Lauren: Hey everybody! Thanks for all the nice reviews! I hope this chapter isn't too confusing; I tried my best at explaining things. If you don't understand it though, please tell me and I'll try to explain it better for you in the next chapter. Wow, it's been a long week but this weekend has been pretty good. I'm going to be out of town until Tuesday. I hope everyone's doing okay! Please review! And for those of you who don't know who Midoriko is, it's explained in the first paragraph. You learn about her also in manga 11. I don't know why but I don't have much to say in here so, until the next update, please enjoy and I'm sorry if it seems a bit short!

I'd like to add to the soundtrack:

Lisa Loeb- The Way It Really Is

Ying-lin Hu- A sequel, you say? Hmm…it's a possibility but at the very moment I'm not planning to. Truthfully, I never even thought of that! At the moment I'm just concentrating on getting it done before I make a commitment to writing more, but if I do decided to make one, I'll be sure to tell everyone.

Stephanie-chan- Thank you so much. Your last review on chapter 31 really touched me. That's all I can say…it seriously left me speechless…it was just…so nice…-GLOMP- THANK YOU!!

Princess Sapphire- She'll get out cause she's not stuck in it. Kagome's consciousness/ 'spiritual body' sort of like got sucked into the Shikon, so she could talk to Midoriko and make her wish.

Nytshad- Aw, hope you're okay when that happens. Wow, that would be interesting and scary. You're so brave! –big, starry eyes-

Riley- I use Microsoft Word to write my stuff on. I'll have to check out Nadisco sometime, when I get more money.

Queen of Shadows- I'm sorry for the confusion! Basically, Kagome's consciousness/her 'spiritual body' is inside the Shikon no Tama and she's talking to Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon no Tama. Her eyes were black and white because it symbolized good and evil, like the yin and the yang. In the Shikon no Tama, there is a huge battle going on between demons and a miko, so it shows the two sides in her eyes. Does that clear it up? I hope so! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Like-anyother- Yeah, it's mainly like the yin and yang! You're right! You get a cookie!

~*~ Where Did You Go? ~*~

~By: Lauren~

-Chapter 30-

"The Way It Really Is"

"So…you're Midoriko…" Kagome muttered, remembering the story Sango had told her of the Shikon no Tama's past. A huge mass of demons had tried to destroy a village but couldn't because of the village's miko, Midoriko. She could purify and destroy a demon with a single energy blow. The demons decided to combine their souls and merge into one soul within a mortal man who loved her. They weakened and destroyed Midoriko and ate into her but, before dying, she unleashed a final blow of power and trapped her soul and the souls of the demons into her heart where a sphere formed. The sphere was the Shikon no Tama. Inside the jewel, the souls of the demons and Midoriko continue to fight, and the fight is only affected by the holder using the jewel's power. Whether it is for good or for evil. If it were used to do evil, its demonic powers from the demon's souls would increase and it would be indestructible. But, if it were used to do good, it would be purified and would be likely to vanish forever.

Kagome growled softly in her throat, "Why didn't you grant my wish? I wanted everybody who died because of Naraku to come back, I wanted him to be destroyed much easier and for all of us to live together safely and happily."

Now, the woman's eyes seemed to bore deep into Kagome's soul, but rather than a violation, it was a sensation as of being wrapped in warm, loving arms and held close. "Your last wish could not be granted." She rumbled, in a voice somehow soft and deafening at the same moment. "I did not allow it to happen because I knew you would meet again in your time. Even though they might possess different bodies, they are still the same soul. If I had allowed your wish to come true, you would only later realize the error in it. You see, Kagome, you wished that everything would have been different- you wanted a different ending, an ending without the pain of loss. You wanted your friends to be born in your world and not experience the pain they had to go through to find the Shikon no Tama and fight Naraku. It was a selfish wish, to want them to all be together with you. The fates of your friends were altered by your presence in their time, as the entire world was altered by it- why were you so quick to undo that alteration, when the end was good?"

Midoriko smiled and again, hot tears stung at Kagome's eyes. "You wished to save your friends and their families. You wished to give them another chance at life- another chance to survive with the people they love. But merely changing their surroundings could not change their fates. You cannot change their fates. But, do not fear; they will have another chance. They will have infinite chances, in their next lives and the ones beyond it, and they will find happiness. They will live to an old age- they will guard you as they have guarded you now and in the past, and cherish you for all you have done for them. Don't you see?"

Kagome stared blankly ahead and listened.

"The whole purpose of the Shikon no Tama, the whole reason it was created wasn't just to trap the demons that attacked my village. It was made for you to use it to wish light and dark, good and evil, to be balanced. One cannot exist without the other. Light cannot exist without darkness, just as darkness cannot exist without light. One is nothing without the other, just as love cannot exist without hate. Life cannot exist without death. Happiness cannot exist without sadness. The Shikon no Tama was created to be used for this exact moment, it was meant for you to wish for balance at this precise moment. If I had granted your selfish wish of changing things back then, then the Shikon would not have disappeared or been purified. It would have still existed and caused much trouble. It would have still existed until it was used to create balance and if it had granted your wish of changing fate, then everything would have been thrown terribly off balance. Everything would have been a mess and the world would have been lost to an eternal darkness. That is why I refused to grant your wish."

Midoriko looked at Kagome softly, "I understand though, you were ashamed that you couldn't purify it and that it didn't grant your wish, so you lied to the others that you were too weak to purify it. You would rather lie and try again later than to let the others know that you couldn't do it and that it wouldn't work for you. You didn't want them to think that everything had been for nothing- you thought you were a failure and you were useless. But Kagome, you were wrong. Even if you had told them the truth, it wouldn't have made a difference. They would have still loved you for all they were worth. Over time, when you were in the clinic, you forgot this and came to believe your own lie, that you were too weak. But…you remember now. You constantly pondered 'why didn't the Shikon no Tama grant my wish?' Because it knew of its purpose. It knew that if it granted your wish, it would still exist in the world and not disappear. It knew that in the future its mission was to balance light and dark. It knew its sole purpose was to create balance in the world. It would have failed if it had granted your wish and it would have failed if it had turned Inuyasha human when Kikyo possessed it. It knew that later Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha and everybody would be reborn in your time. So, it was a little different than you expected, they didn't have their memories, but reincarnation was better than what you wanted. They are still there. After the Shikon no Tama didn't grant your wish and it was separated, it became the rings, to wait to later be rejoined and complete its purpose."

"But Kagome…" The woman shook her head. "To undo all that you have done in this world, in the past time, is to cheapen your own purpose. It is to cheapen my purpose. Victories are not so plentiful that you can risk throwing them away in search of a better one. It was a lesson you needed to learn, and now you have. It was in your hands all along. You could accept the world you are in now, the world where nothing was altered and your friends suffered the same pain and death they did the first time…" Her smile grew gentle and as Kagome watched, inexplicable tears warming her cheeks, Midoriko reached forward and cradled her face gently with her palm. "Or you could change it," she said softly. "You could realize that you have no control over the fates of your friends, no more than they have control over yours, and that the only way to alter their lives is to let them go. You must move forward, Kagome. If your eyes stay eternally focused on what lies behind you, on the lives you failed to save rather than those you did…then, what will anything you accomplish be worth?

You will always find each other. I swear it. But the world you live in now is in jeopardy. Everybody's lives are in danger. If you accept this, then their fates can be altered anyways. Sango might be able to save Kohaku. Shippo might be able to grow up with you as a mother. You and Inuyasha can be together, instead of separated. If your last wish had been granted, then you would have been separated in the end. But it was not granted and you have a second chance now."

Kagome stood there for a moment, weeping silently, one hand pressed to her heart as if trying to feel the warmth of her heart within her. "For awhile, we were happy," she whispered and in her mind's eye, she couldn't help glimpsing the day she and Miroku had played Dance Dance Revolution against one another- the day she had managed to forget the terrors of her situation and just exist. Just be. It had been beautiful. "W…what will happen? I…I don't know if I understand…" she muttered, "Will they still remember?"

"Of course. This is real…what has happened to all of you is real. It's not the affect of your failed wish or anything; they all came together as they should. You tried to control their fates…you tried to change things but you've learned that you can't. Maybe in the next lifetime there will be less deaths in their families or less pains but what has happened should not- and cannot- be undone."

Kagome shook her head, thinking to herself, "I'll let you go, everyone. I love you all…I love you all so much. But I'll let you go, because if I don't, how will you come back to me?" She smiled tearfully and knew…she knew…they could somehow hear her at this very moment. "Everyone…thank you for everything- and for caring about me. But…" She swallowed and it seemed in that moment she could feel Midoriko's palm against her cheek, warm and reassuring. "But…I have to make an appropriate wish for the Shikon no Tama." Kagome coughed as she searched for words to go on. "You all taught me that I'm not worthless. I've always thought I was a nobody and you all taught me…you taught me to believe in myself, and to believe in what I've accomplished." Her voice grew soft. "We fought to help the world. It would be selfish to wish to change things, if it meant not helping the world. But…" She closed her eyes, a mist of tears pricking against her eyelids once again. She felt Midoriko's support and after taking a deep breath, she was able to continue. "But, I'll see all of you again, soon. We'll always be together! And…and happy. I know we will."

Then, Kagome knew the connection was dissipated.

"Midoriko," she said firmly, feeling that warm summer breeze rustling around her again, ruffling her clothes and whipping her long black hair around her shoulders, "Make this world be in balance once again!"

Midoriko inclined her head, a light of pride gleaming from her eyes, and said simply, "It will be done."

~* Flash Back *~

Kagome wandered down to a nearby stream, tired from the days hard and long battle. Luckily the demon's blood had missed staining her school uniform, instead deciding to cover Inuyasha from head to toe. That made quite a funny sight, for the smell was too much for sensitive nose and he fainted, while she had only received a few mud stains.

Reaching the slow running water, she dropped down into the cool grass and slipped her shoes off along with her socks. She swung her feet into the slightly cold water and smiled, sinking onto her back, using her elbows to support her upper body.

This was one thing she loved about the Feudal Era. For all of its chaos, it could be equally calm and peaceful. It would be hard to find such a place in Kagome's world today. She loved just to sit there; listening to the bird's sing and watch the clouds float across the clear blue sky. She had never seen a sky so blue before.

That's when Kagome decided that this was what life was all about. It wasn't about the blood and heat of battle or the great joy of victory, or the incredible despair of defeat. It wasn't about the adrenaline rushes of adventures and action that seemed to constantly plague her and it wasn't about the painful stab of hurt or loss.

Life was supposed to be like this…just taking part in simple pleasures that she enjoyed each day. The companionship of real, true friends that would be there for her within a second…the hot, summer days where she could play outside and the cold winter nights she could spend curled up in her cozy bed with her fat cat. The springs that she could sit around smelling fresh flowers and the autumn's that she could watch the leaves fall.

THAT was what life was all about…it was able the little ups in a person's day…

~* End of Flash Back *~

"Kagome!!!!" Inuyasha cried out, totally at a loss of what to do. Faintly, in the back of everybody's minds, they could hear Kagome speaking to them. "What's going on?!" The hanyou yelled, not understanding a thing, but no one else seemed to either.

"She's…she's making her wish…" Miroku muttered in the background, dropping to his knees as he held a hand in front of his eyes.

A flash of vivid, intense, golden-pink light filled the garden once again, engulfing all of them in its warmth as it surrounded the clinic, then spread to the streets. It was opening further and further until everything- the city and beyond- was bathed in golden-pink. Oddly…nobody seemed to notice this except for the group in the clinic's garden. Inuyasha froze, his eyes adjusting to the brightness, when he heard a choked cry of anguish.

He turned around, finding himself face to face with Daemon. The demon was wincing, steam coming off of its body while it seemed to fight against the brilliant light. An eerie darkness surrounded Daemon, protecting him, but it was rapidly shrinking and being replaced with the light. Inuyasha grinned, fighting against the pain that was coming from his wounds, as he lifted Tetsusaiga into the air, the demon grew weaker and weaker by the moment.

"You…you can't win…how…how…can this be happening…how…?!?!?!" Daemon cursed, letting out a roar as his body burst in hot, orange flames. They licked at him like burning tongues.

"Where there is light, it can drive out darkness." Inuyasha smirked in triumph, "Keh, the taste of your own medicine is always the most bitter…"

With one single, strong blow, Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga, slicing through Daemon's already disintegrating body. Daemon let out a cry of fury before he exploded, his body shattering into thousands of pieces and disappearing as a wave of darkness flowed from where he had once been. It crashed into Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo, causing all of them to fly backwards. Sango, Shippo and Miroku slammed painfully into the metal fence, the wire cutting into their skin, while Inuyasha flew into the hard concrete of the clinic building. The four all slumped to the ground, unmoving.

 A darkness filling the place where Daemon had once been before it was completely covered in golden-pink light.

~*~

Author's Note: Now, for anyone who is confused, here are the notes I made before I wrote this chapter. It might help to sort things out if you didn't understand what happened or was being said.

~Kagome wished that everything that had happened because of Naraku would be undone. She had wished that everything would have been different, that they would have had a different ending. She wished that they would have been born in her world and not experienced the pain they had experienced through the Era of finding the Shikon no Tama and fighting Naraku. She (selfishly?) wanted them to all be together with her. But the Shikon refused to grant her this wish. Its whole purpose of creation was for Kagome to use it to wish light and dark (good and evil) to be balanced. One cannot exist without the other. Light cannot exist without darkness just as darkness cannot exist without light. One is nothing without the other. The Shikon no Tama was created to be used for this exact moment, it was meant for Kagome to wish for balance at that precise moment. If it had granted her selfish wish of changing things, then it would not have disappeared / been purified. It would have still existed and caused much trouble. That's why it refused to grant her wish and Kagome, ashamed that she couldn't purify it and that it didn't grant her wish, lied that she was too weak to purify it. She would rather lie and try again later than to let the others know that she couldn't do it and that it wouldn't work for her. She didn't want them to think that everything had been for nothing- that she was a failure and was supposedly 'useless'. Over time, in the clinic, she had even forgotten of this and came to believe her own lie (that she was just too weak at that moment). Why hadn't the Shikon no Tama granted her wish? Because it knew of its purpose. It knew that if it granted Kagome's selfish wish, it would still exist in the world and not disappear. It knew that in the future its mission to balance light and dark would fail if it granted her wish. It knew that later Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha and everybody would be reborn any ways in Kagome's world. So it was a little different than Kagome expected, they wouldn't have their memories, but reincarnation was best. They would still be there. So it didn't grant her wish, it separated and became the rings to wait to later be rejoined and complete its purpose~

Did that help? I hope so, but if you have any questions, do feel free to ask them in your review. Thanks! This is the final stretch- only a few more chapters to go!