A/N-Alright! We're winding down to the last few chapters of the story! Oh! Actually, I just checked and there's only one chapter after this, the longest one yet. Can you believe that? One more! *Sobs* It's going to be over! But I've grown so attached to this story! But there's no more left. It's all so sad. Someone suggested a sequel but what am I supposed to write for the sequel?! I have no idea. Oh! *Lightbulb appears over head* Our favorite little wolf demon didn't make an appearance…Hmm, I don't know what I could do with that though…Ooh! Well, or not…Oh well, I'll just have to think about it for awhile. Oh, and sorry this chapter took so long to get up. We got to pick a book for our book report this time in English and me, being stupid ol' me, picked a book and then didn't read it until twelve days before we get started writing the report so now I have to read 100 pages a day in order to finish my book in twelve days. Yes, my book is 1, 212 pages long. I'm so stupid, but it's a really, really good book and I really want to try to do it for my last report of the year. Yeah, so I'm gonna try. So don't expect another chapter for at least another week. The next chapter (the very last one in this fic) chould be up maybe next weekend if I'm not reading until my head falls off…

Disclaimer-

Creepy Lawyer: Once more: DO YOU OWN THESE CHARACTERS?

YoukaiTaiji-ya: Hmm…what characters?

Creepy Lawyer: The characters in this story!

YoukaiTaiji-ya: What story?

Creepy Lawyer: This story right here!

YoukaiTaiji-ya: Where? *Points to random spot on the ceiling* There?

Creepy Lawyer: No! Here! We're in it right now!

YoukaiTaiji-ya: In what right when?

Creepy Lawyer: *Sighs in exasperation* I give up!

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When Did Things Get Complicated?

Chapter XIX

Kagome set out early in the morning before sunrise and made it home just in time for breakfast. Sango told her that Inu-Yasha wanted to meet her after breakfast as she rode towards the castle. Things would get better now. Shidosha would slowly return to normal now that he didn't have the jewel anymore and Naraku would lose.

Kagome cheerfully entered the dining hall and sat down at her usual seat.

"Good morning everyone," she said brightly, resisting the urge to laugh triumphantly and shove it all in Naraku's face.

"Someone's cheerful this morning," Shidosha commented.

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke yesterday dear brother," Kagome apologized, surprising everyone at the table.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Hachimitsu asked tentatively.

"Of course dear little sister," Kagome assured her, smiling.

Shidosha set down his eating utensils with a clink. "Okay Kagome, who's the man?"

It was Kagome's turn to be surprised and she blinked. "What?"

"Who is he? You can tell me. We could probably even arrange something if he's of noble birth of course," Shidosha said very business-like.

Kagome just blinked at him stupidly. "What? No, there's no one. I'm just…so glad that…uhh…" Well, there was three things she could do in this situation, she decided. She could A) say, "I'm just glad that you don't have the Shikon no Tama anymore and I do," B) say, "It's Inu-Yasha. You know, the demon prince," or C) just lie. Kagome, being the intelligent girl she was, chose C.

"I've just realized that you are king and you should be allowed to do what you deem best for the kingdom," Kagome answered sweetly.

Shidosha still glanced at her suspiciously, but didn't press any furthur.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you've learned your place," Naraku said.

Kagome glanced at him, resisting the urge to laugh in his face and just smiled kindly. "Oh I have milord." How could he be so narrow-minded? Even Shidosha was still suspicious. She couldn't believe Naraku had even bought that crap. For someone who was supposed to be tricky and cunning, he was pretty stupid.

After breakfast she hurried out to the Between Forest. She stepped slowly through the trees, deep in thought.

"Shikon no Tama…" Kagome murmured. "So that's why everyone wants it. It can give you anything, but it can also be bad if what they desire is selfish or greedy or hateful. All the more reason for no one to have it," Kagome decided firmly. But then…she had it now… "But I wouldn't wish for anything bad. I don't want anything bad to happen. And I'm supposed to purify it. But how am I supposed to protect it if they find out I have it? I can't fight two different armies to keep the jewel from them…Midoriko could but she had the powers of a great miko." Kagome sighed but then her eyes hardened determinedly. "Naraku will not get this jewel again. I'll make sure of it no matter what." He wouldn't corrupt the jewel again and he wouldn't trick people anymore.

Soon she entered the clearing to find Inu-Yasha already there.

"Well?" he asked as she walked towards him. "Did you find out anything?"

"We can't let Naraku get this jewel ever again," Kagome told him and then repeated to him everything her aunt had said about the jewel.

"So how are you going to keep it from him?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome sighed. "I have no idea. I don't think I could fight him physically if he found out I had it so I'm just counting on him not finding out."

"I shouldn't have given it to you. You could be killed," Inu-Yasha said, pulling her into an embrace.

"Kaede said that only I can purify it so I have to have it and keep it from Naraku," Kagome said, burying her head into his shoulder.

"If you get killed I'll never forgive you," Inu-Yasha said, smiling.

Kagome laughed into his shoulder.

"But seriously," Inu-Yasha said, his face grave, as he pulled her back to look at him, "be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Kagome snorted. "So I can slice him in half?"

Inu-Yasha frowned. "No, you can't do that."

"But that's what you would do," Kagome pointed out.

Inu-Yasha sighed, smiling. "Fine, don't do anything I'd do."

"Easy enough…I think…So slicing him in half is out of the question?" Kagome asked, pouting a little.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and grinned. "If you snuck up on him maybe…but not in a duel. He'd cheat…"

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. Inu-Yasha grinned and then leaned down and kissed her, his lips a gentle caress to hers. Kagome slipped her arms up around his neck, pulling him closer to her. When their lips parted, Kagome sighed contentedly and rested her head against his shoulder. She felt like life was good again. Inu-Yasha was here with her, she now had the Shikon no Tama so Naraku could no longer manipulate people through it, her brother would return to normal, she was sure, and once Shidosha was back to normal, Kagome was positive that he would see the stupidity in the war and work for peace. Kagome sighed again. Yes, the gods were making up for all the bad things they had made happen in her life. They were finally making up for it.

As Inu-Yasha was nuzzling her neck gently and breathing in her soft scent of lilacs, he glanced up sharply, peering into the woods surrounding them. He thought he caught a white flash but he blinked and it was gone.

"Do you feel like-" Inu-Yasha began.

"Someone's watching?" Kagome asked, frowning. "Yes, I thought it was just my imagination."

Inu-Yasha sniffed the air. "There's no one there now…"

Naraku, in his white baboon pelt, chuckled to himself as he slunk out of the forest. He knew that girl was hiding something. She had been far too compliant that morning at breakfast. He hadn't let on that he was suspicious that morning, but he had been full of misgivings at her sudden light and submissive attitude.

'Now, this could prove to be very amusing…' Naraku thought to himself, chuckling.

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A/N-Now, did you all catch the fluff? Did you see it? I put some in there! Did ya see it? Did ya? There was fluff! Woo hoo! Inu/Kag-ness rocks! Pretty pretty fluff. Ooh, and Naraku knows! *Whispers* He knows! Next chapter: Caught Together in the Forest! Yup, that's right, Kagome and Inu-Yasha scandalous relationship (not really scandalous but I'm trying to make it sound interesting here) becomes known to all! Miroku makes a brief appearance in the next chapter as well (I added him in there after a certain reviewer asked if he would show up and I decided to add him in. He wasn't originally in the next chapter).

Review Responses:

Slycat-Yes, it was a very bad nightmare. Feel the foreshadowing! Bwuahah!

youkai chick supreme-Woo hoo! Another death threat! Yes!

Lylli Riddle-Volume 5? Really? Wow…I live in Washington.

mkitty-chan-Hmm, I thought about that suggestion and, while it is a very good suggestion and I would love to make the story longer, it didn't really seem to fit with the fic and I figured it would be too off-topic. So yeah, great suggestion though!

Tamababymiko-chan-Nuriko is SO cool! At first, I didn't like Nuriko because she was trying to steal Tamahome from Miaka but as soon as I figured out that………I totally loved Nuriko! Nuriko is awesome! Shidosha is bad. Yes he is.

AoiTsuki-Good! We almost have enough people to take him on now! Woo!

jill- ^_^

Merayna-The climax is in the last chapter! The climax is always towards the end! I put fluff in this chapter! Did you see it?! ^_^ I'm very proud.

DragonGlare-Nope, not three more chapters. Only one more chapter. The next chapter is pretty long. The longest yet and I debated cutting it into two chapters but I decided it would be better to have the climax and the resolution stuff in the same chapter. So, only one more chapter. I'm thinking about a sequel now.

reynamangga-That would be pretty. I just started watching Rurouni Kenshin on CN but it's really bad. My sister really likes it though so I watch it sometimes.

Hanamaru285- ^_^

Ame Tenshi-Yes, you will find out sooner or later ^_~ Next chapter you'll find out! Bwuahaha! But you know, in the last chapter, I actually like Shidosha. I think I saved him ^_^ I think you guys will like him too after the last chapter. You'll still be mad about the whole evil brother thing but you'll like him at least a little bit more I think.

Minako-chan-Nope, he's not just a greedy human being. He's got powers! But you'll figure all that out in the last chapter of this story, which is the very next chapter. ^_^