[Author's Note] Yay!! Thanks for the reviews!!
mvdiva-hehehe, just you watch!
Cat Silver- whooo! go T.I.R.I.F.Gs!!
eikosbutterfly- dont worry, it gets a lot lighter after the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha.

Chapter 2: Resurrection

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Kaede had just stepped outside for a little breather, when she saw Inu Yasha and a bundle she assumed to be Kagome heading for her house. Her warm smile quickly faded when she saw the blood on Inu Yasha's shirt and the disheveled-ness of his hair. After a closer look, she realized that he was walking slower, almost as though every step was pained. And Kagome wasn't moving. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her to the hanyou and his cargo.

"What happened?" Without speaking, he passed Kaede and entered her hut.

"I… failed." Inu Yasha moved Kagome from kidnap-style to bridal style, and then gently laid her on the floor. He looked down at Kagome's peaceful face. Kaede gasped. She knew that if she wanted to know the particulars of what happened, it would take time for any of the group to be able to speak about it. She was just about to offer words of condolence to the boy, when he began to speak again. "But… I have a plan."

"Oh?" Kaede was curious. Inu Yasha shook his head, and pulled out Kagome's necklace from inside his shirt. He fingered the pink jewel contemplatively.

"I'll wish on this."

"But, ye do not know how," she said incredulously. She hated to put a damper on things, but this could not be helped. "Not even my sister Kikyou knew how to wish on the jewel. She thought it could be done, but knew not how it could be done. That is why she could only protect it."

"Maybe so, but I know how to wish on it. I just hope that it is strong enough."

"To resurrect her?" Inu Yasha nodded.

***

Shippou had finally cried himself to sleep, and Miroku, Sango, Kaede, and Inu Yasha sat around the fire pit, discussing Inu Yasha's idea.

"How did you discover the secrets to wishing on the Shikon Jewel?" Miroku asked his companion. Kaede and Sango nodded, signaling that they wanted to know as well.

"I checked out the cave where we first found out about Midoriko."

"When??" Sango asked.

"Tch, when Kagome left."

"Tell me, Inu Yasha," Miroku began. "Any half demon can simply swallow the jewel to become full demon. Your desire to know how to wish on the Shikon Jewel was unnecessary if you desired only that. So, what compelled you to pursue this information?"

"Don't know," he said coolly, and looked away from the group, nose in the air.

"You decided not to become a full demon when you realized you wouldn't be able to protect Kagome, didn't you?" Miroku speculated. Inu Yasha's head dropped, and his ears flattened against his head. He was silently cursing himself for not protecting Kagome against that stupid golem.

'And WHY? Because I was watching her celebrate. Stupid, Inu Yasha. Stupid,' he mentally scolded himself. "This was supposed to be our last battle," he said. "Our last fight, and then Kagome would probably go home. And you and Sango…" he trailed off, not wanting to continue. They looked at each other, aware of what he was insinuating, but embarrassed nonetheless. 'I'd be alone,' he thought.

"Well, let us get some rest, and attempt the jewel purification tomorrow. Inu Yasha, this will give ye some time to review the purification ritual and formulate the proper words for your wish." Inu Yasha nodded at Kaede, rose from his spot on the floor, and stepped outside.

'Why wait? I already know how to perform the ritual, and what my wish is,' he said to himself. And within moments, Inu Yasha decided to attempt his wish right then and there. Well, maybe not right then and there. He decided to wait until everyone was asleep, and then take Kagome's body to the Goshinboku tree.

***

Well, there he was. It was time. He removed Kagome from his shoulders, and laid her underneath the old tree. Gently, he stroked Kagome's lifeless cheek. In his eyes shone a softness that had never been seen before. Standing up, he unclasped the chain from around his neck, and held it between his fingers in a prayer-like position.

He began to chant softly:

"Shikon no Tama,

In which Midoriko

The priestess,

Who valiantly fights

For all that is good-

Hear me, and my plea.

My wish is pure,

My heart is true.

Grant this desire,

And may the Shikon no Tama

Release you

From your battle."

Inu Yasha's eyes were closed; he was intent on making this wish come to pass. He did not notice as a whirlwind enveloped him, nor would he have, if he did not hear her voice.

It was Midoriko.

"Gentle Inu Yasha," Inu Yasha's eyes shot open to find himself in the center of swirling clouds. He had but to stretch his arms full length, and he would touch the walls of the whirlwind. But he wasn't focusing on touching the cool clouds. He was trying to find the body belonging to the voice.

"Inu Yasha," she continued, and Inu Yasha saw her step through the clouds to his left. She smiled, dressed in a soft deep green kimono. "What is your wish? Be it pure, and it shall be granted. But if you are false, woe be to you." Inu Yasha looked into her eyes. She had only kindness for him; he could see that she knew his wish was pure.

He was sooo glad his mother gave him speech lessons when he was a whelp. Of course, he never used what he learned, but in this case, it was certainly appropriate. He had been thinking of what to say since the moment Kagome was hit by the golem's tail, and he was now ready to say it. He knelt before Midoriko in respect, but spoke eloquently, without faltering.

"Priestess Midoriko, I request that you restore to life this young miko before you," he gestured toward Kagome, who lay motionless beneath the Goshinboku tree. After Midoriko glanced at Kagome, her eyes returned to Inu Yasha, and he met her gaze. "She deserves not only to live, but to be happy, and safe. My request is that you grant this woman- this woman, who fought so valiantly and lost her life to restore the Shikon no Tama- another chance at life, and at happiness." And now, he began to lose his eloquence. "And she should be protected."

Midoriko smiled. "It is not beyond the power of the Shikon Jewel to grant this request. It shall be done." Inu Yasha began to smile wearily. His last-ditch effort to save Kagome had succeeded. Of course, he couldn't protect her- that would have to be someone else's job. His failure is why she died, after all. But she'd be alive, and she'd be safe, and she'd be happy. And that was all he wanted. Even if it meant he'd be alone.

"Did you hear me?" Midoriko asked.

"Huh?" Inu Yasha was embarrassed. He was thinking of how Kagome was going to live again, and totally forgot about the priestess before him.

"There will be but one condition to granting this request."

"What is it?" Inu Yasha was willing to do anything to make sure Kagome would be alright- give his own life, if need be.

"In order for Kagome to be happy and protected, she must return to her own time. When she does, the jewel will be purified, meaning that she will no longer be able to travel between times. In addition, her adventures here will seem like only a dream, and her family and community will have no recollection of you or her disappearances from school."

'No problem… I can visit her any time I want,' he thought to himself. Midoriko seemed to hear these very thoughts.

"Of course, you can visit her whenever you like, but there is another part of the condition under which this request will be granted.

'Come on!' "What is it?"

"If you do decide to visit her, you will be placed under physical restrictions."

"Human? No problem."

"No. Canine."

"What?"

"Your canine blood is what will trigger this disguise. When you set foot on the ground outside of the well, you will be transformed into what will appear as a canine to Kagome and the rest of the world of her time."

"Come on!" Inu Yasha forgot his previous attitude of 'Anything for Kagome.' Midoriko smiled. If Inu Yasha didn't know any better, he'd say it looked like a pretty sadistic smile to him.

"There is one way to break the spell."

"Yeah? And?"

"You must win Kagome's love."

"As a DOG??" It looked to Inu Yasha like Midoriko was trying to suppress a giggle.

"She must say the very words, 'I love you, Inu Yasha.' in order for the spell to be reversed- you will return to your true form, and her memories as well as the memories of her family and community will return."

"And, is there a time limit to break this spell?" Midoriko shook her head.

"Only the time limit of her heart."

"GAAH! Whatever!" Inu Yasha unconsciously poised himself as if he were entering a battle. "Let's do it." Midoriko nodded her head once, and raised her left arm toward Kagome. Inu Yasha looked at her, until one of the swirling clouds intercepted his gaze. When it passed, she was gone. He looked back toward Midoriko, who remained looking at him. The clouds began to sink toward the ground and disappear. Inu Yasha took one last look at Midoriko, and decided to go back to Kaede's. It was almost morning, and he wanted to tell them what had happened.

Midoriko watched as the young hanyou ran toward the nearby village.

"And so it begins, Inu Yasha. Traveling with Kagome in the jewel for so long, I know that the only way she could ever be truly happy is by your side. And you are the best protector she will ever have. Perhaps this adventure will draw both of you closer than you could have ever been." Midoriko smiled complacently in Inu Yasha's direction. "Thank you for freeing me, Inu Yasha. The demons I have fought so hard to overcome have finally been vanquished." And with that, Midoriko looked heavenward, and evaporated into nothing. On the grass where she once stood rested Kagome's chain- naked of the Shikon no Tama.

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[Author's Note] Yeah? Lighter than the first chapter? Do you like it? Please review!