Hey, took me long enough, huh? Well, take how frustrating it's been for you to wait and multiply that by about 20 and that's how frustrating it was for me. Why? Because it took this long for me to get away from my parents long enough to type this up! And it took me moving into my own apartment to even get the time. :)

Now, many apologies, but I have no review responses because I'm not set up for internet yet. But I really want to thank everyone for reviewing and being patient with me and everything. You were all wonderful and inspiring!

Just a note… you'll notice that there are tons of openings for sequels and such to this story, but I will not be writing any sequels to this story. There are some things that are just meant to be ambiguous.

Now, without further ado… enjoy the ending of Altered Destinies!!

An hour later found the friends back at their camp. Naraku's castle had dissipated not long after he had died, but a lingering aura of evil made the group of friends feel the need to leave as soon as possible.

No one really knew what to say to each other. They had always imagined they would celebrate once Naraku was dead - as long as they were all alive - but here they were. Naraku was dead, they were alive, and they were quietly sitting around a fire.

Sango, Miroku and Kirara were sitting next to each other on one side of the fire. Miroku held Sango's hand in his right one - finally bare of cloth and prayer beads. Although he wanted to celebrate, he held in his joy in deference to Sango's mourning of Kohaku's death.

Serena and Darien were cuddled together next to Miroku, and Serena was lightly napping. Shippou was curled up against Kagome's stomach and both were deep asleep.

Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, watching over them all. Kouga had left them, saying that he had to get back to his pack. But he had refused to leave until Serena had assured him that Kagome would be okay, that she was just sleeping to regain the energy the jewel had used. Said jewel was still clutched in Kagome's hand and no one even tried to take it away.

They all stayed this way as day faded into night and sleep finally began to edge on everyone. So when the bushes around them began to rattle, it took a moment for everyone to become alert enough to get on the defensive.

"Stand down!" a loud voice boomed. It was loud enough to startle Kagome and Shippou from their sleeps. When Kagome sat up and blinked the sleep from her eyes what she saw made her rub her eyes in disbelief.

Sesshomaru stood at one end of the clearing holding Rin in his arms and behind him stood a very much alive Kohaku.

"Kohaku!" Sango cried, jumping up and running to her brother despite who he stood behind. "You're alive! How?" she asked as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Sesshomaru-sama cut him with his sword!" Rin chirped from her spot in Sesshomaru's arms.

Sango looked up at the profile of the demon lord. "You used Tensaiga?" she whispered in thankful awe.

By this time Inuyasha was standing guard in front of a shakily-standing Kagome. Although his hand rested on the hilt of Tetsusagia, he made no move to unsheathe it. Instead, he swallowed his pride and said the two words he never thought he would ever say to Sesshomaru.

"Thank you. Thank you Sesshomaru, for bringing Kohaku back to life." He received a nod in reply, and he would forever swear that there had been a ghost of a smile too.

"Yes, thank you Sesshomaru. Thank you so much!" Sango said, tears in her eyes. She too received a nod in reply.

Serena stood up, stretched and brushed off her skirt. "Lord Sesshomaru," she said in greeting.

He bowed to her as well as he could with Rin in his arms in return.

"Thank you for coming, but as you know we ended up not needing your services," Serena said, ignoring her friend inquiring looks.

"I beg your pardon, but it seems my services were greatly required," Sesshomaru replied with a pointed glance towards Kohaku.

"I stand corrected," Serena acquiesced.

"All right, what's going on?" Inuyasha asked as calmly as he could, but everyone could tell that he was irritated he did not know what was going on.

Serena turned to him and smiled. "I summoned Lord Sesshomaru to come to our aid," she explained.

"But how did you do so, Lady Serena?" Miroku asked.

"Since he is technically a Moon Dog, I am able to summon him at any time."

Everyone nodded in understanding, except for Sango - who was too busy hugging Kohaku and crying to pay much attention to what was going on around her.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Miroku said, garnering Sesshomaru's attention. "How did you come to save Kohaku's life?"

"When I came upon the area where Naraku's stronghold had been there were no signs of life. I looked around to see if I could find the bodies of anyone I recognized, but found no one until I came upon the area where Naraku's scent had the most hold. It must have been where his antechamber had once been. I saw a human arm sticking out from the soil and so lifted the body. It was the boy, so I used Tensaiga."

No one had been expecting Sesshomaru to reply to Miroku's question and they definitely had not expected any explanation to be so long winded. There were also some holes in Sesshomaru's story that no one wanted to comment on. Why was he looking for their dead bodies in the first place and why would he save Kohaku's life in the second place. Rin was the one to answer the latter of the questions.

"Rin's happy that Sesshomaru-sama saved Kohaku's life because Kohaku is Rin's friend!" Rin said with a big grin.

"I must take my leave," Sesshomaru said. "Jaken is waiting for me with Ah-Un."

"Thank you once again for bringing Kohaku back to life," Serena said, bowing to the demon-lord.

Sesshomaru did a half bow - almost as if he had caught himself bowing to a human twice in one day and had stopped himself just in time - before turning around and leaving, Rin still in his arms.

Of the group only Miroku, Sango and Kohaku did not notice Sesshomaru's departure. Sango and Kohaku were still in one another's arms, crying out of joy. Miroku was hovering over them, eager to greet Kohaku and have his happy Sango back. Kirara was with them also, curled up on Kohaku's shoulder - purring despite the tears.

Shippou watched as Sesshomaru walked away from view. Then he turned to look at his friends. Miroku and Sango were occupied and would obviously no be available to play. Serena was standing in front of Darien and he had his arms wrapped around her waist. They both seemed to be thinking hard about something and he was not about to interrupt a Moon Princess's thoughts. When he turned to Kagome and Inuyasha he found that they were gone. With a sigh he shrugged and curled back into Kagome's warm sleeping bag. Moments later he was asleep.

----------

Serena watched as Sesshomaru walked away and felt a pang of sadness wash over her. She had only met him once before - and it had not been an entirely pleasant meeting - but she already knew that she would be missing out on knowing an amazing person - or demon. In the short time between the meetings he had already changed. He held Rin unabashedly. He was not terribly condescending. He acknowledged her superiority. He saved Kohaku's life and openly told the story of finding him. Sesshomaru had indeed changed - and she would miss seeing his further changes - however long they took. But that brought a question to mind.

"Muffin?"

"Hmm?" he replied - still deep in his own thoughts.

"What do we do now?" she asked, tilting her head to look up at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, tilting his own head down to met her gaze.

"What if - once we get back to the well - we can't go through?" she asked, shutting her eyes as if she were trying to shut the thought from her mind.

Darien pondered her question for several minutes. He too had been wondering the same thing. Finally he said the only thing he could say.

"Then we live here. We'll both miss home, but I can be happy anywhere, just as long as you are with me."

Serena spun around in Darien's arms and kissed him. It was a sweet and gentle kiss that accurately conveyed her feelings - that she too could be happy anywhere, just as long as he was by her side.

----------

It did not take long for Kohaku to fall into an exhausted sleep. His day had been eventful after all. What with dying and being brought back to life to reunite with his sister and all.

Sango was too excited to sleep though, and Miroku was content to stay awake with her.

"How are you feeling?" Miroku broached to say.

Sango turned to look at him. Her eyes were slightly swollen from her tears and her cheeks were still slightly damp, but her eyes were shining with happiness. She broke out into a beautiful smile that almost took Miroku's breath away. And then, to his surprise, Sango threw herself into his arms.

"Oh Miroku! Kohaku is alive! I'm no longer the last demon exterminator alive! And now our kids will have an uncle and Kohaku will have a brother and I will have a family!" she babbled to him.

Miroku was too shocked to say anything for a long while. He was eventually able to ask what he wanted to ask.

"Sango?" he choked out. "Are you saying that you want to be with me? That you will marry me?" Despite their developing relationship, it still surprised him that she truly loved him.

Sango looked up at him, worry in her eyes. "D-don't you feel the same way?"

He answered her with a kiss full of passion. When they pulled away several minutes later he rested his forehead on hers and through his panting breath said, "I love you, and I will marry you as soon as you are ready."

It was Sango's turn to initiate the kiss.

----------

It had not taken long until Kagome had to hold onto the back of Inuyasha's haori just to remain standing. As soon as Sesshomaru had turned his back to leave and Inuyasha was sure he meant no harm, Inuyasha had Kagome in his arms and was leaping away.

"What are you doing?!" Kagome squeaked out, but Inuyasha did not answer until he had stopped and had gently set her down on the soft grass.

"You need to rest and Sango and Kohaku were sure to keep you awake," he said as he crouched before her.

"But I'm not tired!" Kagome said, but her statement was ruined by a big yawn. Inuyasha gave her a pointed look. "All right, all right. Maybe I am tired, but I don't want to sleep right now."

"Why not?"

"Because… because it's a time to celebrate! Naraku is dead and gone and out of our lives. Kohaku is alive. The jewel is completed and is more powerful than we ever imagined. And now we can all just live in peace and be together.

Inuyasha stared at Kagome for a long while. When she realized what she had just said a blush graced her cheeks. Finally Inuyasha said, "Be together? We can… we can be together?" It was hard for him to say and he was blushing fiercely, but he had to say it.

"You know I want to be by your side," Kagome said, looking at the ground. Then she forced herself to lift her head and meet Inuyasha's eyes. "Inuyasha… I love you too."

He stared at her wide-eyed, not believing his ears. "You - you love me." She nodded. "I love you, and you love me and we want to be together. " He said incredulously. Kagome laughed and nodded.

Inuyasha could not stop himself - did not want to stop himself - from pulling Kagome into his arms and kissing her. And this time Kagome kissed back. And this time the kiss contained all the passion each felt for the other.

----------

The night was fully dark by the time everyone was settling down to sleep. Serena and Darien were curled up together as they always were. Sango slept with Kohaku curled up next to her like a little boy. Miroku slept next to her but not quite touching her in deference to Kohaku. Inuyasha was sitting against a tree with Kagome curled up in his lap. Although their feelings were now known, Inuyasha was not comfortable yet sleeping with Kagome lying down.

A serene aura was surrounding the entire camp - a security that could only be brought on by knowing that no one in the world could hurt them at the moment. And no one could. And no one did.

Morning dawned clear and bright and peaceful. But the friends slept on until well into the morning. They were in no hurry that day nor in the subsequent days. They stayed up late and slept in late and took their time getting back to the village. As they traveled along they talked and laughed and were all smiles and good cheer - while avoiding any mention of Serena and Darien leaving them forever. Or the possibility of Kagome also leaving them and never being able to make it back.

They finally returned to the village almost two weeks after they had completed their mission. It was not a triumphant return by any means. The villagers worked in the fields and tended gardens and paid no attention to the returning heroes - they were long used to the comings and goings of the group of friends. Even Kaede showed no excitement when they entered her hut. She did not even look up from the tending of her herbs.

"Welcome home," was all she said. She only looked up when the heavy silence got to her, and the first thing she laid eyes on was the completed jewel hanging around Kagome's neck.

"So it is done," she said calmly. "And Naraku?"

"Dead," Inuyasha said.

"Good. Kikyo is avenged." Kaede said, and looked around her room, as if searching for something or someone. That is when the friends realized just how much Kaede did not know about what had occurred while they were gone. So they settled down and began telling their stories.

Two hours later Kaede was caught up on everything that had happened. She was saddened to hear about Kikyo's demise but held no grudge against Serena. She showed no surprise about Serena and Darien's alter egos - in fact she told them that she had suspected that they were hiding something. She was surprised to hear about Kagome's jewel and asked to hold it. When she handed the jewel back her hands were shaking from the power that coursed through the jewel.

"With that jewel, child, ye will be able to keep yeself and the village safe from harm."

"Keh," Inuyasha said, but Kagome was able to interpret his 'Keh'.

"With Inuyasha by my side, I don't have to worry about anything," she said, and reached over to take his hand.

Kaede stared at their hands for a long moment. Sango and Miroku and Serena and Darien had been showing signs of their relationships the whole time, but this was the first sign Kaede had seen from Kagome and Inuyasha. No one spoke a word until Kaede finally smiled and nodded at the two - who immediately relaxed.

"And Kohaku," Kaede said to the young boy who had been quiet all along. "I want you to feel free to make this village your home. No one judges another's past here."

Kohaku looked up at Kaede and nodded - a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Serena and Darien - you two are welcome to stay as long as you wish," Kaede added.

Said couple glanced at each other and Serena solemnly said, "We're going to stay the night and try to leave in the morning."

Kaede nodded and then slowly stood up so that she could begin supper, for day was already fading into night.

No one slept much that night. Although everyone tried to keep the atmosphere light, sadness weighed heavily on everybody, for they all knew that they would never again see Serena and Darien.

Talk went from what everyone planned to do next, to recounting past adventures, to pondering over what exactly Serena's crystal and Kagome's jewel were capable of. Anything and everything was touched on except for the impending goodbyes. But - as time has a tendency to do - night flew by and morning came upon them all too soon. Before they knew it they were finishing up breakfast and slowly making their way to the well.

Fifteen minutes later they finally came upon the well and as they came to a stop it was obvious that no one wanted to make the first necessary step. After several moments of motionless silence, Serena took it upon herself to take the first step. With a sigh she moved in front of the well and turned around so that she was facing her friends.

Giving them a small smile, she said, "I'm going to miss you all terribly," she began. She had to swallow a lump in her throat before she could continue. "But I will never forget you guys. When I first came here I thought it was a big mistake, but now I know that it was destiny for Darien and I to fall through the well. By coming to the past we rediscovered our own pasts and fell in love all over again. And I-I've become a stronger person and now I know that my scouts are my friends through and through," with that she walked up to Inuyasha and hugged him. It shocked everyone when the half demon immediately hugged her back.

That started off the rounds of hugs to the departing couple - and not just a few tears. It was once again Serena who pulled away first.

"All right," Serena said with a watery laugh, wiping away a stray tear. "Enough of this melodrama! We should get going."

Darien stepped up to her and grabbed her hand. "We'll never forget any of you," he said, and Serena nodded.

As one they stepped onto the edge of the well. Before jumping, Serena looked over her shoulder at Kagome.

"Remember - meet us at the Crown Arcade at three in four days," Serena said, and Kagome nodded. She would be staying behind for another day or two so that she and Inuyasha could work out some things.

With that, but with streaming tears, Serena and Darien leaped into the well and disappeared from the Feudal Era forever.

----------

Serena and Darien landed softly on the bottom of the well and a quick look up told them that they were back in their own era. But they were going nowhere fast, because Serena was crying too hard to climb out of the well. So Darien just held her, making soothing noises.

"Darien?" Serena said softly into his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think that if we had tried jumping into the well together in the first place back then that we would have made it back?"

Darien thought this over for a moment chuckling. "You're a genius sometimes," he said and kissed her on her forehead. "But do you wish we had tried that then?"

"No," she said without hesitation. "I wouldn't give up the last couple of weeks for the world."

"Me neither." With a sigh Darien stood up, bringing Serena to a stand with him. "We should probably get going.

They made it out of the shrine without running into anyone. As they walked to Darien's apartment - where he would get his car and drive Serena home - Serena realized that the five miles were nothing. She also realized that she had really changed. She was no longer whiny nor scared to face her enemies. She had a boyfriend - who had been her worst enemy not too long ago - and she had more powers than she had ever dreamed possible. She was ready to take on the world.