Done and found by Cathyrin

Done and found

Authors Note: This is my first story so sorry if its rocky. Thanks!

Kagome was done. She was done with Inu-Yasha's attitude, his constant degrading of her and more constant comparisons between herself and Kikyo. She was better than what he said of her. She was NOT a bitch, or worthless, or JUST a shard detector. She was a person, with feelings and pride and self respect. She was tired of letting him tear her down. No more. She was packing up her proverbial bag and leaving. The jewel was complete, had been for a month. But it never hurt to be there before, so why would it now. But there is only so much a person could take before they lost themselves and started to believe what was being told to them. Only so much conditioning before she started to believe him. And she was cutting that off before it could happen, while she could still believe herself that she was better than him, to just take the high road, to be the adult. One day, she would lose it, and then she would lose that friendship. Inu-Yasha was not on the same maturity level as Kagome was. He may have looked her age, but his mentality was that of some one in his teens, during that period when constant posturing was needed to feel like they were something. She was a young woman of twenty. Five years had gone by since she was pulled in through the well by Mistress Centipede and she stumbled upon Inu-Yasha's form. Her time in school was barely remembered seeing how she missed so much that she just barely graduated due to Inu-Yasha's need to control and keep pushing. There was no way that she could attend a good and influential University, not with her entrance exam scores. While Kagome felt disappointment at that and shame for herself on behalf of her family, she did not let that pull her down. She would always have shrine maiden to fall back on if finding a job proved to be useless. However, she thought she would never have to deal with this. She thought that she would stay in the feudal era, with Inu-Yasha, hopefully as his mate. Yet that was not to be. He had not grown up one iota since the shikon had been put together and Naraku defeated. It was the thought that perhaps Inu-Yasha would grow up at least a little, perhaps realize his love for her, and all would be like a fairy tale. A happy ending in sight and a happy life to follow. But Inu-Yasha could not get over how much Kagome looked like Kikyo, or how Kagome refused to use the jewel to bring Kikyo back to life. He saw it as a betrayal and refused to forgive Kagome for not granting his happiness. But Kagome knew that it would have been a selfish wish. And a selfish wish would not get rid of the existence of the shikon. So Kagome kept the jewel with her, protecting it with her life as it lay back inside where it originally came from, in her side.

So Kagome was leaving. Inu-Yasha was already mad at her. He did not hate her yet, he was just angry, so it was best to leave now, while no hurt feeling were present and the demon populace did not realize that the shikon was still in existence and hidden in her body. She would leave today, with her yellow pack and her bow as the only tokens from this time. She would tell only Shippo that she was leaving, not Sango or Miroku or even Kaede. They would try to talk her out of it and since Kagome loved them so much and cared for them as if they were family, they may just succeed. Yet Kagome needed to do this for herself, for her own sanity and self worth. So Kagome took Shippo aside and told him of her plans, of how she just could not stand to be at Inu-Yasha's side and continue to be the person she was. She told Shippo that if he lasted until her time, to look for her, to find her, and to tell her all of his adventures through time. While Shippo cried, he understood why. He had been noticing his okasama had been becoming less exuberant and out spoken as more time went on in Inu-Yasha's presence. So he agreed to find her when and if he lasted to that time. And he bid his goodbye as he watched her leave towards the well. However, one scent played on his senses as he watched Kagome leave. It was of power and the trees, twined together, with just a hint of spice. It was Sesshoumaru's scent. He had been listening it seemed and was now following Kagome to the well. The aura of the Lord did not seem threatening, just curious and sad, so Shippo left it alone and sat in the forest and cried for his second lost mother.

As the well came into view, Kagome slowed down her walk to a stand still when she was but five feet in front of the well. “This is the end.” she said to herself as she stood there and looked at the well,“Time to go home.” And as Kagome walked up to the well the rest of the way, Sesshoumaru stepped out of the forest and pulsed his aura. Kagome stopped in her tracks and turned, shocked to find him there. But as Kagome turned and took note of Sesshoumaru, she saw his face and noted the despair on it and the seeming sadness that shone. Kagome was concerned at this, Sesshoumaru never showed emotions, he was always stoic. What now could possibly bring this about? But even as she thought this, she spoke it aloud, asking Sesshoumaru what was wrong. His answer simply blew her away, surprising her and causing warmth to unfurl in her heart and spread through out her body. “Do not leave me.” he spoke. “But I must, I cannot stay here. I don't belong here.” replied Kagome in which Sesshoumaru replied with “Iie, you belong with this Sesshoumaru”. Kagome stood there shocked, in awe that Sesshoumaru wanted her to stay, to stay for him and with him from the sounds of it. Kagome was torn. Here was someone that she had always held fantasies for. I mean, come on, what woman wouldn't. She didn't love him, not yet, but she could learn to, and she could learn to soften this great demon lord. But did she really want to? All that waited for her in the future was a dismal future of shame and repetitiveness. Here, in the feudal era, at least it was exciting with something new on the horizon everyday. In the end, it didn't take much thought after all. A life of blank nothingness or excitement with the chance of love thrown in. Nothing in the future would offer what she had experienced here, so she choose the obvious answer and held out her hand to her youkai, regretting nothing and dreaming about the future she could make with this demon.