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. Still reeling from that night when she’d blurted out Sesshoumaru’s name, and the whole ugly truth had first come out, she seemed to observe from afar, as if from outside of herself, that she was very much in shock. Inuyasha’s sudden, unexpected reappearance in her life

Kagome’s face fell. “…What are you saying?” “Isn’t it obvious?” Inuyasha shrugged. “He used you. He took advantage of you just to get one over on me.” “No.” Kagome balled her fists, shook her head. “No, I don’t believe that.” “Why?” Inuyasha sneered. “Because he told you he didn’t? Because he told you he ‘loved

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—dizzying almost, 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. Listening

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