REALLY Important Quick Note: Heh...sorry it took sooooooooo long...it's just I got a virus and it sucked. I had to recover my files and whatever...but...dum, dum. .. the final chapter...it's pretty lengthy and I added a bonus...Epilogue! Ha! So enjoy and of course THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING! You all made this possible by supporting me and pushing me all the way, so this is for you guys! Oh yeah and of course I don't own Inu Yasha...I don't think I ever put that but either way, enjoy this! -

Chapter Seventeen

It sounded like some sort of tapping noise...almost like rain on a window, just pounding away. Then it erupted into an ocean wave, crashing the house down.

Kagome felt as if she had awaken from a long dream. The sound of several individuals clapping brought her back to reality. She looked around and then at herself and then at Kouga.

'Oh right...Kouga...Wait! What is going on! How am I here?'

"Kagome..." Kouga's voice came out as smooth as her dress.

'Where's Inu Yasha?' Kagome scanned the area but only saw a wave of wolf demons. 'He got pushed away. Along with the others.'

Unfortunately, they were the only ones that got pushed away.

"KOUGA! YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Please! Ayame calm down!"Ginta struggled to restrain her, holding her by the arms.

Hakkaku himself was also having to use his full strength, which wasn't much. "Ayame...!"

"LET GO OF ME!" She hissed through her teeth, slowing pacing to where Kouga and Kagome stood.

"I'll..." she paused, much to Ginta and Hakkaku's relief, seeing something in front of her that wove within the sea of wolf demons. 'Silver hiar...? Inu Yasha...?' Her sights then fell towards Kagome, noticing her features. Her concern for her friends and Inu Yasha was evident on her face. 'What's going on? Did Kagome...?' She suddenly gasped. 'That bastard Kouga forced her to marry him! Trying to get rid of me!'

She again erupted into her super demon strength, causing Ginta and Hakkaku to struggle yet again. 'Wait...' she paused, giving the two wolf demons a chance to breath. A menacing grin spread across her lips, giving Ginta and Hakkaku a reason to start fearing again.

'I'll just get him later. Inu Yasha will most likely take care of this...That's when I'll strike. Kouga, you won't get off so easily...' Ayame cracked an evil laugh and left. Ginta and Hakkaku stared at her as she walked away, a terrorizing aurora around her. They then looked at each other and, hugging themselves, began to shiver in fear.

----------

"Kagome! Kagome! Kagome!"

"It's no use, Inu Yasha," Miroku said. "We've been pushed away too far from them. They can't hear us."

"Shit..." Inu Yasha cursed under his breath.

"I still don't understand how all this happened," Sango said, grasping her boomerang. "How did we all just...return to our rightful bodies?"

"Who knows," Shippo commented, Kirara by his side.

"Who cares!" Inu Yasha roared. "That means that if that's really Kagome over there, then she's the one who just married Kouga!"

Realization slapped the group's faces as they all became fully aware that for once, Inu Yasha was right.

----------

"Kagome?"

Kouga snapped her thoughts back into a reality she wished wasn't really happening.

"Uh..." she managed to say.

"We must finish our ceremony."

'You mean there's more? Can't it wait till the honeymoon?...I can't believe I just said...thought that!'

Kagome looked around and realized to her horror, that the surrounding demon wolf tribe members were dispersing, making a path for them to follow to...somewhere.

"Kagome," Kouga said taking her hands. He looked so happy and literally glowed with pride and joy. Kagome bit her lower lip at the thought of hurting him. But she didn't want to be with him she wanted to be with...Her eyes scanned the crowd in hopes of seeing who she wanted.

"We must walk together to the hot springs, Kagome."

Those words made her eyes wide as she stare at him, her cheeks burning.

"What?"

"This has to be done alone, just you and me. There we will seal ourselves to each other." Kouga smiled.

'Seal ourselves to each other...?' Kagome would've squirmed and ran if Kouga hadn't pulled her from her hand towards the path they were to take. 'Inu Yasha help me!'

---------

Inu Yasha's head snapped up. "Kagome..."

"Look Inu Yasha!" Shippo pipped, standing on Sango's shoulder, pointing towards the opening the crowd was making.

"It's Kouga and Kagome," Sango said, watching the couple walk out towards a lightly-densed group of vegetation.

"Let-oh?" Miroku was cut off mid-sentence by Inu Yasha who was already racing towards them.

Miroku could barely catch up to the half demon. Even Sango and Shippo who were aboard Kirara struggled to even reach Inu Yasha's dust.

'Kagome. I won't let that damn wolf win! You don't belong with him. I will get you out of this and back with me where you belong!' Inu Yasha's thoughts raced along with him. 'I...I want to be with you. I WILL be with you whatever it takes!' And with that, Inu Yasha further boosted himself towards Kagome.

--------

Hojake felt a rare impact. It wasn't physical but it pulsed through him none the less.

"What is it, Brother?" Hokaje asked.

Hojake turned and raced towards the pulsing force that had grabbed his attention, Hokaje behind him.

"What?" Hokaje demanded.

"It's that half demon, Inu Yasha. He wished to be with that girl..."

"So?"

"The desire is too strong. I just placed his soul in his body but...He wants to be with that girl so desperately that his soul is unstable. At any moment his soul can jump back into her body."

"But..."

"Yes, they will be killed. Two souls cannot share one body. They will intertwine and both will cease to exist."

"Then we have to go and fix it, right?"

Hojake stared at his sister, disbelief over riding his worry. "I thought you didn't care for them."

Hokaje blushed but shrugged none the less. "They kinda grew on me."

"Come," Hojake said. "That spring they are going to...it's perfect."

----------

Kagome looked at the hand Kouga offered. He was knee deep in the vapor seeping hot spring water, clothes and all. That part relieved her even if it was that little. She did not need to take off her garments for the dip they were supposed to take.

"Kouga, I'm not sure...I don't know..." Kagome struggled. Then she felt Inu Yasha's presence. He wasn't within eye sight but even so, she knew he was coming. She didn't care that while she felt it, Kouga couldn't even smell his scent. In fact, she believed that he was too preoccupied with her to even notice. Another big relief.

Suddenly, there was a loud pop. Kagome saw a familiar figure with green hair and a wooden rod appear in front of Kouga.

"You're-!"

Kagome was silenced with the finger that crossed her lips from the demon before her.

"Hey, get away from Kagome!" Kouga threatened, jumping out of the water.

Hokaje smiled and said a teasing remark. Then picking Kagome up, ran off with her, Kouga trailing surprisingly slow behind her.

Kagome stared at Kouga. 'What's he running for? She left...'

"It's an illusion," Hojake said appearing next to her.

Kagome gasped taking a step away from him. "What do you mean?"

He smiled. "My sister knows a few good tricks in illusions and other deceiving arts."

"Your sister? You mean...?"

Hojake introduced himself. "I am a soul switching demon as well, my name is Hojake. I was the one that earlier switched your bodies during that wedding ceremony."

"You-"

"Kagome!"

She turned to find Inu Yasha rush towards her, Tessiaga out and ready, blade towards Hojake. "Get away from her!" he hissed.

"Wait Inu Yasha!" Kagome said. "He..." she trailed off not sure on how to explain the situation to him due to the fact that she herself was not certain of what it was.

Hojake felt another impact. Despite the fact that Inu Yasha was now with Kagome, his soul was already pushed too far. He needed to seal them as quickly as possible.

"You two must get in the hot spring...now!" Hojake urged.

"Wha-?"

Kagome and Inu Yasha could not hide their surprisement and embarrassment.

"Why?" Inu Yasha finally asked, his blush not dispensing.

"I need to seal your souls. Inu Yasha your desire to be with Kagome was so great, your soul now wishes to jump into Kagome's body. And in order to protect the girl, I need to seal her soul as well," Hojake quickly explained.

They stood motionless at his words. Mainly the "desire to be with Kagome was so great, you soul now wishes to jump into Kagome's body" part. Inu Yasha seemed to be one with his red fire rat jacket.

"Please!" Hojake urged. "We must hurry!"

"Inu Yasha," Kagome gazed at him, he returned it.

Turning towards Hojake, Inu Yasha agreed. "If it's to protect Kagome, then I will do it."

"Good. Now strip."

"WHAT?"

"NOW BEFORE YOU CEASE TO EXIST!"Hojake was surprised at their blushes. He assumed after seeing their desire to be with each other they had at least made it to first base...maybe even a home run...guess not.

"Do you mean...strip away our clothes as in having nothing on?" Kagome asked.

Hojake sighed. 'We're wasting time...' Before even the swiftest of demons could react, he reached out and with a slash of his hand, Kagome's dress was swiftly cut off her body, even the beads on her hair fell to the ground.

Inu Yasha couldn't even blink before Hojake managed to quickly remove his fire rat garments. Hojake personally preferred to remove Kagmoe's clothes again.

They both realized what had happened, feeling the slight draft quite quickly. But before anything was done in their part, Hojake pushed them both into the water.

The water began to glow white, the half demon and human underneath. For a split second, the vapors that were rising from the liquid ceased as the water became calm without a ripple in sight, as if flowing to the bodies that were under it. A serenity aurora arose and enveloped the souls of all who touched it. There was peace and calming of the minds.

"Hey, are you done yet?" Hokaje appeared next to her brother, sitting criss crossed in midair.

"Just about..." he answered as the water returned to normal and the air became foggy with its vapors.

"So, now we're done?" Hokaje said.

"Yes, now we're done," Hojake said disappearing with his sister to an unknown part of Feudal Japan.

Inu Yasha was the first to surface, shortly followed by Kagome.

"Kagome," he turned toward her.

Coughing, she slowly lifted her head to face him. "Hey, Inu Yasha..." she weakly said and smiled.

"Kagome," Inu Yasha folded her within his arms, leaving her speechless and embarrassed. "I never want to lose you again. I'll never leave your side because you belong with me and only to me. Kagome."

"Inu Yasha..." she whispered.

"Uh, excuse me..."

They turned to the source of the voice and saw Sango. Next to her, Miroku was covering Shippo's eyes with one hand, while he held the struggling fox demon with the other, shouts of wanting to see escaping his lips. Even so the look of amusement was present in Miroku's face, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"You do know you guys are...well..." Sango lifted up Kagome's torn dress in one hand and Inu Yasha's fire rat coat in the other.

Once again, Kagome and Inu Yasha shared a blush.

"Let's go, Miroku," Sango said dropping the garments on the ground. "I don't even want to think what they were doing here. We leave them for a few minutes..."

"No! It's not what you think!" Inu Yasha shouted.

"Yeah! It was that soul switching demon!" Kagome added.

"Sure..." Miroku said, his smile not leaving his lips.

"No really!"

"Yeah, it's true!"

But they were already gone.

"So, Kagome, how are we going to get out of this one?" Inu Yasha asked.

It was Kagome's turn to give a nasty smile. "Simple."

Inu Yasha's eyes widened. "No...anything but that!"

"Sit boy!"

"AAAGGGHHH!"

SPLASH!

...gurgle...gurgle...

Go on! What are you waiting for? -