Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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They waited the night. Inuyasha watched as she writhed in pain trying to sleep, he watched her wounds stop bleeding and close up. He watched as her natural pale colour came back to her skin, her cheekbones become more prominent, her fangs grow and her lips changed from their natural pink to a darker shade, nearing red.

Takehiko was in the other room, tending to the fire and carried on checking on Kagome. His brows furrowed when he checked her heart beat wondering if it was right that her heart carried on pumping as if she wasn't changing into a vampire.
"Must be her miko powers" He mumbled before leaving the room again.

She awoke at dawn. As Takehiko came in again, saying that now she was basically his daughter he had a sixth sense over her.
"Morning Kagome." He said to her. She looked at him with confusion before turning to Inuyasha.

"Who is he?" She asked him quietly.

"Takehiko, he saved you."

"Oh"

Takehiko stared at the two before asking Kagome what she remembered and told her what happened.

"So, I'm a vampire now; and you're basically my father."

"Yep" he said with a bright smile "Is your head feeling ok?"

"No, it's banging." She answered as Inuyasha moved to sit behind her while letting her lean on him.

"I thought so, give me half an hour? I'll come back with something to stop it."

She nodded and leaned back on the hanyou, her energy completely gone.
"I'm sorry Kagome, I'm sorry I didn't protect you, when you all got taken and when we were trying to fight that damn yokai. I'm sorry I left you on your own, I'm sorry you got hurt like that. I'm sorry Kagome." Inuyasha spoke quietly his head resting on her shoulder. His face buried into the curve of her neck.

"Hey, hey, now if I could get you to apologise like that when you generally piss me off, maybe you wouldn't get sat so much." She laughed before coughing a bit.

"I'm serious Kagome, I shouldn't have gone after Kikyo, I wouldn't have if I knew that was going to happen. But I should have stayed with you all. I could have protected you all. You could have died. I'm sorry Kagome." He rubbed her back to halt the coughing.

"Look whether you were there or not we still would have been ambushed and with the amount of them, you could have been taken as well, you never know. Now stop blaming yourself for going seeing the woman you love and shut up because my head feels like its going to rip apart."

His ears pressed themselves against his head as he let out a small whine of apology. She put her hand to his head and massaged between his ears, he nuzzled her neck again before Takehiko came back into the hut.
"Here" He said as he handed the young woman a bamboo style flask.

"What's this?" she asked as she opened it.

Inuyasha scrunched up his nose. "Smells like blood."

"It is blood." Kagome pulled a disgusted face. "You're a vampire now, I'll teach you to hunt and fight, most of that should come naturally but main life sustenance comes first."

She nodded before taking a sip "mmm… Actually tastes really good" she took another drink "My head is starting to feel so much better."
She leaned back on Inuyasha drinking deeply.

Once finished she moaned "Oh wow…" before falling asleep, her head resting on the hanyous shoulder.
"We'll go to your time tomorrow." He whispered into her ear before also falling into a light sleep.


"Morning!" Inuyasha woke up to Kagome walking about the hut, making tea and breakfast.

"What are you doing? You're still healing!" He yelled.

"I'm fine. Takehiko-san gave me another load of blood before and boom!" She jumped up. "I felt great. And look!" She lifted up her shirt to show Inuyasha her abdomen showing no sign of being penetrated by a vine "It's completely healed!"

"What about your leg?" He asked noticing the bandage still wrapped around her upper thigh.
"It's fine, but there is a scar that I would rather not…show" She said looking away from him. "Anyway" She clapped her hands together "You want some ramen?"

"Sure" 'Kagome has completely changed.'

They talked for a while, asked if it would be ok to go to her time and tell her mum what happened and so she could get a bath while she was there. He agreed and told her that they would leave once everyone got back.

The rest of the group arrived in the hut, happy to see Kagome was alive and well. Kagome served them breakfast before packing some stuff into her giant yellow bag. She picked the overfilled bag with ease.

"I see you've noticed your strength now." Takehiko said leaning against the door.

"Hello Takehiko-san" she replied.

He walked over and handed her another few flasks of blood.

"I heard you were going back to your 'time' this should be enough for your trip though I'm sure you'll know what to do if you run out."

"You told him about your time." Sango asked turning to Kagome.

"Well yeah, I had to tell him that I was travelling and since he blood adopted me, he might as well know where-or when I'm from." Kagome replied stuffing the flasks in her bag.

Shippo sat on her shoulder "Are you going to bring treats Kagome-chan?"

"Of course Shippo, I'll bring back something for everyone" she ruffled his hair and then put her own hair back in a ponytail.

Kagome and Inuyasha jumped through the well.

"Inuyasha? How am I going to tell mama what happened? I have no idea how she is going to react. Gramps will probably stick a sutra on my head. Souta –I don't know what he would do." She spoke fast before catching her breath.

"Kagome" She looked towards Inuyasha. "Stop worrying, what ever happens, I'll be there."

She smiled at him before leaving the well house. She turned to Inuyasha.

"Ready?" He asked.

"No…but lets do this." She smiled showing her pearly fangs before opening the door to her home.

"Tadaima!"

"Onee-san!" Souta stopped in front of her "What happened?"
"Is mama and gramps in? I'd rather tell you all together."

"Yeah we are just sitting down for dinner."

Souta stared as his sister walked past him, Inuyasha picked the boy up and threw him over his shoulder. "Let's go runt."

At the dinner table Kagome told her family about what happened, she asked if they were ashamed of her for what she did after her gramps tried to stick a sutra to her head yelling 'demon be gone' she ripped it off snarling at him before recomposing herself. They shook there heads telling her that as long as she was alive and safe, they were happy.

Mama looked at her daughter, watching her scaring Souta about how she had to start hunting for blood and training to fight. She realised her daughter was acting as she used to before her father died. 'She's grown up so much darling, you would be so proud of her.'
After a nice long chat and filling their stomachs. Kagome and Inuyasha excused themselves from the table to go up to the 19-year-olds room to pick up her purse, since Kagome decided she needed a new wardrobe.

"Oh, and Kagome?"

Kagome turned to look at her mother.

"It's good to have you back" Mrs. Higurashi smiled.

"It's good to be back Mama." With that she walked up stairs to grab her bag, purse and jacket to go shopping.

Inuyasha was about to follow her out the door until he heard her ojii-san come down the stairs and go talk to Kagomes mother.

"It's nice to see Kagome again after all these years."

"It is, isn't it Gramps"

He nodded and sat down to read the paper as Mama Higurashi served him some tea.

"What do ya mean 'it's good to see her again?'" Inuyasha spoke as he stood across from Kagomes mother.

"Oh, Inuyasha, I thought you went with Kagome."

"I'm gonna catch up with her."

"I see." She replied as she turned around to do the dishes.

"So what did ya mean by seeing her again? She has only been away for a week."

Kagomes ojii-san looked up at Inuyasha. "The Kagome you have been friends with is not- how do I say this Mama?"

She turned from the dishes and dried her hands, leaning on the counter.

"Kagome is-When Kagomes father was alive, they were very close" Inuyasha could see the gleam of sadness in the older woman's eyes "They shared the same style of music, she got her personality off him, he would listen to rock and heavy metal music I believe I have some cd's somewhere."
She picked up some cd's and showed them to the hanyou, he noticed words and images of skulls and instruments.
"-and when he died, she was devastated, as we all were, but she completely changed. She listened to different music instead of rock, she wore different clothes and completely changed her personality. It was sad to see her change so suddenly. I guess it was to protect herself from the pain of losing her only friend who understood her and such."

"It's nice to see her as her normal self - as she was before he died" Gramps finished.

Inuyasha nodded and walked out of the house and to the familiar tree on the shrine grounds, thinking of how much she had changed and how much more would she change.

'Well, she doesn't get angry so easily now, she hasn't sat me in the whole time she's changed. Maybe this Kagome I will be seeing a lot more of, is a more brooding or-or less happy Kagome. I don't want her to be unhappy.'

He sat in the tree until he smelt the person of his thoughts back on the shrine grounds carrying many bags, he followed her into the house.

"Tadaima" She shouted happily as she took her shoes of at the door.

"oooo Kagome. What did you pick up while you were shopping?" Her mother awed as she took some of the bags off Kagome and walked into the sitting room and had a peek in the bags.

"Well, I decided to have a complete wash out of my wardrobe and bought some ramen and supplies for when I go back." She looked over her shoulder at Inuyasha and smiled. "We'll go back the day after tomorrow if you want."

He nodded and leaned against the wall.

'No, this Kagome is the Kagome that has been waiting to be set free, a truly happy Kagome.'


Later on, Kagome and Inuyasha were in the young vampire's room. He was sat on her bed watching her dry her hair.

"Something needs to be done about this hair" She stated grumpily after turning the hairdryer off and fixing her hair into a ponytail.

"Hm?" Inuyasha mumbled.

"I think I'll get it cut before we go back." She wincing as she tugged on the ponytail twice before turning to Inuyasha.

"What?"

"Well, I just want short hair. If I don't like it, it will grow back"

"Sure, whatever"

"I'll go tomorrow"

She readied her purse for the next day and started to pack her bag to go back to the feudal era, Inuyasha watched as she half filled the bag with ramen and bags of different clothes, shoes and other little bits.

She turned towards Inuyasha who was sat on her bed with Tetsusaiga resting against his shoulder. She motioned him to scoot over as she got in. He was sat with his back against the wall, she turned towards him, while lying down, and they talked in whispers about tomorrow, and when they were going back before she finally drifted off to sleep.

Inuyasha smiled as he watched her sleep before drifting off himself.


Inuyasha's ear twitched as he heard quiet banging around the room. He heard Kagome stub her toe at the foot of her bed and quietly 'shh' it before moaning in pain at her sore toe. Inuyasha grinned before he decided it was time to get up and get ramen in his stomach.

"Morning. Ow" Kagome greeted.

"Yeah, mornin' Is your foot ok?"

"Fine, end of the bed decided to jump out at me haha" She laughed before setting her foot down and grabbing her bag. "Ready for breakfast? I'll go to the hairdressers later, you can stay here if you want, it will be a bit loud in there for you, with all the hairdryers and stuff."

"Yeah, I might go home for a bit"

"Alrighty! Let's get some food then" She grinned before running down the stairs, jumping over Buyo in the process.

After breakfast, Kagome headed out to the hairdresser telling Inuyasha she'd be back in 2 hours. He nodded before heading down the well.

Blue lights floated past before he landed back in the well but 500 years before. He headed straight to Keades hut and told everyone that Kagome was doing well and that she would be home the next day. Shippo smiled to himself then before jumping off saying he wanted to find something for Kagome.

2 hours later, Inuyasha jumped back through the well to meet up with Kagome again. He soon found she wasn't back home when he walked in and her mother greeted him with a bowl of ramen.

"Are you staying for dinner Inuyasha? That ramen is just to carry you over." She said with a smile.

"Sure if you don't mind me staying"

"Of course not dear"
He'd always had a lot of respect for Kagome's mother, she had accepted him into the family as Kagome had and always fed him even when he didn't ask for food. She accepted anyone as who they were and for that he thought she deserved respect.

"Tadaima!" Kagome yelled cheerfully as she opened the front door and closed it again behind her before taking her shoes off.

Kagome's mother ran out of the kitchen, momentarily forgetting about dinner.

Inuyasha heard her gasp while he was eating his ramen and quickly finished it off.

"Oh Kagome… You look so grown up. I can't believe my baby's 19 years old. Seems like only yesterday-"

"I was a naïve 15 year old girl jumping down a well?"

"I was going to say crawling around and dribbling on me when you fell asleep, but if you want to think that then go ahead."

Mrs. Higurashi twirled her finger in a short lock of Kagome's hair before hugging her and bringing her through to the kitchen to where the rest of the family where.

Inuyasha's jaw dropped as he watched her walk through the door. She had gotten her hair cut to a very short asymmetrical cut. Her hair was above her ear on the left side of her head and graduated to just below her chin on the right side. Her fringe swept across her forehead from the parting on the left to mingle in with her longer locks on the right.

She smiled as everyone commented on her hair. Inuyasha giving a smirk of approval.
"Kagome, what is on your ear?" Gramps asked from next to her.

"Oh, I didn't think you would notice." She answered tucking the hair behind her ear on her right side.

"How can you not notice?" Souta asked.

"Well, while I was out I decided I wanted a few piercings." She replied.

"Lets see, lets see" the boy shouted as he jumped up and down next to Inuyasha.

She turned her head to the right showing 2 piercings on her lobes, 2 on her lower helix and her tragus pierced. She then turned her head to the left and moved her hair to see 3 piercings on her helix and 2 on her lobes.

"Woah, that's a lot sis." Souta awed.

"Glad you like them, they're still a bit sore though."

She leaned over to Souta "I think it's a tattoo next" she whispered before leaning back.

"Onee-san, you're becoming a complete rebel!"

"Who's becoming a rebel?" Mama said as she served dinner.

"Would you mind mama?" Kagome asked as Mrs. Higurashi sat down at the head of the table.

"Mind what dear?"

"If I got a tattoo."

Mama giggled. "My, you are like your father. I would rather you didn't to be honest, but it's your body and you're 19 now, you're responsible for yourself."

"Yes!" she whispered before laughing. "Inuyasha, you can help me pick out a design later if you want" She smiled cheekily at him but honestly he was a little confused.

"What's a tat-two?" he asked before stuffing his mouth with her mothers cooking.

"It's basically ink drawn into your skin, a bit like Sesshomaru's markings." She answered.

"Kids these days." Her gramps said to himself.


After picking a design, and having a laugh, Inuyasha and Kagome returned to her room to get ready for bed.
"Inuyasha?" He grunted in reply.

"Do…Do you think this whole vampire thing will make me any different than I am?" Kagome asked lying on her bed watching the hanyou sat on her bed, move his sword to rest on his shoulder before leaning back on her wall.
"I don't know. Maybe" He gave an honest answer, though he knew she had already changed a lot. She seemed calmer, he had annoyed her on the way to the well when they came here, and she hadn't sat him. 'Something has definitely changed, but maybe it's for the better.'He watched her eyes flutter before she fell into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning the two awoke from a good sleep, Kagome finished packing to go back to the Feudal Era, she had to take another back-pack to fit her new clothes and a bit of make-up in.
"I think that's everything Inuyasha." She said as she came into the kitchen carrying the two over-packed bags with ease.
Inuyasha looked up from stuffing his face and nearly choked on said noodles as he took in the teens outfit. She wore a tight black playsuit, showing of her curves and ample cleavage. The sides of the suit were split showing semi-circle shaped parts of her skin before joining, splitting and joining to make the shorts of the suit (1.) A leather cuff with silver studs was wrapped around her thigh, just under the ending of the shorts. It was placed where her uniform scarf/ makeshift bandage had been a few days before. Black over the knee-high boots wrapped around her legs. Inuyasha noticed that by wearing these boots-she was at least 4 inches taller than before. Her eyes were outlined in black drawing the hanyous eyes away from the scar on her cheek under her eye.
She giggled at his shocked face before patting his back and telling him to eat because they would be going back soon. 10 minutes later after saying goodbye, and receiving a lunch for everyone from her mother, they made their way to the well.
When they arrived on the other side of the well, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara were waiting for both of them, so they set out a pic-nic blanket and Inuyasha went to grab Kaede and Takehiko to join as well. They sat eating, drinking and laughing, and all around, having a good time.


The part were Kagome tugs on her ponytail and winces, its because when the group were in the cell, the tormenters would pull on their hair, so Kagome wants rid of it.
(1) To explain what it looks like, please click here - http : / / dark - tenten . deviantart . com / gallery / 35534803# / d4yyo4t (remove spaces please :))

:)