DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Summary: Kagome made a wish to try and make a happier outcome for Kikyo and InuYasha, but there was an unexpected payment required of her. Kuwabara/Kagome

oOo

When everything had been finished in the Feudal Era and the long journey was finally over, all that had been left was the Jewel. It had seemed like such a small thing to sacrifice so many lives for, just sitting in the palm of Kagome's hand and glowing a pure, bright pink, but they all knew just how dangerous it was. When she had pulled it out of Naraku's body, all her friends came to stand around her and watch her purify it, all in various stages of relief and all their bodies battered, none of them really sure what they should do. They agreed to think about it later, once they were all healed up and rested.

Kagome took care of them all, having been the least wounded, and she talked to each of them about how they felt and what their plans were. Well, all of them except InuYasha. Kikyo had died weeks before the battle but now that everything was over it was really hitting home for him. He felt alone, a part of him felt lost, even though his friends were still around and he still had Kagome who had loved him through their years together. But he felt like he had failed Kikyo, he had lost her a second time and didn't save her. Again. And Kagome knew what he was feeling, her heart cried out for him and all that he was suffering through, she wanted to make the pain stop.

She snuck out one night to go talk to the God Tree, the tree's aura was always a soothing one and it made it easier to think when she voiced her thoughts to the old tree. Kagome sat at it's roots for over an hour, hand pressed to the bark while she argued with herself and cried on occasion. She would do anything to not see her friend suffer anymore, and that was when the Jewel began to glow around her neck. Wishing on the Jewel was dangerous, she knew that, but at the same time she was confident that she could use it to fix what she considered broken. Removing the necklace, she cupped the pink bauble in her hands and stared at it for a while. She wasn't sure what to wish for, she didn't know how to phase it to make sure that everything went the way it was supposed to.

Knowing that she couldn't wish for any of it to have not happened, she was left with limited options. There was only so much Kagome could wish for without affecting the lives of so many others, and it eventually boiled down to one choice. She held the Jewel to her chest and wished, she focused all she could into that one thought, that one desire.

"I wish Kikyo was alive."

How could she have known that Kikyo would materialize right before her eyes? Or that, as she was pressing the Jewel into her chest while she wished, it was pushing itself back inside her body? Or even that Kikyo would curse her for being so foolish, that she'd pin her to the God Tree and seal her there?

Kagome could not have known, but that is what happened. And she watched, as everything started to go black, and Kikyo's demeanor changed to the woman she had been originally, like she had been possessed previously. Even with the arrow sending pain all through her body, Kagome could not help but be over-joyed as Kikyo felt her body and smiled as she realized that she was truly alive again. All the pain, it was worth it for the happiness she knew she had brought to them.

But she came to realize, as the darkness took over, that it was the Jewel that had sealed her and punished her. Making her invisible to all who passed by while she slept for years, waking occasionally to see her surroundings. Kagome Higurashi was lost to time.

oOo

She had woken to see bits and pieces of time as it passed her by. She had seen InuYasha chasing his kids through the forest, seen Shippo get kissed by a village girl, seen a very pregnant Sango embracing Miroku, she had seen the trees grow tall and some fall with storms. The landscape began to change, and it was agonizing to see life go on around her in snippets while she was frozen in time on the tree. She had noticed the disappearance of demons and the separation of the worlds, seen her family's shrine built as the trees fell around her and saw generations of her family grow.

Kagome knew she would soon see her mother and brother and grandfather, she just wasn't sure at what point she'd be seeing them. She had been trying to figure out the timing between her bouts of awareness, measuring how long she slept was the hardest part but she knew she could figure it out once she saw her family. She had counted the days she was awake before, she had a full week of awareness before she was asleep again, and she fought the sleep each time. She never won.

But then she woke up, and there was her mother. She was young, with a 10 year old Kagome holding her hand. It was something amazing to spend a week with her family after being alone for so long, despite being invisible to them. Seeing her family and even her father made her cry, she could feel the tears on her cheeks and that only made her cry harder. And she tried her hardest to stay awake, to watch her family grow and change, but that was a battle she never won.

Ten years later, they were all out at the well house with candles in hand. She could hear them talking about how she had missed her twentieth birthday and did the math. That would mean it had been three years since her last trip down the well, the trip she would never return from. Her family was praying for her, Souta was the most positive and told them all that she was probably married to InuYasha and living happily ever after. It was with dark humor that she felt like laughing, if only they knew the truth. But she wanted them to believe she was living out a happy life in the Feudal Era, if only for their own peace of mind. She watched them go about their regular lives for the week she was aware, taking solace in the fact that they were still living as happily as they could. And it was with a heavy heart that Kagome embraced the blackness again, knowing that it was possibly the last time she'd see her family.

She had been right, when she had woken up in ten years her family was gone. She assumed that her grandpa had died and with Souta off to a University, her mother had probably found an apartment close to his school. So she had watched visitors come and go while another family cared for the shrine, this time eager to go back to the dark. It was that way for a while, she watched this new family grow up and then the next and another, until it was soon eighty years past her time.

When Kagome had woken again, she cried instantly, she had counted the years and knew that it was a guarantee her family had all died by now. She was very alone on the shrine, she took no delight in the visitors or the family currently caring for her place, Kagome was heart-broken. She had no idea how long she would be trapped like she was, blinking in and out of awareness, but it was weighing heavily on her now.

But despite the pain she felt in her chest because of the arrow, and despite the heartbreak at her losses, Kagome did not regret what she had done and she did not wish to take it back. She felt that she had done what was right and that was all that mattered.

oOo

Koenma had summoned the Spirit Detectives to put them on a case that had puzzled the Spirit World for centuries. Every decade there was a spike of spiritual energy in the Tokyo area, the energy was massive and the source had been impossible to pinpoint, it only lingered for a week before disappearing for another decade. But this time around, now that he had the guys, he was certain that they would make some progress on this case. The small ruler flipped through the thin file and sighed, this would definitely be a tough one.

There was a knock at the door and Botan popped her head in, "I've got the guys here Lord Koenma, sir!"

"Yes, yes, bring them in Botan." He said, waving his hand.

The odd group followed her in, Yusuke and Hiei both looked irritated to be there while Kurama was as collected as ever and Kuwabara looked determined. For such a goofy young man, Kuwabara had strength and loyalty to spare and that made him invaluable to the team. He was quick to defend any innocent soul in trouble, he had risked his life for people who he could not say would have returned the favor. Koenma had a feeling that, because of the amount of spiritual energy involved, Kazuma Kuwabara would be their biggest asset on this mission.

"So?" Yusuke demanded, "What is it that is so important, toddler?"

Koenma scowled, but ignored the jab, "This mission is part of a case that has been investigated since the very beginning of the Spirit World, but there has been no progress made in all those years whatsoever."

"And you are bringing this up now because…?" Yusuke was clearly impatient, his arms crossed angrily over his chest.

"Shut up, Urameshi! Let him talk so we can get this over with already." Kuwabara growled, keeping himself from taking a swing at his best friend.

The past year had been rough on Kuwabara, Yukina had left in January to return to the other Ice Maidens, it was her time to have a daughter of her own and she would not be coming back for a long time. His heart was broken, but he was strong and could survive the loss. And then his sister had gotten married just last month in a casual fall wedding, he was now rooming with Yusuke in an apartment they paid for with what they made working for Koenma. His life was stalled out, this mission was the most exciting thing to happen to him in a while, he needed this to jump-start his heart.

"Keh, whatever!" Yusuke shot back, but he relaxed a little and let it be.

"Anyway!" Koenma said loudly, bringing the attention back to himself, "Once every decade, a large mass of spirit energy makes itself known in Tokyo. There is so much energy that it spreads across a large portion of the city and it's been impossible to find where it originates from before it disappears again. It was on our radar again yesterday, and in six days it will be gone again. You four need to find it before it's gone."

Kurama cleared his throat, "So you have no information other than that? We are to be dropped off in Tokyo and spend the next six days looking for your source?"

Koenma gave a tired sigh and nodded, "I know it's not the best set-up but you all are the best shot we have at this."

Again, Kurama spoke up, "And this energy, has it ever been threatening or malevolent?"

"No, no one has ever been hurt and as a matter of fact there have been record lows of barrier breeches around these times."

"Ah, so perhaps we can work in shifts looking for the source. I know Yusuke won't want to be away from Keiko for long and I am expected to visit Mother this week. And Hiei, aren't you supposed to be training with Mukuro this week as well?" Kurama raised a brow at the fire apparition who nodded in response.

Kuwabara interjected, "I have nothing else to do, I can go looking around all this week and the rest of them can join in whenever they have the time. It's not like this is anything dangerous or whatever."

Yusuke looked at his friend with a little sadness, the big man had seemed so lost these past few months and there had been nothing he could do for him. But maybe this mission was exactly what he needed to get back into the flow of life.

Koenma waved dismissively, "Whatever, just get something done and make some progress. Botan, take them away."

Yusuke grumbled on the way out, not happy about the way he had been treated by the baby ruler but more eager to go home than to argue with him. He had a date tonight and was excited at the prospect of spending an uninterrupted evening with his girlfriend. And he would have the apartment to himself since Kuwabara would be in Tokyo to work on the mission they had just been assigned. With a perverted smile, he started thinking of all the ways his night could end.

Hiei had disappeared off to the Demon World for some training time and Kurama was headed home to visit with his mother, step-brother and step-father. Leaving Kuwabara with Botan, who took him to Tokyo before leaving him with a cheerful 'goodbye' on an empty sidewalk. He felt it instantly, the energy that Koenma had been talking about, but it was nothing like he had expected. It caressed him, embraced him and made him feel comforted and safe, it was warm in ways that he had never felt before. It was like…coming home.

He wandered for a while, allowing his spiritual senses to guide him through the city and then out to the edge of it. If he had walked miles, he did not feel it, as a matter of fact he felt more energized the closer he got to wherever it was that he was going. And then he felt it, a tug on his hand that he recognized from when they had first met Yukina: the red string of fate. He suddenly faltered in his steps, stopping his progress, uncertain about whether he wanted to continue.

The tie he had felt with Yukina had been strong, the bond was instantaneous and had loved her from the moment he had seen her picture. He wasn't sure he wanted to pursue this string, not after what had happened before. But the tug was insistent, almost eager and encouraging, and all the spiritual energy seemed to be calming him down and pushing him forward as well. However, it was getting dark outside and he needed to stop for the night. It would give him time to think things over and rest, he could continue his journey in the morning. Finding the nearest hotel, he checked himself in for the night and got a surprisingly relaxing night despite his inner struggle.

The next morning, Kurama had joined him in the search. Kuwabara explained to him what he was feeling and wasn't shocked to hear that the avatar was feeling something similar but a little less intense. And then he told him about the red string of fate and Kurama gave him an analytical once-over.

"I suggest you follow it, Kuwabara. It lead you where you were meant to be last time, perhaps it will be useful on this mission as well." Kurama suggested, although he was quite curious about just who the other end of this invisible string would be tied to.

"You are always right, Kurama." He acknowledged, nodding his head as they stepped out onto the street to start the hunt again.

"Well then, lead the way." The avatar made a gesture of encouragement, waiting for the large man to move in a direction.

Glancing down at his hand, he looked the string over with a heavy heart before following the direction it was coming from. It was a couple hours before they came to the steps of an old shrine, and Kuwabara was confident that the shrine was the epicenter of the energy. The tug was persistent now, non-stop, and he felt like he was drowning in the energy which now held an undertone of sadness that resonated with him on a deeper level.

"It's up there. I'm certain of it." He said to Kurama before beginning his ascent up the tower of stairs with the avatar following silently.

And then they were there, on the grounds of the shrine and Kurama began to inspect and investigate the grounds for whatever could be the cause of the massive energy. Kuwabara, however, followed the tug on his finger to the large tree on the grounds and was very curious about why a tree would be tied to him. That was, until he saw the tree.

There, pinned to the tree, was a beautiful girl with an arrow sticking out of her chest. She was stunning, her skin was pale and soft-looking and her hair was long and dark. Her legs were long, her breasts were full, and she looked almost like she was sleeping. But, with that arrow through her body, there was no way she was alive. And Kuwabara had to wonder, with some righteous fury, who had pinned her there and just what kind of sickos would leave a body stuck to a tree like that. Reaching out, he went to touch her face, just to feel the softness of her skin and sucked in a gasp when he felt how warm her skin was.

And then, as if by magic, her eyelids fluttered open and she was looking at him with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Kuwabara, I think we should call the others, I can't find anything that seems to give off more energy than anything else here." Kurama said, approaching his friend who was staring at the tree, "Kuwabara? Let's go, we can meet the others for lunch at the café we passed and then bring them here, there's nothing more we can do right now."

Turning to his friend, Kuwabara looked at him like he was crazy, "Go? We can't go! We can't just leave her here like this!"

"Who, Kazuma?" Kurama was confused, not something that happened often.

"The girl! The one right there, stuck to the tree!" He pointed at her and was shocked to see Kurama's eyes narrow as if looking for something he wasn't finding.

"You mean, you can't see her?" He asked, his tone incredulous.

"I do not see any girl, but if you do I will have to trust your senses." Kurama acknowledged, "I will go down to the street to call Botan and meet the others, you stay here."

And then he was gone, and Kuwabara was alone with the girl. The girl no one could see except him. The girl he was tied to by the red string of destiny. He was certain the Gods were having a laugh at him.

Kagome, on the other hand, was feeling a blend of emotions. She was excited that somebody could see her, finally someone else knew she was there. She was crushed that she couldn't communicate with him, and even more upset that she wouldn't have any words to tell him what to do to get her off of the tree, and she was also sad for the man standing before him because she could feel all the weight of his sadness being projected at her. Eyes wide, she studied his rugged face and was certain she had never seen such a beautiful sight.

His hair was orange, bright and vibrant against the greenery of their surroundings and his eyes were a chocolate brown, soft and full of emotion. While he may not have the most handsome face, especially compared to his friend, it was one of experience and rough-and-tumble living. It was something like that, the rough edges, that had attracted her to InuYasha. And his energy, so strong and so sensitive, it was so refreshing to feel something other than the typical energy from your average humans. He was a fighter, a protector, someone rough on the outside with a softer inside. He was someone who was not afraid to feel things and acknowledge those feelings.

He could feel her studying him, eyes shining with something he attributed to hope and the wave of relief he felt coming for her almost made him smile. Kuwabara was glad to be so embraced and welcomed by somebody and to be so useful to someone in need.

"Uh, yeah…hi there? D'ya think you can tell me why you are stuck to this tree?" He asked, head tilting in curiosity.

Kagome tried, she really did, but there was no way to communicate for her. Her lips refused to move, her fingers wouldn't even twitch, she could only blink and her expression would change minutely. Frustration welled up inside of her and tears pricked the back of her eyes, here was what could be her only change for freedom and she could do nothing.

Kuwabara felt the frustration and saw the tears, he saw how she struggled and realized what was wrong, "Hey, it's okay. Calm down, I get it. We'll just have to figure something else out…" He scratched his head in thought and felt the relief and amusement she let off.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were laughing at me." He muttered, and she blinked at him with sparkling eyes, "That's it. How about we do some 'yes or no' questions? Blink once for yes and twice for no!"

She blinked once in agreement, his smile made her wish she could smile back at him.

"Okay, so where do we start? How about, do you know how you got stuck?" He asked, sitting down in front of the tree.

Again, she blinked once.

"Do you know how we can get you off of there?"

A little frustration and sadness brushed against him when she blinked twice.

"Hmm…how long have you been here? Koenma said since the separation of the worlds so at least three hundred years. So let's start there, three hundred years?" Two blinks. "Four hundred?" Two blinks again. "Five hundred?" She seemed to take pause, as if to think it over before blinking twice again. "Six hundred?" It was close enough for her, so she blinked once.

"Seriously? You've been here by yourself for six hundred years?" He was shocked and sad for her, even more so when he felt the loneliness and sadness she emanated. She blinked once, sadly.

He sighed a little, "I guess I don't have to ask if you have any family around. I wonder what's taking Kurama and the others so long…he'd definitely know what to ask. He's the guy who was up here with me, the one who can't see you." He frowned, "Do you know why everyone can't see you?" She looked a little confused but blinked twice. She had no real answer for him.

She was so grateful just for the company of someone who was talking to her and could see her, it was such a happy change from being invisible for near six hundred years.

Standing back up, he stepped closer to her, "Do you…Would you mind if I touched you again? I just wanna be sure you are really there and I'm not crazy." She blinked once, almost eager to feel someone touch her.

Reaching out, he cupped her cheek and was again surprised at how warm she was to the touch. Her eyes fluttered closed with pleasure at feeling his hand on her face, it was amazing how that simple contact could make her tingle all over. Kuwabara felt the pleasure roll through her aura and almost blushed, he didn't know his touch could do that to somebody. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek, enjoying how soft and smooth it felt to his fight-roughened hand. And again there was the pleasure, the pure enjoyment of his touch.

He pulled away, embarrassed by how long he had lingered there, but regretted it instantly when he felt how sad she became, "I'm sorry. I guess it's been a long time since somebody has seen you, let alone touched you."

She had been so invisible to others, even when they reached out to the tree they did not touch her but they went through her. It was curious how he could see her and feel her when no one else could, and she was so in touch with what he was feeling as he felt it. Like they were linked together somehow. It was reminiscent of her first encounter with InuYasha, where she had woken him up with her touch and freed him by grabbing onto the arrow in his shoulder. Shock rolled through her, and she was overwhelmed by the realization that this was exactly like that situation and maybe all he had to do was pull out the arrow. But she had no idea how to tell him!

Kuwabara had felt the shock, he felt it as she became suddenly confident and eager and then suddenly confused and frustrated and conflicted. She knew something, had figured something out, but she was so frozen that there was no way to communicate beyond the blinking. And he could only do so much guessing. But he got lucky, there was no guesses to be made because the rest of his team was there at the top of the stairs.

"Hey guys!" He called out to them, waving them over.

"Have you figured anything else out, Kuwabara? Kurama told us you see a girl and unless you have finally lost it, she's our source." Yusuke asked as he approached, looking the tree over.

"Shut up, Urameshi! I'm not crazy, she's really there!" He shouted, throwing a punch at his friend.

Kagome could feel the love between the two and knew that the fighting they did was just a part of their relationship. It amused her and would have made her smile if her lips could move. It reminded her a bit of Kouga and InuYasha when they would get together and fight. They didn't really hate each other, it was all in good fun.

"Anyways, she's awake now. But she can't speak and she can't move…I've been asking yes or no questions so she can blink an answer but there's not much I can figure out. You're the smart one, Kurama, what do you think?" Kuwabara asked, winded.

"I think that there is a reason you are the only one who can see her, you are tied to her in a way that no one else is. I think this mission is all about you." He assessed, seeing the big man's face drop at the idea that the girl's fate completely depended on him, "But perhaps Hiei can see more than us with the use of the Jagan Eye. What do you see, Hiei?"

Removing his bandana, Hiei opened the Jagan and looked over the tree. He could see nothing more than a shimmer, the essence of the figure that was invisible to the naked eye. And there was a mind there, closed up like a clam but he could sense it.

"She is there. The oaf is not crazy." He acknowledged.

"So what do we do?" Yusuke asked, frustrated.

Kurama thought for a moment, "Can you get into her mind, Hiei? Perhaps she has some knowledge that would be useful. Something more than information we could get by playing guessing games with yes or no answers."

"Hey! I won't let him hurt her with that evil eye of his!" Kuwabara stepped in front of her as if to block her from the psychic eye. He blushed a little at the flutter of appreciation and adoration coming from the girl behind him.

"Miss, if you could just relax a bit and let him in, it shouldn't do any damage." Kurama said to the air behind Kuwabara.

He felt her acceptance and stepped aside, "Fine, go ahead. But don't you dare hurt her three-eyes!"

With a silent sigh of exasperation, Hiei delved into her mind. He saw how it happened, the woman called Kikyo pinning her to the tree before leaving her there to suffer. He saw bits and pieces of what she had seen each time she woke up. But she kept replaying her memory of pulling the arrow out of InuYasha when he was pinned to the tree, trying to get the message across that it needed to be done. He got it and left her mind.

"What did you get, Hiei? Anything useful?" Yusuke asked, relaxing in the grass since he realized he was here for no reason.

"Someone has to pull out the arrow." He offered up, keeping it short and simple.

Kurama nodded, "And I imagine that it must be you, Kazuma, since you are the only one who can see her. So go ahead, try and pull the arrow out."

Stepping up to her again, he hesitated and searched her eyes for an answer, she blinked once and he felt the encouragement coming from her. Reaching out, his hand grasped the shaft of the arrow and he paused. Gathering up his energy, and his courage, he gave the arrow a yank and the guys around him stood back in shock as the girl became visible and fell into his arms with a gasp.

She was muttering, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," into his chest as he held her there feeling stunned by the ordeal.

"Well!" Yusuke clapped his hands, "That was interesting! I guess I'll be going now, I'd rather be somewhere more fun anyway." He took off for the stairs and Hiei followed.

With a small smile, Kurama turned for the stairs as well while calling over his shoulder, "I'll report to Koenma, why don't you take her somewhere to relax?"

Kagome was over-whelmed, it didn't seem real but there she was in the arms of her savior. Suddenly she was giddy, so happy she couldn't stop smiling, and just so relieved to be free! And she could feel his relief, his happiness and his embarrassment. He was so warm, so tall, so comfortable and dare she say-cuddly?

"So, what's your name?" He murmured into her hair, enjoying the embrace.

"I'm Kagome. Kagome Higurashi." She said, pulling away with a blush on her face.

"Kuwabara, Kazuma Kuwabara." He returned, smiling awkwardly at her.

"Thanks for saving me, Kazuma." She said, and he felt her sincerity.

The connection they shared, it was rooted in their emotions, they felt what the other was feeling and it made it hard to deny that neither of them wanted to be away from the other just yet.

"No problem. Hey, wanna go somewhere?" He offered, uncertainty came over him as he worried about her response.

"Anywhere away from here." She held out her hand and he took it.

As they started down the stairs, he asked, "Kagome, would you be my girlfriend?"

She laughed, remembering Miroku, but responded, "Let's get to know each other first, yeah?"