Loving Thru the Trials of Love

(Dodges sharp flying objects...and blunt heavy ones...) I'm sooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated...I had the worst writer's block known to mankind, then I had final exams, and just the other day I was fired from my job 'due to my work productivity' even though I am still new and they never finished training me, (I failed at McDonald's. Pity me all,) and I've been preparing for my trip to Alaska, (I'll be gone from June 18th thru July 2nd,) trust me...with no steady income and a debt to pay to my father for the one part of this trip he wasn't paying for still not paid up like it was supposed to be, (thank youMcDonald's,) it's been no small feat. I also just took the ACT this past Saturday...and I am nervous as all hell about the results...

As you can see, I've been busy dying. But my Kachie/Koga one-shot saved my sanity, and now I am back. I am sorry that it took so long. Really and truly, I am sorry.

Now, onto business. This is the Kachie/Koga cure chapter, but it has lots of other elements to it as well. (Ok, I just spelled 'weel' while trying to type 'well' five times before I got it right...someone hand me a coffee...)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I owned anything, trust me, I'd let you know...

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Bittersweet Victory and the Orbs' Purpose

Koga stared dumbly at Hekele as she retold what had happened after he had fallen asleep. Kachie seemed just as shocked. The blonde demoness had found a book that told the entire prophecy, (apparently what Kagome had discovered in the other book had been two parts of the whole,) and how Midoriko and Miko were connected. They were the same person.

"This whole thing is making my head hurt," Koga said as he tried to make sense of it all. Kachie nodded.

"So, Midoriko wrote that thing...did she hint at what the creature was that could stop Ariel?" she asked. Kagome, who was reading the passage again, shook her head.

"No, nothing. Sesshoumaru, are there any sort of demons that can eat fallen angels?" she asked half-heartedly. Sesshoumaru shook his head.

"If only such a beast existed. No demon would ever be able to touch Ariel without getting burnt by both her unusual powers and her pure heritage...that is probably why we cause so much trouble for her in her time; we must have been human," he replied.

Inuyasha shook his head, "No, I don't think so. Kagome might be a threat to her, since she's a miko, but if the rest of us are humans, we wouldn't stand a chance. There must be a way to fight her with our demon bodies." Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"You know," Sango said, thinking, "he may have a point there. As humans, we're not as equipped to fight, especially against magic as powerful as hers. There must be a way to inflict damage while in these forms.

Miroku patted Inuyasha on the back, "So, tell me Inuyasha, what stroke of inspiration put that wise thought into your otherwise empty head?" Inuyasha snarled at him, and Miroku backed away into Sango.

Inuyasha raised an annoyed eyebrow and looked back at the rest of the group. "She kept her distance from us the one time we met her in person, and she doesn't attack us often either. It's like she's biding her time, watching and waiting. I think she's trying to figure out if we know how to effectively inflict damage on her yet, and since she's only sent out one of her crystal minions, she doesn't have the information she needs," he tried. All seemed to think this logical, but Kachie interjected.

"Ariel uses up a lot of magic. The door to our time must have drained her, and then there's that constantly open door to this era. The crystal woman, the spell; it all must take monumental amounts of strength and magic. That could be why she's biding her time. Kotaro said that she was resting for an attack, and no doubt that attack will be based on magic."

Kagura nodded, "So, she's been building power all this time while steadily weakening you all with that spell of hers. Brilliant, diabolically evil, but brilliant."

"You don't know the half of it." Everyone spun around to see Kotaro standing in the doorway. His expression was grim, and his eyes looked clouded with thought.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid that she'll find you out?" Kagome asked. Kotaro shook his head.

"I think it's too late for that; I'm almost certain that she suspects me of double crossing her. I came here to warn you of the latest development that I know of; Sesshoumaru, she plans to storm your palace."

Everyone grew quiet and looked to Sesshoumaru for his reaction. His lips were pulled in a straight line and his eyes had narrowed considerably. "Was this the attack you spoke to Kachie of yesterday?" he asked. Kotaro shook his head.

"No, this was something spur of the moment; I'm not sure what triggered it. The attack that I spoke to Kachie of is still a mystery to me; she's not divulged any information regarding it. That was my first hint that she was on to me," he replied. Once more, all became silent. Kachie took this opportunity to get a few questions the group had answered.

"Kotaro, what are we in the future, when we fight her? Human, or demon?" she questioned. Kotaro regarded her for a moment before answering.

"You reside permanently in your demonic bodies." This cause everyone's heads to shoot up.

"We stay in our demons forms? As in, we naturally exist like that?" Hekele asked. Kotaro nodded.

"Yes, in my time, demons and humans co-exist. There was a small war, and a great deal of opposition, but eventually the two creatures merged and reside together as though they were one. Hanyous are beginning to become common place even. It's quite an interesting time; it's like the Golden Age of Knowledge. Demon teachers teach students about how the past really occurred, the truth behind some of Japan's greatest tales, and so much more.

During the war, you took your family here to keep them safe, and two years later, when there was peace and understanding, you all came back. Kagome performed a very draining spell, one that put her in bed for almost a month after, and you all became demons permanently," he explained. The group was in a mild state of shock; that such a bright future existed seemed almost too good to be true to them.

"So, how do we fight her then? Ariel, I mean. If we are in our demonic forms, can't she harm us more easily?" Kachie asked next. Kotaro seemed to ponder this.

"I...do not know. I always assumed that you were special, or that you had a spell of sorts on you that allowed you to do so...do you mean to tell me that you know nothing of this?" he questioned, perplexed. Koga nodded.

"That's why she asked. We were hoping you could tell us. Next question: We have here a prophecy that was written by Ariel's daughter, telling of a way to destroy Ariel. It speaks of a creature of sorts that is the only way. What do you know about that?"

The look on Kotaro's face rewrote the definition of 'blank expression'. "Ariel has a daughter?"

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After explaining all that the group knew to Kotaro, and he shared what little insight he had, (that the creature was most likely to be something pure,) Kachie and Koga had decided to go back to the modern era; Kachie to inform the Higurashis of what was happening and to be around if her parents showed up, and Koga to keep an eye on Kachie in case her parents showed up.

Kotaro had been invited to stay with the group, as it was no longer safe for him to spy on Ariel for them. He accepted rather timidly, as it had been Sango who had issued the invitation, but was glad for the chance. Kachie herself was satisfied with all she had heard of and from Kotaro that he was truly on their side, and personally felt as though he deserved a chance to make right what he had done wrong.

It took a few hours of hard running, but it was worth it when the well came into view. The two jumped in simultaneously and landed with a graceful 'thud' on the other side. Koga hopped out of the well first and politely helped Kachie out next before leading the way to the house. When they opened the back door, a very frazzled Ms. Higurashi greeted them.

"Oh! Kachie dear! You couldn't have picked a better time to re-appear!" she said, taking hold of the girl and hugging her fiercely. Kachie was mildly squished.

"Uh, hi Mom...what's going on?" she asked, hugging the woman back gently.

Ms. Higurashi smiled at her a bit sadly, "Your parents just called to inform me that they were on their way over...and I didn't know what I'd do if they came and found that you weren't here..." Kachie gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll take a quickly shower and be downstairs waiting for them in a jiffy; we'll get through this..." she said confidently, filled with the feeling that all would go smoothly. There was no legal way for her parents to take her away at this point, not until the custody case went to trial at least, so Kachie felt no fear.

Ms. Higurashi smiled and nodded. "All right dear...oh, Koga, you had better get changed as well. If they come before you're out of the shower, Kachie, we'll say that you and Koga had a date and that you were running late. Will that work?" Kachie nodded at her, and then at Koga, before running up the stairs and swiftly picking out a rather nice looking outfit to complete the ruse.

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Twenty minutes later, Kachie exited the bathroom wearing a pair of black dress pants and a dark purple button blouse with a set of gold hoops in her ears and a gold chain around her neck. Her hair was in a messy bun at the back of her head, and she also wore some eye liner, mascara, and some light purple eye shadow to complete the look. Yep, she was ready for her 'date'.

Too bad she heard arguing at the bottom of the stairs, or else she might have been able to enjoy a rather shocked look on Koga's part, (after all, how often did Kachie ever intentionally dress nice?) She pretended to be surprised when she reached the bottom of the stairs and saw her parents standing in the livingroom, arguing with Ms. H.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" she asked. Her father instantly rounded on her and Kachie couldn't help but regret the sense of security that she had felt before her shower.

"Who do you think you are running away from us like that? And to put false accusations of abuse on us as well! What kind of ingrate whore does that to her family!" he yelled at her. Kachie's eyes widened more than a fraction when he advanced further, and suddenly Koga was standing between her and the brute she called father.

"Stay away from her. She's in the custody of Ms. Higurashi, and if you lay a hand on her it will only serve against your disposition in court," he ground out angrily, recalling quite clearly the bruises that had marred Kachie's face only a day before. Kachie's father recognized the boy and focused his anger on him instead.

"Get the fuck away from my daughter, NOW! She is coming home with us and you are going to be eating through a tube if you don't get out of my way," he responded hostilely. Koga snarled at him and Ms. H. stepped in between the two.

"Mr. Runa, your daughter is in my custody for now. I must caution against you staying here any longer; if you prove to be a disturbance, I will call the police. I have the grounds to do it, as you shouldn't even be here," she said cautiously. Kachie's mother scoffed.

"And how would that make you look? Denying the girl the right to see her parents can't be all that glorious in court."

"Who said I was being denied anything? It cannot be denied if I never asked for it." Kachie's mother stared at her daughter for a moment before shrugging.

"Back to the delinquency I see. You were expelled once; who'd listen to a brat like you?" she retorted dryly. Kachie's eyes welled suddenly; she was angry with both of her parents, but her mother had been the gentler of the two through this whole ordeal. Seeing her so cruel hurt Kachie deeply.

"We aren't leaving without our daughter. Hand her over now or else we'll take her by force," her father said angrily, taking another step towards the group.

Koga stepped out in front of Ms. H., wanting to keep her safe as well. "You haven't got the authority to enforce that," he stated curtly, he then turned his head to regard the two behind him, "Call the police. Tell 'em what's up, and I'll try to keep these two busy in here..." Ms. H. nodded and quickly ushered Kachie out of the room and into the kitchen.

Kachie's parents made move to follow, but Koga blocked their path. I'm glad the kid and the geezer aren't home...I don't have to worry about their safety too. "I'm sorry, but you'd better be going now, unless you want more legal issues." Kachie's father walked closer and pulled out something that he'd been concealing, a six inch knife.

Koga growled. Shit...so not what I was hoping to deal with...

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Hekele looked up from the book she was reading suddenly, having felt something odd. She looked down at the orb that rested around her neck and found that it was glowing faintly. Perplexed, she raised it to eyes level, and the glowing promptly ceased. What was there, however, whilst hers and Sesshoumaru's auras continued to swirl on the interior, was a single word inscribed on the outside.

"Wisdom? I wonder what that could mean..." she wondered aloud. She stood quickly and went to find Kagome and Sango to see about their orbs. When she did find them, looking through books of their own for more information, they too had various words suddenly adorning their orbs.

"Love," said Kagome, showing off her own cautiously, lest something else strange occur. Sango held out hers as well.

"Mine says Courage. Do you have any idea what this is?" Hekele shook her head.

"Nope, but I think that we should go locate the boys...I think this is a tidbit more interesting than reorganizing the guards and calling troops to defend the palace..."

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Koga's fist collided with Mr. Runa's abdomen as the said man took a swing at him with the knife. Koga had dodged it awkwardly, but had managed a counter attack. Kachie's mother snuck around to Koga's side in an attempt to get past him but he looked at her pointedly.

"The last thing I wanna do is kick your ass lady; sit and stay put if you know what's good for you." The woman froze for a moment, but when Koga's attention became focused on her husband again, she bolted for the kitchen, completely unfazed by the fighting happening right next to her.

This isn't working. I can handle this guy well enough, but if I can't kill him, I'll tire out in this body, and chances are, he won't because of the spell. That'll cause a big problem, but he's Kachie's dad...and under that spell. He isn't doing any of this on purpose...I can't just kill him. Maybe I'll be able to knock him out long enough for the police to get here... Koga thought as he dodged the swinging knife.

He was completely unaware that Mrs. Runa had left the room...

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Kachie sat at the counter with her head cradled in her arms, the tears flowing down her face hidden from view. Ms. H. stroked her hair soothingly as she dialed the police; she didn't need to see Kachie's tears to know that they were there.

Just as the operator picked up on the other line, Ms. H. found that the line had been disconnected. Looking up in alarm, she saw that Kachie's mother had entered the room, and had unplugged the phone cord. Kachie looked up as well, and her face turned pale. Ms. H. stood in front of her as though she were the girl's shield, her motherly instincts surfacing once more.

"You aren't wanted here, leave," she said coldly, surprising herself at her own tone of voice. Kachie's mother only stared at her.

"I may not be as prone to violence as my husband, but I will get my daughter back, at any cost," she replied icily. Kachie stood up then and walked in front of Ms. H., not wanting her injured in any way.

"I don't want to go back! I want to stay here, where I'm loved and cared for! This is my family now, not you!" she cried, anger and pain laced in her words. Her mother only stared at her quietly for a moment before replying.

"You will come back to your real family whether you want to or not; whether in one piece or not..." Kachie looked on in horror as her mother pulled a small hand-gun from the inside of her jacket.

Her mother stared at her, "Don't make me use this my dear."

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"Damn...I sure screwed up..." Kotaro said to himself as he read Ariel's book; Kagome had given it to him so that he'd get a better sense of what the group had explained to him. Kagura, who was currently looking through a book of legendary creatures a few feet away from him, looked up and shrugged.

"It's no big deal. Trust me, this is a forgiving group," she said quietly, reflecting briefly on her own dark past. Kotaro looked at her for a moment, pondering what she had said.

"I don't know if what I did could ever be forgiven...nor do I think I want it to be. If what I did could be forgiven, then this group wouldn't be as strong as it is..." he said. Kagura seemed to think about this before nodding.

"That's true, I don't suppose they'd be as strong without their comradery, and their comradery wouldn't be as strong if the death of one of them were to be forgiven." She looked at Kotaro then, curious about the nature of her friends due to his speculation. "Accepting then; they are an accepting group. They can accept the darkness of one's past and accept their desire to start anew. They can't forgive the past, nor forget it, but they can work around it."

Kotaro nodded to himself, "I think you're right. But what darkness of yours, may I ask, have they decided to 'work around'?"

Kagura sighed, not really wanting to get into it all, but feeling as though answering his question was justified given her statement. "I take it that your knowledge of Naraku is limited...he...was Kanna's and my master...our creator. We did his bidding, including many horrible things to this very group. We hated him, but did his will because he held our hearts and Kanna's soul captive; he could kill us whenever he desired. We wanted to live though, so we did what we were told, although grudgingly."

Kotaro shook his head, "It sounds to me like the two of you didn't have a choice." Kagura shook her head.

"There's always a choice. Right or wrong; we chose 'wrong' to stay alive. During the last battle, however, Kanna and I tried to help them. Then Hekele gave her life for us when Naraku tried to kill us by squeezing our hearts. She gave our hearts, and Kanna's soul, back to us, and in his rage, Naraku killed her. We later died when Kagome purified Naraku, because we were created from his own flesh and so were tied to him. When Midoriko brought everyone back to life through Kagome's body, we returned to life again as well, completely free and apart from Naraku, no trace of his scent on us, which signified that we were no longer his creation.

The group didn't have to accept us, either of us, but they did, and what Hekele did for us in that battle still surprises me even now. She looked past what had been and instead looked at what was. I won't say that I have a stronger bond with her than anyone else, but that particular event showed me that these haphazardly mixed people are worth being friends with, and Kanna and I've hung around with them since." Kagura blinked and then gave a half-hearted laugh, "That's not what you wanted to hear though, was it? You wanted my darkness, not mine and Kanna's life stories. My darkness, our darkness, was our cowardice in doing Naraku's bidding, when we could have given ourselves for what was right in the beginning. And trust me, if these friends can accept that darkness, then they can accept yours as well."

Kotaro looked at her long and hard, processing the information for a moment before smiling, "Then, I suppose you and I are similar spirits. We could both have done what was right from the beginning, but didn't." Kagura smiled one of her rare, sincere smiles, and nodded. She raised her hand mockingly, as if signaling a toast.

"Here's to redemption and kindred spirits."

Kotaro grinned, mimicking her, "Cheers."

Just then, Hekele, Kagome, and Sango burst into the room. The two stared at them oddly for a moment as they caught their breath, wondering what had happened. Kagome was the first to speak.

"Where are the guys? Our orbs are acting weird. First they mysteriously sprouted words, and now they're glowing. We think something bad is happening to Kachie and Koga..." she said, holding up her orb for the two to see. Sango and Hekele did the same thing. All three orbs were glowing brightly, flashing the two colors that were in each back and forth. It did indeed seem as though it were in warning as well.

Kagura bit her lip uneasily, "I think they're in Sesshoumaru's study. That's where they were when I came back down here..." The girls nodded and took off in that direction hurriedly. Kotaro looked at Kagura.

"I have the feeling that your friends are in danger as well...The spell may have reached its potency by now...if we want to get there in time to help, I'll have to transport everyone to the well. I'll have to make a few trips, and it'll take a few minutes, but it's definitely the quickest way there..." he said as reached out his hand gentlemanly to help Kagura to her feet, not even aware of the gesture. Kagura accepted cautiously, not intimately familiar with chivalry, and took his hand. He helped her up and the two began running towards Sesshoumaru's study, all the while her heart beat with more intensity than usual.

How odd... she wondered as the two rounded a corner and began ascending the main stairs. Why's my heartbeat suddenly so strange?

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Koga slugged Kachie's father hard in the face, sending him to the ground, and the knife a few feet away. He didn't get back up. Koga walked over to him cautiously, and found his breathing to be relatively even, signifying that he was, for the moment, unconscious. With this verified, Koga looked up to where he had left Kachie's mother, and notice that she was missing.

Damn it... he thought to himself, making his way to the kitchen door. He opened it slowly and quietly, not wanting to be seen or heard. When he saw the gun pointed at Kachie and Ms. H., he carefully slid through the partially opened door and snuck up behind Kachie's mother, not making a sound. Kachie's face turned momentarily to one of relief, but she swiftly readjusted her expression as to not tip-off her mother about the boy standing directly behind her.

As if sensing that something wasn't right, Kachie's mother spun around and fired the gun, missing Koga by inches in her haste. Taking advantage of her surprise at having missed, Koga grabbed her wrists and wretched the gun from her hold, kicking it back towards the door. Kachie was at his side in an instant and helped force her struggling mother into a chair while Ms. H. ran to get something to tie her there with. As soon as she was gone, Kachie looked to Koga.

"Is he...?" Koga shook his head.

"No, he's knocked out though; are you all right?" he asked, giving her a quick lookover as he held her mother in place in the chair. Kachie nodded.

"I'm ok...are you?" she asked, noticing a few bleeding cuts on his arms. Koga grinned.

"I'm good; it takes-"

"You won't be!" Kachie's mother ground out, angered by her predicament.

Koga rolled his eyes, covering her mouth with his hand to avoid interruption, "Like I said, I'm good. It'll take more than a few cuts to bring me outta commission..." Kachie rolled her eyes but smiled, happy that he was all right.

Ms. H. returned then and handed Koga some clothesline that she had found in the closet. The two of them hunched over a protesting Mrs. Runa and began tying her in place, not wanting to do her any bodily harm unless they absolutely had to. Kachie stood up straight and wiped the remnants of her tears from her eyes. It was over; they'd find a way to get her parents back to normal soon enough, and everything would be ok. She was glad.

Deciding that the police should still be called, however, she grabbed the phone and turned it on, only to remember that it had been disconnected by her mother. She looked to the phone hook, as she was going to plug it back in, but saw instead her father standing, though with difficulty, in the doorway, holding her mother's gun. It was pointed at Koga.

"Koga!"

The said boy looked up in time to see the man and the gun. He quickly covered Ms. Higurashi and Kachie's mother, as they were so close, and heard the distinct bang of the gun. But he never felt anything...

He looked up to find Kachie standing in front of him, and his eyes widened in horror. He dashed to her side as she was stumbling backwards and managed to catch her before she fell. Her abdomen was bleeding profusely, and her eyes were quickly becoming clouded.

It was as if time had stopped. Ms. H. looked on in disbelief with grief-stricken eyes brimming with tears. Kachie's parents both were frozen in a sort of shock, almost as if they had come to their senses enough to know that something horrible had been done that neither of them had truly wanted. Kachie's father fell to his knees, not understanding quite where he was, why there was a gun in his hand, and why his daughter, (whom he hadn't seen in months,) lay bleeding to death in front of him. He looked up and saw his wife sitting in a chair, and when their eyes connected, he suddenly remembered.

He remembered feeling suddenly very angry, and wanting his daughter back. He remembered speaking to the woman she had been staying with on the phone, boarding a plane, and taking his daughter away against her deepest wishes. He remembered hurting her, slapping her, bruising her face, making her cry; his memory not allowing him to escape all those horrible things. Then he remembered her running away from him and her mother, he remembered the intense anger that he had felt, and then remembered coming to this very house and demanding her return. He remembered the fight he had with her boyfriend, remembered waking up with even more anger, walking silently into the room and picking up his wife's discarded gun. He recalled with a sickening feeling in his stomach as he fired the weapon...and hit his own daughter as she rushed to protect the ones he had thought to harm. And one look into his wife's eyes...and he knew that she remembered too.

Koga shook Kachie gently, panicking at all the blood she was losing, when her eyes opened again, if only slightly. Please stay with me... he thought in vain, not knowing what to do. Ms. H. was at his side then, pressing a bunched up towel against Kachie's abdomen, causing the girl to wince in pain. She was beginning to pale...

Koga turned to the woman next to him, "I have to get her to the other side; if I do, she might still have a chance..." The woman nodded and helped him situate Kachie in his arms so as to cause as little addition harm as possible, and he stood up. She ran to the door and opened it for him, and Koga took off through it, with a his dying love in his arms, towards the well.

"Hold on Kachie...please hold on for me..." he pleaded as he looked at her paling face. She was beginning to get colder...

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Kaede looked up when she heard villagers outside her hut shouting. A feeling of dred settled in her stomach and she stood up to see what was wrong. Before she had managed to hobble over to her door, however, Koga had burst into her hut wildly, holding a bloody Kachie in his arms. His eyes only lighted slightly when he saw her.

"She's been hurt, bad. It happened on the other side of the well, when she was human," he said breathlessly. Kaede swiftly directed him to one of the mats on the floor and he placed Kachie there with the utmost caution and care, though that didn't stop Kachie from wincing in pain. Kaede quickly got to work examining the wound and attempting to quell the bleeding.

"Tell me what I am dealing with Koga...I've not seen an injury like this before," she said calmly. Koga bit his lip slightly, knowing that the old woman had no idea what a gun was, (the only reason he even knew was because he had seen them in movies on the other side of the well and had asked about them.)

"She was hit by something very small, shorter than an inch and only about as thick as one's finger. It was going at a speed faster than most demons could run when it hit her. All I know is that we need to get the object out of her..." he said, hoping she understood the explanation. The old woman did, for she immediately nodded and went to work carefully examining the wound and prying for the object. Kachie whimpered in pain and Koga's hand instantly found hers, hoping it'd help somehow.

Feeling something through the rag she was using that didn't belong, Kaede carefully slid it out of Kachie's abdomen, causing the girl to whimper once more, and held it up for Koga to see. It was the bullet.

"That's it! That's the object!" Koga said, hoping that it was good enough that the bullet was out of her and that Kachie could begin to heal on her own. Kaede shook her head though.

"This wound is horrid. It may even be strong enough to severely wound demons. Because she was injured and weakened as a human first, I do not know if she will begin to heal in time; I'll see what I can do to stop the bleeding, but at this point, even that may not be enough..." Koga could honestly feel his heart rip in two when she said this. His eyes lost what hope had resided in them as he looked back down at Kachie. She was deathly white, and her breathing was quite labored.

Kaede spoke once more, "Press this tightly against her wound; I need to get some herbs from the garden that may help. At the very least, they'll subdue the pain she's in..." Koga did as he was told and the old woman left the hut as quickly as she could to retrieve the herbs.

Koga pressed the cloth against her wound tightly and held it there, pain laced in his expression. "Kachie...you've gotta stay with me here...you can't die..." he said to her, hoping she'd hear him. She did.

Kachie opened her eyes a bit and forced a smile up in Koga's general direction. Darkness was shrouding her vision, and Kachie was aware of the severity of her wound. "Koga..." she said quietly, her voice not getting any louder. Koga heard her though, and looked down only to see her clouded eyes. An agony he had only felt once before swelled in his chest as he looked at her fading form.

"Kachie...why did you..."

"I...wanted to. You kept me safe...it was my turn..." she said softly, barely able to speak at all. Koga squeezed her hand in his while he put pressure on her wound with his other.

"You shouldn't have. My whole goal was to keep you safe...not this..." he said dejectedly. Kachie smiled again, and brought his hand to her lips so that she could kiss it.

"And mine...all along...was that none of my friends...got hurt because...because of me..." she said painfully. Koga looked down at her, his eyes beginning to well with tears. He could sense her body dying, and there was nothing that he could do. He couldn't bear to watch her die again, not after the pain it caused him in the fight against Naraku. She had given her life to protect Kagome...and now she had given it to save him as well...

"You stupid runt...if I'm gonna get hurt protecting you, or anyone else, it's because I want to. You don't get to go and hurt yourself for me when I'm trying to keep you in one piece..." he said, picking her up and cradling her against his chest lovingly. Kachie smiled and nuzzled him slightly, glad for the last bit of warmth she knew she'd ever feel.

"I love you Koga, and...I'm sorry..." she said quietly. Koga squeezed her tighter, knowing she was almost gone.

"There's nothing to be sorry for...and I love you too, Runt..." he replied, kissing the side of her forehead affectionately. He closed his eyes and held her tightly to his chest, not being able to watch her fade any longer.

There was a moment when he heard her breathing still, and his tears finally rolled from his eyes and fell to the nape of Kachie's neck. Koga squeezed her tighter still, in too much pain to let go. It was then that Kaede hobbled back into the hut, herbs in hand. She knew what had happened instantly, and her heart plummeted to a new low. Kachie had been as dear to her as everyone else, and the old woman felt much pain at her death.

She placed a hand on Koga's shoulder in comfort, and was about to speak, when a bright light emitted from both him and Kachie's body. The light was a mixture, and earthy green emitting from Koga, and a deep violet purple from Kachie.

Kaede had to take a step back as the lights' intensity increased, for fear of being blinded in the one good eye she had left. Koga, however, didn't move a muscle. He could feel pulsing, and part of him knew what was happening. The other part, however, could only continue to hold Kachie as the pulsing increased, and as the light brightened. He began to feel a slight breeze swirling around them, and in a moment, the light had dulled to the point where Koga could open his eyes.

Floating before him was an orb, with forest green and violet purple aura's swirling within it. He looked down at Kachie happily and expectantly, but found no change in her condition. His heart sank to the ground, confusion and pain flashing in his eyes. Why had she not been healed? Why was she still not breathing? A shocked tear ran down his face as he continued to look at her face, hoping to hear her heart begin to beat again, or to see her chest rise and fall with breath. But nothing happened. She was dead.

It was then that his friends entered the hut. They had smelled Kachie's blood from the well, where Kotaro had transported them, and had run towards the village. Kotaro, weakened from the extra use of his limited magic, had to stay behind, and Kagura stayed with him.

Kagome's eyes welled with tears instantly when she saw Kachie laying in Koga's arms, she couldn't hear her friend's heart beating, and knew she was gone. Sesshoumaru was holding Hekele tightly, as she had already been reduced to tears. His sword, the Tenseiga, wasn't reacting as it should have been, signifying that it would not bring the girl back to life. He murmured a quiet apology in her ear and stroked her back, watching in a silent sorrow of his own as his comrade finally laid Kachie back down on the mat. Koga still held her hand.

"Why...didn't she return to life when the orb formed?" Koga asked to no one in particular. It was then, to everyone's shock, that he showed him the green and purple orb that had formed between their auras. They had all assumed that the orb hadn't had a chance to form before she had died, but since it had, she should have been alive again...

Miroku and Sango looked at each other in confusion; Sango had been dead, but the formation of the orb had brought her back to life. Why hadn't Kachie's and Koga's orb done the same for Kachie?

It was then that the orb in Koga's hand began to glow again, and a kanji appeared on its surface: Friendship. Koga looked at it oddly, and then at his friends. The girl's held up their orbs somberly, to show that they all had writing on them. Miroku's eyes widened suddenly in realization, and he was about to speak when all four orbs began to glow brightly and pull away from those holding onto them. The lights emitted from the four floating orbs were all the colors in the orbs: yellow and light blue, silver and aquamarine, red and white, and finally, green and purple. Within seconds, the white light that was Kagome's aura consumed the others and all light was white. Pure. The whole hut was filled with the light, consumed by it to the point where no one could see anything and had to shut their eyes. Then, suddenly, there was an intense burst of power, and all returned to normal. Everyone cautiously opened their eyes, only to be met with the shocking sight of one orb floating in front of Kagome, waiting to be held and caressed by its protector once more. The Shikon no Tama had been reformed.

Koga felt stirring under his hand and looked down at Kachie. Her heart suddenly began to beat, and Koga witnessed with joy as her chest began to rise and fall as she took the first breaths of her new life. Her wound was completely gone, leaving not even a scar to show it had ever been there, and her face was no longer white. She opened her eyes then, and looked right up at him. She smiled slightly.

"What the hell am I still doing in this Kami forsaken place? I thought I was rid of you people..." she joked. Koga pulled her into his arms tightly and kissed her forehead, feeling nothing short of relief.

"If you ever do that to me again, I swear I'll make you more of a runt than you already are..." he threatened as he held her against his chest. Kachie smiled.

"Deal..." she replied. She then looked over at her friends, who were torn between staring at her in relief and staring at the Shikon no Tama, which now rested in Kagome's hands.

"Friendship, Courage, Wisdom, and Love are the four spirits that make up the Shikon no Tama...we each had half of a spirit inside of us, and when we won the favor of whatever spirit we were connected with by breaking the spell, it emerged from us to become whole...and when all four spirits became whole...the Shikon no Tama reformed..." Miroku explained in awe. Sango looked at him, about to say something, when her own eyes widened. She looked at her wrists and then at her friends in shock.

"Guys...we're human again." Everyone's eyes widened as hers had and looked about at one another, only now realizing what the return of the Shikon no Tama had done to them. They were reverted their former selves. The humans were human again, and the demons still demon.

Their wish to be together forever had been undone.

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Ariel watched the group through her magical pool with only hate and contempt. Once again, her spell had been broken, and an orb had formed. Kachie had died, had been dead, but when the Shikon no Tama had appeared, the burst of power had resurrected her. The power of her orb alone couldn't bring her back because she was so far gone, and so injured. Sango had been dead for only seconds, and had died by freezing. Kachie had died of a bullet wound and massive blood loss that was completely beyond her control, therefore making it impossible for the spirit in hers and Koga's orb alone to bring her back.

The important thing was, however, that she was alive again, thus creating anger in Ariel matched and surpassed only by the anger she felt towards Kotaro for having openly betrayed and abandoned her. She was angered by his new friendship towards the wind witch, Kagura, and her evident similar feelings for him as well. She was angered that she could so easily be replaced, and by what she considered to be a lesser being.

Ariel calmed herself, however, as she directed her attention to the mound of crystals that she had gathered before her. "Here this one's call dear children; come forth and listen to your mistress!" With that, a burst of power came forth from her hands and hit the mound of crystals. When Ariel stopped her power flow, the crystals began to glow and change in size immensely. It was high time her enemies came face-to-face with her crystal servants once more. And with Sesshoumaru's palace left completely defenseless for the time, with all the children left behind there, and half of the miserable group stuck in their human forms hours away, it was the perfect time to issue a full-scale frontal assault on the palace. She would burn it to the ground if she had to.

And she would leave no survivors.

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Me- Ok, since I'm going to be gone for two weeks on my trip, (far from any computer most likely,) AND since I took so damn long to update, I decided to make this chapter extra intense for you wonderful readers. Did you enjoy it? Please, seriously, I need to get some reviews on this one. I was going to save the whole Shikon no Tama thing until the next chapter, but you guys had to wait for me so long that I put it in here as an apology...is my apology accepted?

Kachie-You killed me! I was dead!

Me- Oh shut up, you're fine.

Kachie- YOU KILLED ME!

Me- (shrugs) You're alive now, and so on and so forth...don't worry...I wouldn't leave you dead...

Kachie- (narrows eyes) You were thinking about it...

Me- I think about a lot of things...

Kachie- I knew it! (chases Hekele around in circles while throwing daggers at her)

Me- Help! Review to keep me alive!