Chapter 27 The Grave Choice: Loss of Mortality

Author's note: I'm starting to wrap things up now! Only a couple more chapters-- counting this one-- to go! I hope you readers enjoyed this story. And here it is, the next chapter. What I hope you have been waiting for.

No special thanks in this update. Just a thanks to those of you who reviewed. You know who you are. Thanks guys and I love you all!

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"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered. He slowly sat up, a sharp pain shooting through his entire body. The wound Naraku had inflicted hadn't been allowed to heal fully due to Inuyasha's now human state.

"Where's Kagome?" He asked when after looking around and not finding her.

"We were just about to go look for her." Miroku said at his side. "Are you okay though?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Inuyasha was on his feet in seconds. "Let's go."

"But your wound! It's not fully healed yet! What if you reopen it?" Sango logically pointed out.

"I'll be fine!" The hanyou snapped. "It's Kagome I'm worried about…" He was abruptly overwhelmed with this odd feeling of losing her… He needed to find her now, to shake this uncomfortable feeling.

XXX

Kagome opened her eyes to find she was in a place she no longer recognized. It was obvious she was no longer in Naraku's lair. The question was, how in the hell did she get to this new place?

Looking around, Kagome came to the conclusion she was in a temple of some kind. It was very different from the modern temples of her time, which were in short supply. This one had an air of the past to it, something she couldn't accurately describe.

She stood to her feet, sensing she wasn't alone, somehow how knowing the person with her would do her no harm.

"Kagome," A woman, Kagome decided, spoke. "I'm glad to finally be able to meet you."

Kagome's chocolate orbs lightened upon the figure that now suddenly appeared before her. Her long dark hair fell elegantly down her back and she was dressed in feudal priestess attire, Kagome recognized the ensemble immediately.

'This woman... could she be...' Kagome thought abstractly, not allowing herself to finish the thought.

"Yes, Kagome. Your thoughts are correct. I am Midoriko." The woman informed her, smiling a warm smile that sent jolts of electricity through Kagome's body.

"How did you...? How is it possible..?" Kagome struggled to say.

"Here," Midoriko motioned to the room around her, "thoughts are expressed aloud."

"Where is here, exactly?" Kagome asked, becoming more comfortable now that she was beginning to understand or at least have some idea about what was going on.

"A sacred temple humans are rarely allowed to visit. You are lucky to be here." Midoriko answered simply.

Kagome nodded, knowing this was the closest answer to her question she was going to get. "Why am I here?"

"I was wondering when you would ask me that." Midoriko smiled. "You have destroyed the evil that was after my power. The Power of the Shikon Jewel. That gem you have been protecting for so long." Midoriko motioned to the relic in Kagome's hands. "And in doing so, you freed me from my confinement. Because of this you are given a choice: Come with me to a place where you will be free of sorrow free of pain, and free of the horrors of the outside world. You will be worshiped as a Goddess and given powers that will allow you to relieve the sorrow of the humans you watch over. Or you can stay with your friends, to live a life filled with the sorrows and hardships that is human. But if you make that particular choice it will come at a price, as all great decisions do."

"What price?" Kagome wanted to know. Her heart thundered in her rib cage.

"Your mortality."

Kagome gasped but nodded. She knew exactly what Midoriko was speaking of. Her curse would be removed in a sense, so to speak. It would be made permanent. Human, she would be no longer.

"This is not an easy choice to make. But it is something you must do. Once you make your choice there is no going back. Understand this."

"And if I choose to come with you what happens to my friends and my family?" "Inuyasha..." His handsome face flashed in her minds eye.

"You will die today. They'll fine you dead, and assume it was from your battle with Naraku. Their lives will go on from there, but you will always be in their memory."

Kagome nodded. She had a monumental decision to make, one that would change her life forever.

A life as a Goddess without the hardships of her humanity. It was definitely tempting... No more fighting, not more struggling. Worrying about where she would go in life would no longer be a problem.

But her family... Could she leave them behind knowing she chose to die because she was to afraid to face life? She would miss them too much. She knew that. Her mother, the woman who had raised her with so much love and care, could she leave her with the grief of losing a child? And Sota, her brother. Sure, he could be a pain at times, but she loved him all the same.

Then there was Ayame and Sango... The three of them had been through so much together. The demon and human were like sisters to her. Abandoning them felt like a betrayal that seemed unimaginable. And wrong in all ways possible.

And then there was Inuyasha. How could she leave him? Without a seconds thought he had come to her rescue to save her from Naraku, only to in the end, find her dead? Could she do that to him?

No. She knew in her heart she couldn't do that. Despite all that he had done she loved him far to much to give all that up. Kagome thought back to all the things they had been through together. And all the love he had showed her. Inuyasha had done some stupid things and made bad choices, but in the end he always came through. She knew what she wanted to do. Her decision was made.

"Kagome? You have come to a decision?" Midoriko asked suddenly breaking Kagome from her thoughts.

Kagome looked at the powerful priestess, wondering how she knew. But then remembered: in this place thoughts are said aloud.

"Don't worry. I didn't read your thoughts while you made your decision. I gave you the privacy to think things through." Midoriko was quick to inform Kagome.

"I have decided--" Kagome began but was cut off.

"I know. I didn't have to read your thoughts to know what you decided." Midoriko smiled knowingly. "I can see it in your heart. I will say this, are you sure this is what you want? Once this is done there is no going back."

Kagome nodded firmly. "My mind is made up."

"Good. You have made the right choice, my child." Suddenly Midoriko was standing directly in front of Kagome, a hand place firmly but gently on her forehead. "It's time to return to the world of the living. He's calling for you..."

"Kagome...!"

XXX

The next thing Kagome knew she was waking up In Inuyasha's arms.

"Kagome!"

When she was finally able to open her eyes they came face to face with Inuyasha's amber ones. Which was in her mind, a delightful and perfect way to return to the place of the living.

"Inuyasha...?" She breathed unsteadily, still unsure if she was really alive. What if Midoriko accidentally took her away from Inuyasha?

"Kagome! You're alright! I had this horrible feeling I was losing you! I'm so glad you came back to me!" He hugged her with bone crushing force.

"Me too." Kagome looked over Inuyasha's shoulder in time to see her friend's worried faces relax and flood with relief. It seems she had quite a few people worried.

With Inuyasha's help Kagome climbed to her feet, all the while sharp pains shot through her body, protesting to the unwanted movement.

As they left the room that was once Naraku's lair--Kagome leaning on Inuyasha for support--Kagome began to wonder how to tell her friends what had just happened to her while she had been 'asleep', if that was what you would call it. As she began to contemplate this, her body suddenly began to feel heavy and filled with fatigue. Kagome fell harder onto Inuyasha as the need for sleep overwhelmed her senses.

"Kagome..!"

"I'm just really tired all of a sudden..." She trailed off and crumpled into Inuyasha's arms.

"We need to get her to the hospital. She's worse off than we thought..." Sango said worriedly. Ayame nodded her head agreeably.

"Hello." A voice said.

The remaining humans and demons that were still awake spun around to face the owner of the voice, only to be greeted by a ghostly apparition of a woman none of them recognized.

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha demanded already on the defensive. He was still in his human form, and was aware of the dangers now before him.

"Midoriko." The ghost woman said. "There are a few things I need to tell you about Kagome."

XXX

When Kagome woke up again she found herself in her room but she was not alone. Inuyasha lay slumbering at the foot of her bed. She smiled and slowly sat up, trying not to wake him. But curse that inhuman hearing of his! The second she began moving his ears were twitching and he was right beside her forcing her to lie back down.

"You need your rest." He said forcing her to lie back down as he sat down beside her.

Kagome, who felt fine and had no desire to fall back asleep, forced his hand off her and sat up once again. "I think I'm fine, Inuyasha." She said eyeing the hanyou suspiciously. "How long have I been asleep anyway?"

"Only a day. But you should still rest." He said as gently and forcefully as he could.

"What has gotten into you? I know I worried you when we battled Naraku, but I think I know my own body. And it's telling me if I get any more sleep my body will shut down forever. Not to mention I have to use the ladies room." She playfully glared at Inuyasha. "So if you would please excuse me," Kagome climbed past Inuyasha and walked into the bathroom, wondering why he was being so protective of her. She reasoned it could have been because he was worried Naraku had hurt and he wanted to make sure she was okay, but still. Something didn't seem right. He knew something he wasn't telling her.

As she returned to her room her thoughts traveled back to the night of Naraku's defeat. And then she remembered Kikyou and Hojo and the two little demons she had saved. What had become of them? She had to ask Inuyasha. Kagome quickened her pace to her room to find Inuyasha waiting for her.

"Where is everyone?" She asked remembering the friends that had also fought a hard battle with her.

"I told them to go out for a couple hours. They were so antsy it was annoying me. They'll be back soon."

"Oh." Kagome said. "What happened to Kikyou and Hojo?"

"Kikyou is in the hospital recuperating. You should have seen her parents!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "They rushed to the hospital and were yelling at the nurses! It was hilarious! But the doctors say she'll be okay. They can't figure out what happened to her though and want her to stay for a few days for observation. And Hojo…" Inuyasha trailed off smirking, "Well, he seems to think none of this happened. He awoke after you killed Naraku and when we tried to tell him what happened, he said none of that was real and this was all a really bad dream. He's still in denial! Weak human!" Inuyasha was unable to keep from laughing.

"What about Shippo and Kirara?" Kagome asked.

"Who? Oh! You mean the Kitsune runt and that Neko demon?" Kagome nodded. "For now we gave the two to Kaede to take care of. Naraku inflicted some severe wounds all over their bodies. They should be okay though. It was lucky you found them."

"I know." Kagome smiled as she sat down beside Inuyasha on her bed. She felt dizzy all of the sudden but didn't want to worry him unnecessarily.

But much to her dismay he picked right up on her discomfort immediately.

"Kagome, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." She answered quickly. "It's nothing."

"Yeah right! You should have listened to me and stayed in bed! After all that happened with Naraku and then with Mido--!" Inuyasha stopped suddenly, unsure of how to continue.

"You know." She said. It was a statement not a question. "You talked to Midoriko? She told you the choice I had to make?"

"Yes…" Inuyasha whispered, taking her small had in his. "And of your sacrifice. Your mortality. You are becoming---"

"I know, Inuyasha." Kagome gently interrupted. "I know."

"But I'm glad you decided to come back to us. To me." He continued. "Midoriko informed us you would be weak while your body underwent its change. She said the transformation would take a mere two to three days and could be painful. She said you would be extremely tired through the whole thing and unpredictable. Lashing out at anyone, even friends at times. She warned us to be careful." He said solemnly.

Kagome nodded, and then said truthfully, "I'm glad I came back too."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha then heard the front door open, alerting them to the presence of their four friends. Minutes later their heads appeared in the doorway.

"You okay, Kagome?" Miroku asked for everyone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy though." Kagome answered weakly. She straightened her body into a more comfortable position but then winced in pain.

Her body felt like it was on fire, suddenly, and she had only the slightest idea as to why.

"Kagome!" Ayame cried, reaching out for her friend.

But just as Ayame was about to make contact with Kagome, Kagome lunged towards her friend, snarling freakishly.

"Stay away from me!" She ordered threatening. Inuyasha held her back, keeping her a safe distance from Ayame.

Ayame was so startled she did exactly as she was told.

"I think we all should leave." Kouga said wisely. "Inuyasha will watch over her. She'll be fine."

The door shut, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked again.

"I'm fine!" Kagome growled in a voice very different from her own. "I'm tired of people asking me that!" She thundered feistily. Her glare would have sent shivers of fear down many a spine, but had no affect whatsoever on Inuyasha.

"I know, Kagome." He said pulling her weak form into his arms. She was too weak to protest with only the strength to growl warningly.

Inuyasha ignored her protests until she relaxed and fell asleep in his comforting arms.

XXX

Inuyasha watched her sleep wondering why she would chose to lose her mortality just for him. Yes, he knew he wasn't the sole reason but from what Midoriko had said, he was a big part of it.

"Were it not for all of you," Midoriko had said, her eyes locking solely with Inuyasha's, "she may not have come back."

She gave up her mortality for him. No one had ever done such a thing for a pathetic hanyou such as himself. And what had he done in return? Nothing! This angered him but also strengthened his resolve to do better.

From now on things would be different. He would try to repay her for all she gave up for him.

XXX

"Is she going to be okay?" Sango asked Kaede over the phone. Sango had decided to call the aged miko and inform her of all that had taken place and to inquire about Kagome's condition. Midoriko had already explained the situation to them but Sango wanted a second opinion.

"Yes, Kagome will be fine. Give her a day or two and she'll be back to her old self. Maybe not the same feature wise but the same on inside." Kaede said.

"How are Shippo and Kirara?" Sango then inquired.

"The Kitsune and Neko are doing just fine. It seems the horrors of Naraku are the farthest from their thoughts."

"I'm glad and thank you, Kaede. I'll let you know how things turn out once Kagome is back on her feet."

"I'll talk to you later, child."

"Bye." Sango hung up the phone and smiled gaily. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that from now on things would be okay. It was a new beginning.

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Woo hoo! Another chapter done! Yay! I know it was kind corny towards the end…. Sorry about that. Probably only one more chapter after this, I'm thinking. But I'm not totally sure yet. Most of this chapter was written in an email to myself. I'm a loser and was really bored at my gramma's house. So lay off! Lol. Please Read and Review! (I haven't been getting many reviews for this story lately… It is slightly discouraging but I'm so close to the end I'm forcing myself to continue. So PLEASE READERS! REVIEW! MAKE ME HAPPY!)

I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Be patient! That shouldn't be too hard, right?

Clouds of the Sky