Here it is, the final chapter of "Path of Destiny." I'm, again, sorry for how slow this was in coming, I hit a roadblock on how to do this chapter but once I sat down to write it, it only took me a couple of days. It's a long time coming, isn't it? I hope that everyone enjoys this final part as much as I have enjoyed working on it. Thank you to everyone who has added this and me to their favorites list, and a special thank you to all who have reviewed with their kind words and encouragement. I hope you will stick around for my next story, though heaven's knows when that will be!

Yukimura Taji - Inuyasha

Yukimura Sumiko - Rin

Miyamoto Kaori - Sango

Miyamoto Sora - Kagura

Kiyoraka Kazuo - Miroku

Kiyoraka Yasuo - Kohaku

Parents (They don't have connections to the past, these are just them):

Higurashi Kasumi

Yukimura Naoko

Miyamoto Ami

Miyamoto Kenji

Kiyoraka Yukiko

Kiyoraka Daichi

The Path of Destiny

Chapter 24

Happily Ever After

Three days had passed. Three. Each one passed tragically slow for Kagome's reincarnated friends who hoped she would attend school as soon as possible. But she didn't, possibly to allow herself to heal from the final battle with Naraku, possibly to heal from the final time she would see Inuyasha. They figured it was the latter of the two.

Then, one Monday, about a week after the well had sealed itself, Kaori spotted a familiar head of hair walking in front of the entourage and she let out a squeak.

Taji turned to Kaori and lifted an eyebrow. "The fuck was that?"

Kaori grabbed both boys by the arm and dragged them to the gate, still keeping out of Kagome's line of sight. "It's her! She's here! She finally showed up!"

"No!" Kazuo gasped.

"Yes!" She was positively giddy. "Did you see her, Taji?" Silence. "Taji?" Kaori looked over her shoulder and gasped. Taji, foul mouthed, cautious, nervous Taji had taken off from the outside of the gate and was now following Kagome at a cautious pace. "Oh no. He's going to give us away!"

"'Give us away?' Aren't we worrying about that a little late?"

Kaori sighed. "I doubt Kagome is ready to meet us."

Kazuo laughed, watching as Taji's pace nearly ground to a halt when a group of girls surrounded Kagome. "Maybe not, but this is a meeting 500 years in the making. He's getting impatient." He took Kaori's hand and kissed it. "You have to admit that you're excited, too."

Yanking her hand back, Kaori's face burned red at the open affection. "Excited, yes. Cautious, also yes."

Taji had frozen in place and barely registered when his friends flanked him. "She's really here," he whispered. "I can talk to her, face her...touch her…"

"If she doesn't try and osuwari you, that is."

He made a face at Kaori, who just laughed. "You know she'll try! Come on, let's get to class."

OoOoO

Kagome balanced her pencil on the edge of her desk, blatantly ignoring her teacher's attempts to keep the entire class' attention. It was math. She hated math. Now that she didn't have to cram to keep up with her studies she planned on putting as little time into the subject as possible.

But math wasn't what was bothering her. There was a feeling she'd had on her way into the school yard, something she couldn't shake. Like someone was watching her. She'd felt it before, usually when Inuyasha was hanging around where he shouldn't have been. But this time it couldn't possibly be Inuyasha so who would have such an interest in her?

The lunch bell rang, shaking Kagome from her thoughts. She grabbed her bento and took off down the hall so fast she left a trail of dust behind her. Her friends had welcomed her back, friendly and full of questions as ever. But she didn't want to see them, she wanted to be free to feel. To feel sad, to feel guilty, to feel sorry for herself.

To cry.

The tears stung her eyes before she reached the secluded shade of the school grounds. Wiping furiously at her eyes, Kagome held back a sob and dropped to her knees. Maybe she shouldn't have come back to school so early. Inuyasha was gone, back in the feudal era where he belonged. And she...she was where she belonged. Without him.

Another sob wracked her body causing her drop her lunch, the contents spilled onto the grass by her feet and she cursed herself for being so stupid. She'd had no claim on Inuyasha, and though they had kissed* she couldn't be sure of his feelings.

And now she would never know.

Footsteps came up behind her as she started to clean up her lunch. Before she could get the words out of her mouth, asking for privacy, she looked up and proceeded to drop her lunch again.

OoOoO

Taji saw Kagome dash by the door to his classroom. She was in 1-4, he was in 1-1 so unless she took the stairs to the roof she had to pass his class. Ignoring the little voice in his head, which sounded so much like Kaori, Taji left his lunch sitting on his desk and ran after her.

"Taji, wait!" Kazuo called as he realized what was going on from his place two rows over. "Taji…"

Making a mental note to apologize to Kazuo later Taji wracked his brain to think of where Kagome would go. He couldn't let Kagome go on in misery. There was a chance that she would reject him, he wasn't Inuyasha in the same way she wasn't Kikyou. But he remembered her, he remembered all their times together, the fights, the making up, the one kiss…

He reached the entrance and came to a grinding halt, listening, willing to be Inuyasha again just for those few seconds. And then he heard it, a sob coming from the side of the building. He took off again, this time knowing that he was going to see her and she was going to see him. His stomach twisted in knots, sweat ran down his back and forehead and he felt his breath hitch. He was going to see her.

Turning the corner he saw her, really saw her, and she was just as beautiful as he remembered. She was crying, sobbing, and her lunch was lying at her feet. He came up behind her just as she started cleaning up her fallen lunch. Kagome suddenly stopped, as though she knew he was there, and took in a deep breath. She turned around, and he could tell she was going to tell him off but she suddenly stopped.

She stopped talking, stopped moving, stopped breathing.

"Inu...ya...sha?"

Kagome looked as though she had seen a ghost, and in her mind she might have. Inuyasha as he was when he was human. All she could think was that the well was sealed, Inuyasha had disappeared, there was no going back now. All her friends were dead. Dead.

Choking back a sob, she spoke again, this time with more confidence. "Inuyasha?"

With a hard swallow, Taji opened his mouth to speak but found his mouth suddenly dry. "Kagome."

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome ran forward and threw her arms around Taji, fresh tears in her eyes. "You're here! You're alive! You're...human? And wearing my school uniform?" Puzzlement flashed across her face and she pulled back. "Inuyasha?"

"I'm not Inuyasha...not really."

"I-I don't understand."

"I'm not him in the way that you're not Kikyou."

Realization flashed across Kagome's face. "You're his reincarnation?"

Taji nodded once and then looked away. "I wasn't trying to trick you. My name is Yukimura Taji and I...I'm Inuyasha's reincarnation. And," he laughed here, "I guess I should just get this out here. I've spent the past nine months protecting you and the Shikon no Tama from rogue youkai. We awoke all those months ago so we could protect you."

"We?"

"Miroku and Sango, and well, everyone."

"Miroku-sama and Sango-chan?!" Kagome was now grinning from ear to ear. They weren't dead, her friends were alive. Reincarnated, maybe didn't remember her, but they were alive in their own way. "And you, Inuyasha. You're really him. I can see it, you look exactly like him when it was a new moon."

"Taji."

Kagome blinked and looked flustered. "Sorry...Taji. I know what it's like to be confused with your previous incarnation."

"I don't mind that. Inuyasha was a stand up guy. But if you start calling me that people are going to wonder about it."

"I just...I can't...I know you're not him," Kagome admitted, "but it's so hard to not see him when I look at you."

"That's how Inuyasha felt when he first met you. He tried to not see your similarities but at first it was just so difficult." He took a calming breath. "Gods, Kagome, you don't know how good it is to see you."

Kagome wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at him. "I never thought I'd see you again either, Taji. But how do you know what Inuyasha felt when I first met him? I have so many questions!"

"That's easy. Unlike you, Miroku, Sango, and I have been having dreams of our past. I remember everything of my life as Inuyasha, right up until the day I died. He died," he quickly recovered. "He spent 100 years hoping to see you again. Shippou watched over the shrine and your family up until recently when Sesshoumaru gave us that duty."

"Shippou-chan is alive?! And Sesshoumaru...but Shippou!" Kagome exclaimed. "Who else? Who else made it or was reborn?" Her bad mood had evaporated, replaced by a sudden giddiness that her friends were alive, Inuyasha was alive (kinda) and there was more.

Taji looked a little disgruntled but schooled his face into a neutral expression. "Why don't we cut class and I'll take you to the compound? All of us live there and you can see them all again."

"Taji…" Kagome's cheeks burned bright red suddenly and she ducked her head, tears in her eyes once more.

"Hey don't...don't cry! What did I do? Kagome!"

Kagome hiccuped and wiped her eyes dry. "I'm not crying!"

"It sure looks like crying."

"Osuwari!"

Despite himself, Taji flinched and waited to be slammed in the ground only to let out a breath when it didn't happen. "Shit don't do that to me! Kaori was right, you did say it."

Now her tears were gone and she looked confused. "Who?"

"Miyamoto Kaori, she's my best friend. And Sango's reincarnation." Taji ran his fingers through his hair. "Come on, let's get our bags and go. This is way more important than school."

Kagome let a grin split her face. "I couldn't agree more."

"Oh, NOW I get you to admit something's more important than school."

Giggling, Kagome let Taji lead the way back into their school building. He wasn't Inuyasha, she had to tell herself that every time she looked at him, but he was there and he was willing to help her after her experience. Not just him, but Miroku and Sango as well. They had all made it and yet...something suddenly occurred to her.

"How did you know I'd be going to this high school?" He had obviously had to test in, just like everyone else, but she doubted Inuyasha remembered the name of her school. She wasn't even sure she had told him.

"Oh, that. We attended your junior high."

Kagome's eyes went wide and she rounded on Taji. She wasn't angry, more shocked that they had been in such close proximity and never met. "What? How?"

"We, uh, were going there the entire time you were time traveling." He winced when Kagome gave a little screech. "To make sure no youkai came after you or your family. And there were times where we had our hands full."

Looking panicked, Kagome reached out and grabbed Taji by the arm. His skin tingled from the contact but he met her gaze. "We had help. It wasn't just a couple of humans against youkai. Well, not all the time."

"I thought we agreed she wouldn't be ready to see us!" Kaori suddenly came from nowhere, frowning at Taji. "Leave it to the former inu-youkai to be deaf."

"Sango-chan!" Kagome's face lit up at the sight of her old friend. She rushed forward and hugged Kaori, who couldn't help herself when she laughed and hugged Kagome back.

"Actually my name is Kaori now." She smiled at Kagome, her eyes misty. "Oh hell, I don't care what you call me. Kagome-chan!" They hugged again and Kaori gave a little laugh. "I almost never believed this day would come."

The sound of a wolf whistle brought the three reunited friends back to their settings. Kaori glared at Kazuo, who looked as though he had won an award. Kagome and Kaori both glared at him, but it only caused him to smile more.

"Pervert."

"Miroku-sama."

Kazuo came forward and hugged Kagome gently. "Kazuo now, Kagome-sama."

Kagome released him, noting the jealous expression on Taji's face. "Just Kagome now, Kazuo-kun. I think we'd really attract attention if you kept calling me 'Kagome-sama.'"

"What were you two doing anyway?" Kaori asked. "Running off, hmm?"

Both Kagome and Taji's faces burned red at the accusation. "Um, we were going, that is...going to the compound to talk."

Kaori's eyes sparkled. She wasn't quite ready to give Taji his time alone with Kagome yet. "Guess we better get our stuff and get going."

OoOoO

Sora heard the door click open and checked her watch. It was only lunch time, her sister wouldn't be back so soon. And her parents not until later than that. She heard the chatter of several people and she popped her head around the corner, doing a double take when she saw who else was with her sister.

"Kagome!"

Kagome looked up and then her eyes went wide. "Ka-Kagura?"

Sora sauntered out of the kitchen and greeted Kagome with a flourish. "It's lovely to see you! I thought it would be weeks before Taji-chan got the nerve up to talk to you. Why, it's only been a week, if I'm right." She rushed forward and kissed Kagome on the cheek. "Be a dear and stay here while I get Sesshoumaru. I'm sure he'll just love to see you again."

"Sesshoumau?"

"Oh don't worry, Kagome-chan, he's not the same as he used to be." Sora smiled, as though she was keeping a secret. "Well, mostly."

The door clattered shut behind her and Kagome stood there with her mouth shaped into an 'o'. "He's not going to attack us...is he?"

Taji laughed. "Sesshoumaru? He may hate us, but even he realized that he needed us. What if Inuyasha smelled him?"

Kazuo sat next to Kaori while Taji kept a respectful distance from Kagome, which she appreciated because right now she didn't know him. She knew an aspect of him, a past that he had come to accept, but that also wasn't his own. If Inuyasha had ever tried to further their relationship based upon how Kikyou had acted towards him she would have been furious so she couldn't judge Taji.

Though it was difficult with those violet eyes, and telltale smirk.

They launched into the tale of how all of them had met, how they had found out about their past, and how they had trained with their old weapons. The explanation seemed to go on for hours, but Kagome was no less entranced to hear about how her friends had lived out the rest of their lives and how they had fought many youkai since Kagome began her travels.

Sora still hadn't returned from collecting Sesshoumaru, and it was as they came to the end of their tale that the door opened and without preamble Kouga sauntered into the room. Kazuo and Kaori exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. Taji, however, stood and fisted his hands at his side.

"You worthless wolf! No one invited you!"

Kouga sneered at Taji. "No one asked you, inukoro. Kagome!" As was his habit, he reached out and took her hands in his, meeting her eyes intensely. "It's been 500 years, I've missed you."

Kagome smiled at him, her smile strained as she had to go through this again. "Kouga-kun, I've missed you. But aren't you…"

"Married!" Ayame snapped as she came up behind Kouga and hit him over the head. "You idiot, I can smell her, too!"

"Ow! I was only making inukoro jealous, there's no need to hit me!"

"I'll hit you as often as I want for whatever reason I want." Now she pushed Kouga out of the way and hugged Kagome hard. "Oh, Kagome, it's so good to see you! I thought Sora was joking when she broke into the meeting. We hurried over, though. I just had to see you, oh, wait until I show you pictures of my kids!"

Kagome sent a pleading look to Taji, who stifled his laughter. "I think Kagome's had all the excitement she needs for today." He held his hand out to Kagome who smiled softly at him and took it. "I'll walk you home."

Once more the door banged open, this time allowing Yasuo and Sumi to stumble into the house.

"Kohaku-kun! Rin-chan, too!"

"What is this, a circus?" Kaori held her temper in check, but felt like beating her head on the wall when Shippou walked in also. "Geeze, it's not like we didn't know this day was coming!"

"Kagome!" Shippou exclaimed. "I knew you'd come back."

"Shi...Shippou-chan?!"

Kagome barely recognized the older, human looking Shippou. If he hadn't greeted her she might never have made the connection.

"We're leaving, can't you see Kagome's already overwhelmed?"

"No, it's okay," Kagome breathed. "It's just so...I thought...maybe…"

Shippou laughed. "She really is overwhelmed. Okay everyone let's give her a night to absorb this. Tomorrow you should come for dinner, bring your family, they know all about us anyway. They're all going to have to get used to this crowd."

"Oh I know they know. I'm going to chew them out so much for not telling me!"

OoOoO

Taji rubbed his hands over his face, slightly embarrassed at how the afternoon had played out. He'd dreamed of Kagome's homecoming to be a little more romantic than it had turned out. Of course, he had to accept that since he wasn't the boy she'd fallen in love with. But she hadn't been the woman Inuyasha had first fallen in love with either.

"So...that's the gang, is it?" Kagome asked, their hands barely touching as they walked down the street.

Taji nodded. "That's everyone. Except our parents and of course that bastard Sesshoumaru. But if you come to dinner tomorrow you'll get to see them also."

"I'm looking forward to it. After the well sealed, I felt I had nothing left. That everyone must be dead, and I was trapped," Kagome whispered. "But now, I at least know they lived their lives to the fullest, and now I can be there through their new lives. Though I wish Inuyasha hadn't died under those circumstances."

Taji gave Kagome an appreciative glance. "He knew he'd get to see you again. And here I am, making friends with you again. I don't want to be judged for being Inuyasha. Even though sometimes it's hard for me to remember who I am, I want you to never forget. I remember who you are, but we have a lifetime to get to know each other again."

Kagome once again smiled at him, but this time it made his heart skip a beat. "Something tells me we'll be very close."

"I hope so, Kagome." He reached over and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, letting his touch linger for just a moment. "I really hope so."

OoOoO

A month passed and it became obvious that Kagome and Taji weren't content with their relationship remaining platonic. He would carry her bag to and from school every day and she started making him lunch. When they would touch it would linger just a little longer than necessary, and when they thought no one was looking they would catch each other's eye and blush.

Today they were walking home with just the two of them because Kazuo and Kaori had cleaning duties in their classrooms. Taji usually walked her all the way to the steps, but today found himself following her up the mountain of stairs to her front porch. No one was on the grounds, making it seem as peaceful as any other day, though Taji couldn't place the feeling that today was different from every other day he had walked her home. They had chatted about everything from their families to homework but the conversation seemed to dry up as soon as they reached Kagome's front door.

Kagome initially reached for her door, but stopped just as suddenly. Taji had reached out and taken her hand in his. It was warm and she felt her breath hitch as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over her hand. There was something different, something softer, about his gaze than normal. Kagome had seen that look one other time. The time she and Inuyasha had kissed.

"Taji…" she said so softly he could barely hear it.

"Kagome."

Before she could protest Taji leaned down and kissed her.

It was a soft kiss, a loving kiss, a kiss 500 years in the making. They had waited so long, each with the fear that the other wouldn't be attracted to them. As the days turned to weeks they began to realize just how deep their feelings ran, and as the kiss deepened, becoming something more, they were grateful that they had spent the time getting to know each other.

Soul mates.

The word reverberated through Kagome's head and she shuddered even as Taji wrapped his arms around her, dropping their bags. But it was the only way she could explain how their love for each other had survived different incarnations and time itself.

When they finally pulled away they were left both flushed and breathless. Taji still had his arms around Kagome and tucked her head under his chin. "I'm sorry," he said, "I should have asked."

"Don't be sorry, Taji," Kagome replied. "I've been waiting for that for a long time."

Sighing in relief, Taji looked into her eyes and chuckled. "Not as long as I have."

"No," she giggled. "But I...I want it, Taji." She reached up and touched his face, taking in how much he wasn't like Inuyasha. "I think I'm in love with you."

"Good. Because I know I'm in love with you."

"What should we do?"

"Well, we could always kiss again."

"I think that's a perfect idea."

Kagome leaned up and Taji once more caught her lips in a passionate kiss, causing her to shiver in his hold. He tightened his arms around her, unwilling to let her go, and in response Kagome moaned into his mouth, feeling the kiss taking them to dizzying new heights.

In that moment everything in the world was perfect.

THE END

*I happen to think that the anime got it more right than the manga in this case.

And they lived happily ever after. Because it's Kagome and Inuyasha, so you know they do.