Even a day later, as Kagome touched down on the other side of the Bone-Eater’s Well, she still couldn’t believe it— She was no longer an outlaw in her own time. With Shin loping along at her side, she crossed over from the shrine to the house and tumbled into her mother’s waiting arms. Tearfully,

While the children frolicked in the meadow nearby, Sango and Kagome gathered flowers for Miroku’s grave. The late summer sun beat down upon their bowed heads and bent backs. The pink and white blossoms strained up against the unforgiving heat. Their delicate, wilting petals curled faintly at the edges. Their soft, bursting stems stained the

There were no secrets anymore between Kagome and Inuyasha. But the lies were still there. They were everywhere, all the time. It was like the lies had multiplied, now that Inuyasha had been swallowed up in them. Kagome felt guilty for this, too. Willing or not, he had become her accomplice in all this. She

Time wore on. Although things were strained at first, after a few days Kagome and Inuyasha settled into a domestic routine. Ironic as it was, these were easily the most harmonious days of their marriage. There were no longer any secrets between them. No longer any expectations. They were comrades again, living under one roof.

Kagome didn’t know what to do. What to think. Distantly she perceived that she was still reeling from that night when she’d blurted out Sesshoumaru’s name in the grips of her unconscious passion, and the whole ugly truth had finally come out. She seemed to observe as if from afar, as if from outside of

Inuyasha’s words reverberated like noise in her skull— You were in over your head with him. You always were. Kagome’s face fell. She shook her head to clear it. “…I don’t understand you. What are you trying to say?” “Isn’t it obvious?” Inuyasha said with a shrug. “Sesshoumaru used you. He took advantage of you

Heart pounding, Kagome glanced back down the hallway toward Shin, who was with her brother and grandpa in the den. Whether her son had detected Inuyasha’s arrival or not, it clearly wasn’t a concern to him. In wide-eyed amazement, he stood glued with his face about an inch from the glaring television, his little hands

The next few days were ones of muddled relief for Kagome. After telling the full truth to her mother, her soul felt lighter—almost dizzyingly light, at times. But she couldn’t stop her anxious mind from asking, What next? And, What’s happening in Edo? It was a balm to her heart, spending time with her family.

Kagome bowed her head, squeezing her mother’s hand tight. Tears dripped from her face to the table. The mixture of pain and relief she felt overwhelmed her. Now someone else apart from herself knew the whole story. Even Sesshoumaru hadn’t known the full extent of her marital difficulties with Inuyasha. She’d never confessed that to