My Not So Imaginary Friend

For as long as she could remember he had always been by her side. He had been her best friend, although only she could ever see him. It was odd but then again, that was the point of imaginary friends. Only Kuronue isn't as imaginary as she thought and neither are his feelings

Disclaimer: Neither Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho are owned by me. I am simply using the animes and their characters for the enjoyment and entertainment of my readers.

Chapter Eight

Gathering everything needed to put together their plans had been tricky, but with Kuronue's guiding Kagome had been able to accomplish everything that needed to be done in order for every bit and piece to come together. The demon silk had been traded in secrecy for simple modern day items that amazed many in the past while she personally purified the meat and skin off of the bones of certain demons they defeated, using the knowledge given to her from Kuronue's teachings to pick the best pieces that would make the strongest amour and tools for her. Of course hiding those pieces had been hard and nearly impossible with Inuyasha's nose to get around, but with the use of the all-powerful magic of perfume and her bottomless pit of a backpack, it had been done. Aside from the silk and bones though Kagome had spent time collecting various of other items, all of which were gained in many different ways ranging from simple trading to, much to her shame and Kuronue's pride, stealing when needed.

It all worked out though and in the end with a few bribes of extra fish in her stomach during dinner, Kirara had taken to flying Kagome to and from the workplaces of those who were willing to create what Kagome desired from the materials she gathered. Granted the only one of these people she knew personally was a certain swords-smith but with Kuronue's assurance that those he directed her to were more than capable of completing their task, she found herself willing to put her trust in the strangers, who seemed very edgy around her once noticing the pendant around her neck, only to be far more than simply pleased when she saw the results of their work.

Alone each and every piece were something close to an work of art, but now as she, for the first time, wore everything together as meant to be, Kagome couldn't help but notice that the attire, while made by many different hands, fit together perfectly.

Body wrapped in a layer of sturdy black cloth that clung to her as though it were a second skin, Kagome wore the final result of months of careful planning. Over the skin-tight slayer-like suit, she wore a fine kimono that fell to her knees. The kimono was a royal blue in color with simple designs of silvery swirls, but was made in a way that was fit for battle. Although if anything it resembled a luxurious robe, it was tight enough to be kept secure on her body, yet it did not prevent free movement in battle. Her choice of clothing would not limit her as her school uniform did and while the kimono itself was thin, the suit underneath was enough to keep her warm and protected with it's hard, yet light, material. In all honestly the kimono itself was more for fashionable appeal, but the carefully made armor went well with it. Wrapped around her it was dark enough to nearly blend in with the fabric, yet the carefully carved details still managed to stick out. One piece of armor may have been viewed as too little but it was fit to her body and crafted in such a way that any and all vulnerable areas stretching from her breast to her waist was covered and protected.

A silver sash wrapped around the base of the armor tightly kept two blades secured at her side. One a simple yet stunning sword and the other a matching dagger, both weapons she managed to up her skill on, but with Kuronue as her teacher her skill was not held with those weapons. If anything the two blades only served as a last resort of protection. Her true weapon choice was gripped in her hand: a staff. As tall as Miroku's own, this was the creation made for her by the sword's smith trusted by Inuyasha's own great and noble father. The staff was the product of the finest bone pieces she had gathered as well as a rare form of metal it had taken weeks to track, strands of her hair, and, oddly enough, a small shard carefully carved off from the jewel of her pendant.

Her staff was light in weight, as if she held only air, but fit well in her grasp. It lacked any real remarkable traits, looking nothing more than a fine off-white walking stick, but the simple weapon held secrets of deadly strength.

Settling the staff against the wall, she worked her hair into a quick braid before slipping on sturdy boots, searched for and bought on the web, and taking one more look at herself in the mirror. Gone was the innocent school girl with miko powers she could barely control, a powerful young woman standing in her place instead, but Kagome knew that even with everything she learned, she still had room for improvement. Her grip on her miko abilities was better, her skills in defense something she could depend on and she could battle with a blade, but there was so much more she could do. So much she could still learn and it was the knowledge of how much she still lacked that made her wonder-

Could she succeed?

She was no fool. The skies were getting darker, the silence thicker, and the air more tense. A battle was nearing, and while she knew she was no easy foe to defeat, she wondered if she was strong enough to be victor of whatever fate threw at her next.

People were depending on her, and it was with a sudden wave of anxiety that the world began to darken as her mind was pulled away for a moment. Her gaze, focused on itself within the mirror, slipped closed briefly, and when they opened-

-She was standing silently on a small strip of pale crystal pink, her head bowed respectfully to the glowing figure that stood before her proudly with a presence that was both calming yet intimidating. Behind that glowing figure stood three shadows that snickered quietly with an odd humor only they understood, their taunting demonic gazes laughing silently at her as they pointed and shrieked out crude comments that were ignored when the glowing figure, a powerful yet beautiful woman, spoke up and over their words with a soft voice that echoed almost eerily in the blank nothingness they all stood in.

"The battle is nearing, Shikon no Miko, and soon the Day of Judgment will come." The woman's gaze pierced her own with an unreadable expression and for a moment, Kagome shivered with a fear she did not understand. "Will you fail us, Shikon no Miko? Will you fail the world, those you love…yourself? Will you fall to the evil you fight or will you successes?"

A feeling of offence shot through her and before she could help herself, Kagome found words flying off of her tongue far before her mind could even comprehend the movement of her moth. "Of course I will succeed! I have to succeed!" and it was true. There was so much riding on their victory. Her victory. Failure was not an option, yet her words seemed to have no affect on the woman.

"You say that now…but will you be able to do what is right when the time comes? Will you be able to make the sacrifice that is needed to ensure the safety of the world?"

"Sacrifice? What sacrifice?"

The woman did not answer, and for a moment, all was silent. Even the three dark shadows stopped their daunting laughter and jokes in favor of pinning her with their dark gazes that spoke of secrets she had yet to learn. Secrets she somehow knew were terrible, terrible things that she didn't want to learn but would anyways soon enough.

"On the day of judgment, a choice will be given…" One of the shadows suddenly said.

"A choice between what is needed…" Another shadow continued.

"…and what is wanted." The last finished before all three grinned and stalked forward.

"On the day of the battle…"

"Evil won't be the only thing you'll fight."

"Your heart will battle…"

"With your mind!"

"Your heart will side with what is wanted, that which is wrong, while your mind will side with what is needed, what is right."

Their shadowed hands reached out to touch her as they talked but a spark of purity stopped them before contact was made and, reluctantly, the three moved back behind the woman who stared at her with a look of pity. While Kagome didn't fully understand what exactly the shadow's ramblings meant, the woman knew very well.

"Will you fail us, Shikon no Miko?" she questioned again while the four began to fade. "Will you truly be able to succeed when the price for victory may very well be your own happiness? Your heart?"

"I…I have to do the right thing…"

"What may seem right to you might not be what is right to us. Can you truly decide on what is best without mixing the world's needs with your heart's wants? When the time comes, can you truly be trusted to protect the world? Or will you simply fall to your desires…?"

"I…"

"Will you or won't you do your duty?"

"I…" The answer should have been easy: yes. A simple yes, yet… "I…don't know…"

"Remember your dreams, Shikon no Miko. Remember the future that will result from your actions should you choose wrongly, should you fail."

With that the woman completely faded away, leaving Kagome alone with troubled thoughts and a sickly feeling of unease. Would she really be able to choose right? Or would she choose wrong? No matter what, one thing was clear:

She would lose something important either way.

The only question was what?

"Oh my…"

Opening her eyes and looking to where her mother now stood, Kagome smiled at the misty look in her eyes as her mother stepped closer to pull her into a hug. Motherly comments on how beautiful her "little girl" looked were given and while the comments much better suited a teenager off to prom rather than a young woman heading off to, what may very well be, war, Kagome accepted the affection with warmth.

Would she lose her family?

"Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? I could cook up another lovely dinner and you could leave tomorrow morning."

"I think I stayed long enough, mama, Inuyasha is probably going crazy by now. I shouldn't keep him waiting more."

"Yes, I suppose you shouldn't." Kun-loon agreed with a small pout. "Do you have everything ready to go?"

"Yeah, thanks for the extra candies for Shippo." Spoiling children was bad, but Kagome couldn't help it when her son-like friend looked so happy when given a new sweet. "He'll love them."

"That's good…"

Glancing at her from the corner of her eye, Kagome paused in picking up her overflowing back for a moment before deciding to leave it for now. "Mama?"

"Yes?"

"If you can get grandpa and Souta, I may have time for a late lunch before leaving."

A smile bloomed on Kun-loon's face and with an agreement in the form of a nod; she left the room to gather everything needed for the meal. Kagome watched her leave with a smile of her own that was somewhat strained with concern. Kun-loon was a loving mother, but for the past few days Kagome couldn't help but feel as if there was something bothering her. Her mother was never one to fuss over her too much, having faith in her and her friends, but it seems as if fussing was all she did. Kagome naturally loved her mother's attention, every child did, but she couldn't help but feel as though she was being smothered. A mother's love was a wonderful thing, but her mother was acting as though she were afraid to let Kagome out of her sight.

Even if it was a little irritating, she couldn't stand the sad look in her mom's eyes when she denied her one more night. She really did need to leave though, evil waited for no one, but one little meal wouldn't hurt anything too badly. Also, if she were honest with herself Kagome would admit she missed the daily pattern of eating meals with her blood family. As much as she loved her friends, she could never ignore the homesickness she felt.

The meal, Kagome decided as she slid the door to the well house open, was a bad idea. Being with her family was fun, but she could feel the food sitting in her stomach with despair as she began creeping up to the old well that acted as her portal to the past. Nerves ate away at her while nausea grew, and gripping both her overflowing bag and staff she took a deep, unsteady, breath before stepping onto the rim of the well. Her eyes peered into the darkness and for a moment she saw three dark shadows grinning up at her in dark delight as the words from earlier drifted into her mind.

"Your heart will battle…"

"…With your mind!"

What she wanted wouldn't be what was needed and she would have to choose which demand to give into, but what did she want? What was she risking with this future battle?

"Your heart will side with what is wanted, that which is wrong, while your mind will side with what is needed, what is right."

What would she lose?

"Will you truly be able to succeed…"

Who would she lose?

When the price for victory may very well be your own happiness…?"

"Kagome?"

" …Your heart?"

The answer was far clearer than she ever wished.

"Kuronue…" she breathed in a whisper, turning carefully on the well's rim so that she was face to face with her oldest protector and friend. Their eyes met, concerned violet with troubled blue, and with the silence around them they stood, neither one breaking the stare until Kagome decided fuck it.

A sharp, pointed ear twitched when her bag and staff fell to the floor then again when Kagome whispered "Kuronue…" once more. Almost as though sensing what was to come he stepped closer so that only a few inches of air stood between them. Slowly, hesitantly, Kagome raised her hand and pressed it to his chest where a beating heart sat where it shouldn't. She couldn't recall when his heart had begun beating again, if it had ever even stopped in this ghostly form, but it mattered little as she felt the evidence of him being there. Each soft thump against her palm reminded her that he was there, and after a few minutes of her comfort she moved on.

His form seemed to strengthen as she began tracing a path up his neck with her left hand, the right still on his chest. Her fingers brushed against his skin then traced the lines of his strong jaw. She followed the path to a single pointed ear that twitched under her touch before her fingers ran down to his lips briefly only to move so that she could rest her left palm on his cheek.

"You're acting oddly little tenshi…" he murmured to her with a slight purr in his tone. A hand of his own moved to rest over the one on his cheek, pulling it down so that his lips brushed the tips of her fingers. "What's wrong?"

"Kuronue," she only said in reply, ignoring his question. "What…what would you do if you lost me?"

"Nothing." There was a dangerous edge to his voice. "Because you will never be lost."

"But if I was…what would you do?"

"I would find you again."

It was a typical Kuronue answer, but it still brought a small smile to her lips. "And if I were to lose you? What do you think I should do if that were to happen?"

"Again-nothing, for if I were lost I would simply find my way back to you."

"Even if it took five hundred years?"

As they talked Kagomes hands fell away from his cheek and chest, only to come sliding up his arms to wrap loosely around his neck. Their bodies pushed together and his arms moved to embrace her waist while slowly their faces neared, lips losing distance.

"Even if it took a thousand I would still find you."

Warmth tickled his lips as she whispered one last breathy word. "Promise?"

His answer came in the form of a kiss.

'I promise."

End

This chapter is long overdue, so in my pitiful attempt to seek your forgiveness I give you: the first kiss!

Yes, yes ladies and gentlemen. My dear readers, Kagome and Kuronue have kissed.

Thank you all for reading this story! Now, I know what you're all thinking: end? She can't possibly mean that this is the END of the story! There's so many things left unanswered! They haven't even MET Kuronue! Kun-loon still has her secret! Hell, THEY HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN KAGOME AND HER AWESOME NEW LOOK! You're a shitty author!

Well, before you all kill me: there will be a sequel to this story. Questions will be answered in that story, but if there is anything you really, really want to know/see in the sequel then feel free to PM me.

Thank you all again for reading and your wonderful reviews.

Kagomes Kit