Kagome knelt by the god tree. It has been 4 years since the end of her every-anything in the past. She had left after Sango and Miroku had their wedding; Inuyasha was given the opportunity to be with Kikyo; and Shippo... Shippo had begged and pleaded to go with his mama. Kagome had given in after about an hour of crying. She had taken her child into her arms and had held him tightly. Her last memory was of a tall, white, graceful Taiyoukai who had been imprinted into her memory forever. She absentmindedly fingered the shikon-no-tama around her neck. It has been difficult keeping the shikon pure, and she still had no idea how to destroy the jewel. With a silent sigh, her thoughts went back to her last moments in the past...
xXx
She stood by the well, ready to return to her time. Her kit was in her grasp and all their allies were surrounding them; from Sesshoumaru to Kouga to Kikyo. It was entirely odd, but after the battle that had just ensued, there was no wondering why these once enemies were now allies.
Kouga was the first to say his good-bye. He was in front of his 'woman' in almost an instant, her hands clasped between his. He asked if she was 100% positive she didn't want to stay and be his mate, although he had Ayame, he still wanted to make sure he was completely lost in Kagome's graces. Kagome had smiled lightly, kissed his cheek, and said her place was no longer in the past. Inuyasha growled at Kouga's comments, although he had Kikyo in his arms—old habits were hard to break. Kouga then hugged Kagome fiercely but let her go almost quicker than Kagome would've guess he would have.
She moved on to Sango and Miroku, sharing tearful hugs and fond words. Inuyasha was next. She kissed his cheek and went to remove the binding rosary around his neck. His hands went to her wrists as he whined and whispered for her to leave it. Kagome nodded and hugged him, kissing his cheek, whispering soft words of encouragement to him. She then nodded once to Kikyo, having already spoken to her of important things.
Stepping to the side, she crouched down and ruffled Rin on the head. After instructing her to be a good girl, the sobbing girl begged Kagome not to leave. They hugged tightly, Shippo also saying his good-byes to his friend. He hopped off his mama's shoulder to give Rin a big hug. Kagome stood, turning to the silent, white, beautiful youkai she had grown so fond of...
He towered over her, looking at her with a strange look in his golden orbs. She stood before him, and then bowed gracefully. The bow was to symbolize her respect and thanks to his Lordliness. As far as she could tell, his face hadn't changed or twitched at all. She straightened, and then moved her fingers to ask him to bend towards her. He did so, and she placed one hand on his chest and the other on the side of his cheek, standing on tiptoes; she whispered words into his ear that made her blush. She placed a kiss on his striped cheek before moving away from him. After moving away, she bowed to all her friends. Shippo hopped back into her arms as tears ran down her face.
She begged them to leave some form of anything allowing her to know what happened to and with them. With one last longing look at one certain man, she put her hand on the edge of the well and hopped in, the blue light flashing.
xXx
Shippo sat beside his mother by the tree in the honored kneeling stance as was accepted by traditional Japanese society. He looked like a teenager now, his fire colored red hair stood out in its frizz just as it had when he was young. Bringing him back to her time had been a challenge. It took some time to teach him to block out all the sounds, smells, and to teach him the correct attitudes of his new culture. They had kept him hidden for a while before sending him to school once he mastered concealing his youkai energy. His hair was kept long to cover his ears, though he almost always wore hats. His tail, on the other hand, had been difficult to master. He had to keep it trimmed and usually hidden in his very baggy pants, or behind a sweatshirt tied around his waist.
Kagome sighed softly. Shippo placed a hand on his mother's bent knee.
"We still have the ability to look further, Okaasan." His voice was soft. He missed his friends as well. Kagome nodded and stood gracefully. In the 4 years since she had been forced to return to the future, she had been sad, though happy. She had raised Shippo to be a good human, though they both hated it. She had gotten a job right out of high school and worked as a secretary at the giant Robot Inc. factory in Tokyo. It paid enough, and, after only one year, she was promoted to an even higher secretary position. With that job, she was able to purchase a house out in the country, hidden away in the mountains west of Tokyo. She had found a little hut much like old Kaede's, and they refurbished the thatching roof and replaced many of the broken or rotting walls and screens. She was able to take Shippo at least once every two weeks to their cabin so he was able to spend his pent up energy.
Kagome and Shippo were living in a small apartment in inner Tokyo, near his school and her work. Thought their apartment wasn't in the best condition, the location lessened their commute to not even an hour to either place—it worked as a mediation point between both her work and his school.
"Okaasan, may we go? I still have that report to write." Shippo tugged lightly on his mother's kimono. Kagome nodded and followed her son into her family's home to say good-bye.