An Education by UnknownRandomness

Taking Things For Granted

A/N: Not as sinister as I had hoped- the last line sounds kinda cheesy to me, like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie quote XD

Prompt: Sojourn - To dwell for a time; also a temporary stay.

Word Count: 342

It had been a wondrously relaxed few weeks. Naraku had been defeated and the immense pressure of the jewel had been removed from their shoulders. All felt light and free of responsibilities; like their futures were vast expanses of endless possibilities. Sango and Miroku had married immediately, and Inuyasha had finally made his love for Kikyo clear, much to eveyone's happiness, surprisingly.

Kagome had slowly reached the decision that her life in the future was were she belonged. This lengthy sojourn into the past had been at times the happiest she had ever been, but it also contained the most traumatic experiences she had ever faced. The miko was not eager to forget her friends- her family- here in Edo, but she had a place, five-hundred years from now, where she had a mother eagerly awaiting the day her daughter would stay, a grandfather who wished to see his family reunited and a younger brother waiting to be loved by his elder sister. 

Smiling at the people she loved most in the entire world, and a silver-haired inuyoukai she had come to respect, the woman gave thanks to the Kami for allowing her to have had this life and took the familiar jump into the well for the last time. 

The darkness rose up to meet her, but instead of the usual burst of azure light that heralded the magic of time, the depths remained dark and insidious. Her scared mind didn't have time to make her scream before she hit the bottom, her shins snapping. 

Sesshoumaru was beside her in an instant but she did not notice, blinded as she was by pain and terror. He quickly brought her back into the sunlight, carefully cradling her broken limbs and shaking body, her companions crowding around her, their worry almost smothering her.

Tears escaped from Kagome's eyes as the pain notified her of something horrible, a realisation that would tear apart everything she held dear. Time had not opened up for her.

This temporary stay in the past had just become permanent.