A/N: You know, I just realized, in every final battle I write, Inuyasha always to make a speech…I wonder why that is?
O.O! Heart of a Youkai was nominated for the Best Drama category on the Inuyasha Fanfiction Guild! Let's just say, that even if I don't make it to the second round, being nominated is a HUGE honor. I am still in shock. Free pocky for life for whoever nominated me. (I love you now!)
So, if any of you are on the IYfanguild... ((nugenugewinkwink))
EDIT: Just found out that Chocolate was nominated for Best Oneshot as well!
Epilogue
Chapter 28: Fate of the Shikon no Tama
Inuyasha smiled to himself as he slowly opened his eyes to the light of day. It was a beautiful morning, the sunlight falling through the trees and illuminating the forest floor below. Birds chirped, and wind whistled through the leaves, adding music to the scene. Inuyasha was reminded once more of why he loved sleeping outside.
The scene was made perfect when Inuyasha glanced at the woman sleeping beside him soundly, the morning light seemingly giving her an ethereal glow.
They had defeated Naraku a week earlier, and had been traveling back towards the village ever since. On their way back, they had stopped at the youkai exterminator's village, and had buried Kohaku next to his family, knowing he was happy to be with them now.
As they got closer to the village, Sango's sadness at losing her brother again wore down, and now she was as happy as she used to be, smiling again, and already beginning to plan her wedding.
Though the curse was lifted, being in close proximity with Miroku prevented Inuyasha and Kagome from doing anything remotely mate-like. It was bad enough that the monk now say any comments he wanted without upsetting Kagome, however, it meant that the hanyou was punching him a lot more often. They didn't need to give him further cause to embarrass them.
That is…until they got back to the village the night before.
A small smile sprouted on the hanyou's face as he glanced at Kagome's. She was lying half on top of him, her head and hand resting on her chest as she slept. They were in her sleeping bag in the middle of the woods, the fabric slightly stretched since it was made for only one.
Inuyasha sighed and stroked her hair, knowing this was the first time he had woken up to see her face after one of their nightly excursions. The curse was gone, and they could love each other now as they wanted, without restrictions.
Despite this, Inuyasha knew that they'd never completely be able to recover from what they went through with the curse. He could still see the scar on her back he gave her as a youkai, and the scar on her shoulder was plainly visible. The scars on his arms were still there, though there were beginning to fade after all this time.
Although now, their scars were no longer symbols of the suffering they had endured. Now they were a testament to what they faced to earn the happiness they now had.
Kagome began to stir, and then slowly opened her eyes, to be greeted with the sight of the love of her life smiling up at her. She blinked a moment, adjusting to the light, and then sighed with contentment as she looked upon her lover. "I was afraid you might not be here." she murmured, reaching out to touch his face as if to test if he was real.
As always, the hanyou had to make a snappy retort. "Keh. You think I could leave with you laying all over me?"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, giving his chest a playful smack as she slid off him, into his arms as they lay beside one another. "It feels so odd, though." admitted Kagome. "Only a week ago, I thought I might never get to be with you like this."
The hanyou smiled at her, while his amber eyes sparkled in love as he said, "You're mine, Kagome. Nothing's going to keep you from me." And with that, he kissed her lovingly, making Kagome's heart nearly burst in joy.
Gone were the days of trying to hide their love from each other. Gone were the days of wishing that they would someday be free of the curse. They had this freedom now, and there was no way they were going to let it waste.
As they pulled apart, Kagome smirked and reached up and rubbed one of Inuyasha's dog ears, and he didn't even flinch or pull away, like he normally did when her hands came anywhere around his ears.
Kagome lowered her hands from his ears, making him feel slightly disappointed. She leaned against him, her smile fading as she said, "Inuyasha…we're going to have to tell Mama about…us."
The hanyou's heart sank. That was the part of their new relationship that he had been dreading the most. Her mother wasn't happy the first time they had begun an intimate relationship, and he could still remember the way she had given him a cold welcome the first couple of weeks after he had been revived.
What was he to expect now? He didn't hurt Kagome at all this time, but their relationship had gotten more serious. She had agreed to leave her home, her world, to come live with him in the Sengoku Jidai, how was he supposed to explain that to her mother and not have her angry at him?
But no matter what he couldn't back down. Kagome was his mate. He needed her. Even if it meant facing all the horrors of hell (which, considering the circumstances, might be a possibility) he couldn't give up Kagome for anything.
"What are you going to tell her?" he finally asked, knowing by the look on her face, she was as worried as he was.
"That everything's okay now." She told him. "I'll tell her that the curse is gone, and Naraku's defeated, and that there's nothing than can harm us anymore."
Inuyasha glanced down at her and raised his eyebrows. "But what about…us?"
Staring as if it was blatantly obvious, Kagome said, "I'm coming to live with you, of course! What else would I tell her?"
Inuyasha sighed, his amber eyes looking away from her as he said, "I don't know…but…are you sure she'll just let you live here like that? I thought she wanted you to finish that school thing."
"That was before. I'm sixteen now, Inuyasha. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Mama understands that. Though she might not like it, she knows that I couldn't live a day without you."
"She didn't seem to like the idea of us…" he trailed off, beginning to blush. Kagome couldn't help but give a small giggle that despite the position they were in at that moment, and despite what they had done the night before, talking about these things still embarrassed him sometimes.
"That's because she's my mother, Inuyasha." she assured him, her smile never fading. "She's not supposed to like it. She's always supposed to think of me as her little baby, never wanting me to grow up. But she knows I'm grown up now, and I have my own life. She'll understand."
Inuyasha wasn't so assured. Though Mrs. Higurashi had never given him any reason to suspect that she didn't like him with her daughter, he would rather face Naraku again then tell her he had claimed Kagome as his future mate.
Kagome could see the worry on his face. "Mama will understand, Inuyasha." she repeated. "She knows you'll take care of me…that you're the only one for me."
With her smile, and the love sparkling in her eyes, such a difference than what he had seen for so long, he felt himself relax. His worries didn't evaporate, but he forgot them, knowing that they were here, alone, lost in their love for each other, with no one to tell them otherwise.
"Same to you, woman." He murmured, leaning over and capturing her lips with his as his hands wrapped around her to keep her here, in his arms, for all eternity.
"Well, well, well. Seems you two were busy last night." an amused voice drawled.
Kagome let out a shriek and dove into the sleeping bag, while the hanyou jerked around, glaring at the originator of the voice with pure fury. "Miroku!" he bellowed, growling deep in his throat as the monk stepped back a few feet, almost afraid the hanyou might turn youkai for this.
The lecherous monk raised his hands in surrender, turning slightly away so he wouldn't see the two and their pile of clothes close by. "Calm down, I didn't come here of my own free will."
Inuyasha sat up, his bare chest exposed while the sleeping bag covered the important areas, his claws drawn and his eyes looking no less furious. "You better have a good explanation, monk, or you won't live to see your wedding."
Miroku sighed, used to Inuyasha's death threats, as he turned away, not wanting to get him angrier. "It's nearly noon, and Kaede-sama wanted to speak to you two about the shikon no tama."
"But did they have to send you?" yelled Inuyasha, growling deep in his throat.
The monk glanced back for only a moment, saying with a small grin. "Why, yes. My dear Sango is busy with wedding plans, Shippou was playing with children in the village, there was no way Kouga was going to come tell you, and Kaede couldn't leave the jewel, or bring it here since it would be…impure." he said the last word with a wide, lecherous grin, before darting back to the village before the fast hanyou decided to shred him for the last comment.
The hanyou continued growling, thinking of a wide range of creative ways to kill the monk, most involving a long, painful death. His imaginings of killing Miroku his only outlet for his anger, since he didn't think Sango would be too happy if she woke up the next day to find her husband-to-be grotesquely disposed of.
When Kagome emerged from the sleeping bag, red as a cherry, she said, "Are we going to go and figure out what she wants, Inuyasha?"
He only gave a grunt, and didn't look back at her, still fuming since that perfect moment with her had been spoiled by his idiotic friend. While Kagome went to get dressed, Inuyasha asked, "Kagome?"
"Hm?" she turned to him, a quizzical look in her eyes.
"I can still hit the monk, right?" he asked with a pleading look.
After a small giggle, she nodded. "Sure, Inuyasha. You can hit him."
The first thing Inuyasha did as he entered Kaede's hut was knock a good bump into the monk's head, muttering "That's payment for this morning." as Miroku yelped in pain.
No one protested this, as they could have all guessed what had happened. Kagome followed Inuyasha into the hut, turning a bright shade of pink as she had to take her sleeping bag in with her, leaving no doubts in anyone's mind as to what they were doing the night before.
Miroku opened his mouth to make a comment, but Inuyasha gave him a death glare and growled, "Say one word and you'll have much more than a bump on your head, monk." Though he could be annoying at some times, Miroku wasn't stupid. He shut his mouth instantly, pretending he never saw a thing.
Kouga, who was sitting in a corner of the hut, and had insisted on coming with them, since he wouldn't give up his shards until the last minute, just rolled his eyes and muttered something about being "obvious", making the hanyou send glares all around, daring anyone else to make a smart remark.
After seeing the tension in the room, including Kagome's bright pink face and Inuyasha's death glares, Kaede cleared her throat, motioning to the shikon no tama in her palm.
"Now that Naraku has been defeated, and we have all the shards, I think its time to decide what is to be done with the shikon no tama." The old miko said, passing the almost completed jewel into Kagome'shands, the pink, purified aura glowing around it, a welcome sight after it being tainted for so long. "Kagome, with my sister leaving this world, I leave the jewel to you."
Kagome looked down at the jewel, marveling at how round it was now, remembering how it had been shattered into hundreds of shards a year earlier. Now it was almost complete, a small chip in it where Kouga's two remaining shards would go. This jewel is what had caused her to come to the Sengoku Jidai, without it, she wouldn't have spent her last year fighting Naraku, and she wouldn't have met Inuyasha, either. This small thing had entwined their fates, and finally, the story of the shikon no tama was to be ended.
"Do you have a wish, Kagome?" Kaede asked. "With the purified shikon no tama, it has to be a pure, unselfish wish to let the jewel fade away. But be careful, Kagome…you know the risks at stake." Kaede looked into the girl's eyes, and Kagome knew what she had meant. Kaede knew that she was risking being cut off from her own time, the well being sealed, not letting her pass through it again.
Kagome glanced back down at the jewel. "I had one…once. But now, I don't know." She had once thought of using the jewel to lift Inuyasha's curse, but she wouldn't ever know if it would have worked. It wasn't exactly a selfless wish, after all.
"We have to think of something soon." The old miko reminded her. "Otherwise, other youkai will hear that Naraku has been defeated, and will come to take it."
"I know." Kagome said, glancing back around the room. Everyone here had been affected by Naraku in some way or another…He had driven Inuyasha and Kikyou to hate each other, killed Sango's family and friends, cursed Miroku's father and grandfather, killed Kouga's tribe, made Shippou fear for his life and the lives of his friends time after time, killed Kaede's sister…and had forced herself and Inuyasha against each other, like he had done fifty years ago to Kikyou.
All our sorrows were caused by Naraku…and if any other youkai like that were to appear…
"There's…there's something." Kagome said. "Could I…could I wish that no other evil like Naraku would rise again? That no other youkai would cause the suffering on innocent people again." Everyone glanced up at her. That was a good wish, it was pure, unselfish, just asking for peace.
Kaede nodded. "That could be done. I think Midoriko would be pleased with your wish, Kagome."
Kagome gave a small smile, but felt sadness slide into her heart, knowing that this wish would divide herself from her would forever.
"Are you ready to make the wish now?" Kaede asked, but Kagome refused at once.
"No!" she instantly retorted. "I…I need to go home first." She looked down, never before realizing how hard this was going to be.
Kaede nodded. "I thought so. Go then, but remember, you cannot stay in your time for too long before the youkai begin coming."
Kagome nodded, and announced her intent to leave at once, gathering up her things while Inuyasha watched her, in slight disbelief. Was she going to give up her world so easily?
She had just stepped out of the hut when Inuyasha followed her. "Kagome, you're really going to do that?"
"Do what?" she asked.
He grabbed her by the shoulders, as if to shake some sense in to her. "Just leave your world behind to wish upon the jewel!"
She held no emotion in her eyes as she looked up at him. "I have to, Inuyasha."
"No you don't Kagome!" he shot back. "I've seen you act selfless to the point of nearly killing you, but you don't need to do this if you're going to be hurt badly in the process!"
"It's not just for this world, Inuyasha." Kagome replied, glancing down at her feet, knowing the fact that her lover was chastising her for it making it ten times worse. "It for us. I don't want another evil youkai to tear us apart, Inuyasha." She looked up at him, her chocolate eyes on the verge of tears. "It'll be painful, but I must…It hurts worse when I think about what could happen if what we went through was repeated because I failed to act."
With that, she turned away, walking towards the woods and the well, leaving Inuyasha stunned. Inside, she was still suffering after their ordeal. She might never get over it, either the back pain or the memories bringing back the torment. Kagome would even throw away her world, if it meant assurance that they would be spared from history being repeated.
Kagome had walked a little ways, when Inuyasha joined her, an arm around her shoulder. "I'll go with you." He told her. "It's our future we're talking about, Kagome, and I need to be there as much as you do."
She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked on, some of the weight lifting from her chest as she realized, no matter what she had to lose, she would always have Inuyasha.
A/N: Slight angst for you guys before the final end. This chapter was longer, but as always, got pushed back because the other was too short. I usually like to keep them all somewhat the same length.
Anyway, I just have to say this one more time, I WAS NOMINATED! TWICE!
