Konnichiwa, minna! I know this chapter is REALLY short. I've had NO time to write recently, so I figured that I would just post a short chapter instead of making you wait another million years. The next chapter may take a while, though. I'll do my best.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I wish I did.

Claimer: I own Kyoko. Don't steal her away.

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Sango ran up to Kagome. "Kagome! I found a way to save you!" Inuyasha's peeved face at being interrupted faded into interest.

She looked up at her friend in wonder, "Really? How?"

"Come with me. We'll be right back, Inuyasha," she called over her shoulder as she led Kagome away.

"We'll take you to the priestess and she can re-curse you and you can change your choice!"

Kagome laughed for the first time in what felt like ages. It was a beautiful sound. "Oh! That's a wonderful idea! Why didn't I think of that before?!" She hugged Sango in joy. "Wait." She let go of Sango and frowned, her smile fading, "We don't have a clue where the priestess is, and even if we did find her, she might not want to curse me again."

Sango's grin, however, widened. "I already took care of all that. Miroku and I found her and she agreed to re-curse you!"

Kagome's eyes widened and she hugged her friend again. "Wow, Sango! You're the best! How can I ever repay you?"

"You can come with me so we can get this over with!"

"Let's go!"

She followed Sango to where Miroku, Kirara, and Kyoko and Shippou were standing. Kirara and Kyoko raced to the village, everyone excited. They arrived at the village and Kyoko grinned and laughed; she had won. They all walked to the priestess's hut. Sango walked up to the door and called through the reed mat, "Hello?"

The priestess pushed aside the flap. "Oh hello! You're back already."

Sango nodded and pointed to Kagome, "That's my friend, Kagome."

The priestess nodded and asked, "Do you truly wish to be re-cursed?"

Kagome gave her a strange look, "Isn't that why I'm here? Would I seriously be here otherwise?"

The priestess shook her head, "No, I guess you're right." She led them to an open clearing on the outskirts of the village where they wouldn't be disturbed, "Alright. First, I'll need a piece of your hair, Kagome."

"OK. Here." She handed over the strand and the priestess placed it on the ground. She eyed Kagome. "You know that if you choose the human again, the curse will consume your soul and your soul will be completely tied to the human, hence saving you."

Kagome's eyes widened, "I'll be able to live a normal life and see my family! Wait, but then I'll stop loving Inuyasha, ne?"

The priestess nodded, "You're heart will instead belong to the human."

Kagome quickly shook her head, "I could never stop loving Inuyasha!"

Sango stepped forward, "You know that if you choose Hojo, everything will go back to normal and you'll love Hojo, who, from what I hear, loves you back."

"Inuyasha can love Kikyou all he wants. It hurts me, but I won't say anything. I'll lose my miko powers, which is what bounds me to him, but then I'll follow him wherever he goes. He'll never love me back, but just being near him is good enough for me. I love him and nothing will ever change that."

Following this emotional outbreak, Kagome's body was engulfed in flames of pain, the likes of which she had never experienced before. Tears ran down her face and she dropped to her hands and knees, not being able to stand any longer. Sweat ran down her face in torrents, and her screams echoed around the clearing, sending chills down the spine of everyone close enough to hear her and threatening to break the concentration of the priestess. Her soul was slowly ripping, hanging together by a thread. It was pain beyond anything she had ever felt before. She couldn't move, she couldn't think, she was dead to the world, and to herself. All she could think about was the indescribable pain that was currently flowing through her veins like wildfire. She wanted her soul to just hurry up and rip, but it was dragging out the process, as if wanting her to suffer as much as possible before it finally separated.

"Hurry!" Sango cried out.

The priestess nodded. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The hair glowed pink and rose up to float in front of her face. Kagome began to glow the same pink. "You there, kitsune, make illusions of the three men," she ordered quietly, not opening her eyes. Kyoko complied, knowing the woman no longer had the jewel shards so she couldn't do it herself. The kitsune closed her eyes and concentrated, too, opening them a moment later as three frighteningly real images appeared of Inuyasha, Hojo, and Kouga. Shippou looked on enviously. He hoped to be as adept in his magic as his mother someday.

---

The priestess shut her eyes tighter and the hair began to pulse. Kagome's body began to pulse along with the hair and the pink light shone brighter and brighter until it was a brilliant white-pink. "Choose, Kagome," she priestess commanded in the same soft voice.

But Kagome couldn't answer. All she could do was scream and cry out as the pain racked her body mercilessly. A simple, thin thread now tied the two sides of her soul together. She took a deep shuddering breath and attempted to speak. "I..." she began in a small voice. She cleared her throat, which was sore from all her shrieks, and began again. However, she was interrupted again by another scream. "I choose Inuyasha," she said fairly quickly, trying hard to ignore the fire burning within her.

Her body burned as another attack of agony slammed through her. She let out another, louder, longer cry of anguish. It was becoming too much for her to bear. Her soul slowly began to separate, the two parts finally attaining their freedom. The thread pulled taut and began to split in the middle. Her body glowed even brighter and floated into the air. It began to change again. Her human ears disappeared to be replaced by ebony black kitsune ones. She grew small fangs and claws. Behind her, two, bushy, white-tipped, midnight black foxtails grew out, twitching and swishing. Her ears twitched and suddenly she could smell so much better.

But she didn't notice any of this. She had fallen forward on her knees again. The thread holding her soul together had finally snapped and she lay gasping on the ground, sweat flowing down her face in rivulets, mixing in with her tears so that she couldn't tell the difference between the two anymore. She just wanted to die, to just leave this world and finally be rid of the pain.

The pain, to her relief, began to subside slowly, and soon she could think again.

#Is this what it's like to die? she wondered. Does the pain just leave and you're left with a few pain free moments as your soul moves on to the underworld? It's nice...I want to stay like this forever, hovering between life and death.# With her eyes closed and a peaceful smile gracing her face, she looked to all the world like a young girl having a pleasant dream. She could practically feel her soul mending itself together. #What's happening? My soul feels whole again...# Her eyes fluttered open to find the hazy, indistinct figures of Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kaede, and the priestess hovering over her. "Mmm... What happened?" she murmured, her vision still slightly blurry.

Their faces all broke into identical, ear-to-ear grins. She was flooded with a barrage of questions, all basically asking if she was feeling all right. She blinked and managed to summon enough energy to wave her hand in front of her face. Sango suddenly straightened up and pushed everyone back. "Come on, give her some space to breathe!"

Kagome thanked her with a weak smile and lay her hand back down. A quiet, relieved sigh escaped her lips. #I'm alive. I'm really alive. And the pain is gone. I'm free.# Her thoughts ended there as she welcomed the darkness that was beginning to swim into the corners of her vision, beckoning her into unconsciousness.

-------Three Days Later------

Kagome opened her eyes to find herself in a small hut, in a futon, on the floor. She sat up, groaning slightly, and looked around. Sunlight was streaming in through the reed mat and laid a soft blanket of semi-dim light across the floor. She brought a hand to her forehead, moaning quietly as she struggled to remember what had just transpired. Finally, like water through a floodgate, it all came back to her. The curse, the priestess, and the pain. She shuddered. She never wanted to feel such pain ever again. Her body burned with the thought. The reed mat was pushed aside and daggers of bright afternoon sun were thrown into Kagome's eyes. She blinked and shielded them with a hand. She made out the shapes of Sango and the priestess standing in the doorway. Sango smiled apologetically and let the mat fall back into place as they stepped inside. "How are you feeling, Kagome?"

Kagome smiled at her friend. "Much better, thanks. How long have I been out?"

It was the priestess's turn to smile, "Three days."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up into her hair. "Three days?!"

The woman nodded, "Yes. Your body has been through a great ordeal and needed to rest. Here, drink this. It will help give your body its strength back." Kagome accepted the bowl of potion with a nod and brought it to her lips. Immediately, she sputtered and grimaced. The priestess laughed, "Yes, it's quite a repulsive mixture, but it works." Kagome nodded and, pinching her nose, downed the rest. She coughed when she finished and the priestess handed her an onigiri to allay the awful taste. When she had finished, the priestess stood up. "I must be off. I need to tend to some things in the village."

Kagome and Sango nodded. Kagome smiled warmly at the priestess. "Thank you so much for all your help," she said sincerely.

The priestess smiled and nodded, "You're welcome."

After the woman had left, Sango turned to Kagome. "Feeling up to standing yet?"

"Why?"

"Because if you're not, you'll have to be bombarded by everyone else sitting down." The two giggled and Sango walked over to help the schoolgirl stand up. She was a bit shaky at first, but finally she was able to stand on her own. Sango threw her arm across the girl's shoulder just in case and the two stepped outside into the bright sunlight. Kagome blinked and squinted at the group gathered anxiously outside until her eyes became adjusted to the light. As soon as they spotted her, they all rushed over.

Miroku reached her first. "Kagome-sama! How are you feeling?" His concern was short-lived, however, as she threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm feeling just fine and I'm glad to be alive!" she practically yelled in glee.

Miroku grinned, "Glad to hear it." He embraced her back, again keeping his hands strictly to her lower back, but just above her butt. Kagome pulled back first and grinned at him.

Next, she hugged Shippou, who was jumping up and down in relief. He bounced up into her arms and hugged her fiercely. Kagome smiled at him. "I'm glad you didn't die, Kagome!" he cried, "I thought you had left me forever!"

Kagome's eyes softened, "Oh, Shippou, I would never leave you."

"Good," he answered simply.

She released him and he hopped down. She gave Kyoko a quick hug, as the two were not as close. Kyoko rubbed Kagome's new ears gently, "You have nice ears." She giggled and Kagome laughed with her. As if only just having thought of it, she twisted her body around and caught sight of her two tails.

Her eyes widened, "They're so pretty!" she cried. Everyone laughed at her reaction.

Finally, Kagome hugged Sango. "Thank you so much," she whispered in her friend's ear, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Sango sniffed, trying hard to control her own and hugged her back, "You know I would never let you die. Not without a fight. I couldn't. I would miss my sister too much."

Kagome smiled at her and they giggled weakly through their teeth. Kagome kissed Sango's cheek quickly and admitted softly, "I would miss you too, neechan." They giggled some more. Miroku stepped forward and joined their embrace, and Shippou soon followed suit. Finally, Kyoko joined the throng and they all laughed in their group hug. After a while, they broke apart and Sango and Kagome wiped their eyes.

Miroku chuckled, "Inuyasha's probably storming mad at this point. We might want to start heading back."

Kagome's eyes widened, "I completely forgot!" They all laughed at her comical face. Sango led Kagome over to Kirara, who had transformed, and pulled her on, sitting in front of her. Kagome held on to her friend and Miroku climbed on behind her, holding her to stay on as well as to hold her steady. Shippou bounced into Kyoko's arms and they were off.

---

Inuyasha paced back and forth in front of the Goshinboku. #Where the hell did they go? How dare they leave me behind! They better be back soon... It's been three whole days!# He was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to acknowledge Kagome's scent, nor its change. He began to stalk back to the village, muttering about stupid mikos and stupid curses. Just as he reached the outskirts of the village, Kirara touched ground in front of him. Miroku and Sango hopped down first, helping Kagome down next. Kirara transformed back and Shippou jumped out of Kyoko's arms. They spotted him and Sango waved. Inuyasha nodded to show he saw her and the group began to walk toward him. That's when it hit him. Kagome's scent. It was...different. It was the scent of a hanyou. She was hidden, however, by Sango and Miroku. Having done this on purpose, they continued to walk in the same formation. Finally, they stopped and stepped aside to give Inuyasha a clear view of Kagome. He stopped. His nose had never failed him, for there Kagome stood, as a kitsune hanyou.

Kagome, who didn't know Inuyasha was there, froze when she spotted him.

Sango noticed this and led everyone else away. Kagome stepped closer to him until there were only a few feet between them. "Kagome..."

She searched his face for a moment. "Well?"

"How did you...?"

She smiled. "We went to the priestess who cursed me and asked her to re-curse me so I could change my choice."

"And you chose to be a hanyou? What about Hojo? And your family?"

She shrugged, "I can visit them on new moon nights. As for Hojo, what about him?"

"I thought you loved him."

"Me? I couldn't love Hojo. Besides, if I loved Hojo, my soul wouldn't have been ripping."

"But your soul will still rip, even if you're a hanyou. Or do you think hanyous don't have souls?" he accused angrily.

"No!" Kagome protested, "I think hanyous have souls. And now mine won't rip because the man I love is a hanyou."

Inuyasha frowned. He only knew two hanyous: himself and Naraku, and Kagome couldn't possibly love him. That meant she loved..."Naraku!" he gasped. He stared at her in disgust.

Kagome blinked. "What?! Inuyasha!" Tears gathered at her eyes, "How could you think I love Naraku?"

"He's the only hanyou I could think of," he said indignantly.

"Do you seriously think I love NARAKU?!"

"Well...no."

"See?"

Inuyasha thought about their travels for a moment. "Jinenji?" he asked finally.

"No. I don't love Jinenji," she answered crisply.

"Who then? You were gonna tell me before."

Kagome's eyes teared up again. "You're so stupid, Inuyasha," she whispered and walked away.

---

"Kagome? Are you alright?" Sango asked later that evening.

"Hm? Yea, I'm alright."

"You seem really distracted."

"Really? Oh."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"It's just that...I don't know. I just wish Inuyasha would look at me once in a

while."

---

Inuyasha, who was sitting in a nearby tree, unseen by the two girls, swiveled his ears in their direction at the sound of his name.

---

"He does. More than you think."

Kagome sighed, "No, he doesn't. He loves Kikyou."

"No, he doesn't. He loves you, Kagome."

"I could never compare to her." Inuyasha's eyes widened. "She died for him."

"So? You've given up everything for him, even your family."

"That's not the same as giving your life."

"You pretty much did. And we all know you would gladly give up your life if it would save his."

"He'd do the same for Kikyou. He loves her more than anything. Every time she's near, he runs back to her. She hates him; her body is alive through her hate for him. She's always trying to kill him and take him to hell with her, and she pinned him to a freakin' tree for 50 years! If he still loves her after all that, nothing will ever cause a change of heart in him. If his love for her survived all that, it can survive anything."

"Think about it. His love for her may have survived all sorts of awful things, but his love for you has gone through many happy times, too. His heart knows this, and so, even if he himself doesn't know it, he chose you over her."

"He couldn't love me. I'm just a human."

"So is Kikyou."

"Yes, but she's a powerful human."

"So are you. Some say you're even stronger then her."

"I'm only strong because I'm her reincarnation. She's strong because she made herself strong, through years of hard training."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Because I don't want to hear him say he loves Kikyou. I already know it, but it'll be too hard for me to hear it out loud."

"Just ask him."

"Fine. I'll ask him later."

---

Inuyasha sat in Goshinboku. He was beginning to live here, it seemed. Sango approached him. "Inuyasha, I need to speak with you about Kagome."

"What about her?"

"Why won't you tell her you love her?"

"Feh. That's none of your business. Besides, I don't."

"Yes, you do, Inuyasha. Why do you stay with Kikyou?"

"Because she gave her life! I'm obliged to go to hell with her!"

"Kagome gave her life for you, too. Maybe she didn't die, but still. She gave up any hopes of leading a normal life. Everything she's ever wanted in life is now gone, all because she didn't want to leave you. Isn't that good enough? Compare them, Inuyasha. Kikyou didn't want you unless you were human, but Kagome accepts you the way you are. You say Kikyou gave up her life, but what was she trying to do as her life ended? She was trying to kill you. She truly wanted you dead. The same thing happened to Kagome and yes, she tried to attack you, but did you notice that none of her arrows were charged with her miko powers? She was confused and angry, and that's understandable, but deep in her heart, she never wanted to hurt you." Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You stay with Kikyou because you feel you're obliged to, but you stay with Kagome because you love her."

"I stay with her because she's the only one who can sense jewel shards. I need her."

"And what if I told you that because she's now a hanyou, she's lost her miko powers?"

"What?!"

"There was one reason that stopped her from originally choosing to be a hanyou: because she knew she would lose her miko powers and she thought that you would leave her if that happened. Are you going to make real her fears? Isn't that the only reason you stay?"

"I...uh..." Inuyasha stammered. #She doesn't have her miko powers anymore...?#

"She's given up her home and her dreams for you. Are you obliged to stay with her, too? Or do you only stay with Kikyou because you think you love her? You convince yourself that you love her, don't you?"

"Shut up!" he yelled finally.

Sango smirked. He was denying the truth. That meant he knew she was right. "She's pretty upset right now. She can't finish her schooling like she's always wanted. She will never be able to grow up in her own time, she may never be able to see her family again, and she'll never be able to grow up and have a family of her own like she's always dreamed of."

"Why not? The guy she loves could do that, couldn't he?" he asked, somewhat jealously.

Sango shook her head, "No he couldn't, because he obviously doesn't love her back. And the one who does love her, who would provide her with that, she doesn't love."

"Who? You mean Kouga?"

Just as he said that, a whirlwind came racing toward them, stopping right in front of them. It disappeared to reveal Kouga, leader of the wolf demon tribe. "Speak of the devil," Sango commented dryly.

"Where is Kagome?" the wolf demon demanded.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"I was passing by and I smelled her, but her scent had changed so I came to check on her. Iif you've done anything to her, mutt-face..."

"He hasn't, Kouga," she interrupted, "Kagome's over there, in the hut."

"Thank you."

"Why'd you do that?!" Inuyasha yelled angrily.

"Because he has every right to see her as you do. Why are you so against him seeing her? You love Kikyou, don't you? If Kagome wants to love Kouga, it's her choice." Inuyasha growled but said nothing. Sango turned around and walked away without another word.

---

"Kagome! What happened to you? You're a hanyou like mutt-face!"

She looked slightly surprised but said nothing about his sudden appearance. "A priestess cast a curse on me and the only way to save me from dying was to change me into a hanyou. Why? Is it a bad thing that I'm a hanyou?"

"No! Not at all!" he said quickly, "It's just a surprise."

"Why are you here?"

"Am I not allowed to heck up on my woman?" He took her hands in his.

"I'm not your woman, Kouga-kun," she reminded him, but didn't pull her hands away.

Inuyasha, who had followed Sango, arrived at the scene and froze.

"Do you still love that mutt-face?" Kouga was asking.

"No. Besides, he loves Kikyou."

"He does?" Kouga repeated, surprised, "He loves Kikyou? I thought he loved you!"

"Why does everyone think he loves me?"

Kouga shrugged, "'Cuz he acts like he does."

"No he doesn't."

Kouga shrugged again and smiled at Kagome. "Kagome," he began, "Will you be my woman?"

Kagome looked surprised; Inuyasha growled and prepared to leap at the wolf.

"Uh..." Kagome replied smartly, "Can I think about it and give you my answer in a few days?"

Kouga grinned, "Of course. I'll wait forever for you, Kagome! I need to return to my pack, but I'll be back in a few days." And with that he was off.

As soon as he was gone, Inuyasha stalked in, yelling, "What the hell was that?"

Kagome smiled sweetly at him, "What ever do you mean, Inuyasha?"

He growled, "You're considering his offer?!"

"Yea. Why? Kouga's nice and I feel bad to blow him off every time."

"What happened to the guy you loved?"

"He doesn't love me back, and unless he falls in love with me and tells me so, I'll consider Kouga-kun's offer. You're just against it because Kouga-kun's your rival."

"No! That's not it!"

"Oh?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, "Why then?"

"Feh. I just don't like that mangy wolf. And if you become his woman, he'll be here all the time."

"Or I'll leave and you'll lose your jewel shard detector, ne?"

"Yeah, that too."

"Sit boy!"

"What was that for, wench?" Inuyasha yelled angrily after the spell wore off.

"Is that all you care about? Your stupid jewel shards?"

"No! Kagome...I didn't mean it that way." His voice softened.

"Then how did you mean it?"

"Yes, I would lose my jewel shard detector, but I'd lose so much more, too. I would lose one of my companions and the best friend I've ever had."

Kagome's eyes misted up, "Inuyasha...that was so sweet. Thank you."

"Feh."

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Alright, I hope you liked this chapter. By the way, where are all my reviewers? They've all disappeared! (Save for a few.) Oh well. Anyway, tomorrow the parts for our 8th grade musical (which I mentioned last chapter) will be posted. I'm so nervous!! I hope I get the part I want! (I want Rizzo, in case you didn't know.) My high school applications are all done so now hopefully I'll have a bit more time to write. Cross your fingers, guys! KK, until next time! –waves-

Tainted InuShemeeko – Hey! Thanks so much for reviewing! Aww, looks like there was something going around...Thanks I'm glad you liked the chapter. I really need to find time to read all your updates...I'm sorry it's taking so long...

Devour Thy Flame – Aww thanks! Nope, I'm not a big fan of non-canon pairings so I always sick with them. And no no no! I'm so sorry if I made you think I was offended! It's just that usually people think I'm a lot younger than I really am! I'm actually flattered that you thought I was older! -giggles- For me, it's a big compliment! I'm glad you liked the twist. I'm glad that only one person managed to get it right hehe. Thanks so much for reviewing!

Kay-san1 (ShinomoriMiyu – Really? Is my humble piece of fantasy THAT good? I'm absolutely flattered!!! I'm so glad you like my fic so much! And who says it's going to end happily??? Just kidding.

Orli-enthusiast – Hey! Thanks for reviewing!! Thanks! I just love Miroku/Sango, don't you? Yes, I try to keep Inu in character. Hehe. I know! So many authors DO forget about 'feh!' and I'm like, that's not Inuyasha, 'cause he's not saying 'feh!' Haha. I know! I swear I hurt while I was writing it!! Nice try. I actually seriously considered having her choose Kouga. I was going to and then I decided that it would be too much choosing the wrong guy hehe. Her soul would still rip if she chose Kouga. But Kouga will be in that role in a different situation later on, fear not. I swear, if Inuyasha didn't exist, I'd so be a Kagome/Kouga fan!!