Oh my... such a long absense x.x Gomen ne, minna! Here is the next chapter. The story is almost done! Aren't you excited? The last chapter will be by far one of THE most dramatic ones I have written thus far. After that I will prolly have a wrap-up chapter and that'll be it...

I expect LOADS of reviews :P

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Been There, Done That

Chapter Seven

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It had been two days, and in a matter of moments Kouga and Kagome would encounter the undead miko, Kikyou. An unsettling, but understanding, silence was held over the both of them, smothering them.

"Are you ready?" Kouga murmured, slowing a bit and looking at Kagome who had her face right beside his, staring directly ahead.

"Yeah," she responded breathily.

"You're gonna fight Kikyou by yourself?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be right any other way. What will we do about the inu?"

"He'll try to interfere, you know that. I'll keep him occupied."

Kagome nodded and put up all of her emotional barriers once more, shielding herself from any emotion. Her eyes were distant and full of aged wisdom, while her body was rigid, her muscles clenched and ready to spring into action.

Kouga finally stopped right at a large clearing where Kikyou waited, hair free from its tie and flowing in the strong wind that had gathered there. It would be a showdown for the ages: a Miko vs. Miko final battle, past vs. future. Kouga allowed the slim girl on his back to slide down and land softly on the earth below them. He looked at Kagome and they exchanged a wordless conversation before Kagome allowed a break in her barriers and gave him a warm smile filled with love, affection, and promises of their future together. As she turned, long silky hair flying behind her via the wind, her barriers reappeared and she stood in stony silence. The youkai backed off a bit and crossed his arms, eyes studying the match about to begin.

"Kagome," the undead woman addressed emotionlessly.

"Kikyou," the future girl replied, voice flat.

"You've been searching for me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Naturally, I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine. You have walked this soil for far too long, Kikyou, it is time for your peace." Kagome held her bow and arrows in her left hand, ready to fire with her right. Her dark brown eyes stared infront of her, showing only determination and pity.

"I shall never rest until the hanyou Inuyasha has perished. He promised to join me in Hell and has yet to do so, even with Naraku's death. This betrayal shall not go unnoticed." Kikyou replied coldly, pulling her own bow up and notching an arrow for firing. The tip glowed an eerie blackish iceblue as her eyes narrowed, calculating.

"Inuyasha is free to do as he wishes, Kikyou. Move on, you have nothing binding you here. Surely you must crave the sweet release of Death." Kagome said shortly, not even fazed by the miko's obvious targeting to her head.

"And that is a release that you shall experience, future girl." Kikyou's eyes widened slightly as she released the arrow and it sped rapidly towards Kagome's skull.

The future girl blinked once, then simply tilted her head to the side, allowing the arrow to whiz harmlessly past her and into a tree. Then she lifted her head back into an upright position and stared. "Are you quite finished?"

Kikyou glared and loaded up three arrows and shot them, then followed the attack with single arrows, each firing one after the other without a large break.

Kagome bent backwards and backflipped once, twice, three times, followed by a rolling cartwheel to the side. She then ran full-force towards the miko, zigzagging at sharp points. Within moments she was in Kikyou's face, winked, then shoved an arrow deep into her shoulder. She backed up a few steps, then held up the Shikon no Tama and stared at it. "Weren't you supposed to guard this, Kikyou?"

Kikyou glared, "Supposed? Ha! I still do, considering that you are me." She smirked as she saw Kagome's eyes flare with anger at that comment. She had hit a nerve.

"I never have and never will be you." Kagome stared at the miko, "Say it with me, princess, Ka-go-me. Again, Ka-go-me. Good, now say it three times fast-" Kagome didn't even flinch as the miko aimed at arrow at her throat.

"How dare you mock me..." Kikyou seethed.

"Why should I? You're doing a perfectly good job of that yourself, angel." Kagome stared at the woman with an even gaze. If you hadn't known which was which, they passed for twins. The only difference was how their hair was styled bang-wise, their hair's shine, and the clothes.

Kikyou cried out in rage as her energy flared, surrounding herself in crackling electricity. "You have room to talk, future bitch. What's the matter?" she smirked cruelly, backing up a bit and staring at her opponent, "Upset because you had to settle for a youkai instead of Inuyasha? Maybe because you were never and never will be like me? Never will measure up?"

Kagome's eyes changed to that infamous misty ice blue once more as her own aura flared. "Don't... you... EVER... talk about MY MATE!" she yelled, flinging her hands out infront of her, palms flat, facing Kikyou, and fingers spread. Her aura became visible, a large semi-transparent mass of blackish pink energy that was licking at her, consuming her, like flames. It all came to a point at her hands as her hair flapped madly behind her from the sheer force. Around her hands it was a blinding pink, and as it got further away it turned black.

Kikyou glared and held her hands in a similar pattern, her aura becoming visible as well. It was similar to Kagome's in shape and action, even colours and shading, except her's was a blackish blue.

The two miko's faced eachother, energy flaring and colliding into one white-hot collision in between them.

Suddenly, there was an explosion and Kagome screamed. Everything was covered in a deafening silence. Slowly, the dust cleared revealing a shocked Kikyou and a dangerous looking Kagome. Kouga gasped.

In Kagome's own pink-hued hands was the Shikon no Tama, glowing with a brilliance it had never revealed before. It pulsed with power, shimmering ripples of energy rocketing over the ground around them. Kagome stared at the jewel before her, then looked at Kikyou with now bright pink eyes. "It is pure."

"Pure?! How?! How could you possibly purify the Shikon no Tama? It's impossible to purify!"

"Apparently not... Behold!" Kagome said grandly, the gem hovering between her slender fingertips, "The Shikon no Tama in its truest and purest form! With this, Kikyou, I shall vanquish you and send you into peace. It is time for you to GO!" Kagome flung her hands forwards again, staring intently at the miko before her.

In a flash of light and a scream that faded into a peaceful giggle, Kikyou was gone. In her place stood a young 13-year-old Kikyou, the vision of good energy and happiness. Instead of killing her at her most unhappy stage, the Shikon no Tama granted her the ability to revert to her most at peace age.

"Thank you, Higurashi Kagome." young Kikyou said, beaming, "I can finally... feel again. I appologise for all the evil I've done." Kikyou's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Kagome, "Please, forgive me?"

Kagome smiled, eyes returning to their natural colour and the abnormal wind disappearing, leaving a refreshing breeze and a happy future girl. "Of course, Kikyou. I forgive you with all my heart and my very soul. Please, be at peace. Allow yourself to be happy once more, Kikyou."

Kikyou smiled, head quirking to the side slightly, eyes closed. Slowly she faded until nothing remained but a white hair tie on the earth, which quickly blew away in the breeze.

Kagome turned and looked at her mate, the Shikon no Tama still glowing brilliantly, but now hovered over her chest. In a flash it disappeared.

"Kagome! Where did the Tama go?" Kouga asked, rushing over to her.

"It's within me now, waiting for my next call for it." Kagome smiled peacefully, "Kikyou is at rest, the Shikon no Tama is pure, and you and I are left to spend the rest of forever together. It can't get much better than this..."

Kouga looked over Kagome's head and glared. "Don't be so sure, Inu-koro is here."

"And he's ready to fight!" came a familiar inuhanyou's voice.

Kagome craned her neck around, head turned, and stared at her once beloved. There he stood, Tessaiga in hand, and ready to fight.

The final battle between the hanyou and the youkai was now.

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D'oh, wasn't how I wanted the battle with Kikyou to happen... -sigh-

Review anyway? n.n!