Now & Forever by Sheena Dawn

Chapter 1

Sadly, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters from that show. As always please read and review, or I'll be beat with a stick, JK. Love, SDG.

Kagome sat on top of her families shrine stairs looking out over the Tokyo skyline, her heart heavy with the loss she had just experienced. After four years of traveling back and forth between the modern and feudal eras it had finally come to an end. The last year of her journey would be something she remembered for the rest of her life. Sesshoumaru's group, Kouga's group and Kikyo had merged with her group in a combined effort to defeat the evil Naraku and make the shikon no tama whole.

A little over a month prior they had managed to do just that, and everyone had stayed around Kaede's village trying to determine what the fate of the jewel would be. In the end it was Kagome who had come up with the solution, Inuyasha would use the jewel to allow Kikyo to live the normal life she so deserved, and Kagome would return to her own time, then the two priestesses would use their spiritual powers to seal the bone eater's well permanently to prevent anyone or anything from crossing over. Finally after much debate it had been decided that was what needed to be done. Kagome had made one final visit home to pick up her camera, if this was truly the last time she would see those she had come to consider a family, she wanted a way that no matter where she went in life she'd always have a way to look back and remember them.

Kagome reached her hand up and opened the small silver heart shaped locket that she know wore around her neck in place of the sacred jewel, and looked at the picture that had been taken. On the far left was Sesshoumaru who over the past year had become a friend and an ally, next to him was Jaken who was holding his staff of two heads and next to Jaken was Rin who was sitting on top of Ah-Un. Sitting on the ground next to Ah-Un was Sango's younger brother Kohaku who they had managed to save from Naraku's grasp, and had Kirara in his lap. Miroku and Sango stood behind Sango's brother and next to Kagome. Next to Kagome was Inuyasha, and on Inuyasha's shoulders were Shippou and an indistinguishable Myouga. Next to Inuyasha was Kikyo who was going to be given a second chance at life. Next to Kikyo were Kouga and Ayame, and on the ground in front of Kouga were Ginta and Hakkaku. It was a bittersweet moment for Kagome. On the locket she had inscribed, I Will Always Be with You, a line from one of Kagome's favorite songs.

When Kagome and Kikyo finally sealed the well, it had vanished as though it had never been there to begin with along with the well house. Kagome had felt her heartbreak in that one instant, she had, had a twinge of optimism that maybe one day in the future she would unseal the well and return but now that would never happen. In four years, Kagome had grown and learned what real friends were, what real love felt like, she had also learned how to choose and how to say goodbye.