Konnichiwa, minna! Yay! I found time to update!! Hehe, aren't you so proud of me? Ok, hope you like this chapter. It's kinda emotional, in my opinion.

My grade is putting on a musical this year and guess what we're doing......... ......-drum roll- GREASE!!!! I'm so excited!! We had the auditions today and I tried out for Rizzo, but I did really really badly...I totally froze...I remembered everything you said, Lisa, but I still got nervous once I got up there. Everyone else said I did well, though, so let's all cross our fingers I get a good part, or if I'm really lucky, Rizzo! -crosses fingers-

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-----In The Sengoku Jidai-----

As soon as Kagome had left, Inuyasha ran off into the woods and jumped from tree to tree until he was hidden in the branches of a tree near the well. He watched Kagome slip into the well and his expression darkened. #Bet she's gonna go see her darling Hobo...Feh! I don't care what she does!# He desperately tried to fight his heart, tried to deny that he cared about her decision, but to no avail. A sense of betrayal hung over him.

-------------------

He hopped down onto the ground and walked back to the village. Sango sat against the outside wall of Kaede's hut, staring miserably out at nothing. Miroku walked over to sit beside her and placed his hand over hers. She looked up, surprised, and slightly wary. "Kagome-sama will be back," he reassured her.

She nodded, but her eyes glistened with tears. "I know she will, but I still can't help thinking that..." She choked back a sob, "Nothing's ever going to be the same, will it?" She smiled bitterly, "Every time my life seems to level out, something goes wrong. I had a family, a little brother I loved more than anything, parents, friends, a village to call my home...and it was taken away from me. I thought I'd never find another family, but then you guys came along. And now it's falling apart. Damn Naraku..." She broke down; she couldn't hold back anymore. "And damn Inuyasha. If he would just get over his stupid pride and that witch, Kikyou, this would never have happened. She was going to choose Inuyasha. She was just about to. And you know what made her change her mind? The fact that she thought Inuyasha didn't love her! I hate Inuyasha...I hate him." She cried and cried. Miroku looked through saddened eyes and knelt in front of her, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace, and pulled her close. She clutched his robe and leaned her face into his chest, weeping endlessly. #Sango...I'm here for you. Maybe we are falling apart, but I will never fall apart from you. I will always be by your side.#

Inuyasha, having just missed the conversation, walked in on them and his eyebrows lifted as he spotted Sango crying. She rarely cried. Not just crying, but crying into Miroku's robe. He was embracing her, and she wasn't slapping him. And his hands were merely resting on her back. It was just too strange and depressing for him, and he bounded off into the woods again.

#Why was Sango crying?# he wondered. #I should be the one crying. Not her. Nothing happened to her. It all happened to Kagome. She gets to be human and be with her precious Hobo. Wait...so then why was she crying? Everyone's crying when they shouldn't be...and I'm not crying when I should...# It was all too weird for him. He headed back to the village, lost in thought.

Sango's eyes had dried and Miroku had released her by the time Inuyasha arrived. He spotted them sitting side by side. Miroku acknowledged him with a quiet, "Welcome back, Inuyasha," but Sango simply glared at him. He was surprised by her reaction to say the least, but did not show it. Her eyes followed him, a burning anger raging within her brown orbs. It was a quiet evening. Inuyasha kept to himself mostly, but spoke a couple of times. Miroku, Kaede, and Sango conversed quietly. Kaede was the only one who spoke to Inuyasha kindly. Miroku's answers, although not unkind, were brief and sparse, as if he didn't particularly wish to speak to the hanyou. Sango, on the other hand, refused to speak to Inuyasha at all, merely scowling at him. Her eyes pierced his skin like daggers.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "That's it!" he exclaimed, "Why have you been staring at me like that all evening? I didn't do nothing to you!"

She said nothing and glared more fiercely.

Miroku spoke up, saying simply but vehemently, "She isn't very happy with your actions, or lack of." With that, he stood up and, taking Sango's hand, helped her up and they walked off, leaving Inuyasha to think about the monk's words.

He 'feh'ed quietly and walked off, not really caring where his feet took him. #Why would she choose Hobo? He's so weak and stupid! Not that I care...but I don't understand what she sees in him. Feh. That wench can go with whoever she wants. Kikyou's better than her anyway. At least I know I know she won't betray...me...# he stopped as he realized the uncharted territory his thoughts were taking him. He physically stopped and looked up to find himself standing before the Goshinboku. He smiled slightly and climbed up onto one of its lower branches and leaned against the truck, one knee drawn up against his chest and the other leg hanging off casually. Suddenly, he stiffened. A scent wafted through his nose. A very familiar scent. #Kagome...#

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Kagome heaved herself out of the well and straightened up. She reached the Goshinboku in a matter of minutes to find Inuyasha sitting in one of its lower branches. "Inuyasha?" she called up tentatively. He didn't answer. "Inuyasha? Please answer me."

Finally, he turned his head to look at her. "Feh. What?" he gruffly replied.

"Can I talk to you?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No! Go away!" he all but yelled.

"Inuyasha," she sighed, "I want to explain something to you. That's all." She began to climb the tree until she reached his branch and sat down beside him. He looked mildly surprised. Her shoulder brushed his for a moment and for that instant, her body was engulfed in a burning sensation. She gasped silently and gritted her teeth. Inuyasha sensed her sudden discomfort, but said nothing, willing himself not to care. "I just want to explain why I chose Hojo. I have a good reason, I promise."

"Feh. I don't want to hear it."

"Come on, Inuyasha," she pleaded.

"I don't care."

"But-"

"No. Go away. I already know why you chose Hobo."

"Fine." She jumped off the branch and her arm touched his leg. Her eyes widened and she gritted her teeth as she landed on the ground. The burning sensation had returned for a moment. When it was gone, she continued. "Why then?" she challenged as she walked away.

"Because you love him."

Kagome stopped for a moment before walking off again. "That's not why at all." She kept walking, not really realizing where her feet were taking her. Suddenly, Naraku appeared before her. Kagome stopped in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was filled with hatred.

"I'm sure there's something you'd like to know, ne?"

"Like what?"

"Like why every time you touch Inuyasha, your body feels like it's burning."

"How do you know about that?"

Naraku ignored her question. "You see, the curse tied your soul to the human, but your miko powers and love for Inuyasha helped part of your soul defy the curse. So every time you touch him, your body will burn. The part of your soul that is controlled by the curse knows it's tied to the human, and pulls toward him, and the other part pulls toward Inuyasha, whom it originally was tied to. The result of your soul pulling in two different directions is that it starts to rip. This is the pain you feel. As it rips more and more, you will find that even thinking about Inuyasha will cause it to rip. When your soul finally rips in two, you will die and your soul will be completely extinguished." He began to laugh and faded away, but Kagome didn't notice. #I'm going to die...#

Inuyasha came skidding into the clearing where Kagome stood, lost in thought. "Naraku!" he roared, "Where are you?"

Kagome jumped slightly and looked around. "He's gone, Inuyasha," she said wearily.

Inuyasha frowned at her tone of voice. #If that bastard lay a finger on her...# He walked over to her and faced her. "What did he do to you? I swear, if he lay a finger-"

Kagome shook her head and cut him off. "He didn't touch me, Inuyasha." Her voice was sadly tired. "He only came to tell me something."

Inuyasha's frown deepened. "What did he say?"

"Nothing important."

"Then it doesn't matter if you tell me."

She shook her head again, "It was nothing you need to be concerned about."

She walked slowly back to Kaede's village and found Sango. The effect of the news finally set in and she broke down in tears. Sango put her arms around her friend in a comforting embrace, briefly noticing that she was doing exactly what Miroku had done to her, and sat down. When her sobs subsided, she asked what was wrong and Kagome told her everything Naraku said.

When she finished, Sango fought back her own tears and rubbed Kagome's back gently. "We'll think of something; I promise. We won't let you die." She spoke the last part with a fierce determination.

Kagome smiled, "Thanks, Sango."

Inuyasha stared after her. #What did he tell her?# he wondered. He walked quickly after her, staying a safe distance away, and finally caught up to her, finding her in Sango's arms, crying. #I'll kill that bastard for making Kagome cry. I'm going to find out what he told her...somehow.#

The two who probably found the curse the most frustrating were Kagome and Inuyasha. For Inuyasha, who didn't realize it was his touch that caused Kagome pain, it was very tiresome. He couldn't carry Kagome on his back anymore because she would fall off in pain. It never occurred to him that he was causing her pain so in the end he gave up trying to carry her. This ended some of the pain she felt since most of the times he ever touched her was when he was carrying her. Instead, he grew more and more annoyed with her. He believed it wasn't pain that caused her to recoil from him, but a sudden hate of him. #But what caused her to hate me so much all of a sudden that she can't stand to touch me?#

For Kagome, it was frustrating for two reasons. All the times she wanted to touch him, she couldn't. Also, his touch was comforting, and now she couldn't feel it. It was weird riding Kirara rather than Inuyasha, but she was forced to get used to it.

-------------------

One night, in Kaede's village, Kagome was sleeping restlessly. She was tossing and turning, her covers already thrown off.

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Inuyasha stepped forward and took her into a loving embrace. "Inuyasha, what...? She began, but was cut off when he covered her lips with his. After a few moments, he pulled away.

"I love you, Kagome."

She gasped. "Inuyasha...I...I love you too." Inuyasha moved to kiss her again...

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...But Kagome awoke from her dream as the now familiar burning sensation engulfed her body, more painful than ever before. She opened her mouth and let out a loud cry of pain.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. "Kagome!" He was by her side in an instant. Her scream ended and the burning sensation was gone. "What happened?"

Kagome was breathing quite deeply at this point, obviously shaken. "I...don't know. I was having this dream and suddenly my body started feeling like it was on fire and I woke up. It hurt like it did when my body was changing from human to demon..."

Inuyasha's brow crinkled. "It's the curse, then. Were you having a nightmare?"

"No. It was...a nice dream." She blushed. Inuyasha wondered what she was dreaming about but didn't ask. "I...I think I'm ok now. Good night, Inuyasha."

"I'll stay here," he said quickly.

"Oh. Alright." Kagome lay back down. "Thanks, Inuyasha," she whispered.

"For what?"

"...For caring." She fell asleep, breathing quietly, and Inuyasha blushed.

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The next morning, Kagome awoke to find Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kyoko gathered around her. "What?" she blinked.

Sango spoke up, "We heard you scream last night. What happened?"

Kagome turned pink, "Oh that. My body suddenly felt like it was burning up again and I woke up."

Kyoko, who was leaning against the wall, opened one eye. "I saw Inuyasha rush to your side so I'd figure you'd be alright."

Sango smiled, "Yeah. I didn't get up because I saw Inuyasha. I didn't want to interrupt your moment." Kagome turned pinker.

Miroku smirked, "Yes, I did the same. You two didn't get too far though." He sounded slightly disappointed. Sango growled at him and punched him on the head.

Shippou jumped on her lap. "You're feeling okay now, right?"

Kagome nodded, "Yep." She pushed Shippou off her lap gently and stood up. "I'm going to go take a bath in the river if that's alright with you guys."

Sango took the hint and nodded with her. "That's a good idea, I'll come with you."

The two girls walked down to the river, undressed, and slipped in it, shivering as their bodies touched the cold water. After a while, they got used to it and they began to talk.

"What did you want to talk about?" Sango asked.

"Last night. I was having a dream about..." she blushed, "Inuyasha said he..."

Sango smiled, "...said he loved you and you said you loved him too."

Kagome blushed harder and nodded. "And then I woke up because I felt like my body was on fire. It's just that, well, remember what Naraku said? That soon even when I think about him I'll feel the pain and my soul will rip. That means my soul has ripped a lot..."

Sango's smile faded and her eyes widened and saddened in realization. "Oh no...Kagome..." she whispered, "You were dreaming about admitting your love for him, right? Does your soul rip when you think about that or just him in general?"

"Uh..." She closed her eyes and imagined Inuyasha's face. Nothing happened. She tried again, this time speaking her previous words in her mind. #Inuyasha, I love you, too.# For that moment, her body was engulfed in pain. She opened her eyes, gasping slightly. "Only when I think about loving him."

Sango smiled a small smile, "That's good news, than, ne?"

Kagome smiled back and nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

They got out, dried themselves off with the towels Kagome brought from her era, and re-dressed. Together, they walked back to the village in silence.

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Kagome spent a virtually painless next week, during the days at least, since she mostly avoided Inuyasha's touch and she never really thought about loving Inuyasha anyway. It wasn't too hard as Inuyasha mostly avoided Kagome altogether and still refused to speak to her most of the time. With each time she did feel the pain of the curse, however, it hurt more and more and lasted longer and longer. Soon, it was becoming difficult to bear. The days were scattered with her screams, but the nights were filled with them. Subconsciously, loving Inuyasha all she thought about. Her dreams were filled with images of her speaking her love, or Inuyasha kissing her. She would wake up constantly, blushing and screaming. She woke up one morning after a particularly painful night and looked around. Everyone else was just awakening. "Good morning, Kagome."

"Good morning, Sango."

"Good morning, Kagome-sama."

"Good morning, Miroku."

"Good morning, Kagome!"

"Good morning, Shippou."

"'Morning, Kagome."

"Good morning, Kyoko."

She stood up and stretched, spotting Inuyasha outside. "Good morning, Inuyasha!" she called.

"Feh," he replied irritably.

#What's the matter with him? He's only this grumpy when it's the new moon...Oh! It's the new moon tonight! I forgot!# But as soon as she finished the thought, she felt the burn. "Aaaah!" she screamed. It was worse than the day before. #What?! I was only thinking about Inuyasha...!# but she didn't finish the thought as her body burned again.

Inuyasha was by her side in an instant. "What's the matter?"

"My...body..." she gritted out, "It's burning up again...Sango!" The tajiya looked up and at the sight of Kagome's face, stood up and hurried over to her. "I need to tell you something...alone." She stole a glance at Inuyasha's slightly hurt face and walked off. When they were a safe distance away, Kagome confessed,

"Now, I feel the pain when I'm just thinking about him!"

"Who?" Sango asked without thinking.

"Inuyasha."

"Oh right." But she said no more as Kagome's scream echoed around. There were tears in her eyes now. "Oh, Kagome!" Sango cried out, feeling bad that she had caused the tears, "I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright," Kagome assured her through gritted teeth. The tajiya rubbed her friend's back, much like she had before. Finally, "What am I going to do?"

"I don't know," her friend admitted.

Inuyasha stiffened at Kagome's scream, but did not move. #What's causing all this? I hate seeing her in pain. And the worst part is that killing Naraku won't stop it...#

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At first, Kagome managed to not think about Inuyasha very much, but it grew harder by the minute. Not being able to think about him made her think about him more. The more she thought about him, the more she tried to stop thinking about him, and the more she tried to stop thinking about him, the more she thought about him. The circle never seemed to end. Everything around her reminded her of the hanyou and on top of that, he never seemed to leave her side. The pain was present so often now, that she began to grow numb. Her body didn't feel pain as much anymore, but it didn't seem to feel anything else either.

Sango and Miroku grew more and more worried about her by the day. Kyoko seemed worried, but didn't show it very much, and Shippou, they decided, was too young to know what was happening. He was fairly hysterical already, what with the number of Kagome's screams he heard every day, and knowing the truth would only make it worse. Miroku was pretty shocked when he heard the news, so Shippou's reaction would be uncontrollable. They didn't want to worry Shippou too much, anyway. Inuyasha knew nothing either, but he also grew worried. Kagome's bursts of pain were becoming uncharacteristically long, frequent, and painful. He watched anxiously as her body grew numb.

Kagome's thoughts became more and more fearful. #I'm going to die without finishing high school. Without living a real life. Without getting married. I'm going to die without ever telling Inuyasha how I feel.# Her body burned at that. When it subsided, she continued her train of thought. #I can't do that! I can't do anything about not finishing high school, living a real life, or getting married, but I can still tell...my feelings. It'll kill me at this point, though...# She paused, sighing. #I don't want to die!! The only way to save me is to kill the priestess that cast the spell, or...stop loving Inuyasha...# she thought with dismay as she winced in obvious pain. Her body may have numbed, but he pain still hurt. A lot.

She thought about it for a while. Finally, she came to a decision. "Sango."

The tajiya looked up from polishing Hiraikotsu, "Yes, Kagome?"

"I've decided. I'm going to tell Inuyasha how I feel." She grimaced in pain.

"But that'll kill you!"

"I know. I don't want to die without him knowing. I'm going to die soon anyway and I don't want to die quietly."

Sango nodded, tears gracing her eyes, "It's your choice. I love you, Kagome. Youre the sister I never had."

Kagome laughed weakly, "I'm not going to die right now, Sango." She hugged her best friend anyway. They let go and she left to find Miroku.

"Miroku. I'm going to go tell Inuyasha how I feel. It'll probably kill me. I...I just wanted you...to know." She grimaced again.

Miroku's eyes widened. "Kagome..." He stood up and hugged her, keeping his hands in appropriate places. They broke apart and Kagome hugged Kaede, Kyoko, and finally, Shippou, all of whom had been listening with tears in their eyes.

"Kagome," the young kitsune sobbed, "Don't leave me!"

She kissed his forehead, "You have your mother now, Shippou." She turned to everyone else, "I won't die right away, you guys! I'm just telling you so you know." They all nodded and she left to find Inuyasha.

He was sitting in the branches of Goshinboku where she had anticipated he would be. "Inuyasha? Can I talk to you? It's important."

He jumped down, obviously in a better mood, noting the seriousness in her voice, "Yea?"

"Walk with me," she requested. After they had walked a bit, she broke the silence through gritted teeth, "The curse did something to me," she began.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

She waved it away, however, "I'm fine. It's the curse. Anyway, it seized control of part of my soul and tied it to Hojo. However, my miko powers and love for someone other than Hojo helped fight the curse so that it controls only part of my soul. Now, every time I touch or think about this other person, my soul pulls toward them, straining to get free, but the controlled part of my soul pulls to Hojo, and hence it begins to rip."

Inuyasha interrupted her, wide-eyed, "Feh. Then just don't touch or think about that person. Wait, your soul is ripping?!"

She nodded, still speaking through gritted teeth, and smiled sadly, "It's very hard to not think about the one you love, Inuyasha. Once my soul completely rips, I will die and my soul will be extinguished."

Inuyasha looked horrified at this, "So you're going to die?"

She nodded, "Not just die, but my soul will be ripped in two so you will not be able to bring me back to life, like Kikyou was, even with the Shikon jewel. My soul has almost completely gotten to this point. I want to ask you a favor that will most likely complete the rip and kill me. I guess you could call this my dying wish." She laughed bitterly, a wry smile gracing her face.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that my life is so much like a dramatic play. I sound ridiculous."

"Oh. Before you ask, um, who is it that you love?"

She smiled secretively, "Someone you know very well."

"Who?"

"That's what I'm going to tell you. I want them to know that I love them before I die."

Inuyasha nodded, "I'll tell them. I promise."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Inuyasha," she said softly. "I love..."

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Sango walked alone, thinking, just like Kagome was.

Unknowingly, her train of thought followed the schoolgirl's. #The only way to save Kagome is to kill the priestess that cursed her, make her stop loving Inuyasha, or curse her again so she can change her choice...Wait!# Her eyes widened and she grinned for the first time in weeks.

Something Kagome said came back to her. #If I could choose differently, I would. What's the point of being able to live a normal life if I'm going to die prematurely anyway? I can't even think about HIM now...#

#Yes! I'll find that priestess and get her to re-curse Kagome!!# She searched all over until she found who she was looking for. "Inuyasha!"

The hanyou looked up at his name. "What?"

"Do you know where Myoga is?"

"Feh. How should I know where that cowardly flea is? Go call him yourself. He's probably hanging around here somewhere."

Sango nodded, "Thanks, Inuyasha." He grunted in response. She looked down at her side. "Kirara, do you smell Myoga anywhere?" Kirara sniffed the air and mewed before bounding off back toward Inuyasha. Sango followed and stopped in front of him. "Myoga?" she asked.

Myoga popped his head up, revealing himself to be on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Yes?"

"He just came," Inuyasha explained irritably.

"Could you come with me for a moment, Myoga? Please?"

"Gladly."

They walked away a bit before Sango began. She explained the situation. "So, I had an idea. First of all, how far could she be to cast the curse?"

Myoga put all four of his arms in his haori sleeves. "To cast any sort of spell, curse, or enchantment, the receiver is usually very close by. Unless she was a very powerful priestess, like Kikyou, which I doubt, the furthest she would be is probably the next-door village."

"What if she had a jewel shard?" she questioned.

"At most, then, three villages away."

"How many villages are there in the area?"

"About seven. There's one to the north, one to the south, two to the west, and three to the east."

Sango nodded, "Thanks you, Myoga."

"Anytime, Lady Sango."

She walked back to the village but found only Kaede. "Kaede? Do you know where Miroku is?"

Kaede smiled, "He said he wanted to bathe in the river. He left a while ago, so he should be back very soon."

Sango smiled and thanked her. Her nerves were at their end, though, in excitement, and finally she couldn't sit still and wait anymore. She pulled Hiraikotsu out of the hut, sat down outside, and began to polish it. She had just polished it the day before, so really she didn't need to do it, but it gave her something to do. Just as she was halfway done, which didn't very much time at all, Kagome approached her. She explained what she was going to tell Inuyasha and Sango had to use all her self-control not to break down and cry in front of her friend. She gave her friend a hug and watched her walk away. A lone tear slid down her cheek and she didn't bother to brush it away. She sat back down and polished her weapon some more.

Miroku walked back into the village, feeling very clean and in a good mood. He had just reached Kyoko, Kaede, and Shippou, when Kagome came up to him. She relayed the news to him as well, and his good mood was annihilated. He, too, hugged her. When she turned to walk away, after hugging the other three, wiped his tear-filled eyes. #Kagome-sama is going to die...# The thought was hard to get used to, and he had trouble accepting it. The closer he got to believing it, the worse he felt, and stronger the urge to cry became. He walked back to Kaede's hut in silence to find Sango polishing her weapon, tears straining to be released from her eyes, and a determined expression decorating her face.

#Miroku's pretty good at convincing people to do things...# she thought, trying to convince herself that that was the only reason she wanted him along. She heard footsteps and looked up to find the person she was waiting for. "Miroku?"

He studied her face for a moment before answering, "Yes?"

She turned pink, "Will you come with me to do something?" She explained the plan to him and he smiled and nodded, trademark cheerfulness returning.

"Of course! Are we leaving now?"

Sango nodded. "Kirara!" Her demon companion transformed and they were off.

They flew from village to village, but none of the priestesses seemed to fit. Finally, after four villages, they reached the third village to the east and found a priestess who said she'd been visited by a strange man in a baboon cloak, but didn't remember what she had done while he was there.

Sango grinned for the second time in weeks. "You cast a curse on my friend," she explained, outlining the story. "And now," she finished, "I want you to cast that curse again."

The priestess looked horrified, "No! I did that? Oh no! No, I couldn't curse her again!"

Sango's grin faded, "Please! You need to!"

"No! I've cursed her once, and I'm not going to do it again."

"Please! I'm begging you, re-curse her!"

"I said no," she replied, "and that's my final answer." She turned around and walked away.

Sango's eyes teared up. "If you don't, she'll die! Don't you understand?!"

The priestess stopped but didn't turn around, "I'm sorry I cursed your friend, but cursing her again wouldn't feel right. I hate cursing people."

Sango fell down on her hands and knees and began to cry. Miroku knelt down next to her and hugged her gently.

When she stopped crying, Sango stood up and rushed after the priestess, Miroku right behind her. She approached the woman again. "Please reconsider, priestess. My friend is dying and this is the only way to save her unless I kill you, but I refuse to do that."

"And I refuse to curse your friend. It wouldn't feel right to curse her. I don't like cursing people. I'm sorry, but your friend is just going to die."

This was too much for the tajiya. She drew her sword and tried to rush at her, but Miroku held her back. "Sango, stop" he yelled.

"No!" she cried, shaking her head. She trained her hate-filled eyes back on the priestess. "YOU don't like cursing people, huh? You'd rather let my friend die, then save her? You'll kill her, but you won't curse her in order to save her? How could you be so heartless? You as good as killed her! She's gonna die now because you're too selfish to bring yourself to save her, you heartless, insensitive, self-centered bitch!" She collapsed into Miroku's arms and all the tears she had held back for so long came out. She cried for Inuyasha, who would lose his true love; she cried for Shippou, who would lose his surroagte mother; she cried for Kagome, who would die so young; she cried for herself because her sister would soon be gone; she cried for Miroku, who also loved her like a sister; she cried for the hopelessness of the situation she had found herself in; and most of all, she cried for the heartlessness of the priestess standing before her. "She's like a sister to me, and she's gonna die! I should kill you right now!" she cried. Miroku held her tight until she finally calmed down. "You're not sorry at all. If you were truly sorry, you would agree to save her. You would want to save her. You would at least try to change your mistakes."

The priestess was silent for a moment, but to Sango and Miroku, it seemed like an eternity. "Fine," she said finally, "I will re-curse your friend if you bring her here. I want to hear her say that she wants to be re-cursed from her own lips."

Sango looked up in surprise, tears drying on her face. "Really? You will? Oh, thank you!" She burst into tears of joy this time and hugged the priestess. Then, she ran over to Miroku and hugged him, too. He picked her up and swung her around.

"Kagome's going to live!" they sang. Miroku put her down and grinned at her, pink blushes spreading across each of their cheeks.

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Alright, tell me if you think I rushed the last part a bit too much. You guys got lucky that I had time to update at all, but what I said in the last chapter still stands. I've also been sick for the past few days, so that didn't help.

Tainted InuShemeeko – Yea, I think everyone wanted her to pick Inuyasha, but that would be a bit cliché, ne? Thanks so much for reviewing! You're always the first to review my chapters!

PisxiePam – Thanks for reviewing! Haha, well, it looks like your worst fears have come true and she has chosen Hojo haha. Thanks so much, I hope I get into a good high school, too!

Devour Thy Flame – -grins- I'm so glad you were blown away and wasn't expecting that twist. That's exactly what I was aiming for hehe. I'm glad you're not mad! Yes, it's an InuKag, come on, have I ever let you down in the area of canon couples?? Thanks so much! And I'm glad you understand! Yea, it's a lot of work... It just keeps piling up... Thanks! I consider myself a fairly good writer, but that's about it hehe. I'm always looking to improve. And yep, I'm 13. How old did you think I was? Hehe. Thanks so much for reviewing!

Orli-enthusiast – Was the cookie good? Hehe. Looks like I made you happy. Yay! Double score for both of us!! Nope, you're right, but now you've found out the full extent of the curse. Yep, I think you'll be surprised by what Kouga does...but he doesn't appear until a little later. He won't be involved in the curse, but he'll have another purpose hehe. Thanks so much for reviewing!

Sarcasm Girl8 – I hope the chapters aren't getting too short...I'm trying to keep them longer, but I'm having a bit of trouble. If they're getting way too short, just like yell at me or something hehe. No, I'm just kidding, but remind me to lengthen them if they're not long enough.

LadySword04 – Hey! It was awesome to talk to you online for once!! Haha. Glad you liked the chapter. I hope this one wasn't too rushed... You'll find out everything soon, I promise. Thanks so much for reviewing! -hugs, smiles, and waves-

Kay-san1(ShinomoriMiyu – Thanks so much for reviewing! Yea, conflicts are always the best because when they end happily, it's so much better! No, I don't think being evil is a bad thing...and if it is, I didn't know!