-She wants to give up her life for her friends- a woman in light blue, flowing robes said calmly as she observed the scene below her.

She didn't speak aloud but when you were in a place like this, you didn't need to. The things they could hear talking were their inner voices.

-If she is willing to sacrifice herself, she should have the option- a man said breezily in a deep voice that sounded completely neutral.

-We have been watching her for over 2 years and that is all you can say?- the woman breathed in surprise.

-We have done our job. She has arrived this far, we have left her weapon for her whenever she needed it, it is now time for her to make her own decisions-

-But she doesn't realize that. This is just a devastated girl we are talking about here- she was getting more and more agitated. She could no longer pretend to be all high and mighty and neutral, not when it came to Kagome.

The pair watched as Kagome cried over her friends. The plan was that the girl Sango, Kouga, Inuyasha and the little boy would die and that Kagome would live to restore the feudal era back to normalcy. But the woman had seen a change in the plans. Things that were once clear and obvious had started to blur, the instructions were no longer definite.

-That wolf demon, I don't think that this is his time- the man said startling the woman

-What do you mean?-

-I can see that he will have a great part in what happens next. He will be our next subject…if he survives that is-

He watched her as she cupped her hands over the body of the young man, hesitating with indecision.

-The wolf demon is inching closer and closer to death. You need to make a decision before his time is up- the man said with a hint of a smile in his voice, he could always tell what his partner was going to do.

She smiled and breathed into her cupped hands before she then dipped her hands into the swirling mist that surrounded the group.

--------------------------------------------------------

Kagome started out of her slumber as she heard a quick intake of breath.

"Kouga! Oh Kouga…"she whispered as she leant over him.

She pressed a hand to his cheek and his eyes fluttered open "Kagome…"

She smiled weakly at him and he tried to return the smile. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Inuyasha standing beside her, his face creased with worry.

Kouga managed a chuckle "Inuyasha…we did well…"

Inuyasha grinned "We sure did. Now shut up and leave my girl alone so you can recover."

"Piss off…mutt" he grinned, putting his hand over hers, which remained on his cheek, and squeezed it "I'll see you in the morning."

Kagome waited until his breathing had slowed and she knew he was asleep.

"Your girl?" she said curiously to Inuyasha.

He looked at her in an odd way and took her hand. She couldn't remember him ever doing something like that so she offered no resistance as he took her outside.

She spotted the blood weeping from one of his various wounds "Inuyasha you have to get back into bed…"

"I have to do something more important first" he said putting a finger over her mouth to quiet her.

She shivered at the feeling of him touching her cold lips.

"We both know what an idiot I've been" he said glaring at her as she started to voice her agreement "But you don't know what the past 3 months have been like for me."

This comment silenced her and she studied his face. His face showed his sleep deprivation and anxiety, it made him look more mature and grown up but also sad. She hadn't realized how much her leaving had affected him, but seeing him now brought the realization crashing home.

"When you left I thought about all the things I had done and said to you. It takes a while for 50 years of bitterness to disappear and I started to take it out on you, which was wrong," he looked very nervous now but she refrained from helping him, he needed to do this "When I realized I couldn't bring you back I…I went a little crazy I guess."

She gasped. She didn't expect this.

"I wrecked and exhausted my body in an effort to get back to you and when that didn't work, I fell into depression. We heard that Naraku was going to attack and Kouga joined us. He said that you wanted him to help us and he knew that I wasn't up to it."

Inuyasha still couldn't believe how he could be so wrong about a person. Kouga had seen the way he was after Kagome had left and laughed in his face. But then when they had been told about the planned attack, he had come to pull him out of his pit of despair.

He could still remember what it was that Kouga had said to him "Do you know how much Kagome would hate me if I let her man kill himself with self-pity?"

It was an odd relationship between him and Kouga, but it was a strong one. They understood one another, finally, and came to the conclusion they were pretty similar.

"I see what you meant about Kouga, he is a good guy."

He was silent. She was pretty sure that he hadn't brought her out here just to tell her that she was right about the wolf, and waited for him to get on with it.

When he met her eyes, she was taken aback to see tears in his eyes "And then I saw you with that bow and arrow and I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that you were back."

It was only when she felt a hot tear slide down her own cheek that she knew she was crying.

"I love you Kagome. I knew it back when I first met you but I couldn't bring myself to say, but when you left was when I realized just how much I loved you. I would do anything for you" he said looking away.

Why wasn't he looking at her? He had just confessed his love for her and yet he wouldn't make eye contact with her, she couldn't understand it.

"Oh Inuyasha…"

Look at me! she screamed in her head.

"I love you too." she said desperately wondering if he had been lying and that's why he couldn't look at her.

His head shot up "You do?"

She looked at him in amazement "Of course I do! You know that don't you?"

"I thought that…since the fight before…"

"You're an idiot" she giggled and she stared in wonder and the brilliant grin that appeared on his face.

He was blushing just as much as she was and she knew that she would have to be the one to take the next step.

She cupped his face in her hands and gently pressed her mouth to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel his shock but he very quickly got over it. He slid his arms around her waist as he deepened the kiss, smiling as she gasped. He was determined to make her first kiss as 'memorable' as possible.

"Well, my lovely Kagome what is that STUNNING costume you are wearing?"

They must have woken everyone up because there was Miroku, Sango and numerous others standing there watching them.

Kagome and Inuyasha broke apart, both of them blushing deeply. Inuyasha looked down at her half naked body.

At the same time Inuyasha and Sango yelled out "You pervert!"

Sango smacked Miroku over the head while Inuyasha tried to cover Kagome up with his (over-cloak thing).

"What ARE you wearing?" Inuyasha asked, growling as other men came out to see the 'costume'.

"It's a bikini" Kagome laughed "I'm sorry, I had to get here in a hurry."

"Oh I don't mind" Inuyasha grinned, whispering hotly in her ear "I just would prefer that you didn't wear it when there are guys standing here gawking at you. You're mine now!"

They were about to kiss again when something green and sparkly caught her eye.

She ran to Sango, ignoring a rather annoyed hanyou and grabbed her friends hand "Oh Sango!"

On her friends left hand was a very familiar beautiful gold ring with an emerald jewel.

Sango laughed and threw her arms around her friend and they danced together in a circle as Sango let her know all the juicy details.

Miroku had joined Inuyasha at this point.

"You're fiancé and your engagement seem to be more important than another kiss with me at the moment" Inuyasha huffed half heartedly, trying to be annoyed at the two young women.

Miroku nodded "Do you think Kagome could get Sango a costume like that?"

SMACK.

A/N Well, well, well, we've come to the last chapter! WOOT WOOT! Personally I love the way the story went and ended (I was a bit worried at first) and if you didn't like it well you should have reviewed and TOLD ME! I actually had a completely different ending in my head but I like this one better. Oh and don't worry about Kouga, I have another story for him on the way…

P.S I know that Shippo isn't featured in this story but I had no real place for him because he had too much of a hold over Kagome. f you want an explanation, he was injured in one of the battles and had to stay at a village to be healed. He found a family he liked and decided to stay and visit Kagome every once and a while. There!