Kagome sat up, tears running down her face.

            "So, you finally woke up?"

            Her head whipped around faster than was smart, and a jar of pain lanced through her. Slowly, her vision cleared, and she saw the odd tiger striped girl, sitting next to her, with her legs crossed, staring at her happily.

            "It took you long enough." She said, plainly. "I was getting bored watching you cry."

            Kagome's anger flared. Her fist connected with the girls face at a very high speed, knocking her backwards.

            "Shut up!" She yelled, her voice threatening to shatter at any moment.

            The girl sat up again happily. "Ooh, aren't you touchy." She said with a giggle. "But why?"

            Kagome recoiled at that, her eyes narrowing.   

            The girl dramatically put the back of her hand to her forehead, and bent backward in a fake, mocking swoon. "Oh, He abandoned me!" She said in a high soprano mocking voice. "Oh, a-boo, a-hoo! What shall I evah dooooo?" she fell over backwards, and caught herself with her hands, falling back into a dive roll, and coming to her feet.

            Kagome's face reddened with rage, and her lips curled up in a snarl.

            The girl's grin widened. "If it's any consolation, you passed you're test…"

            Kagome's hands suddenly wrapped themselves around her throat. "Do you think I care?" She demanded, her voice rising to a shrieking level.  Her eye widened in fury.

            The girls grin widened slightly. "You should, Kagome." She said softly. "Not many are given second chances… if you don't learn, then you could find yourself in a much more difficult position than you are in now."

            Kagome's eye narrowed, and her grip tightened.

            Then there was a groan from behind her. It was low, and rough. It was one she was familiar with. Her head turned instantly.

            Slowly, InuYasha put his hand to his head, and staggered to his feet, his other hand clenched tight.

            "Inu… Yasha…" Kagome managed to squeak. The girl fell from her grip, landing smoothly on her feet, forgotten.            

            The hanyou looked up suddenly, a wild look in his eyes. The amber eyes focused suddenly on Kagome.

            "You're alive…" He breathed.

            She wasn't exactly sure who moved first, but the next thing she knew was that she was in his arms, wrapping her own around his, crying into his chest.

            They were both talking at once, not really listening to each other.

            The tight embrace was plenty communication. Kagome could feel hot tears pattering on to her hair, and was aware that she was staining the hanyou's red haori with a huge, salty splotch of her own. 

            The little tiger girl cast a quick glance to Kirara, and then back. "Kiss him." She whispered to Kagome.

            The young miko just didn't care anymore. They were together.

            Slowly, and briefly, their lips touched. The girl smiled slightly.

            They held each other longer, Kagome blushing slightly at the brief contact, her tears rapidly drying.

            "Okay! That's enough!" Cried the odd tiger girl, "There's only so much fluff I can take, and you guys just reached the limit!" She said sharply, "You guys both passed the tests, so Kagome gets cured!"

            InuYasha suddenly looked up, glancing at her furiously. "You!" He seethed, rage coming to his voice. "You're the one who gave us those "Tests", aren't you?"

            The girl gave him an amused nod.

            And suddenly found five claws and inch from her face. InuYasha's face clouded with rage.

            The girls smile turned sardonic and taunting. "Yes?" She asked confidently.

            Amber eyes focused on green.

            The amber eyes watered, then blinked.

            IN that split second of darkness, the girl somehow managed to get on top of InuYasha, and stand gracefully on the top of his head. "Look at yourself, InuYasha, and look at Kagome." She commanded. "You learned from the tests, and therefore you passed. There is no need for them to be permanent."

            InuYasha glanced down at himself, then at Kagome. She was alive, that was certain. And the cut on his arm was gone.

            Kagome looked down at herself as well. Her clothes were intact, and all the scratches and bruises were gone.

             "It didn't happen?" She asked, stuttering slightly, relief washing over her. The feeling of dirtiness was already fading. "It wasn't real."

            The girl shrugged. "Real is in the eye of the beholder." She said simply. "But the tests were based on your own fears and concerns." She turned suddenly and meaningfully to InuYasha. "Yours, might I add, are much more well founded than hers were." Her gaze intensified as the hanyou paled slightly.

            Briefly, Kagome glanced at InuYasha, and wondered what his test was.

The girl looked around. "Can you see Vadise now?"

InuYasha and Kagome looked around. The hanyou growled, and looked at the little girl. "Listen, wench!" InuYasha said, his voice starting to threaten. "I ain't in the mood for any more a your crap!" He stalked forward to the girl. "You're gonna take us to Vadise… NOW!"

            The girl held up her hands. "Okay, okay!" She said innocently. "Fine, just follow me."

            She started walking deeper into the forest, when Kagome interrupted her.  

            InuYasha, turned to Kagome, nodded silently, and followed.

            Kagome shrugged slightly, and walked behind him.

            Behind them, Kirara sat down, and curled up. Can't see her, huh? The fire cat thought idly as she tried to go to sleep. They're pretty good at talking to someone they can't see.

~~

            There was an awkward silence between Kagome and InuYasha as they walked.

            Kagome was blushing all the way down to her toes. She had kissed him! What had she been thinking? InuYasha wasn't her boyfriend or anything, so she had no right… But then again… The memory of his lips on hers flashed through her memory.

            InuYasha himself was very silent. Slowly, he looked over at her, and asked softly. "What was you're test?"

            Kagome tensed up, but kept on walking. She smiled lightly at him, and waved her hand. "It doesn't matter." She dismissed. "Don't worry about it." She cast an inquisitive look at him. "What about you? What did you dream?"  

            InuYasha perked an eyebrow at her, and said, in a very bad imitation of Kagome's voice, "It doesn't matter, don't worry about it."

            Kagome looked at him for a moment, then giggled despite herself.

            "Here we are!" Said the girl, smiling, standing before the drooping cascade of a giant willow. It must have been literally hundreds of feet high, and Kagome couldn't even tell how thick it was, for the drooping boughs all but obscured whatever lay within. Slowly, and dramatically, the girl lifted aside a shock of boughs, and gestured for them to go through.

            Kagome looked up into the deep darkness, and a sudden nervousness suddenly bit into her heart. This was it! This was where they had set out to get to! This was it!

            InuYasha must have sensed this too, for a clawed hand reached out and grabbed hers in a tight, comforting embrace.

            She gave his hand a squeeze, and together, they walked through the curtain.

            It was dark inside… very dark. Kagome couldn't see a thing, but she had a feeling InuYasha could. She could feel him looking left and right, sniffing slightly.

            "Well," The girl's voice came from off to Kagome's left. "Here we are."

            InuYasha let go of her hand for a moment, and looked around, sniffing. "Where is she?" He demanded harshly. "Are playing games, wench?"

            The was a light chuckle from the girl, whom Kagome could now barely make out with the limited light. "No, she's right here…" She said.

            "Where?" InuYasha demanded. There was the slight sound of splashing, and InuYasha growled again.

            The room seemed to be getting lighter. Kagome could now make out a ring-like lake surrounded the trunk of the willow. Even in the dim light she could see that it was crystal clear. She could see strait to the bottom of the pool.

            "She's very near you." The girl said smoothly.

            Where was that light coming from? Kagome looked around to try to find the source, but had no luck.

            "Don't tell me you can't see her." The girl said with a shrug. "Not my fault."

            InuYasha's growl of frustration became louder, and all of a sudden he was in front of the girl, his hands locked around her throat. "We don't have time for this!" He roared, his blood racing. Kagome could see a bit of red flecking his eyes.  

            The girl's smile increased, even as she failed to breath. "You have all the time I want you to have, InuYasha." She rasped.

            Kagome's eyes widened. The light! It was coming from the girl. She was… NO WAY! "InuYasha!" She cried urgently, "Let her go!"

            But it was too late. There was a flash of light, and InuYasha flew across the secluded chamber, and smashed into the tree with stunning force.

            The girl, however, didn't drop to the forest floor. She remained hovering three feet of the ground, however, she seemed to have undergone some divine transformation.

Her hair, which now fell down her back in soft white waves, blew in an imaginary wind. The white silks she now wore contrasted starkly with her dusky skin, and the white, downy, feathered wings arced from her back, her smile was cool, and almost comforting.

"You are a fool, at times, InuYasha." She said, smiling slightly.

With that, she sank to the ground, and turned to Kagome.

Vadise raised her head, and smiled at the mike. "So, let's get you fixed up, shall we?"