It was as if time had stood still. Everyone held their breath and waited, hoping and praying that the young miko whom they had all come to love was alright.

Lord Misaki held his wife close to him, she sobbed hopelessly into his shoulder. They felt as if they had lost both of their beloved children.

Then, there was a blinding light. All the youkai shrank back from it. Inuyasha put a hand over his eyes. After a moment the light dissipated leaving nothing but the crumbling balcony in its wake.

Inuyasha hung his head as the tears began to fall.

'I'm so sorry Kagome. I tried, but I failed you just like I failed Kikyo.'

Lady Suki smelled the hanyou's tears, and she walked over to him and put her arms around him like a loving mother. They both needed the other's comfort.

"Even though I would have liked for her to marry Misawn, I know now that she couldn't have been as happy with him as she was with you."

Inuyasha raised his eyes to meet those of a full blooded youkai. It was the nicest statement any youkai had ever made to him.

Sesshoumaru emerged from the crowd and walked over to his brother. Inuyasha felt him coming, but made no move to get up, he wouldn't even look his brother in the eyes.

"Did you love her?" He asked, his voice held no emotion.

"Yes." The calmness in his voice startled his brother.

'He sounds just like me.' For the first time in his life Sesshoumaru felt a kindred spirit with his brother. He knelt down so that he could look his brother in the eyes. When Inuyasha refused to meet his gaze, he put clawed hand under his younger brother's chin and forced him to look at him.

"I asked why she loved you so much, she said love makes you do crazy things…, was what you did out of love?"

Inuyasha merely nodded.

"Then you've no reason to blame yourself. She's not dead anyway."

Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock and he leapt to his feet.

"What'd ya mean she's not dead?! If this is your idea of a joke then I'll kill you right here and now!"

Sesshoumaru just looked at him. "As always your temper and rash decisions never surprise me. Turn around."

"This isn't funny Sesshoumaru!"

"Oh Inuyasha for once listen to your brother."

He whirled around at the sound of her voice. There she stood smiling at him as though nothing was wrong.

"Kagome!" He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Uh Inu. I can't breathe."

"I don't give a dam, I'm never letting you go."

"You're going to have to sometime, because I want to hug my daughter." Lord Misaki spoke up.

Reluctantly Inuyasha let her go. Kagome walked over to the Lord and Lady of the Eastern Lands.

"I'm sorry about Misawn, I couldn't save him. But it was him that saved me. You see Tetsusaiga was forged to protect a human, but Naraku found a way to cover me with the aura of a youkai. So if Inuyasha had tried to use the windscar he would've killed me. But Naraku underestimated the power of love. When Misawn saw the energy coming at us, he raised his youkai at the last moment which triggerd my purification powers. When the wind scar hit it didn't harm me because it recognized my miko energy, but because Misawn raised his youkai it saw him as a threat and killed him."

"It's alright my dove, I know that he died protecting you. He always did love you." Lady Suki said this while stepping forward to hug Kagome.

"This only means one thing, you are now the heir to the Eastern Lands."

Kagome looked at him with shock filled eyes. "But why me?'

"Because this was to be your accepting ceremony, we as parents accepting you as our daughter."

"But I still don't understand."

Lady Suki spoke up. "You see dear, before Misawn could mate you he needed to have out approval of you. We had to decide whether or not you would make a suitable mate for our son. In doing so we would be accepting you as our daughter."

Kagome let the information sink in. She would now become the heir to the Eastern Lands.

"Ok now I understand, but what do I have to do?"

"Well for starters, we need to change you into a youkai and there's training sessions that you need to go through to sharpen up your skills in battle."

"Not to mention all the etiquette training you'll go through to know how to act in court."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha who was now standing next to her. He simply smiled and nodded.

"Ok I'll do it."

A cheer arose from the guests who had been standing there the entire time. They knew that she would make a great lady.

"So, Daddy, who's gonna be my trainer in combat?"

"Well I've thought it over and there's only one youkai that I think would be good enough for you."

"Oh yea? Who?"

"Sesshoumaru."

"WHAT?!" Kagome and Inuyasha said in unison.

Sesshoumaru just rolled his eyes. "I can tell that these training sessions are going to be nearly unbearable."