Disclaimer: No, I do not own anything related to Inuyasha. I just watch the anime. The characters of Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter 8: Kagome

Souta trudged wearily away from the now empty well house. It's over; it's finally over. Kagome has gone to the past and will never return. Great, what will Mama and Grandpa say when they find out. Boss had better have a good reason behind doing all this. Souta's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his spectators.

"Nice job, Mouse." Taro commented. "Your first field mission, and it went without a hitch."

"That was an excellent display." Sakura observed. "Your spells were performed perfectly and you only had a few weeks to practice. You will do well as an Officer."

The Boss nodded. "I can agree to that. Now then, Mouse, if you will allow us to escort you and your family back to headquarters, I believe we have some explanations to give to everyone."

"You can say that again." Said a voice behind them. Souta froze at the comment. He tried to respond. "Mama, it really is a funny story."

Mrs. Higurashi stood in the middle of the yard glaring at Souta. "Young man, I would like to know where your sister is, who these people are, and why they are here. You had better start talking."

Souta inwardly twitched at her commanding tone, unable to respond her questions. Boss looked at the gathered people with a heavy heart before he decided it was in his best interests to take charge. Boss nervously replied. "Mrs. Higurashi, we are representatives of an secret organization that monitors demons. Your daughter, Kagome, was important to one of our projects, so when Souta approached us for help we offered it."

Mrs. Higurashi suddenly brightened. "So you must be Officers, then, and you sent her back to the past. Thank you for all your help."

Boss started at her reply. "How do you know about everything?"

"Demons have been guarding this shrine for almost twenty years. When Kagome was born, her spirit powers needed to be personally supervised. One of the Officers explained everything. Grandpa and I have been members ever since. Now Grandpa assumes everyone that comes in the shrine is a demon." Mrs. Higurashi calmly responded. "Would you all like to come inside? Dinner is about to be served. We can go to headquarters afterwards."

She turned to reenter the house followed by her guests. Boss muttered, "Why don't people tell me these things?" as he entered.

Mrs. Higurashi led the group to the dining room to be seated. Grandpa was napping, but Souta woke him for the meal. Mrs. Higurashi served everyone from the kitchen. After dinner, Boss called for a car to pick up the Higurashi family. They passed the car ride in silence. Grandpa was amazed by the many demons, but Mrs. Higurashi seemed unaffected. Boss led the way to an empty conference room to begin the story.

Boss began. "Mrs. Higurashi, my name is Boss, and I am the leader of the Officers. Souta told us about Kagome's condition, and we were concerned about possible impacts in the past if she did not return. We have a file on everything Kagome did in the past, and it mentioned returning after a month's absence."

Sakura continued. "Kagome had to awaken from her spell, because if not, everything she did in the past would never have happened. History would have been rewritten, if the world did not end or the universe implode."

Souta interrupted. "Mama, Kagome's file says she never came back home. The well sealed her there. She's already lived her life."

Mrs. Higurashi looked stricken by news. "My poor baby. She's stuck in the past. She died before being born." The Higurashi family broke down in grief.

Boss gazed at his weeping audience. "Souta made me a deal that I had to tell all of you her life story in exchange for his assistance. I have arranged for someone to come to tell you about Kagome's life; she and her husband were on their honeymoon, but my messenger said they would come."

Mika looked horrified by this arrangement. "Boss, please tell me you didn't call them. Dad promised bodily harm to anyone that interrupted them."

Souta looked up from his tears. "Your dad, but I thought it was a honeymoon."

Mika nodded numbly. "Every fifty years my parents go on a honeymoon for a year. It's their vacation away from everything. Goodbye, Boss, I hope you made arrangements for your affairs."

"Now, Mika," Sakura cautioned, "Dad hasn't killed anyone in years without provocation. Boss could get away with only a slight maiming." At Souta's confused look she added, "Mika and I are sisters, although she is much younger than me."

A sudden crash outside in the hallway drew attention from the petrified Boss and the revelation about Mika and Sakura. Several curses could be heard and an argument.

"I just want to take one of his legs, this was our time and he screwed it up. I knew you should have left the Officers to Sakura. She may not have the people skills, but she's got a much better head than that brat." A male voice started.

"No, you have to promise not to hurt him. For all we know this was supposed to happen. All he wants is for us to explain a few things, and then we can go back. Ten minute visit tops." His wife answered.

Souta glanced at his companions, Mika and Sakura looked embarrassed while Boss tried to look calm. Souta's attention was drawn to the door when it opened to reveal the experts.

There in the doorway stood Kagome. A slightly older, more mature Kagome, right down to the…

"Your ears." Mrs. Higurashi squealed. "They look so cute. When did you get dog ears?"

"Three years after the well sealed. The Jewel decided I could protect it better as a half-demon." Kagome replied, barely holding in her enthusiasm. "Let me help you with the luggage, Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha," Souta stammered. "You married Inuyasha." He looked at Mika and Sakura. "And you have kids. I need to sit down, wait I am sitting down."

Mrs. Higurashi looked at the graying Sakura and back to Kagome. "How is she your daughter?"

Kagome sighed, as if she explains this regularly. "Sakura was born two years after the well sealed, I was still human so she is only one-fourth demon. She ages one year every twenty-five years after her twentieth birthday. That was five hundred years ago, so she looks about forty. I became a half-demon on my twentieth birthday, five hundred years ago. I age one year every fifty years after my twentieth birthday, so I look about thirty, so does Inuyasha. Mika was born about three hundred years ago; I was a half-demon then, so she is too. Mika ages like a half-demon, so she looks about twenty-six."

"Now that we all know that pointless piece of information, may I please attack the runt?" Inuyasha threatened taking steps towards the scared Boss.

"No." Kagome insisted. "Shippo did what he had to do. What did happen?"

"Shippo?" Souta turned to Boss. "Shippo as in the little fox-demon that used to follow Kagome around?"

"Yes, my real name is Shippo." Boss muttered. "I'm five hundred years old, the leader of the Officers, and a respect demon, but people still think of me as only that pipsqueak."

"You will always be an annoying pipsqueak, and I'm still waiting to find out what is going on." Inuyasha commented.

Souta replied. "A month ago Kagome was attacked by a binding spell. She went into a coma. I joined the Officers to wake her up. Kagome just went back to the past. But I told her nothing had happened."

Kagome looked faint. "I remember that. You said it had only been a few hours, but Inuyasha dragged me back before I could say goodbye to Mama and Grandpa."

Shippo nodded. "So that's why it wasn't in your file. You didn't know what happened. Well, everything seems to be in order here, I'll just go back to my office."

"Hold on a minute, brat." Inuyasha growled. "Kagome mourned for a year because her family was gone. It wasn't until two years later that she got the ability to see them again. You still have some explaining to do."

Shippo grinned. "But everything is fine now. Souta performed the spells needed. Kagome went back to be with you and start the Underground. Your kids were born. Now she can catch up with everyone."

Souta started at that comment. "You had to go back because you started the Underground?"

Kagome replied. "Yes, five hundred years ago Inuyasha and I founded the Underground with a group of other demons. Shippo, did you just say Souta was the one to break the spell? But he doesn't have any spiritual powers."

Taro shook his head. "No, the Registry picked you first, I guess it thought you could wake up your past self, but then it picked Souta. Sakura even swears he learned quickly."

Sakura nodded. "He learned all the necessary spells in two weeks, including practice. Now that he has completed his first field mission, Souta is the youngest Officer in history."

Mrs. Higurashi seemed proud by that announcement, Grandpa had still not gotten over Kagome's ears, and Souta blushed under the gaze of his grown sister.

"Now that everyone in your family is aware of the Underground," began Shippo, "I am informing you that the Higurashi Shrine is now under Officers jurisdiction. If we ever need any of your services, you will be notified. Now I really do need to get back to my office. Taro, let's leave the family alone to catch up."

Shippo and Taro left the family so Kagome could reminisce with her family, introduce her husband and children, and catch them up on her life story.

"This was a happy ending for her, wasn't it?" Taro asked as they walked through the hallways. "I mean now Kagome is with her family again."

Shippo nodded. "Yes, but she also has another family to introduce them to. She has been busy for the last five centuries. Now, we better run before Inuyasha realizes we are out of maiming range."