Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns the characters. I just own the DVD series.

A Not so Wonderful Life

Kagome was ready to slaughter the next person that bothered her. Three years of jewel shard hunting had taken a toll on her and she hadn't had a break at all. In the summers she had to take classes because she failed or just barely made a passing grade. She had barely gotten into high school because of this duel life. Why was it she was the one that ended in a duel life? She hadn't asked for this. All she wanted was a normal life, right? She hadn't even believed all of the stories that her grandfather told her throughout the years. She had always considered him an odd old man that liked to create old stories.

It wasn't like Inuyasha actually needed her. He was always comparing her to Kikyo. Kikyou this and Kikyo that was all she heard in their arguments. If Kikyo was here then we wouldn't have to keep returning for your tests. If Kikyo was here then she would have missed the shot. Blah, blah, blah, she was taking classes for archery now at school. Of course, those weren't moving targets as the ones that she had to deal with in the feudal era.

Kikyo didn't live in another era, hadn't been responsible for making decent grades in school, and hadn't been thrown in a world that she is a priestess that is highly untrained. Not to mention that she had to learn outright how to shoot moving targets which would actually explain why the non-moving targets weren't much of a challenge.

"Keh, it's time to go wench." Inuyasha's voice came behind her.

"Let's not right now. I have two major tests tomorrow." Kagome sighed patiently.

"You said three days." He reminded her.

"I can't leave right now." Kagome didn't move from her spot.

Inuyasha had been watching for the last few minutes and he felt really bad for the stress that she had to live with daily. She couldn't take all her books with her to study during feudal era. He knew that she had been keeping up a front for a while and she had been returning to her duty with the jewel and protecting the known worlds. "I wish you didn't have to go through with this."

Inuyasha left to face his friends that would want to know if he ha apologized for what he had done. Shippo would want to know why she wasn't back yet. He was yet another responsibility that Kagome had taken on. Her compassion knew no bounds. She was a mother to
Shippo, a sister and best friend to Sango and Miroku, and to him she was one of his first true friends. Yes, she did fight with her a lot but they tried to spend some time alone; especially on his human nights or when he came over here. While Miroku and Sango and wouldn't leave the camp unguarded; Kagome wouldn't go to sleep unless he had. There were many times she had fallen asleep on his lap.

"Inuyasha! Why didn't you bring her back?" Shippo's little fist were beating on him.

Inuaysha pulled him away before he answered the little fox. "Keh, she had some demons called tests to take care of in her time." Inuyasha knew that Kagome was Shippo's mother. He was going to have to distract him. "Do you want to go hunting with me?" Inuyasha didn't make the offer much but Shipp enjoyed it. Shippo needed to learn how to survive anything that came his way.

Kagome went down the well two days later mentally prepping for the change in time periods. She had changed the outfit she wore the feudal era because it was ruining far too many of her school uniforms. She had also grown into a more womanly body and the school skirt did not do enough to protect her legs or her modestly. Honestly she didn't know why it had taken her so long to make the change. She stepped on solid ground at that moment. "Is anyone going to help me up today?" Kagome called out preparing to send Inuyasha down the well to get the supplies that Mama ha sent with her. Kagome reached the top to see a face she had only seen once when Sounga had been sent to the deepest depths of the underworld. Kagome stared at the golden eyes that smiled at her with marking similar to that of Sesshoumaru.

"I've waited a long time to see you Higurashi Kagome." His formal nod made Kagome want to curtsy.

Kagome came out of her shock. "Wer-aren't you dead?" Kagome asked before thinking before thinking about the indelicacy of what she was saying. "Mi-lord."

The great general smiled at that. "Yes, I'm here as a guide for you."

"A guide?"

"In a sense, I am your guardian angel and when we are done you will get to make a choice as to what you want to do." Kagome looked from right to left to make sure she was still in the right time period. She was used to strange things in the feudal era but this one actually took the cake.

"I'd ask if you ha a camera behind you but they don't have that kind of technology in this era." Kagome accepted his and climbed on his cloud.

"My son seems to be taken with you." Inu no Taisho chuckled.

"I don't know about that." Kagome sighed as she wanted the world swirl around her. "He still thinks that I am second best."

"You have a lot of pressure to meet all these expectations. He has watched how it has torn you up throughout the years."

"Mi lord, what do you mean?" Kagome whispered.

"He's the one that wished you didn't have to live like this."

Kagome watched as the recreation of a scene unfolded that she had imagined many, many times. Kikyo was standing in a clearing training with her arrows. She was waiting on someone but Kagome knew that Kikyo didn't have to look over her shoulder to know whether the person she was waiting on was there. "You have nothing to be envious of young miko. Kikyo is a little older than you and a highly trained miko. She has had to fight her entire life and understands little else. You have had the privilege of being able to relax and enjoy your youth. Now watch." Kikyo turned around in their direction.

"There you are Inuyasha." Kikyo and Inuyasha talked for a little while. Inuyasha gave her his mother's rouge and they agreed to meet the next day. Kagome tried not to allow the tears to slide down her eyes. Who knew one betrayal could change the course of a person's entire life?

The cave of where Onigumo once rested came into view next. Kagome went rigid and then was filled with a rage she had never known before. It was because of this selfish bastard that they were all in the current situation. Kagome tried to go after him but the lord placed his hand on her shoulders. "You cannot change what has been Kagome. You can only change what will be. The youkai of all levels were floating around Onigumo as he listened to their persuasive arguments as to why he should allow in his body. The lure of being able to walk again and to have Kikyo's heart won out.

The explosion was blinding and sent the flying out of the cave. "I guess even spirits can't be in the presence of a newly artificial hanyou." Kagome watched as a very naked Onigumo/Naraku walked out. Kagome shivered reflexively. Inu no Taisho did agree with her. This was not a pretty scene and only the beginning of the coming trouble.

They watched as 'Inuyasha' crushed Kikyo's hopes of a normal life, Kikyo's eyes hardened to what they looked like now, as the real Inuyasha ransacked the village and did nothing while it was put on fire; all for the sacred jewel and to become full youkai. There was no stopping Kikyo's sealing arrow from tagging Inuyasha just above his hear and putting him to sleep. Kikyo passed out and ordered that the Shikon no Tama be burned with her body so that it would never see the light of day again.

The silence was tense between the two as they vanished and appeared somewhere, sometime later. A Buddhist monk was flirting with a woman very successfully while rubbing her butt. She giggled at the amorous monk but when he brought his hand back up and took hers. That's when it happened. The amulet around her neck was glowing an eerie black. The woman chanted into a youkai wearing a baboon pelt. "Your line will be forever cursed. The first born male heir will inherit this curse for as long as your line continues." The baboon disappeared having completed his business.

Urasue made her appearance when she stole the bones and grave yard soil from Kikyo's grave. "Wait, what about Inuyasha?"

"He's still pinned to the tree. You never made it to this world to right the wrongs that had been committed to him."

Kagome nodded in understanding. "That means Kikyo will be recreated and called back from the dead."

"This time though, she will be stronger, faster and her hatred will be absolute because there will be nobody there to tell her differently. She will become the most powerful dark miko that the world has ever seen or will ever see again. At the time of her birth, there was only one more powerful than her was Midoriko."

"My creation is perfect." Urasue cackled. "You will find the Shikon no Tama and me and my purposes." Kikyo touched the old woman' face and Urasue turned to dust. Kikyo took up the miko garb, her bow and looked toward where they were standing. She was gone after that.

They stayed with Kikyo though as she walked through the forest. An echoing voice rang through the trees but seemed to have no source. "You have it don't you. The Shikon no Tama is a part of your soul and your essence. Your soul shines so beautifully."

"Who's there?" Kikyo said.

"An ally and hopefully much more." A man walked out from the trees and stood in front of her. "You want your revenge on the hanyou that killed you. The man's hand brushed her on the right shoulder where 'where Inuyasha' had cut into it.

"Yes," Kikyo answered.

"Well after you are through with him then I want him." The man disappeared and Kikyo went to the hot springs to bathe after she had taken some clothes for a geisha house. She took the arrow out of his shoulder and he instantly woke up.

"Kikyo, you shot me!" Inuyasha shouted only to be shushed by her.

"No, I shot a youkai behind you." She pointed out a low level youkai behind them.

Inuyasha gave her a strange look before he took a closer look at her. "Kikyo, you seem different." He smelled her again to make sure it was Kikyo. "You look nice." He noted her change in clothes and it seemed to relax her image some.

"What happens here? What changes happen in Kikyo? What about Inuyasha?" Kagome asked looking back at the scene. Kikyo has been denied the pleasures in life because of her severe training and the total repression of her emotions. As a dark priestess she will use her second chance at lift to take and have all the pleasures that she has been denied in life. She will betray Inuyasha with the very person we saw her with in the clearing."

Kagome's heart broke. "Inuyasha will never know anything but the bad in people."

Kagome watched as some of the villagers walked into the clearing. He's free. "You are coming with us." The old man said. Kikyo turned around, "Kikyo-sama, you-you died 50 years ago." Inuyasha looked around at the foliage. There were new sprouts growing up and some of the trees looked like they were older.

The world seemed to cloud around them again. Kagome found herself watching as the Unmother held Inuyasha in her arms. "Wench, you must get the information."

"Master Jaken if I dig any deeper it will kill him." If the Unmother could cry then she would.

Kagome tried to break away so that she could break the image but found that she couldn't. She had to make sure that Inuyasha survived. He couldn't make it on his own. His mother was his soft point and it was being exploited; only this time there wasn't someone to counteract.

"What is that?" The faceless woman asked.

"The black pearl," Inuyasha's smothered whisper came.

Inuyasha was yanked away from her and Sesshoumaru was pulling the black pearl from Inuyasha's right eye. Inuyasha was still somewhat dazed when he stumbled through the vortex just before Jaken went through.

Tetsusaiga was right there but neither brother could pull it out and Inuyasha never received his inheritance from his father. Inuyasha wouldn't be able to control his youkai side. They watched as all of this went down and vanished from the scene. Sesshoumaru never had his arm cut off and didn't start to learn compassion for human beings afterwards. There was no Rin to counteract and show him the kindness he would have never shown to anyone else.

They found themselves in a village, where some people were training to fight and others were going about the people that were going about their business. Off to the side there was a woman bowing before what appeared to be the headman. "Father, I brought these with me."

"Sango, we'll put these with the rest." It must have been Sango's father. Kagome watched a young woman who was innocent in some ways and almost carefree and happy.

"Sir," a runner came up, "we've been summoned to a castle."

The castle came into view where the lord appeared to be giving orders. The slayers destroyed the spider. Kagome but she could see the spider web very clearly. She also noted that Sango noticed it at the same time. It had never occurred to Kagome before. "Sango has some priestess powers doesn't she?"

She does. She just doesn't know it. It's always been thought that she was just very intuitive. Her father wasn't lying when he said that Kohaku and Sango were the best slayers in the village." Kagome's eyes widened. "Kohaku never was able to develop his full abilities."

"You're right. He did hone some of his skills under him and while he doesn't remember all of it most the time the skills are still there. The difference was his heart was taken out of it." Inu no Taisho said.

"What happens here?" Time was fast forwarded. Sango crawled out of the ground and was put to rest and sent on her mission to kill Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha will show her compassion but he won't fight by her side. She'll return to this castle and become his guard to try to prevent him from using Kohaku."

"It won't work will it?" Kagome knew.

"No." They disappeared and showed up in another area.

"What happened to Kikyo?"

"Kikyo helps Naraku with his pleasures for her own desires."

Kagome looked around her as things continued to change. "Does no one stand up to him, Kikyo or anyone else?"

"Kouga never had the jewels in his legs, nor his pack destroyed by Kagura. They tried to stay out of trouble. He followed his instincts and got out of the way. It killed them." Kagome shuttered.

"Mi lord, this can't happen. They have suffered one way or another."

Inu no Taisho smiled sadly. "There is one more thing you must see."

They appeared somewhere else. "Where are we?" Kagome looked around.

"The correct question is, 'when are we?'"

Kagome's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"No one was able to stand up to him. The tachi was never formed to defeat Naraku when the Shikon no Tama was broken. Those that did try to stand up to him were killed. Sesshoumaru and a group of lords tried to fight for their land but they didn't succeed and Naraku took over their land as well.

"What about my family? Souta, Mama…"

Inu no Taisho smiled sadly as he looked at the barren land. "The shrine was never built." Your father did die when you were younger but Souta's never came into the picture. "You were given to Naraku to pay off a debt that was created.

Kagome smiled sadly. "I don't think this is the way life is supposed to turn out."

"You're right. The fighting that you do now is preparing you for the future. The education you receive is going to prepare for what will come in both eras." They appeared in front of the well. "You do well, it will improve from here on out." He kissed her brow and disappeared from her view while she jumped into the well.

"I'm sorry you're life has been so hard you. I wish you all the luck in the world my daughter."

Kagome appeared in the feudal era. Inuyasha helped her over the well and she threw herself into his arms. "Oh Inuyasha I'm sorry that you have had such a hard life.

-2 days before-

Inuyasha climbed out of the well to see someone he hadn't seen since he was 5 years old. "Mama?"