Kagome stared down at the two halves of the jewel in her hands as she sat in the meadow that held the bone eater's well. The battle was finally over and Naraku was dead, but despite that she just couldn't feel happy, because now she'd have to make a wish.

The rustling sound of grass being crushed alerted Kagome to Kouga sitting down beside her. She felt his arm come around her shoulders and she leaned her head on his chest. The last three weeks since their mating had been the happiest of her life, even through the terror of the battle with Naraku. Hearing his faint rumble of contentment, she relaxed and let her tension go.

Endless possibilities for the perfect wish had swarmed her mind anxiously over the last week since defeating Naraku. She knew that for her wish to be truly pure, she couldn't benefit from it. If she just wished it away now, she'd be benefitting from the wish because she'd be free of her duty to protect the jewel. How could she reverse the damage from the jewel while not losing her current timeline with her friends and Kouga?

She couldn't.

Eyes widening with sudden realization, she looked to Kouga and prayed she wasn't making a mistake. Through teary eyes she pulled him down for a last kiss and poured in all her feelings for him, just in case. She fused the shards together and purified the completed jewel.

"I wish that the mortal man who loved Midoriko was never devoured by demons, thus never spawning the Demon of the Shikon Jewel and never trapping the demon and Midoriko inside the jewel."

A flash of light assailed Kagome's senses and she closed them against the blinding intensity. The swirling feeling of free falling consumed the priestess until she descended into oblivion. The unconscious young woman gracefully floated down into her pink plush bed covers and slept fitfully until light streamed through her bedroom window.

"Kagome! It's time to get up! You're going to be late for your high school graduation!" The urgent sound of her mother's voice from downstairs jolted her out of her sleep and she stood up on rubbery legs.

She held a weary hand to her head as she shuffled to the bathroom down the hall. After flipping on the lights and looking at herself in the mirror, she washed her face and stopped dead when she saw the mating mark on her shoulder. Memories flashed as she raised a tentative hand to it and the bombardment of information left her feeling queasy.

"Ten minutes Kagome!" Gripping the sink as her mother's voice called up to her, Kagome blew out a breath and tried to calm herself down. Covering the mark with her hair, she resolved to act as normal as she could and quickly dressed and ran downstairs. Her mother handed her a muffin and quickly shooed the rest of the family out to the car. The short ride to the school passed quickly and before she knew it she was fumbling through the graduation ceremony. After names were called and the class thanked their teachers for the last time, Kagome found herself wrapped up in a group hug with her three squealing best friends.

"This calls for a shopping spree!" Eri's cheery voice called out and they waved goodbye to all their parents and made their way to the nearest bus stop. As the other three girls chattered excitedly about universities during the bus ride, Kagome looked out the window distractedly until they reached the mall and she was pulled into the huge food court.

When Eri and Yuka ordered their food, the smell of the greasy burgers and fries slowly started making Kagome's stomach turn. Catching a worried glance from Ayumi who had noticed her friend's pale face, Kagome fought down the nausea until the smell of Eri's fish sandwich reached her nose. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she ran through the crowd towards the women's restrooms.

Barely making it to the stall in time, Kagome emptied her breakfast into the toilet and barely registered Ayumi coming up behind her and holding her hair back gently. Standing up on shaky legs, the young woman wiped her mouth with toilet paper and pulled her hair into a hairtie. Turning to face Ayumi and thank her, she was met with a gasp as her friend's eyes narrowed on the mark at her neck.

"Kagome that's a mating mark! When did that happen? And with who!" Kagome stared at her with wide eyes before turning and dry heaving into the toilet. She heard soft murmurs from Ayumi and felt a hand on her back as she heaved. "Are you pregnant Kagome?" Ayumi asked as Kagome wiped her face again and went to wash her hands in front of the mirrors.

Kagome's surprise was written all over her face as she looked at her friend and then thought about the possibility. "I think we should take you to a clinic, just in case. I know one just down the street that'll take us." Kagome nodded silently as Ayumi texted Eri that she was taking Kagome to the doctor and that they'd talk tomorrow. The walk down the street was mostly quiet, the two girls walking arm in arm as they entered the waiting room.

A cheerful receptionist tried to have Kagome sign in before Ayumi interrupted her and murmured that they would need the "special" paperwork and waiting room in the back. A swift nod and a wink later and Kagome was seated in a small area in the back and filling out paperwork. Hovering over the question asking relationship status, she finally checked the box that said mated and wrote in the spouse species as Ookami.

As the doctor walked in and took Kagome's vitals in an exam room, she introduced herself as Dr. Matsuno. "Now girls, if you're wearing charms you can take them off in here and let your auras out. This area is warded against the normal patrons in the front." Kagome unfurled her massive reiki aura and watched with rapt attention as Ayumi's form changed into a wolf hanyou and Dr. Matsuno became a kitsune. Both demons flinched a bit at the brush of reiki in the room.

Silently squeeing, Kagome reached up and pleaded with her eyes to touch Ayumi's soft brown ears. Rolling her eyes and bending to let Kagome pet them, the girls were interrupted with the doctor's throat clearing. Blushing, the young girl hopped onto the exam table and was surprised when the kitsune doctor pulled up her shirt and sniffed at her abdomen.

"Congratulations Ms. Higurashi, you're definitely pregnant. Do you know when your last menstrual cycle started?" When Kagome murmured that it had been just over 5 weeks, the doctor nodded and handed her a gown to change into behind a privacy curtain. Her mind reeling, the young priestess changed numbly and called out that she was done.

Dr. Matsuno explained how the ultraound was going to be performed as she set up the machine, and Kagome held onto Ayumi's clawed hand until she saw that little flicker on the screen. Bringing a hand up to her mouth and whispering a soft oh, Kagome felt herself crying softly. The kitsune doctor took some measurements, finished up the scan, and printed off a photo of the tiny fetus, mentioning that the growth was on track for a wolf hanyou.

"Do you have any questions dear?" Seeing Kagome's head shake, she closed the privacy screen so the girl could change and told her that she'd be leaving a prescription with the receptionist.

"So Kagome, who exactly is your mate? Because I know everyone in the wolf demon tribe and no one's mentioned getting mated recently." At Ayumi's soft comment as they left the office and picked up the prescription, Kagome looked at her now human looking friend. Murmuring that it was a long story and she wanted to find somewhere more private, they headed to a local park and sat on a bench at the far side away from the playground.

Kagome hesitantly told Ayumi the whole story, from falling down the well to mating Kouga and wishing the jewel was never created, which must have erased the past since she was the only one who remembered it. A moment passed in silence as Kagome laid a hand on her stomach and Ayumi processed.

"But I guess it didn't erase everything, since I'm still mated and pregnant, even though I'm sure the father doesn't even know who I am. I'm not sure how I'm going to pull off being a single mom at eighteen." She looked up at Ayumi's face and felt herself tear up. Ayumi stood and held out a hand to Kagome and pulled her up from the bench, her face determined.

"Listen Kagome, no matter how it happened, you're still Kouga's mate and that's his pup. I'm taking you to the pack house and he's going to listen to your story. He'll probably be confused as hell, but he's a good man and I know he would want to know about you. Mate bonds are forever, and you two have got centuries together ahead of you to figure it all out." Dragging Kagome along, Ayumi made a phone call and asked for an emergency ride.

When a little black car pulled up to the curb ten minutes later, Ayumi shuffled Kagome into the car and sat down next to her. The priestesses eyes shot wide open when she saw who was driving and couldn't help but ask "Ginta?" in a surprised whisper. He looked back at her in surprise but Ayumi just shrugged her shoulders and he started driving them to the pack house.