"Being a hanyou is hell on earth, Kagome. You can't ask me to stay this way," said InuYasha, his head turned away from her face. He could sense her sadness.

Her voice came full of tears. "But why do you have to become a full demon? Why can't you be human..." He was willing to for Kikyou...

"Because I can't. I've got too many enemies. I killed Naraku, the Schinintai, Kikyou is gone, but Sesshoumaru will never be vanquished. So I can't turn human, or else he'll kill me." InuYasha closed his eyes as he turned to look at her. "I can't."

She stared him straight in the eye, his dry, serious eyes looking into her deep pools of tears. "InuYasha. If you become human...you can come with me...to the future-"

"I don't fit there either! Don't you see, Kagome? I don't understand all of the things in your world, I don't even speak the same language that your time does! I can't go there."

"Don't you want to be with me?!?" She choked out, through sobs.

He paused, his face stunned. "I-uh..." Of course I do. But I can't figure out how to do that...

"Kagome, if we were to be together, one or the other of us would have to give up the time that we live in. Either I would have to go to the future, or you would have to stay here, with me. It's you leaving your family and friends there, or your friends here. I'd have to leave my friends and fa- er, my friends here to be with you. I don't want either of us to have to choose between friends, family, and each other. It's not...it's not right. I just don't think that we can..."

She dropped her gaze from his face. Why does it have to be this way...

"InuYasha, I can still travel back to the future to visit! Remember, the first time I came here, I didn't even know I could! And you can travel without the shards..."

"You can't. I don't know why I can go through with nothing and you need the jewel...but remember when (that big hamstery wolfy demon) attacked? You told me that you couldn't come back because you didn't have the jewel. I don't know why, but it's impossible," he finished sadly.

As the wind blew through her hair, her face became steely. "Well, then, we won't destroy the jewel." She fingered it in her pocket. "I'll just protect it and keep it whole, and that way we can be together."

His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Fool. That's why Kikyou died, because she was going to use the jewel for selfish purposes. And besides, if you try to keep the jewel whole, the demons will never let you be. You'll always be in danger-"

"But you could protect me! It'll all work out, InuYasha!" "No. As long as the jewel exists, there's a chance that you could be hurt. And I don't want that, Kagome!"

She sighed. I don't care about my safety, I just want to be with you. Why don't you see that?

"InuYasha, I dont care. I want to be with you and that's that. So unless you're going to take the Shikon no Tama from me, it?s not going to be destroyed. I won't do it."

"IDIOT! You can't keep it! Every demon in the land is probably headed here already, just because they know that you've got the jewel!"

She stared at him. "Don't call me an idiot," she said slowly and clearly.

"SIT!"

InuYasha's face was pulled to the ground as Kagome ran away, in the direction of the well. She had thrown the Shikon no Tama to the ground.

"Kagome! Come back!"

He got up, a few minutes later, finally able to move. For all that he'd shouted, Kagome would not turn around and come back to him. As he lifted himself off of the ground, he noticed the Shikon no Tama glittering in the grass by his feet.

Kagome...did you really mean...to leave this...

Suddenly he sniffed something in the air.

"Damn it. I knew they'd come," he said to himself, annoyed. Demons coming for the Jewel already.

He drew the Tetsusaiga and turned around, seeing a huge praying mantis demon flying at him.

Cockily, he said, "Ha. I'll make short work of you-" he readied the sword- "filthy demon!" He ran at the approaching demon and saw the windscar.

You're done now, bastard.

As he began to slice through, though, the demon flew high, flipped over him, and brought one bladed wing right down into InuYasha's back.

InuYasha's eyes widened. Damn it all! It got me...it'll pay.

He turned to face the demon. "BLADES OF BLOOD!" he shouted, drawing his free hand across his back and then snapping his wrist at the demon.

The monster's eyes twitched and he dodged the blow easily.

Come on. It's just a mantis.

He swiftly ran at the demon and sliced through the windscar before the demon could move, shredding it into a million flecks of dust.

Feh. Not so hard. Then he grabbed his side as the pain from his back began to spread. He got me good...

And as he turned around, he saw three more demons emerging from the woods.

He closed his eyes, and in a moment of doubt, or possibly truth, he thought, Maybe Kagome was wrong. Maybe I can't protect her. Maybe I can't even protect myself...

His blood dripping behind him, InuYasha ran towards the well with the Shikon no Tama in his hands.

They can't follow me if I just get to Kagome...

The three demons (and more that had joined the group on the way) on his heels, he jumped into the well and into Kagome's time.