Chapter Two - Kagome's Destiny

Inuyasha carried Kagome as he jumped out of the well into her time.  Stepping from the well house, Kagome sighed, and hesitated.

"I never told Mama about all the danger, and everything that I was doing while I was in your time, Inuyasha," she said.

"So?  You don't have to tell her," he replied.

"No, I want to.  Now that it's over, I want her to know.  I can't let her believe that it was all just a picnic.  She needs to understand what we've been through.  It'll make it easier to accept my staying with you."

Upon entering the Higurashi house, they were immediately attacked by Kagome's brother, Sota.

"Inuyasha-oniisan!" he shouted happily, running to greet them.  Kagome quickly slid off her shoes and entered the house, and Inuyasha followed, arms crossed in his traditional manner, though his sleeves weren't long enough for him to cross his arms into them.

"Ah, welcome back, Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi greeted as her daughter walked into the living room.  She smiled warmly at Inuyasha.  "I see the clothes we found are your size.  I always had a good eye for that."

"Uh…yeah," he mumbled, glancing down at the odd things he was wearing.  As soon as we get back, I find real clothes, he decided.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.  He glanced at Kagome, and she smiled and nodded slightly.

"Um, yeah, I guess," he replied.

"Come to my room, Inuyasha-oniisan!" Sota pleaded.  "We can play a video game!"

Kagome giggled as the slightly bewildered hanyou was led off to the younger boy's room.  She predicted to hear shouts and see broken game controllers in the next few minutes, followed by Sota suggesting a new activity that would further confuse and startle Inuyasha.

Without saying anything, Kagome walked back outside and went to sit on the bench by the God Tree.  Sure enough, within moments her mother had walked out as well, and came to sit beside her.

"Your dog friend seems to be pretty healed up from the injuries you said he had," Mrs. Higurashi said, looking up at the tree.  "It must be nice to heal that quickly."

Kagome looked down at her hands.  "Mama, I…I want to tell you that…we've finished our quest."

"You put the jewel back together?  That's good, Kagome."

"I also wanted to tell you…"

"Yes?"

Kagome hesitated, and then suddenly began to pour out everything that had happened over the time she had been there, starting from the moment she was first pulled through the well.  She told her about all the times Inuyasha had fought, and about all the youkai that had been after her, and all the times she had been in danger and Inuyasha had protected her.  She told her about Sesshoumaru, the Shichinintai, and most of all, Naraku.  Her eyes darkened as she recalled Inuyasha's insane transformations into his full youkai form.  She laughed a little when she told her about Kouga and how stubbornly he continued to call her his woman, and felt tears in her eyes when she told her about Kikyou.

When she was done, she wiped away her tears, and leaned her head on her mother's shoulder.  Mrs. Higurashi didn't say anything, but leaned her head on her daughter's head and gazed at the tree.

"After the Shikon no Tama was back together, I gave it to Inuyasha, because he wanted to be a full youkai," Kagome told her.  "But instead, he wished that he could always have me, and that I'd always be able to cross time.  I don't know what to do about that, Mama.  I don't know where I belong."

Mrs. Higurashi gently ran her fingers through Kagome's hair.  "Kagome," she said.  "It's all ok."

Kagome sniffled and looked up at her mother.  "But Mama…"

"Have you ever studied the Higurashi family history?"

Kagome's face fell.  "Um…no."

Mrs. Higurashi continued to look at the tree, smiling contently.  "If you follow it back far enough, you will find the very first Higurashi in our line.  It was about five hundred years ago when the first of our family is recorded.  It was a woman whose husband's name was never written.  Do you know what her name was?"

"No, Mama."

"Her name was Kagome."

Kagome gasped, and truth began to dawn on her as her mother continued.

"The very first recorded ancestor in our family was a woman named Higurashi Kagome.  And from her children, and their children, and theirs, and on down through the years, we were born in this time in the Higurashi family.  In all the years of our history, we have always lived at this shrine, since it's very beginnings."

"Mama, you knew this…"

"I've known it all along, Kagome.  That's why I was so cheerful about letting you go through the well.  Because I knew the moment you first fell through it, that it was you."

Mrs. Higurashi looked at her daughter.  "It is you, Kagome, who is our ancestor from five hundred years ago.  It's been your destiny since you were born to go back in time and live in the past, and be the roots of our family.  And, since the name of the husband was never recorded, I believe I know who it is."

"Who, Mama?"

She smiled.  "Your dog friend.  Inuyasha."

Kagome gasped again, and stared at the house where the hanyou was currently.  You mean that Inuyasha and I…we are my own ancestors?!  "But Mama," she said, "Inuyasha is a hanyou.  That would mean that there's youkai blood in us."

"There may be, though it would be so little it wouldn't be noticeable," Mrs. Higurashi said.  "After all, it has been five hundred years, and many generations of marrying humans.  I wouldn't doubt that there's some youkai blood in us, but it wouldn't make any difference now."

Faintly, Kagome heard some racket going on in the house, and recognized Inuyasha yelling frantically about something.  She smiled, and laughed slightly.  "So, you're letting me do this, aren't you, Mama?  You're letting me live in the feudal era?"

"Like I said, Kagome, it is your destiny." She smiled brighter.  "Besides, didn't Inuyasha wish that you would still be able to cross time?  You will still be able to visit us."

"And I won't have to worry about school anymore," Kagome realized.

"Yes, and you don't have to worry about continuing the Higurashi family in this time, because we still have Sota.  He'll grow up, someday."

"Oi, Kagome!" The girl looked over to where Inuyasha was yelling from the house.  "Are you gonna sit out there all day?"

She and her mother exchanged knowing glances, before she laughed and called back, "I'm coming!"

As they stood and began walking back to the house, Kagome thought about all her mother had said.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Kagome?"

"When Inuyasha and I get married…" she blushed at the thought. "…can it be here, at the shrine?  I know, since he's a hanyou, he probably won't think a wedding is necessary, but I'd still like one."

"If it's what you want, I'd be delighted to have it here, Kagome," her mother replied warmly.

"And we don't tell Inuyasha about any of this."

"I won't say a word."