Disclaimer- It's not mine. It never was.

A/N: Hello people. I'm back. Ummmmm. I don't know where to start, but here is another chapter for the story. The plot is still a little ways off, but I think you can figure out where it is going from here. Anyways, I've gotten a new computer, so I'm still learning all of the little nooks and crannies in it. Please, be patient with me. Once again, I am basing this story off of the little bit of the dubbed version I saw on Cartoon Network, as well as the other fics I've written.

Setting - A few days have passed since the jewel was completed. Everyone is recovered and Inuyasha is ready to make his wish. So, on with the story.

Inuyasha and Kagome were walking along a beaten trail that led out of Kaede's village. The sun was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Kagome looked around and sighed contentedly. Around her neck was the completed Shikon no Tama. She and the hanyou walked hand in hand in silence, each one content to their personal thoughts. Hers were centered on the events of the past few days.

As they had recovered from the final battle with Naraku, Kagome had wondered what would happen to her now that the jewel was complete. She didn't want to leave the Warring States forever. She had made too many friends during her years chasing jewel shards. And no one she had spoken with wanted her to disappear either. Her feelings for her friends were strong, but stronger was the love for a certain white-haired, half dog hanyou named Inuyasha. It was her feelings for him that had thrown her into a big rut.

It was true. She had somewhere, somehow fallen for the hanyou during their travels, and now things were getting complicated. She knew he cared strongly for her. She thought back to the day after they returned to Kaede's village, beaten and badly in need of rest. However, he was soon to remedy her doubts.

-Flash back-

Kagome was washing in the nearby hot springs when the crackle of limbs brought her attention to the bank. She peered over intently, trying to determine the origin of the sound. She watched closely for a moment or so, but finally gave up and chalked to noise up to birds or squirrels. She was about to turn around when a flash of red and white caught her eye. She had smiled and continued to bathe as though she hadn't noticed anything.

'Leave it to Inuyasha to watch while I'm bathing.' she had though. Her cheeks surged to a red crimson when she realized that her only covering was a two piece blue bathing suit. 'Well, there goes any modesty I had left. Not that I had any left, thanks to Miroku and his peeping.' she thought grimly. Another shifting of branches caught her attention and she turned around. 'His stealth ability is weakened by the injuries.' she thought. ' Any other time, I'd never know he was there.' She wrung out her hair and stepped up to the bank. When she picked up her towel from a nearby bolder, she saw a set of golden eyes disappear into the foliage. She sighed in frustration and put her hands on her hips.

"Inuyasha," she's called, "you might as well come out. I know you're there." There was no answering movement. 'So, he wants to be stubborn.' she thought with a sadistic grin. 'We can do that.'

"Inuyasha, if you don't get out here right now, I'll say the 's' word." she called out. "I know you're still sore, healing powers or not. So don't force me to make it worse." She grinned when she heard a resounding growl emanate from a nearby bush. Slowly, a silvery-white mane of hair came out of the underbrush, glaring daggers at her.

"You really know how to take the fun out of things, don't you?" he growled playfully.

"Well, I'm sorry to put a break on your little peep show." she said. "It's okay though, I'm used to it by now."

"What?" he asked. Kagome smiled and shook her head.

"Please, I know you and Miroku have watched Sango and I bathe before. Thanks to that, I have very little, if any modesty left."

"We didn't watch all the time." Inuyasha grumbled. "You done yet?"

"No, actually, I was going to swim a little longer. Want to join me?"

"Feh." he answered. Kagome groaned and stepped back into the water.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." she said. She was almost waist deep in the warm water when Inuyasha tackled her into the water. She came up sputtering and pushing her hair out of her face.

"Inuyasha!!!" she yelled. "You stinking dog!! What'd you do that for!!!!!" She wiped her hair from her face and looked around. He was swimming out farther.

"Cause I could." he teased. Kagome swam towards him. When she finally caught up, she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"That's not a very good…." her protest was cut off when she felt him pull her close and crush her mouth in a searing kiss that left her breathless……

And that night, when he took her for his own for the first time, it was her name he cried out, not Kikyou's.

-End of Flashback-

Kagome grinned happily and ran her fingers down to where her neck and shoulder met on her left side. There were two small bumps on her creamy skin. Inuyasha had marked her as his mate. Now, she finally had the elusive hanyou, mind, body, spirit, soul, and heart. She couldn't have been happier.

They walked for a while longer, eventually coming to rest under the boughs of a large cherry tree.

"Something the matter?" she questioned. The hanyou looked at her and fingered the jewel that hung around he neck.

"I think I've figured out what I want to wish for." he said. Kagome nodded and waited for him to continue. He took a deep breath and looked at her intently. "I've given it thought, and I don't want to be a full youkai, or a full human for that matter. I don't care anymore, Kagome." The girl smirked and hugged her hanyou lover.

"What do you want then?" she asked.

"I was thinking of bringing back all of the innocent people who were killed because of the shards. What do you think?" he asked, nuzzling her hair gently. Kagome smiled.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." she said. "It will make many people happy to have their loved ones back. That's so thoughtful of you."

"Well, I finally found out what it feels like to love, and be loved in return." he said. "I'd hate to loose anyone I loved." he said. "I'd hate to loose anyone I loved, and I can only imagine what those families must have been through." Kagome nodded and hugged her boyfriend even harder.

"What gave you the idea for that wish?" she asked, really wanting to know his reasoning behind such an odd choice.

"Sango actually gave me the idea." he admitted, hugging her close to him.

"Sango?"

"Yeah, I heard her tell Kaede one time that if she ever got married, she wanted her father there. But because of Naraku's henchmen, he was killed along with all of the others." he explained. Kagome nodded and looked lovingly up at him.

"When do you want to make the wish?" she asked.

"When we get back to the village." he said. "I want to use the wish and put that blasted jewel to rest once and for all. It's caused enough trouble." Kagome nodded and they began to walk out of the forest and back towards the village. While in the shadows of the trees hid the one thing that would hinder the couple's happiness. Masked by a covering scent, the emotionless entity had slipped by the hanyou's sensitive nose, but it had heard the entire conversation, and quickly began forming its plan of revenge on the miko and hanyou.

A few hours later in the confines of Kaede's hut, the Shikon jewel's glowing pink light filled the room. Kagome, the keeper of the jewel focused all of her miko power into the crystal. Images of translucent people swam in front of her face, and then suddenly, the disappeared. One particular entity walked forward and bowed to her. He was an old man, clothed in flowing white robes.

"Who are you that enters into the spirit realm?" he questioned gravely.

"My mane is Kagome, and I am the keeper of the Shikon no Tama." she answered.

"The jewel of the Four Souls." he acknowledged. "What is your business here."

"We have gathered the scattered shards together in order to grant our wish.

"What is you wish, miko?" the old man questioned.

"I and my friends, the others who searched for the shards, wish that every innocent that was directly or indirectly killed by Naraku before and during the search for the shards to be given their lives back." The shade of the old man furrowed his brows and frowned.

"Do you realize your request, miko? I have not the power to grant that. Besides, there are those who will not want to go back to the land of the living." Kagome nodded in understanding, but pressed on anyway.

"Then allow the ones who want to come back, to come back." she said.

"Very well, my lady." the old man said lightly. "Your wish will be granted. However, I am afraid that you are not going to like the consequences of your wish as much as you would think."

"Excuse me?"

"There are those who were innocent when killed. However, now that they will be revived, they are not the same as before. During their time in this place, they have become bitter and cold." Kagome looked at the man and was about to question him.

"But…."

"Good-bye, my lady." The man disappeared and the next thing she knew, she heard Shippou's excited howl, and Sango's cry of relief as their beloved family members materialized in front of them. She was brought out of her daze when Inuyasha hugged her so tightly that she couldn't breath.

She looked around and saw Shippo's and Sango's families embracing each other and crying their tears of happiness. The wish had taken much energy out of her and she snuggled up to Inuyasha with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad they're back." she murmured. Inuyasha only nodded, but Kagome could tell that he was pleased also. She fell asleep on her boyfriend with a contented mind. However, the spirit's warning still hung in the back of her mind like a warning of things to come.

"I am too…." Inuyasha mumbled, looking out of a nearby window and into the forest that surrounded the village. "I am too….."