thanks… Inuyasha.” Kagome looked up at him. She was here with him, but she already missed him.

“Keh. I’m gonna go find some water and stuff for tonight. Stay here. I will be back soon.” Inuyasha turned and was gone before Kagome could argue.

Kagome looked down at the fire rat fabric in her lap, along with a white t-shirt and an orange scarf that Inuyasha had picked out for her. She looked at the empty shrine building, whose walls danced with orange firelight, and then back at her dirt-caked clothing. As she took off her skirt and socks, she tried to wipe the dirt off of her skin, making little progress. But it was the dirt of burying the last of her kin, so maybe it could stay. For now.

Kagome slipped the giant fire-rat pants over her body, finding that as she wiggled into them she found they were… slightly challenging to put on. When she looked down at them, she realized that the parachute pants of Inuyasha were not what was staring back, instead, the fire rat had morphed into a pair of red shorts and black leggings, as if they knew they needed to blend in. She then pulled off her school uniform shirt and threw on the cream-colored shell and the scarf.

Whoever the Kagome was that wore these clothes, it was not the same Kagome who wore her green school skirt to the Sengoku Jidai. The girl who tied the ribbon on her uniform did not wear a scarf and a shell made to protect her against demons. That schoolgirl Kagome was buried with the last Higurashi. This Kagome had one purpose: to find out how to undo this future and get the well working again.

Kagome turned her attention back to the scrolls in front of her, grabbing the next one in the stack. When she heard the plodding of bare feet, Kagome looked up to see that Inuyasha had returned with two great buckets full of water. He looked different too. His suikan had morphed into a red tank-top, and to replace the pants that Kagome now wore, he was in khaki hiking pants in a light fabric. They truly looked like they were survivors of a post-apocalyptic world now, which… Kagome supposed they were .

“Drink. I needed to pump the well at the edge of the shrine for a fucklong time to get it working, but… the water is clean.” Inuyasha dropped the bucket close enough to Kagome that she got sloshed with the water. “Didn’t know if you wanted to clean up too… which is why I got the other bucket.”

“I… I think I want to stay dirty for a little while longer,” Kagome answered. “He died alone. I… I don’t want to forget him.”

“The fire rat will also… take care of the dirt.” Inuyasha ran his hands through his silver hair, his eyes fixed on Kagome’s now-covered legs. “I… I didn’t know it would change into that .”

“They certainly seem to have figured out how to help us both… blend in ,” Kagome offered. “I guess all that’s left to do is… figure out what we need to do to talk to the tree.”

“Tomorrow,” Inuyasha rasped. “Tonight, let’s finish reading these things. Then… you go lay down on the futon and get some sleep.”

“But Inuyasha—” Kagome tried.

“I’ll keep guard,” Inuyasha interrupted. “Besides. Puny humans like you need a whole lot more sleep than half-demons.”

Kagome rolled her eyes. Even in a world they might not be able to escape, Inuyasha was still entirely Inuyasha.

The fire glowed softly as they sorted through all the scrolls, stopping only briefly for a bit of water or a bamboo root that Inuyasha had brought to them. When the full moon was high in the sky, Kagome couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. The events of the day had been exhausting, but… what if something came upon that place in the night? What if the reason the demons had all disappeared was because Naraku was still out there? What if…

“I can smell your fear from here wench.” Inuyasha always used his nose to read her thoughts. “Go to sleep, Kagome.” He crossed over and squatted directly in front of her. “I’m not gonna let anything get us. I will protect you. I promise.”

And Kagome knew he would protect her, because Inuyasha did not make promises that he could not keep.

“Okay,” was all Kagome said before she dragged her feet over to the little living area and collapsed onto the old futon, not even taking the time to shake out the dust before she fell into an unsteady sleep.

“Achoo!” Kagome woke herself up with a sneeze. Her nose was congested and her throat felt like hell.

Was she sick? Was she—
Then she remembered.
The well had thrown her into a world where demons had exterminated humans, and possibly also themselves.
Kagome shot out of the old futon, leaving a cloud of dust in her path. She started spastically coughing.

“Oi!” Inuyasha was to Kagome by the time he’d finished his bellow.

Kagome crawled away from the dust cloud as the room came back into focus. It was the austere room from the day before, now scattered with scrolls chronicling the downfall of humans and the rise of demons, then the slow dwindling of demons until even demons were nowhere to be seen.

“It wasn’t a dream…” Kagome mumbled, mostly to herself.

“It sure as fuck wasn’t,” Inuyasha scowled. “I got some water and a couple of bamboo roots. But if we’re stuck here longer we’re gonna need more food.”

Kagome frowned. She hadn’t even let herself start to consider that possibility.

“I am going to go… relieve myself,” Kagome said. “Then I guess… we go to the Goshinboku.”

Inuyasha nodded and Kagome stepped out of the shrine. As she looked around in the light of day, she pictured the grounds she used to run around on with Jii-chan yelling and Mama laughing. She remembered sitting under the bench of the Goshinboku when she realized she loved Inuyasha. She remembered touching the Goshinboku’s scar, feeling some strange connection to it even as a child.

She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew that the Goshinboku was how she would get home.

As Kagome returned, she saw Inuyasha standing behind the shrine building, his back to her, shaking something violently: the futon she’d slept on the night before. The futon that threw up so much dust it nearly choked Kagome in her sleep.

“I shoulda just woke you up,” Inuyasha grumbled, his ears pinned back and trained on her. “This thing coulda killed you with the amount of crap in it.”

“Thanks… Inuyasha.” Kagome walked up to him.

“Keh.” Inuyasha gave the futon one last violent shake, then turned his golden eyes on Kagome.

“I… I’m glad you’re here. With me,” Kagome muttered. “I… don’t think I could’ve done it. Without you.”

She wondered if he knew that she meant everything . The slightest grin that crossed his lips made her think that he had.

“Okay, wench. You think the answer comes from the tree?” Inuyasha threw the futon over a bush that had grown near the shrine building, “Then let’s go talk to the damn tree.”

Kagome heard her stomach grumble, but if it worked, if she could get home, then she could eat there.

“So…” Inuyasha said, as the two stopped to take in the majestic tree, still bearing the scar of his slumber. “What do we do now?”

“I guess… I’ll go put my hand on it?” Kagome suggested, taking tentative steps forward.

After only a few strides, Kagome was suddenly stopped by a little tug. Inuyasha had grasped her hand in his. “Just… just in case the tree tries to send you home. I… I wanna make sure it sends me too.”

Hand-in-hand, Inuyasha and Kagome walked toward the trunk. As she got close, she reached out, ready to touch the tree.

Suddenly, a powerful jolt of electricity wracked through Kagome’s body when she came within an arm’s length of the trunk, throwing her into the air as the tree momentarily glowed pink.

“Fuck!” growled a voice just behind her and she felt Inuyasha’s arms come around her body, shielding her from the coming impact.

With a loud thud, both she and Inuyasha made contact with the ground, cushioned by the forest grass that had sprouted amongst the trees of the overgrown shrine grounds, as well as his body.

“You… okay?” Inuyasha had not relinquished his hold on Kagome. “Fucking tree has a barrier .”

“Yeah.” Kagome let Inuyasha get her back onto her feet. “Just… caught by surprise.”

“That fucking tree ,” Inuyasha growled, unsheathing his Tetsusaiga and transforming it. “That fucking tree’s barrier is about to taste my Kaze no Kizu! ”

With a graceful swing, Inuyasha combined his demonic energy with that of his great sword, charring and cracking the earth on its explosive path toward the great tree. But as they watched, the pink barrier shimmered once again, brighter than before, and absorbed the impact without so much as rustling a leaf.

“Son of a bitch.” Inuyasha bared his fangs and scratched his head. “ Kaze no —”

“Wait!” Kagome threw her hand into Inuyasha’s arc just before he threw a second wind scar toward the tree. “We don’t know whether there are still demons. We don’t know why the tree has a barrier. Just that it does. Let’s… try something else.”

“What do you suggest?” Inuyasha sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, his eyes narrow and challenging.

“Maybe it’s a spiritual barrier,” Kagome suggested, then she turned on her heels, pleased to hear Inuyasha’s footsteps directly behind her. “I… I think I saw a bow and quiver in the shrine house.”

“You think that your shooting a puny arrow is gonna bring that down when Tetsusaiga failed?” Inuyasha challenged, causing Kagome to roll her eyes.

“Not everything can be solved with a sword, Inuyasha,” Kagome grumbled back, pushing her way into the shrine building. As she’d remembered, leaning against the wall by the door was a fine bow and a leather quiver of arrows. She picked them up, testing the bow, pleased to see that the string was still supple, even in spite of the unknown number of years it sat unused in that lonely room. “If it is a reiki barrier, it will need reiki to break it.”

“It ain’t gonna work,” Inuyasha snarled, but he followed Kagome as she made her way back to the tree.

As Kagome stared at the tree once more, she couldn’t help but feel like it was challenging her. Never before had she looked at the Goshinboku and thought it looked back at her with malice, or mischief, or some combination therein. That was, not until today.

“Hit the mark,” Kagome whispered, pulling the bowstring taut and concentrating on charging the arrow with her reiki.

As she let it loose, the arrow flew in an elegant arc toward the tree. At the moment it reached exactly an arm’s length from the trunk, the arrow burst into flames and the bright pink ripples of the barrier ignited again.

“I told ya.” The smugness in Inuyasha’s voice made Kagome want to nock a new arrow and take aim… but not at the tree this time.

“No.” Kagome’s voice came out only in a whisper, holding both her rage and her grief. “ No .”

Were they stuck here? In this time forever? What if they were the last human and demon in existence in a world where demons wiped everything else out? Kagome took off at a sprint back toward the well. She didn’t care if Inuyasha kept up with her, she didn’t care if she tripped and fell on her face. She just… she needed to get to the well. Maybe… this time , unlike yesterday, the well would actually work. Maybe… this time , she would be able to return home. Or at least return to Sengoku Jidai, to Kaede and Sango and Miroku and Shippo.

As she kicked through the last husk of the dilapidated door, Kagome jumped down to the well floor.

“Kagome!!” Inuyasha was right behind her, and she felt his clawed hand grab her nearly so tightly it hurt. He wheeled her around, and forced her to look at him. “What the fuck ?!” Inuyasha looked furious, but more, he looked scared. “Were you going to run to the fucking well and leave me here ?”

Kagome couldn’t answer him. Something in her had snapped as she watched the tree eat her arrow. It mocked her. The whole world mocked her . It took her family away from her. It took humanity away from her. And it even made her bury her last relative, the last Higurashi, who was alone for 20 years.

Kagome collapsed to her knees, trying to catch the shallow breaths she could barely take. Had she really just run to the well without Inuyasha? What the hell was she thinking?

“I’m sorry,” Kagome breathed, “Inuyasha. I’m sorry.” The tears were flowing freely, and she couldn’t choke back her sobs, “I’m so, so sorry.”

Strong arms came around her, holding her tightly to his chest. “Kagome…” Inuyasha’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please… don’t leave me.”

They stayed like that for several minutes: Kagome steadying her breaths, and Inuyasha burying his nose in her hair, inhaling so deeply Kagome could feel his intake of air tickle her scalp. She’d run without thinking, away from Goshinboku. Away from her failed attempt to get home. Away from… everything . Why had she run from Inuyasha too?

She, of course, knew why.
Because the tree had reminded her that, in comparison to Kikyō, she was useless.
The barrier carelessly ate her spiritually charged arrow.
If it were Kikyō shooting that arrow, would they have succeeded?

“If it were Kikyō… would we already be on our way home?” Kagome whispered, letting the storm of pain and grief touch the surface. “If it were Kikyō. Would we even be here?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Inuyasha growled, his head still buried in Kagome’s hair. “Kikyō ain’t here. It’s just us.”

Kagome swallowed. Inuyasha didn’t understand. Couldn’t .
She was destined to be left behind. Because Inuyasha was destined to be with Kikyō.
If they succeeded and returned, eventually, Inuyasha would leave.

That was the thought that haunted the back of Kagome’s mind. The world around them had fallen apart, and still she was stuck there. Stuck understanding that she would eventually be left.

“Oi wench,” Inuyasha tapped her, though he didn’t relinquish his grip. “If we’re gonna be stuck here. We need to find food.”

“I… I want to try the well. Just one more time,” Kagome said, getting back to her feet.

“Together.” Inuyasha’s voice was both angry and sad; he had not forgotten that Kagome had now twice run for the well, leaving him behind.

“Together,” Kagome confirmed.

“Promise me, Kagome.” Inuyasha’s eyes took on a glint of dark seriousness. “Promise me you won’t leave me.”

“I… promise.” Kagome heard the waver in her voice, and she knew it came from the pain of knowing that Inuyasha couldn’t make the same promise. Even as her heart twisted, she vowed to keep it. She was a woman of her word.

Inuyasha’s ears twitched at the wobble in her words, but he didn’t call attention to it.

Inuyasha finally relinquished his hold on Kagome, and the two held hands and jumped.
The answering thud of the ground told them what they already knew: they were not getting home.

“C’mon wench.” Inuyasha tugged Kagome’s hand once more. “You got nothin’ in your stomach. And we should do somethin’ about that.”

“I’m coming with you to hunt,” Kagome said, resolute.
Inuyasha didn’t argue.

She’d shed all the tears she’d needed to for the moment. They weren’t going anywhere. Certainly not home. And… Inuyasha was right. They needed food.

Inuyasha kneeled down, offering his back to Kagome. She climbed on and the two set off, leaving the shrine grounds for the first time since the well spit them out in the wrong timeline.

The day passed without many words. Inuyasha jogged them both to a stream. Kagome used the arrows as makeshift spears, and they returned to the shrine with several trout and one fat rabbit. It was more than enough for a day’s meal. Inuyasha had even managed to swipe some eggs from a bird’s nest.

As they sat together that night, staring at the fire as it licked at the skewered fish, Kagome broke the silence of the day.

“You didn’t sense anything either?” she asked.

“Nothin’. No humans and no demons,” Inuyasha started. “Like we were the only—”

“Like we’re the only ones left,” Kagome finished his thought, suppressing the tremble of the thought. She was now the last Higurashi.

“Yeah.” Inuyasha stared into the fire, but he scooched his body so it came into contact with Kagome’s, leaning just slightly in. When Kagome leaned her head into his shoulder, he threw his arm around her.

“We’ll never stop trying, right?” Kagome asked, watching the skin of the fish now sizzle and peel. “To get home?”

“We’ll never stop trying,” Inuyasha affirmed, resting his head on Kagome’s.

Kagome sighed, content in that moment to just be with him. Thankful for the fact that he was there with her. Thankful… that she was there with him .

“I am so sorry.” Kagome hadn’t stopped thinking about the two moments she’d almost gone through the well without him, “I don’t want to leave you. I just…” Kagome stopped herself before she continued.

“What?” Inuyasha took his head off her shoulder, and studied her with his luminous golden eyes.

Kagome tried to look away from him, but she couldn’t pull herself from his haunted gaze.

“Just…” Kagome felt like a fool, “Just… every time you go to Kikyō. I… I wonder if it’s the last time…” She inhaled, willing herself to say the last few words. “If it’s the last time I’ll see you.”

Something behind Inuyasha’s eyes snapped at Kagome’s question; as if a profound realization had broken over him.

“You’re… you’re waiting for me to leave you,” Inuyasha muttered almost too quietly for Kagome to hear.

“It-it’s okay, Inuyasha.” Kagome leaned away from him, breaking their contact, then wrapped her arms around her curled-up knees. “I… I just… sometimes it hurts. Too much.”

“That’s why you ran.” Inuyasha didn’t try to reinitiate contact between them. “That’s why you ran away from me. Because… because… you think I am gonna leave you.”

“I… I’m s-sorry.” Kagome looked back into the fire, her mind back on the day she came through the well, after she’d realized she was in love with him, even knowing that he was Kikyō’s. “I asked if I could be by your side… and I accepted that you would leave me…” She could feel the tears coming back into her eyes. “But… sometimes it was just hard.”

“I’m not—” Inuyasha stuttered, “I… I’m not gonna leave you.”

“But… what about if Kikyō…” Kagome couldn’t bring herself to say the rest, What if Kikyō wants you back?

“I promised to protect her,” Inuyasha answered. “To help her find peace.” He tentatively leaned his body back against Kagome’s. “I thought I deserved to die. Because of what happened.” When Kagome leaned into him , Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her, tighter than before. “Now, because of you… I want to live .”

“C-can you promise me too?” Kagome asked, afraid to look Inuyasha in the eye. “That-that you won’t leave me?.. Even if Kikyō wants you to?”

Inuyasha took Kagome’s hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart. She could feel its steady beat, and finally, she turned her face to look back in his eyes.

“I promise you,” Inuyasha said earnestly, “that I won’t leave you.” Inuyasha leaned closer, so that all Kagome could see was his firelit face. “Not even if Kikyō demands it.”

“Really?” Kagome sniffled, “You really mean it?”

“I… I didn’t know…” Inuyasha mumbled. “I didn’t know you thought I could leave you.”

The dam had broken, and instead of getting washed away, Kagome felt cleansed of the poison of her jealousy. He promised that he would never leave her. And she would never leave him.

For long moments, they only sat together, watching the shadows dance on the walls, before they finally grabbed the dinner they’d cooked. Kagome stayed quiet, wanting to savor Inuyasha’s words, that he would never leave her, for as long as she could. The words that freed her heart.

Kagome found herself touching Inuyasha more freely, running her fingers through his hair, leaning into him. Inuyasha for his part never seemed to not have some part of his body in contact with hers, whether it was a hand on the small of her back, a chin on her shoulder, or holding her tightly while the fire slowly died and dusk gave way to night.

The moment Kagome yawned, Inuyasha jumped up and disappeared out of the little room, only to reappear with the lumpy futon. “This thing should’ve aired out enough that it won’t suck to sleep on.”

“Thank you, Inuyasha,” Kagome said as the half-demon dropped it on the floor and plumped it. “Are you going to sleep tonight?”

“Nah.” Inuyasha shook his head. “I’ll keep watch.”

Kagome smiled and gave Inuyasha’s ear a small tweak, before cuddling into the futon for the night. Before she closed her eyes, they fell on Inuyasha one more time. He was sitting cross-legged with his back against the wall, Tetsusaiga leaning against his chest.

“Goodnight, Inuyasha.” Kagome felt her heartbeat skip slightly when he looked up and his eyes met hers.
“Goodnight, Kagome.” Inuyasha’s gaze softened, and a little smile whispered across his face.

Tomorrow they would try to reach the Goshinboku. Tomorrow they would try to get home. But at least that night, in a landscape without any humans or demons, Inuyasha and Kagome had each other.

Kagome couldn’t breathe. A black mist swirled around her, gushing into her mouth and nostrils and down her throat. She tried to scream, to move, to run, but couldn’t. Her limbs didn’t work. She tried to call for Inuyasha, but no words came out. She was surrounded by candlelight and scrolls, so many scrolls. Had she written everything she needed to say? Had it been enough? Was she the last? Would anyone find her words—the testament of the last Higurashi? The black mist was coming for her, to claim her and take her away. She was about to die. She was about to die.

“Kagome?! Kagome! ” Rough hands shook her awake. “Wake up, Kagome.”

The first things she saw were golden eyes and silver dog ears that reflected the emberlight of a dying fire. Inuyasha was there. He was always there.

Kagome felt a rage come over her, a rage she had never experienced before. She shot out of bed, then grabbed Inuyasha by the hand.

“We are going to get through to the Goshinboku or we are going to die trying.” Kagome declared, not bothering to look back at the trailing half-demon, “We’re here for a reason , Inuyasha. And it wasn’t just so I could see the end of the Higurashi line.” Kagome’s grip tightened as she walked, refusing to let Inuyasha go. “And I’ll be damned if that tree has the answers and refuses to tell them to us.”

“O-okay.” Inuyasha didn’t argue any further than that.

The Goshinboku was even more ominous at night, and from the vantage point Kagome had chosen, it looked like the stars of the Milky Way were bursting out of the top of it.

“You are why we are here,” Kagome shouted at the tree, the pace of her strides not slowing even a little bit. “And you are the reason we can’t get back.” Kagome’s scowl only gre., “So you are going to grant us an audience and explain yourself.”

When she came face-to-face with the barrier, Kagome paused, but only long enough for Inuyasha to step to her side. She promised she wouldn’t leave him.

“You ready?” Kagome whispered, only audible to Inuyasha’s ears.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha replied, and they squeezed hands and took the last step.

Kagome closed her eyes, waiting for the zap of the barrier to throw them both backward, but no zap came. Instead, she and Inuyasha were face-to-face with the tree, passing through the barrier as if it was no more than a gossamer drape.

Instead of being greeted by the wrinkled bark of the trunk, Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves in a labyrinth of green branches that knitted an arched pathway down toward the center of the tree. At the origin of the branches stood a solitary lighted figure. Kagome instinctively shifted her body closer to Inuyasha. Inuyasha tensed before she knew why, but as they closed in on the figure, Kagome’s stomach lurched.

She had pin straight black hair that was tied back with a white strip, narrow almond eyes, and porcelain skin. She was dressed in a traditional miko outfit, but her body was translucent and gave off a pearlescent glow.

“K-Kikyō…” Inuyasha whispered, his hand now gripping Kagome’s hand tightly enough she worried about her circulation.

“Yes, that was the priestess’s name who sealed you to me , Inuyasha,” the image of Kikyō agreed. “Her spiritual power lingered in my bark and in my roots. It is why I can now take this form.”

“Y-you’re the tree ?” Inuyasha interjected, but his grip on Kagome slackened.

“That I am,” the tree-in-Kikyō’s-image serenely smiled.

“Were you the reason we’re here?” Kagome asked, suppressing the urge to yell.

“Yes,” the Goshinboku answered. “My roots and branches run through time itself, connecting me to everywhere in every possibility in the past, present, and future.”

“ Why ?” Kagome pleaded, starting to lose her fight with her emotions. “Why did you make us come here?”

“Because you needed to see,” the tree said simply. “You needed to see the world as it would be if you and Inuyasha were not by each other’s side.”

“What?” Inuyasha and Kagome said it at the exact same moment, dropping each other’s hands.

“There are certain events that must come to pass to maintain the balance of the world,” answered the tree. “It is your bond that channels the river of time the way it should be. This future is the consequence of you breaking your vows to stand by each other’s side. A future in which humans and demons never find their balance: a balance that you make come about.”

Kagome chanced a glance at Inuyasha at the tree’s words, only to find him staring directly back at her. She doubted that either missed the crimson hue of the other’s face. When she looked away, she felt Inuyasha’s hand find hers once more.

“So you threw us into this bullshit hellscape and made Kagome bury her last relative to… prove a fucking point ?” Inuyasha’s hackles were up as he growled. “Go fuck yourself, tree.”

“I need only a promise,” the tree answered, completely unfazed by Inuyasha’s aggression. “That you will stand by each other. Now. Forever.”

“That’s a fucking promise,” Inuyasha snarled.

“And you, Kagome?” Even as Kagome knew that the tree was not actually Kikyō, watching Kikyō’s image stare at her and ask her to vow to stay by Inuyasha was still unsettling.

But there was no doubt in Kagome’s mind. Even without the Goshinboku thrusting them into a timeline to show the consequences of leaving Inuyasha, Kagome would never leave his side, as long as he wanted her there.

And for the first time, she knew he wanted her there as much as she wanted to be there.

“I promise,” Kagome said, but she looked at Inuyasha as she said it.
It was a promise for him, not for the tree.

“Then return to the well, which will take you where you intended to go,” the tree declared, smiling Kikyō’s serene smile. “And never forget your time in this place. And the promise you have made.”

“We won’t,” Kagome answered, smiling as she stared into Inuyasha’s eyes.

They were suddenly surrounded by bright pink light. Inuyasha’s arms came around Kagome as the two were thrown backward, away from the tree. With a thud, Kagome landed on Inuyasha, who’d absorbed the blow yet again with his body.

“Fucking tree,” Inuyasha growled, pulling them both back onto their feet. “You ready to go home?”

“Soon. There is just one more thing I want to do,” Kagome said, thinking about the last Higurashi and his lonely decades. “Inuyasha, do you think you can find me another spider lily?”

“Yeah,” Inuyasha answered, and he disappeared.

Kagome strolled slowly toward the little grave. When she arrived at the small dirt mound, she thought of the last Higurashi again, and hoped that he was in nirvana. She thanked him again for the records that helped her piece together what had come to pass in that future. The last Higurashi had saved the world from its fate, because the words he thought no one would ever read were read, by Kagome and Inuyasha.

She looked down at the morphed fire rat shorts she wore, then looked back up at the sky. This was a future that was never supposed to be. A future that the Goshinboku wanted her to see, to make sure that she never gave into her fear. Because she wanted to be with Inuyasha, more than anything. And… maybe, just maybe, he wanted to be with her too.

I promise to never leave you. To stay by your side. As long as you’ll have me.

“Kagome?” Inuyasha’s soft voice came from behind her. When she turned, she saw he was holding a dozen spider lilies. “Think this is enough?”

“More than enough,” Kagome answered, taking them from him then placing them tenderly on the grave. “Thank you uncle. For everything you did for this world. And for everything you did for us.”

Inuyasha bent down with her, and both clapped their hands and said a prayer.

When they both stood, Inuyasha took her hand in his. “Wench. Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes,” Kagome said, and the two walked back to the well.

When they jumped in, they did so together. Holding on as tightly as they could. The well ignited into the glimmering blue and black abyss that signaled they’d entered the timeslip again. Kagome swallowed down the emotions that were threatening to break through.

“It’s okay, Kagome. If you need to cry,” Inuyasha said, “I’m here, by your side. And I always will be.”

“Thanks Inuyasha,” Kagome whimpered, the tears escaping the corner of her eyes. “I’ll always be here, too.”

When their feet hit the earth, Kagome could see the open sky of Sengoku Jidai above her. The tree had promised to return them where they intended to go, but the Feudal era was not it. Kagome swallowed. What if when they tried again, they didn’t make it back to the shrine? What if the tree could not keep its promise, and the other end of the well was now the desolate hellscape?

“Wench, didn’t you want to go see your family?” Inuyasha suggested, still holding Kagome tightly.

“I do,” Kagome whimpered, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

“Then let’s go!” Inuyasha grinned a fanged smirk, clutched Kagome to him, and took a giant leap, reactivating the timeslip. “And don’t worry. I’m here by your side, no matter where our feet land.”

When the mists receded and their feet were on the ground, they both looked up. Inuyasha’s smile grew larger. “I think you’re home, Kagome.”

They climbed up and walked out of the well-maintained well house’s door to see the shrine, and more importantly, Kagome’s home. She couldn’t help but laugh, she was looking extremely forward to a modern bath and Mama’s cooking. And Inuyasha was there, holding Kagome’s hand while they walked together to greet the Higurashis.

Meanwhile, the glowing figure of a priestess smiled, content in knowing that the two who would balance the future would keep their promise, and never leave each other’s side.