A/N: I know I've said this about a million times, but thanks to all of you who have reviewed this story and supported it and everything. I'm glad everyone has enjoyed it so much. There is one more chapter after this...hope you like it:D

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Don't Cry for Me
Chapter Fourteen

Kagome yawned and stretched her arms out above her head. She rubbed her eyes groggily and blinked several times. As her eyes began to adjust to the low lighting in the room, she noticed her favorite hanyou sitting in the corner, watching her with concern.

"Are you feeling better, Kagome?" he asked lightly.

After a moment, Kagome yawned again and nodded. "I do feel better," she smiled at him. "And just how long have you been sitting there, huh?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Keh, what does that matter?"

She laughed. "Have you been there all night?" she gasped.

He slowly nodded. "So what?"

"Inuyasha, that is so sweet of you!" Kagome grinned, wrapping him in a hug.

"I was just...worried about you, all right?" he groaned.

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"Good morning, Kagome!" Sango waved happily.

Kagome blinked. "Sango...I don't think it's a bad thing or anything...but why are you so...so happy? It's so early..." Kagome cocked her head sideways in confusion. "Have I totally and completely missed something?"

Sango shook her head, smiled, and then began to nod. "Kagome...it's over. Everything is finally over. Naraku and the jewel are gone...Kohaku is with me, and the curse is gone from Miroku's hand. Don't you understand?"

As if waiting for some kind of cue from her, Miroku suddenly came outside, wrapping his arm around the overly-happy demon exterminator.

Kagome looked at them a moment. Finally, everything fell into place. "Oh my god! Are you serious?" she nearly shrieked, but she threw her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound...somewhat.

Miroku nodded with a smile. "Yes...Sango has finally accepted my offer, Kagome. Now that Naraku is gone...we are going to get married!" he announced.

"That's so great!" Kagome wrapped her arms around her best friend. Sango had become like the sister that she never had, and she couldn't have been happier that Sango and Miroku had finally decided to admit things to one another and move to the next phase of their relationship. "I am so proud of the two of you!" she laughed. "It's about time!"

Miroku's eyebrow rose, and he cleared his throat. "You, my dear Lady Kagome, are a fine one to talk..." he cleared his throat and motioned over to where Inuyasha was sitting, cross-legged under a nearby tree. "Shouldn't we be saying the same thing to you?"

Inuyasha growled. "I heard that, monk." he warned.

Kagome smiled and chuckled at the hanyou's behavior. It was true, after all. The two had finally admitted how they felt about each other, and it had not been that long ago. She glanced over at the thoughtful hanyou and nodded.

"It's great," she whispered. "Everything is great."

Shippo jumped into her arms. "Kagome, you're going to stay here now, aren't you? Miroku and Sango are going to get married. Aren't you going to stay here with me and be with Inuyasha?" he asked innocently.

Kagome's eyes sparkled, and she looked over to her mother and little brother Souta, who were eating eggs that they had made over the fire. She nodded to them and smiled sadly. Inuyasha's ear twitched, and he glanced curiously over at his intended mate.

Kagome took a deep breath. "Mom, Souta..." Kagome whispered. "I love you both, and I love gramps..." she began. "But like I said...my place is here. I want to be here...and nothing that has happened here the last couple months...or the last couple years, even...could change my mind. If you want to go back down the well to be with gramps, that's fine. I can..."

Suddenly, her eyes widened as though she was in some type of shock. Inuyasha jumped up and rushed to her side.

"What is it?" he asked her, his voice dripping with worry and concern.

She inhaled sharply. "Inuyasha...the well...the bone eater's well...it was the only way to get back to the future...and...it...it required the jewel to work..." she stammered. "It has been purified. The jewel is gone..." she frowned. "My mom and Souta...they can't get back...the well doesn't work without the jewel..." her skin paled. "Mom...Souta...I'm sorry. I didn't think about it before it all happened. I should have sent you home with gramps..."

Inuyasha blinked. "Kagome...it's all right. I'm sure that everything is going to be fine..."

Kagome's mother wrapped her in a hug. "It's fine, Kagome. We don't mind, really. We would rather be here with you than go home and be without you. We will be happy here." she promised her daughter. "Besides," she whispered in her ear, "if you had sent us home, I'd miss the chance to meet my future grand-babies..."

A blush appeared instantly on Kagome and Inuyasha's cheeks.

"Mom!" Kagome yelped.

"Sorry!" she smiled. "I couldn't resist saying it..."

Kagome sighed. "It's all right," she nodded.

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Kaede grinned. "This is a very blessed day," she announced to the spectators of the village. "A new home will be built on the edge of the forest to house this happy new couple. I trust that you will all help." she nodded.

Kagome smiled. "I'm so glad that Sango and Miroku have everyone's blessing..."

Kaede sighed. "There is another couple in our midst who has everyone's blessing as well, Kagome. The fight with Naraku is over. Neither of you have anything to fear anymore. You can be happy now..." she smiled at her.

Kagome blushed. "But Sango and Miroku are..."

"They are already where they need to be, young Kagome." Kaede laughed.

"We will be soon, ya old hag..." smirked Inuyasha from somewhere behind Kagome. "We aren't scared, so you can just stop thinking that right now..."

Kaede nodded knowingly. "Of course, Inuyasha..."

Sango and Miroku laughed. "Well, you two certainly need to get on with it. That's all she's saying. It's been over a month, you know..." Miroku reminded them.

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"Inuyasha...are you all right?" Kagome asked.

He sighed. "The others are right, you know. Maybe we are scared...but I just...I don't want to lose you. Every time I manage to get the guts to say what I want to say or do what I want to do, I end up losing you...and last time, Sesshoumaru's sword wasn't very willing to bring you back."

Kagome shook her head. "Inuyasha...I'm not going anywhere. There is nothing after us anymore. The jewel is gone..." she took several steps toward him, until she was only inches from his face. "You're never going to lose me again..."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.

Inuyasha grinned, returning her embrace, and rested his chin on her head. "They are right...and so are you..." he nodded. He stroked her hair for a moment before he gently moved a small section of it off of her neck. He opened his mouth as though he was about to say something, but Kagome beat him to it.

"I know," she whispered, holding her index finger up. "I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt," she told him.

In the bushes nearby, Shippo frowned. "You know, Inuyasha's nose works really well. He knows we are here. When he gets mad at you guys for spying on him and Kagome, I'm going to laugh at you...a lot." he added for emphasis.

Miroku waved his hand. "Shippo, if he knows, he certainly doesn't care right now. Besides, it's not like they're doing something else..." he shrugged. "Then we wouldn't be here, would we?"

Sango's eyes widened. "Did I just hear that from you?" she blinked.

"What can I say, dear Sango?" he smiled.

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Inuyasha bit down lightly on Kagome's shoulder. However, unlike the first time he had tried this, Kagome did not gasp. He pulled back after a moment and smiled, gently wiping off the small trickle of blood that his bite had created. "Are you all right, Kagome?"

Kagome moved her hand up to the new mark and smiled. "I'm fine, Inuyasha," she nodded. "I feel much better now..."

Inuyasha smiled. "I'm glad..." he whispered. "Now...if you'll excuse me for a moment," he looked over at the bushes, and cleared his throat loudly. "You guys can come out now!" he called, and a dark blush crept onto Kagome's cheeks. "All three of you! I know you're over there!" he announced.

Seconds later, a very guilty looking Miroku, Sango, and Shippo emerged from behind the bushes. Sango was blushing almost as much as Kagome was.

"We were just...walking past..." she stammered, "and you see...we well...um..."

"Save it." Inuyasha smirked. "You've been there long enough."

Sango looked at the ground. They had been caught red handed.

Kagome took a deep breath and sighed, wrapping her arms around Inuyasha's waist. She smiled. "It's all right, Inuyasha. I mean, we went to their wedding, and you certainly teased them enough, so I think we deserve it...at least a little bit..." she told him.

He blinked several times. "But...it's different!" he groaned.

"I'm just so glad you two finally got it over with!" Sango smiled, jumping to her best friend and strangling her in a tight hug.

Shippo cleared his throat. "The process isn't complete yet, right Inuyasha?" he looked at the hanyou that was towering over him. "There is another part to it..."

Inuyasha growled. "Shippo, don't just announce things like that!" he scolded the young fox boy. "The lecher does not need any visuals!"

Miroku laughed whole-heartedly and grinned knowingly at his hanyou friend. "I already know all about 'the process'..." he whispered. "Sango has told me everything. I've learned a lot, you know..." he smirked, his eyebrow raising.

"Miroku!" Sango yelped, and she and Inuyasha both hit him squarely on his head.

The semi-conscious monk groaned from his place on the ground.

"Hmm..." Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "That reminds me of something I've forgotten to do..."

Both Inuyasha and Sango looked at her with curiosity in their eyes.

Sango was the first one to speak. "Kagome...what are you talking about? Is it something important...?" she worried.

Kagome shook her head lightly back and forth. "It's nothing bad..." she promised them.

Shippo blinked. "I'm confused."

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha and walked forward, once again throwing her arms around his neck. "This is what I have forgotten, Inuyasha..." she whispered into his ear as her hands moved slowly towards the purple beads of subjugation that hung loosely around his neck.

He grabbed her hands in confusion. "What are you doing?" he gasped.

Kagome kissed him lightly on the cheek, and moved his hands away. She smiled. "I'm going to remove the beads of subjugation, Inuyasha. I've always trusted you...after the first couple weeks I was here, I knew you didn't really need to wear the beads anymore...and I've always meant to remove them...I just never did. So I plan on removing them now..." she informed him.

He shook his head back and forth, and Kagome looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

"No..." he told her simply.

She blinked. "But Inuyasha...I want to remove them. I thought that you would want me to take them off?" she questioned him.

He took her hands in his and kissed each softly. "No." he repeated. "I think I want them to stay. I like them there. After all, think about how many times your saying that word got me out of a hell of a lot of trouble..."

Kagome seemed to think about this for a moment, and sighed deeply. "Are you sure that you want them to stay?" she asked him.

After a moment, he nodded. "I'm sure." he smiled.

"All right," she sighed, removing her hands and kissing him lightly on the lips. She took his hand in her own. "Come on, Inuyasha. We're going to want to head back to the village before my mom and Kaede come looking for us."

Slowly, he nodded.

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Kaede grinned at the couple as they walked into her hut. "Welcome back, my young friends..." she grinned at them. "Did you have fun while you were away?" She paused and smiled to herself when she noticed the young miko's blush. "You have visitors..." she motioned towards one corner of her hut.

"I see you and Kagome are finally there," Kouga smirked as he stood slowly. Ayame, who had been sitting next to him, also stood.

"Hello," she nodded lightly.

Kagome looked at the two of them in confusion. "Is something wrong?" she gasped with worry. "Please don't tell me you have some bad news...I don't think I could handle any more, and today has been such a good day..." she rambled.

Kouga held up his hand. "It's nothing like that," he assured her. "I've just come by to announce Ayame's and my union...and to congratulate you and Kagome on yours..." he grinned with approval as he took a deep breath from the air around him, and noted Kagome's new change in scent. After a short pause, he sighed. "...Sesshoumaru sent us. He told me to tell you that he would be back here by the end of the month..."

"I assumed he would say something like that," Inuyasha confirmed.

Kouga took a deep breath. "Doesn't it feel nice?" he whispered.

Ayame stared at him in complete confusion, tilting her head to the side. "Doesn't what feel nice?" she asked him after a short silence.

"Freedom..." he said simply. "The ability to finally move on with the rest of our lives...and knowing that nothing stands in our way anymore...?"

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand, squeezing it lightly and wrapping his other arm lovingly around her shoulders. "You don't know how good it feels." he agreed with the wolf demon for once.

"No, I think I do..." Kouga smiled. "You two have a happy life, Inuyasha. The next time I see you two, things are going to be a lot more different for all of us."

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A/N: Yeah, I know...:D Sorry. One more chapter guys...in which we see the last refrain from the long lost song this fiction was based on, our old buddy Sesshoumaru, and of course, the happy conclusion between Kagome and Inuyasha...:D LoL. Please review and let me know what you guys think!