Chapter 10, and the conclusion of my story! Yay! I'm actually thinking about making a sequal. I even have a pretty good idea on what I'm going to do, too! Heh. Well, If I do make one, it won't be for a while. Anyways, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

_______________

One week later.

Inuyasha, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku were standing in the village. Sango was about to leave the group, and Kirara was in her demon form, standing beside her. They all politely said their good-bye's, and Sango was about to leap upon her feline companion. Something had stopped her, though. Miroku had grabbed her arm. "Don't go. Not yet." He said, softly. "Come on, Shippou." Inuyasha murmured to the small kitsune.

He blinked. "Why?" Shippou asked, looking up at him. "I wanna stay here and say good-bye to Sango!" He exclaimed. "Put me down!" He yelled, when Inuyasha held him up by his tail and began to walk away. Shippou was yelling in a frustrated way as Inuyasha carried him into Kaede's hut.

Sango looked at Miroku, who was looking down on the ground. He grinned. "Heh. I've never done this before." Miroku murmured. She blinked. "Done what?" She asked, curiously. Miroku raised his head, and looked her straight in the eye. "Sango, I, um..." "Yes?" Sango asked, blinking again. Miroku took a deep breath. "I love you."

Sango immediately blushed, and then looked back at Miroku. "Miroku, I--" "Sango... would you, um, consider... I mean, um.." He seemed very nervous, which was a bit odd for Miroku. "Sango, will you marry me?" He asked. Sango looked up at him. "Yes." She said, and threw her arms around him. Miroku was slightly taken aback, but he returned the embrace, closing his eyes and smiling.

~~~

The hanyou watched this as he was leaned against Kaede's hut. "Heh." He murmured, softly. Then he walked away, smiling. He had ventured into the forest, and picked a couple of pretty white flowers. Then, he headed back to the village.

Inuyasha stood alone at Kagome's grave. His head was down, and the flowers were in his hand. "Hey Kagome. How've you been?" He asked, quietly. His voice was very passionate. "Guess I was afraid to come here before... I brought you some flowers." He said, setting them down in front of her gravestone. "I'm sorry. I wasn't there to save you." He said. A tear dropped to the ground.

"I could have been there. I could have saved you! But I..." He looked deeply ashamed. "I didn't." He whispered. "It's my fault you're dead. It's all my fault..." More tears fell. "I'm not going to use the jewel to become a demon, Kagome. I don't think it's what you would have wanted." He said.

"Kagome... Please forgive me. I can't be with you. Kikyou and I are going to get married." He said, with guilt. "You must understand, Kagome. I love her. I will always think of you, Kagome." He said, warmly. "I will protect your soul with my life, by protecting Kikyou like I never could you. That I promise." He told the grave.

"I'm Sorry..."

~~~

Inuyasha walked quietly through his forest. His head had still been down, but then he looked up as he entered a small clearing, and saw a giant tree. The Go-Shinboku Tree. But that wasn't the only thing there. leaning against the tree was Kikyou. She looked up at him. He returned the gaze. "Have you decided yet, Inuyasha?" She asked. "I have." He responded.

Kikyou nodded, and they walked to eachother. They held hands, with the jewel in the middle. They both closed there eyes. Inuyasha spoke softly. "I wish to become human."

The jewel in their hands glew bright pink. The light was blinding, and grew large covering them both. Then, the light shrunk down showing the two again. The jewel was no longer in their hands, and they both slowly opened there eyes. Inuyasha was frozen in shock. "I... I'm not human..." He said, withdrawing his hands and observing the claws.

"Kikyou, what--" He gasped when he looked up at her. "Kikyou, you... you're..." Kikyou did not reply. She was looking down at her hands, which were now claws. Kikyou had become a hanyou. and inu hanyou, too. She looked up at Inuyasha. "The jewel did not grant your wish. it did the opposite to the wrong person."

"But why?" He asked, blinking. "That even I do not know." She said. This certainly was odd, but they'd have to deal with it.

~~~

"Kikyou, are you coming?" Inuyasha asked, as he was leaning against a tree in a forest clearing. "One moment, Inuyasha. There is something I must do." She said, calmly. Inuyasha blinked. "Well, you'd better hurry up. I can't wait all day." He said, and Kikyou nodded. She walked into the boundaries Village of Kaede, which wasn't very far from that spot in the forest.

She looked down at a gravestone, with flowers placed at its base. It was Kagome's grave. "You are nothing now. You don't even have a soul." Kikyou said, quietly. She closed her eyes, and her hanyou body began to glow brightly. A fraction of her soul, which appeared to be a small white orb, left her body. It slowly moved foreword, and then hovered down into the dirt where Kagome's body lie.

Kikyou smiled ever so slightly. Then she turned around, and began to walk away. "Live on, Higurashi." She said, and went back to Inuyasha. Hand in hand, the couple walked away, and disappeared into the setting sun.

The End

?