Cursed

Summary: Inu-Yasha |x| Yu Yu Hakusho

Because of her incarnation's curse, every new moon she turns into a lusting demon. Her friends have always been there to keep her from trouble, but one night of the new moon, no one is there to save her. If she mates, then she will not only always be bound to that male, but she will stay a demon forever. Will she be stopped in time?

May 30th, 2008

| Revised: April 24th, 2010 |

Trying to resist the urge to throw-up, Kagome inched closer to Kaede, whom had long since fallen during the long battle, completely out of arrows and energy. She was still alive, but completely exhausted. Looking around, Kagome was met with destruction coated heavily in blood. All of the villagers had been slaughtered and the only survivors were those who fought against Naraku. The village had been decimated.

The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang through Kagome's sensitive ears as Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru attacked Naraku at the same time. The dark hanyō had grown several new appendages and seemed to be easily fending off the inu brothers as well as the attacks of Kagura.

Sango and Miroku stood together, both fighting to save Sango's younger brother, Kohaku. The younger taijiya fought with all his might under Naraku's control and Sango desperately called to him while Miroku was there to support the female taijiya emotionally.

Shippou and Kirara, both exhausted from the battle that had drug on for nearly two hours now, sat next to Kagome and Kaede.

Kanna, the only one whom did not have any injuries, stood behind Kagome, peering into her mirror and into the future to find and opening against her former master. Yōko stood next to her, completely untrusting of the nihility demoness while she was so close to his mate.

"I've grown entirely too sick of this. Shin-e you dogs! Roll over and die!" Naraku growled, the swords in his three pairs of arms all swung as one, knocking both Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha off their weary feet before the six blades stabbed the inu hanyō through his stomach.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed, standing quickly to race towards her friend's fallen body. Yōko's strong arms were the only things stopping her from running into the fray. And even though she knew it was dangerous, Kagome fought her mate's hold, tears pouring down her cheeks as she cried.

"Forget him, Kagome." Yōko whispered in her ear, but Kagome shook her head and continued her struggles. Her tearful gaze watching Naraku laugh cruelly as he yanked his blades from Inuyasha's body, before turning to face the battle worn Sesshōmaru.

"Now, it's your turn." the dark hanyō stated, taking slow steps towards the taiyōkai. Blood covered blades raised above his head, Naraku paused and smirked down at Sesshōmaru. "Shin-e." Watching in slow motion as the blades moved towards her mate's body, something inside her snapped and Kagome's eyes sparked a bright white glow.

Behind her, Yōko felt his body go slack and was barely able to turn his head before he realized that his sudden lack of movement was all Kanna's doing. "Let her go." Kanna said to Yōko softly and against the kitsune's will, his arms released his hold on Kagome's body. As soon as he did so, Kagome – not at all in control of her body – phased out before his amber colored eyes, appearing just as quickly beside Naraku, her aura glowing brightly around her.

'Kagome.' Sesshōmaru and Yōko thought frantically. They both watched as she grabbed Naraku by the throat and pinned him to the ground. They were however, not expecting the howls of pain that spilled from Naraku's mouth.

"No, Naraku… You die." she growled before her aura exploded, obliterating Naraku's body into nothing and purifying his soul, sending it off to deal with all that karma had in store. Once the deed was done, as she slowly regained her senses, Kagome's eyes faded back to ruby red. Blinking, she peered around the clearing, a look of confusion upon her face, before the look melted away and she fell to the ground in a dead faint.

"Kagome!"

"Kohaku!" Sango screamed, reaching out to catch her younger brother as he fell to the ground. Falling into her arms, Sango felt that his body was no longer warm, but ice cold to her touch. Fearful brown eyes searching his back, "KOHAKU!" she shrieked, realizing that the Shikon shard sustaining his life, was no longer in his back.

A bright flash pulled her and Miroku's gaze to the shard that was hovering several feet off the ground. The same height as where the shard would have been in Kohaku's back if he were still standing. Struggling to stand, Sango reached for the shard to place back into her brother's body, however, her hand was met with a barrier that sent a painful shock through her own body. "No!" Sango cried, trying again for the shard. However, this time the shard blinked away from view. "NO! Kohaku, don't leave me!" the taijiya cried, sinking to the ground and gripping her brother's clothes as she sobbed into his freezing chest.

Miroku, Shippou, Kirara, and Kaede all watched the sorrowful taijiya. Not knowing what to do, Miroku kneeled to pull Sango into his hold, soothingly running his hands through her hair. Her tears soaking his monk robes.

Yōko, upon regaining control of his body, turned blood red orbs to Kanna. Furious at the nihility hanyō for having done what she did.

"Kagome was the only one who could kill Naraku. I will not apologize for what I have done." Kanna said simply. Her sister Kagura, swept in at just the right time, saving Kanna from the raging kitsune demon before she lost her head.

"Don't you think you should tend to your mate?" Kagura taunted. She and Kanna safely hovering on her feather. "See you later!" she called, before the sisters were whisked away by the winds. Finally free from their hanyō father.

With a fierce snarl, Yōko forced his beast to calm, before turning to do as the arrogant wind hanyō had suggested. As he neared Sesshōmaru, who was holding Kagome, "Give her to me." Yōko demanded. The only thing he got was a vicious growl from the inu yōkai.

"You're the reason she's like this now."

"Iie, speak to that bitch Kanna and her sister Kagura. They had this whole battle planned from the start. Now give me my mate so that I may check her for injuries." Yōko retorted, narrowing his amber eyes at the possessive dog.

"Keh, …you bastards need to stop… fighting over her! She hates that." Sesshōmaru and Yōko turned to find Inuyasha struggling to stand. He was leaning heavily upon Tetsusaiga.

"Inuyasha, I thought you were dead." Sesshōmaru said, slightly disappointed.

"Feh, Naraku couldn't kill me even if he did get that wish from the Shikon." the hanyō retorted haughtily. "See, I'm already healing." He was right, the wounds that Naraku had inflicted were already closing. "I was only out for as long as I was because I was still regaining my demon blood after my transformation yesterday."

"Mmm," Kagome groaned as she came to. All three of the silver demon's gazes turned to watch her as she struggled to sit, only to find that Sesshōmaru was standing with her held tightly in his arms. "Ano, could you please release me?" she asked, blinking once as she looked up into her mate's eyes.

"No." Sesshōmaru replied firmly.

"Feh, bastard." Inuyasha grumbled. Having regained enough strength to stand on his own, he sheathed Tetsusaiga.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, hearing his voice brought back memories that her mind had been content to forget for a while. Her ruby eyes looked in amazement as the hanyō greeted her with an unusual gruff smile.

"Yo. I'm fine, no need to get your underwear in a bunch." the hanyō assured, watching Kagome as she struggled in her mate's hold.

"Kagome!" Sesshōmaru growled, glaring at his mate to stop. He nearly rolled his eyes when she pouted.

"Sango! Wait, this is not the best course of action!" Miroku shouted.

Inuyasha and Kagome were both shocked when Sango appeared before Sesshōmaru with a glare on her face. She was not glaring at the yōkai lord, but rather his mate.

"Give it to me!" Sango demanded, tear soaked face telling Kagome that Kohaku had not survived the battle.

"Sango-chan, …I'm sorry about Kohaku." Kagome said softly, biting her lip.

"Give it to me!" Sango shrieked, startling her best friend.

"You will refrain from using that tone with my mate." Sesshōmaru growled threateningly at the taijiya. Sango might be Kagome's friend, but right now with the way she was acting, he had no qualms about killing her to defend his mate.

"I'm not talking to you." Sango said lowly. Fed up with having to wait, she reached for Kagome's neck.

Kagome shrieked in fear.

"Sango!" Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kaede yelled, stunned by the demon slayers bold actions.

"Let go!" Sango yelled, struggling against Yōko's strong grip. The kitsune and inu mates of Kagome had reacted quickly. And while Yōko had grabbed Sango as soon as she had reached for the tenma-nisou's neck, Sesshōmaru had stepped back quickly, not allowing her near the demoness in his arms.

"I won't allow that damn jewel or Naraku to kill my little brother. Now give me the Shikon!"

Feeling deeply for her friend, Kagome reached up to grasp the small shard that she always kept around her neck. Eyes widening, Kagome looked down and used both her hands to pat around her neck.

"It's not there! It's gone!" she exclaimed, panicking. Everyone's eyes fell upon her. "The Shikon no Tama has disappeared."

Just as the words left her mouth, a bright flash ripped through the decimated village, leaving behind the complete form of the once shattered Shikon no Tama hovering just an arm's length away from Kagome. It glowed with a radiant pink power, twinkling brightly.

Reaching out a clawed hand, Kagome carefully took the jewel into her grasp, cradling it preciously. And in response to her presence, the jewel hummed happily, glad to have finally been returned to it's Guardian without any flaws about its physical presence.

"Kagome-imoto, please?" Sango whimpered, her form slack in Yōko's grasp.

Her heart going out to her best friend, Kagome nodded. However, the Shikon no Tama had other plans and in another bright flash that drew everyone's attention to the extraordinary cursed jewel, the Shikon no Tama began to sink past the flesh of Kagome's hand, disappearing into her body.

Feeling a pain shoot through her chest, Kagome shucked in a sharp breath and grasped a clawed hand around the silk covering her chest, whimpering as the pain intensified. It felt similar to the time the witch Urasue had pulled her soul from her body to give to Kikyō's clay body and all those months she had spent living off half a soul.

Thrusting Sango into a stunned Inuyasha's arms, Yōko stalked forward and took Kagome from Sesshōmaru's hold. "Kagome-koi, relax." the kitsune whispered, sliding a seed into her dark locks before encouraging the seed's growth with his spirit energy. What sprouted was a white rose that, as Kagome took a deep breath, spread a soothing scent throughout her body, acting as a painkiller.

Panting tiredly, Kagome leaned her head against Yōko's shoulder, closing her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.

"What the hell was that about? What's wrong with her?" Inuyasha demanded, forcing Sango into the arms of Miroku when he had appeared at his side.

"It would seem that the Shikon no Tama has become a part of Kagome's soul." Yōko replied, speaking softly so as not to awaken the tenma-nisou that had just fallen asleep. Turning, he began to make his way over to the aged priestess's hut. The only hut still standing. Sesshōmaru followed to make sure that his mate was well protected while she slept to adjust to her newest change.

"You mean to tell us that Kagome-sama is now the embodiment of the Shikon no Tama?" Miroku repeated skeptically, leading Sango after the kitsune yōkai.

"Then what the hell does that mean for those of us that have a wish for that damned jewel?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Apparently, the spirits and souls making up the jewel have decided that the only way to keep the Shikon no Tama from being used and kept in a perfectly balanced state, is to meld with Kagome's soul. Now, Inuyasha, perhaps you can find a way to keep that filthy mouth of yours closed. My mate needs rest, not to have to listen to your whining over a lost wish." Sesshōmaru growled.

"Oh dear." Kaede said, easily understanding what they were talking about, despite having just joined in on the conversation. With a sigh, she held open the doorway for Yōko so that he could lay Kagome down for a more comfortable rest.

"But... Kohaku!" Sango reminded everyone, pulling against Miroku's grip to free her arm. Before she had time to realize what had happened, Sesshōmaru had gripped Sango by the throat and lifted her off the ground. Kaede, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara, and Inuyasha's eyes widened fearfully.

"Bastard! Put Sango down!" Inuyasha yelled, clawed hand reaching for Tetsusaiga.

"I have heard more than enough of your whining about your dead brother. If you disturb my mate's sleep, I will shred your brother's body into so many pieces that he will be beyond even the Shikon's repair." Sesshōmaru threatened, ignoring his half-brother's demands.

Narrowing her eyes at the demon lord that was ever so slightly choking her, "You cold-hearted bastard. You may not have cared to experience the rewards of having a younger brother to care for, but I have. And I will see to it that Kagome shames you in front of your people if you even dare to make good on that threat of yours." Sango spat.

Now realizing that threats, demands, and asking nicely would not deter the taijiya, Sesshōmaru released her neck from his hold, uncaring of any broken bones she might endure from the fall. His main focus was the rotting corpse of Sango's brother.

Gently grasping her throat and coughing, Sango looked up to see where the inu yōkai was going only to widen her eyes in fear. "Stop! Leave Kohaku alone!" she shrieked, standing as quickly as she could and rushing to chase after the one demon that she knew she shouldn't piss off, but seemed to have done so anyways.

She was too slow and paused to watch as the angry demon lord drew his sword. As if in slow motion, Sango watched as the sword fell and sliced through her brother's body. Sinking to her hands and knees, Sango wailed miserably.

"Silence!" she heard Sesshōmaru growl at her. "Now stand." Refusing to show any respect to the demon she could sense now standing in front of her, Sango was prepared to smack away the hand that forcefully brought her to her knees until she saw her brother's body held in the demon lord's grasp. And when Sesshōmaru held Kohaku's body out for her to take, she could see the gentle rise and fall of her younger brother's chest.

"K-Kohaku?" she whispered hopefully, taking his body into her grasp and holding him tenderly. His skin was warm to the touch and Sango couldn't stop the now joyful tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Take your brother and leave. If I sense you anywhere near my mate, I will make you watch as I kill your brother, and then I will kill you." Sesshōmaru stated dangerously. And this time, Sango knew that he was not making idle threats. He was being completely serious as he glared at her with unblinking amber eyes.

And though she was in the cold-hearted demon's debt, she could not, would not leave Kagome. They had become sisters. And she had to apologize to her sister for her shameful actions, demanding the Shikon and even going so far as to try and steal it.

"I can't. I need to make sure that Kagome-chan doesn't hate me for what I've done."

Pretending as though he had not heard a word she said, Sesshōmaru turned on his heel and began making his way back to the hut where his mate slept.

And afraid for her and her brother's lives, Sango simply watched him return back to the hut, disappearing inside. Once he was gone, Sango carefully met the gazes of her friends with pained yet still relieve chocolate colored eyes.

They all looked back at her, unsure of what to do or say. Sesshōmaru had made it very clear that he did not want to see Sango or her brother, ever. And knowing that the inu yōkai was most serious, they did not wish to upset him and force him to make good on his threat. Not when a friend's life was at stake.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku said, his lavender gaze intent on the demon slayers several feet ahead of them, instead of the half demon he was now talking to.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha answered. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the exterior wall of the hut.

"I need to go with Sango-sama." Finally meeting the hanyō's gaze, "Tell Kagome-sama that we will meet again someday."

Knowing that this was goodbye, as the final battle had finally been won, Inuyasha nodded. "I will. Take care, Miroku. And be sure to keep Sango and Kohaku alive. Kagome would go crazy if any of you died."

Miroku chuckled and nodded. "For the sake of Kagome's sanity, we will. Come on, Kirara." The small nekomata jumped and landed gently on Miroku's shoulder as the monk slowly began making his way toward the taijiya brother and sister pair.

"Miroku? What are you doing?" Sango asked, watching as the monk took Kohaku from her grasp, situating the boy on his back before he helped her to stand.

"Come now, Sango-sama, you should now me better than that by now." Miroku playfully chastised, smiling his usual smile.

"Well yes, but before I take Kohaku, I wanted to at least try to see Kagome-chan."

"Ah, for now, Sango-sama, I think it best that we leave. When Kagome awakes and Inuyasha has the chance to explain things to her, then I'm most certain that we shall once again see her. But for now, while she is resting, upsetting her mates is not the best course of action." Miroku advised. "Wave goodbye to everyone." Lifting her arm, Miroku helped the demon slayer to wave to their friends before gently leading Sango away from the village.

Pulling against Miroku and keeping her feet to the ground, Sango resisted. "But-"

"Sango! Please don't try to force the situation. We've finally beaten Naraku and you have Kohaku back, well and alive. Do you really want the first thing he learns of when he wakes up to be your death? Because if you continue with what you're doing, that is exactly what is going to happen." Miroku was quickly becoming frustrated with Sango's stubbornness. He could understand her need to right things with Kagome, as they had become so very close during their travels. But couldn't she see that he was only worried about her and didn't want her to get hurt?

Meeting Miroku's lavender gaze, the monk was quick to notice the tears gathering in Sango's eyes. "I didn't mean to upset Kagome or either of her mates like I did. But with the final battle and having to fight Kohaku, and then when everything was finished, to lose my brother so quickly after I fought to save him for so long, I didn't mean to lose my patience so quickly with Kagome. It was the Shikon I was mad at." she insisted. Relaxing and deciding not to struggle against Miroku anymore, "We searched so hard and fought so hard, and when we finally beat Naraku, it took Kohaku from me, just like that. No goodbyes, nothing! It just felt like… all that I had been doing, was for nothing. I didn't know that the jewel would disappear like that. I would have never been so adamant about using the Shikon to bring Kohaku back had I known that Kagome would have to suffer like she is. Never for my imoto." Sango cried, leaning against Miroku for support.

Miroku closed his eyes and pulled Sango closer, sighing sadly for the woman that he had come to love deeply. "I know, Sango. I know." he whispered gently.

"What the hell did you use on her?" Inuyasha growled, glaring at Yōko from across the flame in the center of Kaede's hut. The hanyō was seated upon the wooden floor with his arms crossed. Beside him sat Kaede.

Shippou was snuggled against Kagome, gently playing with a lock of her hair.

"I used a sedative that keeps its victim unconscious until the pain that they are feeling passes. The scent of that particular plant was only strongest during the first two days that Kagome was asleep and has long since passed. These past several days, in what I can only guess from it's calm hovering power, have been the Shikon's doing." Yōko explained simply. His amber eyes were hidden from the world as he leaned comfortably against the wall of the hut while seated with one leg stretched out and the other bent to allow his left arm to rest lazily against it. His right clawed hand was gently combing through his mate's hair in a similar manner as the other kitsune yōkai inside the hut.

"The Shikon? Why they hell would it be keeping her asleep?" Inuyasha demanded, shifting uncomfortably in his concern for his best friend.

"Perhaps, it is helping her to adjust to it's intrusion into her soul." answered Sesshōmaru with a hint of annoyance at his half-brother's continuous questions. "Don't you have a brain to answer these questions yourself, or has the mixture of human stupidity and demonic brilliance left you at an impasse?"

Soft melodic giggles followed Sesshōmaru's taunt, halting Inuyasha in his attempts to attack his brother. Everyone quickly looked to see Kagome shaking with her laughter before she moved slowly to sit up. Everyone, with the exception of Kagome herself and those whom would not be caught dead expressing emotion openly, gasped gently when she opened her eyes.

"That wasn't very nice Sesshōmaru-sama. Funny, but not very kind." she chastised lightly.

Instead of answering her scolding with a reply, Sesshōmaru carefully took in the slight changes that his mate had undergone with the fusion between her soul and the souls within the Shikon no Tama.

No longer were her eyes narrowed aristocratically, instead they had become wide eyes with large ruby red irises that nearly engulfed the speck of a dark pupil that allowed her to see.

Her once dark shoulder length hair had grown until it reached her waist. The curves of the locks that once set her apart from Kikyō were no more as her hair had straightened perfectly. There were locks of her hair that were cut shorter than the rest, hanging just nearly three inches above her chin. Still shorter, were bangs that hung just at her thin, but perfectly sculpted dark eyebrows. And though this was not any different since her permanent transformation into a yōkai, the mark in the center of her forehead, just slightly above her eyebrows, was.

It was the same mark that the legendary priestess Midoriko had once carried.

"Kagome-koi, how are you feeling?" Yōko asked, gently pulling his mate's body into his lap and turning her to face him.

"Yōko," Kagome whispered, silently taking in the features of his face.

"Kagome?" Yōko repeated, carefully tilting her chin up so that he could stare into her eyes. He couldn't help but smirk when a blush took hostage of the skin of his mate's face.

"F-fine." she stuttered in reply, lowering her gaze to his chin.

"Just fine?" Yōko teased, twitching a single eyebrow upwards in curiosity. "Well, perhaps I can steal you away for a few hours to help you feel better than just 'fine'." Winking suggestively at the tenma-nisou in his lap, the silver kitsune made to move, lifting Kagome in his grasp when nearly everyone protested.

"Yōko!" Kagome exclaimed, blushing brighter than before.

"You bastard!" Inuyasha snarled furiously, standing quickly and drawing his sword, Tetsusaiga.

"Take your filthy thieving hands off of my mate immediately." Sesshōmaru growled, glaring at his mate's mate.

Pouting sadly, Yōko re-situated himself back against the wall, but did not let Kagome out of his hold. "I expected the reactions of Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru, but you Kagome-koi. I did not expect you to protest, but that is fine. I'm most certain I can persuade you later, when we have more time to ourselves."

"Keh, like hell I'll let you go anywhere with Kagome, ya pervert!" Inuyasha scoffed, glaring hatefully at the silver kitsune.

"Ano, speaking of perverts. Where is Miroku-sama? …And Sango-ane? I know she was upset about Kohaku, but I need to know if she's okay." Kagome asked, looking around the hut for any signs of her friends. When she couldn't find any, Kagome instead looked into the faces of Inuyasha, Kaede, and Shippou. None of them were the least bit comforting to the tenma-nisou.

"Kagome," Kaede began, pausing for a moment when the words she wanted to say became unclear.

"I'll take care of it, Kaede." Inuyasha sighed, pushing himself to stand and securing his Tetsusaiga in the sash at his waist, before moving forward to hold a hand out for Kagome. "Come on, Kagome. Let's go for a walk."

Blinking silently, Kagome took the offered hand and quickly stood. "Inuyasha, should I be worried?" she asked, allowing the hanyō to lead her from the hut. Behind her, she could hear both of her mates moving to follow after her. But before either of them could make their way out of the hut, Inuyasha had scooped her up into his arms and leaped gracefully into the sky and towards the tree line. Landing gracefully, he took off with inhuman speed, stopping only when he had reached the small clearing where in the center stood the Goshinboku.

Releasing Kagome from his hold carefully, Inuyasha moved slowly towards the immense tree. Curiously, Kagome watched the hanyō silently for several moments. But after she was sure enough time had been spent and none of her questions about her missing friends had been answered, Kagome was quick to end the silence.

"Inuyasha," she began slowly. "where are they? Did something happen? Because what I last remember is Sango very upset about her brother, and very adamant about using the Shikon to bring him back to life. But it disappeared into me so I don't know what happened afterwards. …Inuyasha… please tell me."

In a manner unlike himself, Inuyasha sighed. Turning back to, Kagome he gently led her to the ground before sitting beside her.

"You've been asleep for a little more than two weeks now."

Hearing Kagome gasp, "Well how long have Miroku-sama, Sango-chan, and Kirara been gone?" she asked, her eyes glowing with concern.

"Since the day you first fell asleep." Inuyasha answered simply. However, before Kagome could open her mouth to ask more questions, Inuyasha continued. "And you should know that Sesshōmaru used the Tenseiga to bring Kohaku back from the dead. But, Sango was acting kinda unusual in a nagging and whining way, and because he didn't want her to disturb you, before he used the Tenseiga, Sesshōmaru made it clear that she was not to be anywhere near you ever again or he would make her watch as he killed Kohaku before killing her. So Miroku went with them to make sure they were taken care of until you awoke."

Seeing Kagome's stunned expression and silence, Inuyasha added a few last words that he knew Kagome would be used to hearing from him. "That way when you did wake up and I had a chance to tell you everything, you could put that dumb-ass half-brother of mine back in his place." It didn't work, at least not in the way that he had been hopping.

"Of course Sango-chan would be upset!" Kagome practically yelled. "Naraku had been controlling her brother for the longest time and she spent several months, years, doing all she could to save her brother more than a few times from returning to death. And then the final battle is over and it turns out to be anticlimactic. But after having been fighting against her brother for so long and then having him just die suddenly, even after she spent the entire battle keeping from landing one blow to him. I can understand why she lashed out and I know that she didn't mean to hurt me at all. She was just probably running on adrenaline and sorrow and lashed out at me because I was the one that the Shikon no Tama picked as it's guardian. I don't blame Sango-ane at all! I just… have you spoken with her at all? Have you seen her? Is she okay? Was she okay with what Sesshōmaru said? Is Kohaku okay?" having finally reached her limit, Kagome allowed the tears that had gathered to fall, leaning against Inuyasha for support.

"I don't know." Inuyasha answered, calmly holding onto the sobbing tenma-nisou. "But I do know that Sango was almost willing to forget about Kohaku just to make sure that you didn't hate her for what she did, and were okay from the Shikon's decision to make you it's permanent guardian."

Sniffling, "Really?" Kagome whispered, not trusting her voice to handle anymore stress.

"Yeah. Miroku had to practically drag her from the village." he knew he was exaggerating a little, but he also knew that Kagome needed to hear something that would tug even a tiny smile on her face. And he would say anything to help her smile, especially when part of the reason she was so upset was because of his own brother.

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome spoke softly, her tearful gaze carefully peering up at the inu hanyō. "Please tell me you know where they are."

"Feh, lucky for you there is a village about a day away from here that decided to stay in. I was able to visit them once a week." Inuyasha replied.

Frowning in confusion, "Once a week?" Kagome repeated. "How long have I been out?" Inuyasha had already told her, but in her slight panic, she had missed what had been said.

"Nearly a three weeks. But from your damn mates' observations, just two of those days were because of his sedative. The others were the Shikon's doing."

"Three weeks?!"

"K-Kagome-chan?" a familiar voice called out, stopping Kagome from getting all worked up about how long she was asleep.

Turning quickly, Kagome was relieved to find the rest of her friends standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Sango-chan… Miroku-sama… Kirara-chan… Kohaku-san. I'm-I'm so glad to see you all!" standing quickly, Kagome rushed forward to be met by Sango's strong embrace.

"Oh, Kagome-chan. I'm so sorry for what happened. Can you ever find it in your kind heart to forgive me?" Sango asked softly, tears gathering in her eyes at the memories of what had happened just shy of a month ago.

Pulling back slightly from the woman she had come to love as an older sister, Kagome smiled brightly. "Sango-chan, I never blamed you. So there's no need for me to forgive you."

'Kaede-sama's right, Kagome is so strong.' the demon slayer thought to herself quietly.

"Kagome-koi."

The happy reunion was cut short when Yōko's smooth voice was heard and his presence seen as he appeared quietly beside his mate.

"Yōko I-, please don't tell Sesshōmaru. From what I heard, he threatened Sango-chan and Kohaku-san. And I-"

"Hey, relax, love. I'm here to tell you that Sesshōmaru is on his way here. He doesn't know that they are here though, just that you've been alone with his half-brother long enough." Yōko interrupted.

"Oh,"

"Thank you, Yōko-san. Come then, Sango-sama, Kohaku-san, it is time for us to leave." Miroku advised, moving forward to pull Sango away from Kagome. "And, Kagome-sama, it is probably best you use some sort of scent disguising spell to hide that we have been here."

Her feelings of sadness grew as her friends turned to leave, and it was then that Kagome decided she could take no more. "No! Don't go anywhere. I'm going to fix this." Kagome said firmly, grabbing onto Sango's hand and turning to face the trees where she could sense her mate approaching.

"Kagome-imoto?" Sango questioned, watching the younger girl with a stunned gaze. "Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean this is Sesshōmaru we're talking about. He may be your mate but,-"

"I'm sure. He's had a problem with my choice of friends for a while now and I'm going to fix it. Like I told you before, you have no right to tell me who I can and can't choose as my friends." As she said those last words, Kagome glared straight ahead at Sesshōmaru as he made his slow entrance into the clearing.

"S-Sesshōmaru." Sango gasped, glancing quickly to her side where Kohaku stood.

"Is that so, mate?" Sesshōmaru asked, staring blankly back at Kagome.

Gripping Sango's hand tighter, Kagome nodded. "Hai. Like I said before, we've all been really stressed, but now. Now things are okay, now we will be okay. Right, Sango-ane?"

Seeing Kagome's bright smile, Sango lost the fear that had gripped her heart upon seeing the taiyōkai. "Hai, Kagome-imoto."

Tipping a slender black eyebrow upwards, Sesshōmaru stared a moment longer at his mate, before turning his back. "And as this Sesshōmaru said before, make one wrong move slayer, and you and your brother are dead." And then he was gone.

"Hn, well done, Kagome-koi." Yōko praised, sliding closer to his mate before pulling her into his hold.

"Keh! I was expecting more of an ass-beating." Inuyasha's gruff voice stated, his disappointment apparent.

"Inuyasha, although you may be stupid enough to pick a fight with Sesshōmaru whenever you feel like it, Kagome-imoto has to be careful with choosing her battles as she'll be living with him everyday from now on." Sango scolded, glaring at the hanyō.

"Feh!" was all the hanyō made to acknowledge Sango.

"You can huff all you like, Inuyasha, but Sango-sama is right. Kagome-sama will soon be living with Sesshōmaru-sama." Miroku agreed, stepping forward to place a gentle hand upon Sango's shoulder.

"As fascinating as this conversation is, Kagome-koi, would you like to escort your friends back to the village?" Yōko offered, tiring quickly of listening to his mate's human friends try to talk so sense into their hanyō companion.

"Yeah! Come on, minna." Kagome excitedly grabbed onto Sango once more before practically dragging the poor demon exterminator towards the village that they had come to call home.

The happy mood of the group quickly fell once they reached the edge of the village. Through everything that had been dealt with since the final battle, they had easily forgotten all of the lives that had been lost and how much destruction had been created, leaving only Kaede's hut standing.

"I buried as many as I could while you slept, but there are still more." Inuyasha spoke somberly, stepping forward to stand beside the tenma-nisou that had so quickly fallen humorless.

"Then we should get started." Miroku suggested calmly. "Kagome-sama, would you help me in blessing each of these poor souls?" the monk asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hai." Kagome nodded quietly, following him deeper into the decimated village.

"Then we should get started on digging the graves. Come along, Kohaku-otouto." Sango said, turning to lead her younger brother to where Inuyasha had previously designated as the grave site for the dead.

"Hai, Sango-ane."

"Then I suppose that leaves us to gather wood to begin rebuilding the village." Looking to his right, Yōko looked at the inu hanyō that he had spoken to and watched as a scowl formed on his face.

"What, you're not going to chase after Kagome and beg her to fuck you?" Inuyasha sneered angrily, turning swiftly on his heels to return to the forest. Yōko's chuckle from behind was enough to further anger the hanyō, drawing forth a fierce growl.

"No, Inuyasha. I will not be chasing after my mate so that we may explore each other in the most intimate of ways, as I can very well sense that Sesshōmaru has her under close watch." the kitsune replied, before falling silent.

And when he suddenly appeared before Inuyasha with a deadly look on his face, angry amber eyes glaring hard at him, the hanyō had to pause in his steps and take a small step backwards. "However, Inuyasha, I have long since had enough of your whining and bitching. So I will say this once, and only once. You lost, Kagome is mine and what I do with her is none of your business. Should I ever hear you speak out against anything Kagome and I discuss, whether it be personal or not, I will feed you to my Shoku Yō Shokubutsu. Are we clear?"

Though his eyes were narrowed hatefully at the fox, Inuyasha nodded his understanding. As soon as he did so, the vines that had begun to wrap around his legs, retreated.

"Very good, hanyō. I'm glad that we could come to this understanding. I would have hated to tell my beloved mate that I murdered her dearest friend." Chuckling to himself, acting as if he hadn't just threatened Inuyasha's life, Yōko turned and continue his way deeper into the forest in search of wood.

Once the kitsune was gone from his sight, Inuyasha sank to his hands and knees, panting in both anger and fear. 'Kagome...'

Weeks had passed since the construction of rebuilding the village began. Three to be exact and although at first Sesshōmaru had been frustrated at having to wait around, watching as his mate helped, she had quickly reminded him that this village was within the borders of his lands and so it was his duty as Lord of the Western Lands to make sure that everything was taken care of.

Smirking at the brilliance of his mate, Sesshōmaru had quickly reminded her that it was also now her duty as Lady of the Western Lands, before relenting to her need to stay and help rebuild the village she had come to call home after leaving her time.

Now that the construction was finished, all that was left was something that fell into Yōko's expertise, the farms and gardens. "Anything for you, Kagome-koi." Yōko had promised his assistance, smiling sly. Now the kitsune stood in the middle of the area designated as farming land, while Kagome and Shippou watched him from just outside the borders.

Earlier, Sango, Inuyasha, and Miroku had plowed the fields and planted the seeds. Now Yōko was preparing to stimulate the growth of all the plants that needed to sprout in order to supply the village and it's new residents.

Shippou had asked to watch the elder kitsune perform his abilities, a growing admiration in his emerald eyes. "Hey, Kagome, do you think that it would be alright if Yōko-sama trained me?" Shippou asked carefully, looking up at the tenma-nisou's face from his place in her arms.

"Shippou-kun, why would you want to train? Life should settle down and become peaceful now that Naraku is gone." Kagome asked, ruby eyes now focused intently on the young kitsune's own face.

"Well, I mean... Um," Shippou stuttered, scratching the top of his head nervously.

"Shippou-kun, relax. I would understand your need to train if you were going off to live by yourself, but you've decided to come live with me. I thought that you might want to enjoy the last few years you have of being a child."

"I do want to! But, I want to be able to protect you, y'know in case things don't work out in the Western Lands at Sesshōmaru's castle." the young child admitted quietly, and in her surprise, Kagome's eyes widened.

Blinking a couple of times, her shock wore off leaving behind only a tender smile. "Shippou-kun, you've been so good to me." she whispered, pulling the child closer to her heart. "And I appreciate your wanting to protect me. But I just want you to look after yourself from now on. Promise me you'll take care of you?"

"But Kagome, you're important to me and if something happens to you, then... Then I won't be happy." he said in all seriousness.

"Sh-Shippou-kun." Sighing in surrender, Kagome nodded. "Okay. I'll ask Yōko to train you."

"Yes!" the young fox cheered, throwing his arms around Kagome's neck and hugging her tight. And with his face buried in her neck, Shippou paused and bit his lip before carefully saying his next words. "Arigatou, okaa-san." he whispered, stiff as a board as he waited for Kagome's response to what he had called her.

'Okaa-san? ...Oh Shippou-kun, I'm so honored... Arigatou.' Smiling gently, "Your welcome, aisoku." she whispered in return. With his face hidden in her neck, he did not see the tears of joy the gathered in her eyes, but she in turn did not see Shippou's own tears of joy at having finally found a mother that accepted him after being orphaned for so long.

"Well then," Yōko's voice said from in front of the mother and son pair, drawing both the pair of emerald and ruby colored eyes to his form. There was a smirk of delight on his dangerously handsome features. "Whenever you two are ready, I will show you how to perform the bonding spell that will make you blood family."

Both Kagome and Shippou's eyes lit up in wonder. "There's such a thing?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Hai!" Shippou nodded, turning his gaze to look at his mother. "It's supposed to be a secret and not even I know how to actually do it. But Yōko, you'll really will show us?" Green eyes searched amber excitedly.

Yōko chuckled in amusement, "Of course. But you know, this will make you my son as well, since Kagome is my mate." the elder kitsune answered.

"Hai, that's okay. ...Um, so long as you promise to take care of okaa-san and never hurt her."

The amusement fell from Yōko's face as he regarded the younger kitsune seriously. After a moment of silence he finally nodded his head. "I promise you, young kit. I will do everything in my power to keep your mother happy and safe."

Kagome sat quietly, watching the two kitsune in her life. Though they were speaking with words, she could sense something else happening in front of her that she didn't quite understand.

Suddenly Shippou released his arms from around Kagome's neck and stood on his own two feet in her lap, before he lifted his hand and stuck out the pinky finger of his right hand. "Pinky promise me." the red fox demanded of the silver.

Lifting a hand to cover her mouth and the giggle threatening to escape, Kagome watched as one of Yōko's slender eyebrows lifted in confusion, having never heard of a "Pinky Promise". But rather than saying anything, Yōko accepted the kit's strange sealing of a promise and held out his own pinky finger. And together, the two kitsune sealed the deal.

Sighing happily, glad that Shippou had accepted Yōko so easily, Kagome stood with the younger kitsune in her hold. "Come on my adorable little boy. I need your help packing my bag for my trip back to the future."

"Hai, okaa-san!" Shippou agreed.

With the construction to rebuild the village complete; Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Kirara, Kaede, and Inuyasha all planned to stay and live in the village. They knew that eventually wanderers would find their humble town and slowly begin refilling the land and now vacant homes. And though they were sad to know that Kagome and Shippou would be leaving their close family, it was understood that she was mated to Sesshōmaru, Lord of the Western Lands, and he would not allow them to live in this small village when he had a castle for them where he could handle all of his business as Lord, her helping as his Lady.

Tomorrow, Kagome, Yōko, and Sesshōmaru had planned for a trip to the future so that Kagome could properly explain to her family that she was going to stay in the feudal era with her two mates. They would spend a couple of days there before coming back and making their way, now with Shippou, towards Sesshōmaru's home in the Western Lands.

And though they no longer had the freedom to wake up and spend all day with each other, Sesshōmaru had reluctantly let them all know that they were free to visit Kagome, so long as they sent word of their visit before they would arrive.

Sango and Kagome had been ecstatic at the inu-yōkai's words and already planned for Sango and Kohaku and whomever else wanted, to visit three months after Kagome had left with Sesshōmaru, Yōko, and Shippou. This was only so Kagome had enough time to become accustomed to life as Lady of the Western Lands.

But for now, before everything changed forever, they would enjoy their time with one another and celebrate their victory against the dark hanyō.

In a clearing not far from the recently rebuilt village, Kagome and Shippou sat under the bright light of a half-full moon. Yōko stood in front of them, leaning against a tree.

"So then, you two are ready to perform the ritual?" Yōko asked, amber eyes shifting between his mate and her son as they both eyed him with excitement and nervousness behind their glassy orbs.

Tightening his grip on Kagome's kimono, Shippou nodded his consent. "Hai."

Sparing a quick look at her son's small form, Kagome smiled lovingly before returning her gaze back to her mate. "Hai." she nodded too.

Sighing, "You both need to understand that this process was made a secret for a couple of different reasons. One, if a demon child were to try this with a human, the human would die." Here, Yōko paused and watched as both Kagome and Shippou's eyes widened in shock.

It looked like Kikyō's curse was turning out to be a little more of a blessing than she had intended.

"Two, the process even for a demon child and demon adult, is very painful." Yōko continued once the two he was speaking to had refocused their attention on him.

Hearing this, Kagome held her hand up to signal her mate to pause. Turning to face her son, "Ano, Shippou-kun, I love you very much and I will not care if we are blood or not. So, if you're not sure about this, after hearing all that Yōko has said, then I won't be disappointed if you choose not to continue with the ritual." she said to the young kitsune.

Immediately Shippou shook his head. "Iie! I want to do this with you, okaa-san! I don't care if it's painful or not, I want to do this with you."

Moved by his determination, a small smile crossed Kagome's lips as she nodded. "Okay, Shippou. Let's do this together then."

For a moment, Shippou had wondered if Kagome wanted to back out because of her own fear of the pain they would have to endure, but seeing her agree with him, he sighed in relief. "Well then, come on Yōko. We don't have all day!" Shippou huffed, facing the silver kitsune once more.

Rolling his eyes slightly, the silver kitsune smirked and shook his head at the enthusiasm of the younger fox. "Alright. To begin, I am going to draw to symbols around the two of you, and you need to stay inside of them until the entire ritual has been completed." Yōko explained. Pushing off of the tree he had been leaning comfortably against, the silver kitsune kneeled and without wincing, he took a sharp claw to his left hand and slit the flesh enough so that a small, steady flow of blood began to fall from his hand.

"Yōko!" Kagome gasped, wanting to move and make sure that he was alright, but before she could, his amber gaze found her's and he shook his head.

"Iie, Kagome-koi. I'm fine, but you need to focus on your son. He's going to need you now more than ever."

Sighing and nodding, Kagome returned her attention to her son whom was watching her with bright and loving eyes. Together, they watched Yōko circle around them, drawing symbols in the earth with his blood. When he finished, he sat before them and licked away the last of his blood, cleaning the wound.

"Now, you both need to take the your middle finger of your left hands and hold them out to each other. Carefully take the finger into your mouths and bite down hard enough to draw blood. Don't spit the blood out, swallow it and just relax." The silver kitsune continued to explain the ritual.

Before following her mate's instructions, Kagome made sure she held her son's emerald gaze. "Shippou, no matter what happens, I'll always love you." she said.

Smiling brightly at the tenma-nisou, "Okaa-san, no matter what happens, I'll always love you too." Shippou returned sweetly.

Promises made, Kagome and Shippou continued with the ritual and did as Yōko had previously instructed, drawing blood from each other in order to create the new bond that would hold them together, forever as mother and son.

Several moments passed after the exchange of blood. Several silent moments.

"That's it?" Shippou exclaimed, slightly disappointed. Huffing in exasperation, the young kitsune looked at Yōko. "That's all?! That wasn't painful at a-" Quickly Shippou fell silent as he felt his entire body pulse along to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Shippou?" Kagome called out, feeling the beginnings of concern in her heart when her son fell quiet. However, her concern melted away as she felt her body pulse along with her heartbeat.

"O-okaa-san." Shippou whimpered, before falling forward into her embrace, and whimpering in pain.

"Sh-Shippou!" Kagome cried fearfully, lifting her son's body to check him over, even as her body began to burn. Shippou's whimpers had increased to full cries and whimpers of pain. "What's wrong, Shippou?" she asked, panicking now when she couldn't find a visible reason for his pain. Tears began to fill her eyes as she watched her son suffer. "Oh, Shippou. I'm so sorry." Bringing the boy close to her chest, she hugged him while calling forth the healing abilities she knew she had, praying that it would help even if only a little. And to her relief, Shippou's cries quieted until he fell asleep, breathing heavily.

"Yōko, what's going on?" Kagome asked, turning her questioning gaze to her mate.

"Forgive me, Kagome-koi, but this is part of the ritual. I wish I could help, but-" Yōko dropped his sentence when he noticed the fact that his mate's own pain was beginning to intensify.

"Itai!" she cried when the slight burning sensations she had felt before, magnified until it was unbearable. "Shippou," she whimpered, realizing that he too had experienced the same pain. But before she could do or say anything, she felt a pulling on her soul that she couldn't resist. Falling asleep, answering the force that was calling out to her, her body fell to the side with Shippou still held tightly in her embrace.

"Kagome!" Several growls reached Yōko's delicate ears and looking up quickly, the silver kitsune found that all of Kagome's friends and her mate, Sesshōmaru, were standing in the clearing looking on in concern at Kagome and Shippou's unconscious forms.

"What the fuck did you do?!" Inuyasha demanded angrily, glaring hatefully at Yōko.

Narrowing his eyes at the inu that had quickly forgotten his promise, "Nothing, Inuyasha." he growled dangerously, practically spitting the hanyō's name.

Stepping forward carefully, Sango carefully eyed the symbols around her friends' bodies. Brown eyes lightened in recognition. "Relax, minna, Kagome-imoto and Shippou are simply on a spiritual journey."

"What kind of journey, Sango-sama?" Miroku asked curiously.

"To become mother and son." she replied easily. As a highly trained demon slayer, her family, in order to become as skillful at their jobs as they were, had learned all of the yōkai's secrets, including the ritual that would bond a demon to an orphaned demon child.

"What? ...I didn't know there was such a ritual." Kaede murmured thoughtfully, her one good eye watching both Shippou and Kagome for any movement.

"I know I don't know much, but isn't that supposed to be painful?" Inuyasha asked, slightly calmer, but still worried for the woman that he loved.

"Hai. But they will survive." Yōko replied curtly.

"They had better, or you will suffer the ultimate punishment for having killed my mate, Lady of the Western Lands." Sesshōmaru growled threateningly. His amber eyes focused their intense anger on the silver fox.

"Okaa-san!" Shippou cried out, scampering quickly towards the tenma-nisou on all fours.

"Shippou?" Kagome questioned, ruby eyes scanning the density of the forest for her son. Finding him, she sighed in relief and opened her arms just in time for him to leap into her embrace. "Oh, Shippou, I was so scared when you were in pain. Are you okay now?"

Sighing contentedly, the kitsune nodded his head. "Hai." he murmured, closing his eyes to relish in the feel of his mother's hold, something he had been afraid he'd never feel again after appearing by himself in this strange reality.

"So," Kagome began, breaking the child from his thoughts. "-do we know where we are?" she asked, and although the question was rhetorical, Shippou still shook his head.

"Nope, but that's okay. I've got you now, okaa-san."

Giggling delightfully, Kagome nodded. "Hai, we've got each other now. So, let's go and find our way back home. I get the sense that Inuyasha and the other's aren't going to be happy if they find out we're missing."

"Hai!"

"Sota, why did you do it?" Azumi asked of her son, watching him carefully even though his gaze was directed at something behind her.

Instead of an answer to her question, the young boy simply narrowed his eyes angrily. "Oh, so you actually care? You're really going to sit down and pay attention to me, unlike what you did with Kagome-nee-san?" he retorted crossly.

Biting her bottom lip, Azumi forced her tears away as her son's words tore at her already wounded heart.

It had been a whole month since Kagome had returned for her visit before her monthly transformation. Her daughter had never been gone this long – at least not without warming – and somehow Sota had found out what had happened between herself and Kagome the last day she had been here. Since then, her son had become rebellious towards her.

The first few days Azumi had let slide, thinking that his anger would cool and he would return to normal. Instead the boy's anger had continued to escalate to the point where Azumi had decided that Sota needed an idol to fill the gap that Kagome had left. And so, she had sought out a "Big Brother" program, which had immediately assigned Sota to a boy Kagome's age.

Urameshi, Yusuke was the teen's name and although he had his own rebellious nature, Yusuke's guidance had helped ease the tension around home.

Sota still hated her, Azumi knew. She also knew that he would never forgive her, not until Kagome returned home. And while she was glad that she had raised her two children to be so close, at this point in her life it was difficult to see as she dealt with the guilt and repercussions of her own mistakes.

And right now, she was dealing with one such consequence.

Sota had gotten into a fight at school with a boy that had made a joke about Kagome always being sick. The boy had been beaten unconscious while Sota came out unscathed. Apparently, Yusuke had been teaching her son some self-defense and instead of using it to defend himself, Sota had used his knowledge to defend his sister's reputation.

Yusuke was on his way over to speak with Sota about the fight, but until then Azumi knew that it was her duty as his mother to find out why Sota had beaten up the boy, and then discipline her son, even though she knew that it would only drive the stake deeper into the wedge that had formed in their once close relationship.

"Sota, that is enough! I have allowed you time to understand and heal, but now you have gone too far. To beat up that poor boy just because he made a small joke about Kagome-" Azumi was stunned when Sota stood quickly from his chair and left the room mid lecture.

"Sota Higurashi, return here this instance!" Azumi yelled after her son, but all she got in return was the slamming of a bedroom door.

Falling back into her chair, Azumi finally gave into the tears that had welled up earlier, sobbing uncontrollably at what had become her life. 'What have I done?'

For what seemed like hours, Kagome and Shippou wandered through the forestry of this strange reality that they had been pulled into during the ritual to become mother and son.

"I hear running water up ahead. We'll stop and take a break once we get there." Kagome announced.

"Sounds good." Shippou nodded, walking calmly beside his mother, clawed hand holding tightly to a slightly larger clawed hand.

It didn't take long for them to reach the clearing with the thundering waterfall leading to a gentle steady river. To Kagome and Shippou's amazement, in the center sat two figures. And as if hearing the entrance of the mother and son pair, the two figures turned to greet the newcomers.

"Shippou?" Kagome frowned feeling the boy pull his hand away from her own, before taking an unsure step forward towards the two figures. "Shippou, do you know those two?" she asked.

"Otou-san? ...O-okaa-san?" the young fox whispered.

Kagome's ruby eyes widened in shock as she realized what was going on.

Swallowing with some difficulty, Kagome willed her racing heart to calm, praying to herself that this wasn't the type of spiritual journey it was turning out to be. "Come on, Shippou-kun, let's go say hello." she offered, smiling kindly when Shippou's forest colored eyes looked up at her.

"Okay." the kitsune kit nodded.

Slowly, the two made their way closer to the awaiting couple. A couple whom Shippou was correct in assuming as his parents. Parents whom waited with open arms and loving smiles.

"Shippou."

"My son." the older kitsune demons greeted their son in chorus.

"Momma! Poppa!" Shippou exclaimed ecstatically, running into his late parents' arms. "I've missed you so much! How-how are you here?!"

Suddenly feeling out of place, Kagome watched the young kitsune, whom she had come to love as her son, as he easily lost focus on what they were doing in this reality. Something she didn't mind. He had his real parents back, so why would he need her? This was the question she asked herself as she turned and made to leave the boy alone with his family so they could catch up.

"Ano, Kagome-sama, please wait." a female voice called out, obviously Shippou's mother.

And idly, in the back of her mind as she paused, Kagome recognized a small amount of jealousy in her heart. But feeling guilty, knowing that Shippou's happiness was more important, she forced herself to turn back around and look at the woman. "Um, actually I was just going to leave to give you all some privacy. This is after all, a special opportunity for Shippou."

"Nonsense! It would be rude of us to ask you to do such a thing when you're just as important to our dear son as we are." Shippou's father exclaimed, gesturing in a friendly manner for the tenma-nisou to come closer.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked, feeling quite vulnerable as she stood opposite of Shippou, watching as he clung tightly to his father.

"Of course. You are Shippou's mother aren't you?" the female kitsune, whose name she did not know, asked.

Confused at the woman's words, Kagome frowned. "Ano, but aren't you-"

"We are merely spirit illusions to help guide you and Shippou on your journey. And while we do have memories of our lives as Shippou's parents, we are no more alive here, than we are in real life."

From his place in what he thought to be his father's arms, Shippou frowned disappointedly. Pulling away, he landed carefully on his feet before turning to face Kagome and was immediately struck with guilt when he saw how uncomfortable she looked standing there.

"Well then, hurry up and tell us what we have to do." Shippou nearly demanded as he quickly returned to Kagome's side. "Okaa-san and I don't have all day y'know." smiling brightly up at her, the young kitsune was relieved when she smiled back at him.

"Goodness." the spirit form of Shippou's mother laughed in amusement.

"He sure is impatient isn't he, Izumi?" Shippou's father chuckled.

"Hai, Shigeru." Izumi nodded.

"Shippou, don't you want to spend sometime with your parents? I mean, it's not everyday that one gets time with someone whose, dead." Kagome asked her kitsune son, careful with the term to describe the condition of his parents.

"Nah, they said themselves that they aren't real. Besides, I'm here with you, okaa-san." Shippou replied easily.

'Awkward.' Kagome thought to herself, unsure of what Shigeru and Izumi would think of their son's words.

"Ano, Shippou-kun." Izumi began, taking a slight step forward towards her little boy, not at all hurt by his comments. Sparkling emerald eyes met another pair of twinkling gems as Shippou looked up at his deceased mother. "Although we may not be alive now, you could always... wish us back. With the Shikon no Tama that this woman carries in her soul."

Owari

Ha-ha! Cliffhanger! Man, it has been so long since I've used one.

Ahem, anyways, Shoku Yō Shokubutsu – Death Tree. The technique used against Ura Urashima during the Dark Tournament Saga of Yu Yu Hakusho.

I know that some of you may have been expecting more for a final battle with Naraku, but I've yet to develop the skills to write long drawn out battles. Sorry, but I'll not force anything only for it to end up, well.. atrocious.

I also apologize for such a long delay, but I've been quite busy and struck with several new and different ideas.

I've done what I can for this chapter, but I'm going to be honest when I tell you that I'm the type of author that when struck with a bright new idea, I can not sit still long enough to continue my other projects. Let alone ponder ideas on what to write about for anything other than my new fic.

So I want you to know that this chapter was nothing short of a miracle for me, and I do hope you enjoyed it. And I would also advise against waiting for another one, miracle that is.

That being said, thank you for reading! Now please leave your reviews. And whether they be criticizing or not, I will enjoy each of them.

Until my next miracle!

Sincerely,

䷼ Your Rude Awakening ䷼