Time-Turners, Tentatively
by: Uplifted

Chapter One: A Lesson in the Past

"Kagome, I didn't know you were that interested in English." Commented Niki-san, the senior organizing the trip. Kagome blushed a bit, and nodded.

"Because of my, uh, illnesses and sickness I started reading English literature. Shakespeare was one of the books that was in the pile myfather brought me, and I fell in love with it." Niki nodded, and wrote Kagome's name onto the list of people who had paid the necessary amount of money for the trip.

It had been four months to the day that Naraku had been sealed away. His dark soul proved too evil to be purified, but Kagome and Kikyo had combined their mutual spiritual power to lock Naraku away forever. No longer would his evil create orphans or decimate villages. With the completion of the Shikon, the freeing of Kagura and Kanna, too much had happened. And then, when the final shard had been melded into the once-shattered jewel, Kagome had felt such a surge of happiness, such a feeling of relief, that she turned to her circle of friends, and whispered,

"It's done."

No longer would Miroku worry about his hand. With the sealing of Naraku, so had his hand sealed away. Sango could grieve in peace for her little brother, and her village, and Kikyo… Kikyo still lived. It was not a real life, but she still breathed and spoke and yearned and wished. Which member of that special group would deny life to another person who had been harmed by Naraku? Of course, the decision was still a bitter one in Kagome's heart, as she knew well that she could never force Inuyasha to chose between his first love, and then his next.

And so, Inuyasha was the first to be given the Jewel to make a wish. But he had refused. And so had Sango, Miroku, and Kikyo. The final wish rested with Kagome. But as she held the completed Jewel in her hand, and looked at her friends and family (Shippou had been officially adopted both in her time and this era by Kagome) she could think of nothing that would give her more happiness. Except…

"I wish for you to be happy." She whispered, cradling the jewel close enough for it to hear the innate longing beneath the words. "I wish for all those hurt by Naraku to be resurrected, cherished, happy." And as she finished speaking the last words, she was enveloped in a light pink light.

"Eep!" Blinking in the new light, she turned to look at her friends, who were watching with a mixture of horror and revelation. Shippou, the only one thinking clearly, leapt from his perch on Miroku's shoulder to Kagome's arms, being bathed in the pink light.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku said quietly, to catch her attention. When he had it, he bowed. Kagome, realizing finally that these were her last moments in the feudal era, returned the bow.

Sango, with tears in her eyes, threw something to Kagome, which Shippou caught. "Goodbye Kagome!"

"Bye, Sango." Kagome said sadly. "Tell Miroku how you feel about him!" She called, as her feet began to disappear.

Inuyasha, the last to bid her goodbye, simply stared at her, his amber eyes catching her brown ones in an instant.

"Goodbye Inuyasha. Be good to Kikyo." Inuyasha turned his head, and 'Feh-ed'.

"Take care of yourself Kagome." Then he turned back and surged forward, grasping Kagome into a bone-creaking hug. She smiled softly, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the embrace.

"Goodbye everyone!" cried Shippou, looking at his adoptive family, clutching Sango's gift of demon poison, and disappearing with his mother.

The glade that the wish had taken place in glowed a final pink before reverting to it's original coloring, and settling down. What the small group didn't know was that even then, Kouga, Wolf Prince of the North, was reunited with his long dead comrades. Whole villages were now back on the map, and the demon slayers immerged from their graves, whole and unharmed.

Of course, this was written into history, and passed into legend. But history never recorded what happened to the shard-detector of the group.

Kagome smirked as she walked out of her school building, backpack swinging from her hand. 'Because I'm here now.'

After many long nights spent remembering her friends and writing their adventures in great detail, and many long days spent catching up on the school work she had missed in the time that she had been away, Kagome had finally come to accept that she would not be seeing her friends again. The well was sealed, and no amount of spiritual power could open it again.

Because she thought so much of her lost friends, her mother had begun to worry, and insist that Kagome sign up for two or more after-school activities. And so, Kagome joined the Archery Club, the Foreign Languages Club, and a number of other physical activities. Her friends, so used to the sickly Kagome that was always tired, couldn't understand how she could suddenly run a mile without breaking a sweat, or notch an arrow and hit something without killing her arm.

The truth was, after running from demons, to demons, and every which way in between, her legs had strengthen from 'Average scrawny middle-school girl' to 'Half-way decent runner'. So Kagome found Physical Education a bit easier to deal with. As for the Foreign Language Club, English it was. And she hadn't even lied that time. When she was sick as a child, her father had read to her from a few English books. Even though the others were very good, she had especially adored Romeo and Juliet.

Then, she had heard that the English club was planning a trip to England, including a visit to Shakespeare's home. She couldn't resist the lure, and had gone to sign up today.

She wanted to skip home to Shippou, Souta, Mom and Grandpa. Instead, she walked with Kaoru, Yuka and Emi, chatting idly about the trip. All four of the girls had wanted to go, but only Kagome and Yuka could raise the money in time. The two conversed animatedly about where they were going, what they would do, while the other two girls glared with a mix of jealousy and laughter.

"So, Kagome, are you going on that tour of the haunted castle?" Asked Yuka with a knowing wink, as Kagome laughed and nodded. Eri nearly screeched with outrage, but the smiling Kaoru grabbed Eri's hand with a squeeze. Falling back, behind the two other girls, she motioned with her head in Kagome's direction.

"She's finally getting happier. Don't ruin it for her, okay Eri?" Sighing in defeat, the dark haired school girl nodded. "Gotcha."

The four laughing friends continued on their way towards home. Kagome was the second to leave the group, and she did so with a laugh and a wave.

"G'bye everybody! See you all bright and early tomorrow for the trip!"

And with a whirl of her legs, Kagome had raced up the many shrine steps to her family's ancestral home. They had been living there for at least a few centuries, but historians had been unable to trace the roots of their family past a man by the name of Higurashi Mimoto.

"Mama! Souta! Grandpa! I'm home!" Kagome sang as she walked through the door, took off her shoes, and placed he in the proper box. She dropped her bag carelessly on the floor, and scooped up an excited Shippou.

As her children (and adoptive grandchild) ran about, laughing, Kagome's mother thought quietly on how happy the house had been since her daughter's return.

There was laughter now, when before there had been only tears. There was talk and gaiety, colors and bright, vivid dreams for the future. At first, Shizuki had been worried about her daughter's future when she had first fallen through the well. But as her miko abilities had immerged, she knew that Kagome would always have a place at the shrine. But now, her daughter was going to a place almost as unreachable as the Feudal Era. How would England change her daughter?

She didn't know.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this as much as I am writing it. Please tell me what you'd like to see, if you like how the story is progressing, and whether the plot's any good?

Best Wishes,

Lif