Author's note: Hello all my lovely readers, It's good to be back and on schedule! I just wanted to say, thank you SO, SO much for everyone who has reviewed so far. 1,000 reviews was not a goal when I started writing this monster, and I can hardly believe its gotten this far and that so many of you are still along for the ride! I love every single message you leave for me. It drives me forward, and it keeps me motivated. I love this story, and it fills me with a lot of joy that you enjoy it too!

Dedication: That being said, this chapter is dedicated to the GUEST who left the following review: Kouga! While my 1,000th review was a one-worded reaction, I appreciate it all the same, especially since this particular reviewer left lots of reviews as they read through the chapters. So thank you, GUEST, for the reviews you left for me, and for being my 1,000th reviewer!

Awesome Betas: Pentheseileia, Not_Towa_Wakasa, Noir, Youngimoo

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Chapter 52: The Return

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Kagome

"Again? Seriously?"

She cracked one eye open. It was a reflex, because even with her eyes closed she knew who the voice belonged to.

"Kouga is going to kill us. Why won't she listen?"

"She's not scared of us anymore like a normal human would be."

Kagome tried her best to keep her breathing even. Being the only human and surrounded by wolf-youkai had caused her to pick up on the little nuances of how they lived and worked... and how damn easy it was for them to know if she was actually sleeping or not.

Whoever Ginta was talking to snorted, not unlike a wolf. "She would be if she knew what was good for her. If Kouga would just keep a guard at her door, we wouldn't have this problem."

Her heart thudded in her chest at the threat, her breath quickening. ...Shoot. That would totally give her away.

She knew she was right when Ginta and his friend fell silent. They must have been communicating by hands or something, because she heard nothing else but the shuffle of feet, the friend stalking away, probably, and the clearing of Ginta's throat.

"Lady Kagome, I can tell you are awake."

"Just Kagome," she replied automatically, grunting as she sat up. It was a conversation she'd had with most of Kouga's higher-ups at this point, multiple times with Ginta for sure. She stretched her arms out and winced at the soreness from her back and neck. It wasn't comfortable sleeping on the floor, even with the fur that she dragged in with her every night. It certainly wasn't as comfortable as the bed waiting for her in her cave-room.

At this point though, she hated that room. This sleeping arrangement was way better.

"You know I can't,' Ginta said matter-of-factly. He had stopped his habit of narrowing his eyes when he talked to her and instead settled for feigned boredom in response to her little rebellious habits. However, he held himself stiffly, held his back to the open doorway and kept Inuyasha in his sight at all times.

"Do you do everything Kouga tells you to?" Kagome put as much disdain in her words as she could muster so early in the morning.

"Yes." He didn't even blink.

She snorted, frustrated that he was learning to get on her nerves. Whatever. Ginta wasn't her concern in the long-run anyway. Her concern was Kouga and his advances. Her concern was keeping Inuyasha alive, though the Wolf King continued to insist he wouldn't die anytime soon.

She didn't trust him.

"Can you pretend to follow the rules at least? I do not like having Kouga on my case all the time."

Kagome stood and grabbed her fur-blanket from the floor. "Sorry Ginta, I'm not heeling to a wolf with a power trip," she said, inwardly satisfied at the way his eyes widened in shock. "Someone has to watch out for Inuyasha."

"He's not going anywhere, Lady Kagome."

"Kagome. I'm just making sure you're not torturing him more when I'm not looking." She turned to glance at Inuyasha over her shoulder. He was slumped forward, as he usually was nowadays. At first she had panicked, thinking he was dying, but Ginta had let it slip that their species tended to heal faster when knocked out cold. Some sort of evolutionary hibernating youkai healing tactic.

Ginta probably wasn't lying. Over the last couple of weeks she'd gotten to know most of the wolves close to Kouga better, and she had a pretty good read on them. While Ginta was fiercely loyal to Kouga, he wasn't a liar. Just annoying.

And Inuyasha had been out cold like that for a few solid days now. His breathing never changed, nor did his heartbeat, which she discovered when she finally pulled together the nerve to press her ear against his chest.

He was still cold and clammy. His body still stiffened up with pain every time his back ripped open again. Kagome bit at her lip as she watched him go through it, then relax. The urge to help him was overwhelming, but at this point, there wasn't much she could do but wait and hope that Shippou would return any day now.

She walked back to her cave, which she hated to think of as hers, but for better or worse, she'd been here long enough for it to be habit. The pool in the corner of the room was warm and bubbling, as usual, her daily supplied bath products laid out for her. Thank heavens that she'd convinced Kouga she no longer needed any help bathing from Ikue and Maho.

After her bath and drying her hair as best she could, she began her day. Over the last two weeks Kagome had eased into a slightly uncomfortable routine. She made friends as best she could with as many of the wolf youkai who would put up with a human, which she had to admit weren't many. Most of the female youkai wanted nothing to do with her, but she was convinced it was due to Kouga hovering around her every chance he got rather than her lack of personality.

She picked berries and herbs with an older wolf youkai named Eiji, who told her his name meant 'second born,' and how he'd been teased as a child for it since he was actually the eldest. She learned to start the drying process on pelts alongside Kazue, who laughed as she struggled not to be sick by the bleeding, freshly-peeled fur. He didn't seem much older than she was, but for all she knew he was already a hundred, going by how slowly youkai aged.

When she wasn't helping with daily chores, she went for a walk. She tried to slip out as quietly as she could, but gave up even attempting to be alone, because no matter how often she tried or how careful she was, Kouga always knew.

And damn him if he didn't always follow her.

She sighed, tightening her grip around the bow in her hand. There was never a moment she had alone anymore. She somehow… hadn't minded it, when Inuyasha had been awake and near her. There was something about his presence that was calming, despite all the chaos going on around them. Even when he got snippy and stubborn, there was an ease about being in his presence.

But with Kouga, she felt suffocated. Trapped. Even though he'd been nothing but kind. Even though he'd tried nothing to harm her. And he'd kept all his promises.

So far, she thought as she got a ride down from the top of the mesa, and made her way into the middle-grounds of Wolf Territory. She no longer tried to hide the fact that she was going for a walk. What was the point?

Even today, as she stopped her walk a mile or so away from the mesa but still well within Wolf Territory, he was there, just a few feet away.

She sighed, loud and heavy, turning to face him. "I never go anywhere, Kouga. You don't have to constantly be my shadow."

"I know you won't go anywhere without your dog," he said, as calm as if they were discussing the weather. He wore the same outfit he always did, arms and legs bare to the cold. Kagome shivered, jealous that youkai had an inside furnace while she either stayed inside or bundled into layers.

"This has to be boring for you," she said. "Don't you have anything better to do? You're a King, there has to be something that needs your attention."

He shrugged, the light of day playing in his black hair. He had it up in his usual ponytail, and the tips twisted over his shoulders as a small gust brushed through. "Even a King needs a break. Why would I want to be King if I can't enjoy it every now and then?"

She snorted. "You enjoy it all the time."

His grin was natural. It was easy to see he liked having these conversations with her. "I can't lie and say I don't," he admitted, meandering over to a near tree. It was the usual one he sat under when he followed her out to this spot.

The forest in this area was sparse, the trees spread out and seemingly arranged in rows, almost perfect but not quite. It was an excellent place to practice her shooting, and once Kouga had realized she'd chosen this specific place, he'd had targets erected for her. Kagome had been more than a little shocked to discover them at first, and had felt a pang of guilt that she couldn't thank Kouga the way he obviously wanted her to.

"But it's also not a lie to say I like watching you practice. There's something about your determination. You keep getting better even though you're a human. Slow and weak."

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from drawing her arrow and pointing it at him. "I know you're trying to compliment me, but your compliments need work."

He chuckled, stretching out and scratching at his stomach. "I like that about you too, that you're not scared to say anything to me. Most of my people would be too afraid to be so critical."

He was crazy, thinking she wasn't holding anything back. That she wasn't keeping to herself how much she wanted to punch him in the face and yank Inuyasha free of his chains and flee the wolf youkai. Screw the shards in Kouga's legs. They'd come back for them last, after they gathered the rest and had more of a plan together.

Ignorant of the thoughts in her head, Kouga closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling.

She knew better than to think he was actually asleep. He looked warm in the late afternoon sun, even though the air was crisp and chilly.

It pushed through then, the sadness she'd been struggling to keep at bay. It pressed through the cracks and fissures she'd patched up, dripping through as tears that she blinked back into oblivion. She could almost imagine Inuyasha sitting where Kouga was, pale skin she knew so well by moonlight warm and at ease under the sun.

It was so unfair, the life he'd had to live so far. It was so unfair to be unable to fall asleep in the daylight. Such a privilege Kouga took for granted. One she'd certainly taken for granted her whole life, up until now.

Kagome inhaled deep and turned away from Kouga, facing the targets in front of her. They were white hide pulled taught and stuffed with grass and straw. She nocked an arrow and pulled the string of her bow as tight as she could manage. She tried to push her powers into the arrow, as Kaede had taught her. But just like every time she'd tried over the last few weeks, she failed.

Still, there was no time to think about that. Her life at the moment, as far as she knew, was not in any danger. Her powers weren't needed here. Just her technique, which she would describe as perfect, if she were the bragging type.

She closed one eye as she always did. The hand pressed against her cheek was steady. The target was a long ways away, but her vision was as sharp as ever.

Thhhhhhockkkk!

Thhhhhhockkkk!

Thhhhhhockkkk!

Kagome exhaled slowly, only turning back to Kouga when she heard him clap.

"Impressive."

"Shut up." Her cheeks flared with heat.

"I mean it," he said. "You're fast. No wonder you were able to take out some of my wolves."

She frowned. The knowledge of what she'd done, even in self-defense, weighed heavily on her. Now that she'd gotten to know some of the youkai on a more personal level, now that she'd seen the full-wolves play and help take care of the little ones, she hoped her arrows hit only the ones who deserved it.

What an awful thing to even think.

"Where's your head right now?" Kouga asked.

She shook her thoughts away. "Nowhere," she said, nocking another arrow. "Just that I have to keep practicing. Once Inuyasha is himself again, I want to be able to protect him better."

Kouga scoffed. "That fool can take care of himself."

She lowered her bow, still nocked, arrow pointing to the ground as she turned to face him again. "He almost died, protecting me from your wolves. He sacrificed who he was to turn into the monster he is now. You're right that he can take care of himself. It's me who complicates things."

"You wouldn't be a burden here, Kagome."

"You're asking me to give up on my friends. As far as I know they're still struggling to stay alive. And my family. I still have hope that they're not dead. You want me to just abandon them and stay here? To do what? Pretend to be youkai?"

"Ridiculous, I would never ask such a thing from you. I can track this Kikyou woman down and kill her. I can get your family back. You don't have to rely on the dog for that."

She shook her head. "You still don't understand, I-"

"Don't say it," he huffed, kicking a leg out into the dirt.

"I love him," she said anyway.

"He's got no home, Kagome. There's no place for him in this world."

"He'll have one with me."

"Among the humans? Do you understand what you're saying? With his ears and his eyes, your kind won't accept him."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'll accept him."

Kouga crossed his arms and fell silent. He waited as Kagome aimed and shot. Again and again and again. He sighed, drawing her attention. "No matter what you chose, our deal still stands. I'm coming with you to collect the rest of the jewel shards and defeat the priestess."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You just want the jewel."

"That's not all I want," he growled, before his features changed to one of mock surprise. "Speaking of which, you haven't been wearing them over the past few weeks. I hope you've hidden them well."

She tried not to stiffen, but by the way his eyebrows raised she could tell she was unsuccessful. His eyes narrowed. "You going to tell me where you sent the fox cub off to?"

Her jaw dropped. "Wha- How did you-"

He got to his feet and crossed his arms. "You should understand by now that I know of every single creature that crosses back and forth along my borders. I gave the word not to stop him because I was hoping you'd tell me on your own."

"Does it matter where I sent him?"

"It does, seeing as you haven't had the jewel shards with you either. I can only assume you gave them to him,"

She pursed her lips together. How could she get out of this one?

"What are you planning?" he prodded. "I've been very gracious to you these past few weeks, don't you think so?"

She nodded.

"And?"

"Fine." Kagome let the word out in a rush of air. What did it matter anyway? Sending the shards to Kaede might not even help. It was such a ridiculous stretch hoping she would be able to pull something off. "He's taking them to Kaede's."

"The old wench your friends are with?"

She nodded. "Kaede knows Inuyasha from… before. I don't know how to stop his youkai side, and believe me when I say I don't want him killing any more of your people. Plus," she added, shivering from the memory of how he'd handled her so roughly once he'd changed, "I don't want him killing me, either."

Kouga's back straightened. He strode over to her in three big steps. He was towering over her before she could take a step back.

"Kagome," he said, knocking her bow away and clasping her hands around his, "I will never allow that cur to hurt you. It's another promise I intend to keep."

Oh yeah, just what Inuyasha would want, a wolf youkai constantly following them around and trying to shove his way between them. She tried to yank her hands from his iron grip. They stayed put.

She sighed. "You won't have to worry about any of that when he changes back."

"I will be there to make sure of it," he said, eyes staring deep into hers. She leaned back, away from him, hoping against all hope he wouldn't try to kiss her. She didn't think he'd force one with the way he'd been behaving himself, thank the gods, but she couldn't be sure.

But he stepped back and bent down to retrieve her bow. He held it out to her, smiling. "Time to head back, Kagome. Dusk is approaching. It's getting cold."

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Dinner was lonely. At least, for Kagome it was, despite being surrounded by the wolf youkai.

The youkai drank and ate and played games atop the mesa just as they did every night after dinner started winding down. It reminded Kagome of a large family reunion one might have at a park, everyone gathered and having fun, chatting and calling out to each other, the young, maturing youkai skirmishing and bragging to those gathered around to watch.

Kagome couldn't help but watch also, from her spot at the head table where Kouga and his attendants ate. The tradition of sport after dinner was so very human, and yet so very youkai. It was hard for her to process that all of this had existed before she knew about it. That Kouga and his tribe had been here, in this forest, existing for longer than she could possibly imagine.

She wished Sango were here to see it. She wished she had someone to point out all the strange mannerisms she noticed, to laugh at how wolf-like they really seemed.

Oh… she hadn't thought so freely of Sango in such a long time. It was hard… It had been too hard, seeing her friend so pale and unmoving in Kaede's house. Dead but not dead.

And Hojou… oh god…

She felt the guilt rising in her, felt the panic begin to overwhelm her. Her chest rose and fell, gasping for air. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't-

"Kagome," Kouga's voice broke through her thoughts, his hand warm on top of hers. She'd almost forgotten that he'd been sitting right next to her. He sat next to her every night at dinner, overlooking his pack. How had she forgotten he was there? "You don't look well. Are you sick?"

She shook her head, her heart slowing again. His distraction helped her push back the thoughts of her friends. Now wasn't the time. She could lose it after. After. Always after. After getting Inuyasha back to normal, after collecting the jewel shards, after ridding them of Kikyou…

She'd think about them after. She'd hate herself after.

"I'm fine, sorry," she said, moving her hand from under his.

He reached out to grab it again. "Please don't lie to me, it-"

"Kouga! Lady Kagome!" Ginta's voice rang out as he scrambled up over the mesa ledge.

Kagome snapped her head around ready to yell at him over the 'lady' issue. It couldn't be that freaking hard to just call her by her name! But as he neared, she saw his eyes.

She saw it in his eyes.

"Shippou," she whispered. Kouga stiffened next to her. She stood and walked from behind the table. "He's back?"

Ginta nodded.

She ran to him, grabbed onto his arm. "Where is he?"

"One of the seekers spotted him crossing over our territory line. He's headed this way now."

"Take me there," she demanded, too concerned over Shippou to worry about whether she was being rude. She wrapped her hands around Ginta's arm, expecting him to pick her up and jump down off the mesa, but Kouga scooped her up instead. She let out a squeak as his arms swept up under her knees. Before she could protest, he stepped off the ledge and they fell, landing somewhat lightly on the forest floor.

"Let me down," she said, squirming in his arms. His hands tightened around her.

"It's faster this way," he said, leaving no room for argument. "Ginta, take the lead."

She kept her hold strong around Kouga's neck, not quite trusting him as much as she would have Inuyasha, but dammit, he was right. It was much faster this way.

In minutes they came upon Shippou, who was on the back of a sleek seeker wolf. His eyes were wide in amazement as he waved Kagome down. She could see the dull, lavender shine of the jewel shards, in the dark, tucked away in his little vest. In his hand he gripped something she couldn't make out.

She ran to him and scooped him up in her arms, hugging him to her chest. "Shippou," she breathed into his unwashed hair, not caring one bit that it was sweaty and caked with dirt. "You made it back."

He wiggled around in her arms, holding what was in his hand up for her to see. "I did it Kagome! I found Kaede and she made me some tea and some of the most delicious food I've ever had in my whole life and I knew it wouldn't be poisoned because she's your friend and I was right the food was really good and it took her kinda long but she made me this!"

He placed the necklace in her hand. It was made of perfectly spherical stones, either lava rock or onyx, polished smooth and shiny. They were a deep purple color, almost black. She could see her reflection in each of them. Every ten stones were separated by a… bone fragment? A fang, maybe? There were four in total.

A chill ran up her spine as she fingered a fang's smooth tip. Where had Kaede gotten it from? It was gross, a necklace fashioned of teeth, even if they were clean and shiny.

"The old lady said she only needed a piece of this," Shippou said, holding out the small pocket of shards she had given him two weeks ago. "She said it should be enough to work."

Relief flooded through her, along with "What do I do with it?" she asked.

Shippou leaned in to whisper in her ear.

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Kagome winced as Kouga carefully sliced his claw across her palm, drawing blood.

It was the last step in a series that left her even more confused than the previous ones before. Shippou had only memorized the instructions, no explanation on why she had to do them. But it didn't matter. Kagome would've hopped on one leg and balked like a chicken if she had to. A little cut was nothing.

Kouga and Ginta had returned them to the mesa, and they were now in Kouga's expansive personal cave, watching intently as Kagome worked by torchlight. After making sure she had the instructions down, she'd sent Shippou off to eat dinner himself, the poor thing was starving. She was glad he wasn't with them at the moment, because the thought of him seeing how badly this might go down…

She swallowed and turned back to the necklace. She picked it up from the table and gripped her sliced hand around it, squeezing as she threaded it through her fist, covering it with streaks of her own blood. She continued until she covered the whole thing, then dropped it back down, pressing the white bit of cloth Ginta had laid out for her and doing her best to ignore the pain.

"Want me to lick it?" Kouga asked.

Kagome spun to glare at him, but stopped when she saw he was being serious.

"It will heal faster."

"I'm fine, thank you," she muttered, ignoring his dejected look. She knew he just wanted to help, but… No. No, she didn't want him to lick her hand.

This was the last of it. She inhaled deep and repeated the words that were written down on the small scrap of paper Shippou had carried with him. It had been stuffed amongst the shards. He claimed the words were just as precious as the shards were, the perfect little angel.

The words were nonsensical to Kagome, but it activated something, because she felt the necklace come… alive? What that the right word? It tingled and prickled, vibrated, almost, under her fingertips.

The last step was to figure out the trigger word. According to Shippou it could be anything. She'd shout whatever came mind when it was time.

Her heart thudded in her chest. "That's it. Let's go."

Kouga lead the way to Inuyasha's cell, setting the torch into place so Kagome could see. To her surprise, Inuyasha was awake.

Bent over and panting, his body trembling from the fresh wound that had no doubt ripped apart his back, his blood-red eyes followed her through sweat-soaked bangs, tracking her as she moved further into the room.

Shit… She had hoped he would still be out of it. It figured this wouldn't be easy. She set her jaw and gripped the necklace tighter, determination flooding through her.

"Inuyasha…" she said, hoping she wasn't sweetened her voice too much, "I have something for you. I made it today. I'm going to slip it around your neck, okay?"

The words sounded ridiculously suspicious, even to her. She watched as his ears flicked towards her, his eyes narrowing. His hands fisted in their chains.

She stepped forward. Then once more.

He yanked back, pulling at the chains as hard as he could. Little rocks and pebbles fell from the ceiling and the walls as he pressed his body back as far as he could.

"I'm just trying to help you, you stubborn idiot," she said through grit teeth.

"Female. You will never put that thing on me. It reeks of priestess flesh."

Okay, disturbing. Still, if what Kaede had told Shippou was true, she'd only have one chance at this. She needed to do it right. She sighed, hating the words even as they left her mouth. "Kouga, restrain him please."

She tried not to think about the glee that oozed from Kouga's smile as he stepped forward. "With pleasure," he basically purred. "Ginta, Hakkaku, with me." They moved together, like the pack they were, surrounding Inuyasha, careful despite his already-restrained state.

He snapped and snarled, froth flying from his lips as he unsuccessfully tried to fight them off. Ginta and Hakkaku both wrestled an arm under control while Kouga stepped behind and wrapped his forearm around his neck, the other hand twisting into the fabric of Inuyasha's fire-rat coat and pushing his hips forward.

"I've got a good grip on him, Kagome," he said.

Kagome watched Inuyasha struggle in vain. Kouga was right. He had him tightly under control. "When I put it on him, release his neck. It has to be touching his skin," she said.

Kouga nodded over Inuyasha's shoulder. "Make it quick." She could hear the strain in his voice as Inuyasha fought against his strength to regain control.

She sucked in a breath and took a step towards him. Then another. His chin was jutted up towards the ceiling, his blood-red eyes arched down, gazing wide-eyed and enraged over the curve of his nose. He jerked against the wolves as she neared, his mouth opening and his roar reverberating the walls of the cave with all the fury he could muster.

She raised the necklace up, arms shaking.

"If this doesn't work and he frees himself," Kouga said just loud enough for her to hear, "I will have to end him."

Her hands stilled. A calmness overcame her. His words rang in her ears as she slipped the necklace over Inuyasha's head.

"Now!" Kouga shouted as he felt the necklace against his forearm.

The wolves jumped back as Inuyasha thrashed and bucked, desperate to get the necklace off his neck.

It was now or never. It would work or it wouldn't.

Over his desperate snarls and growls, the only word that came to mind exploded from in between her lips.

"SIT!"

For a few agonizing moments nothing happened. Then Inuyasha's eyes widened. Not in anger, but in shock.

The necklace flashed, bright-white and hot.

An invisible force pulled at it, and with a strangled cry, it ripped the chains from the upper wall as Inuyasha's body crashed forward onto the ground.

Powdered rock billowed up from the ground, the chains clattering to the floor around him. Kagome closed her eyes to keep the fine debris out and coughed as it entered her lungs. She reached down and pulled the top of her robe up to cover her mouth and nose, waving her hand in front of her in a futile attempt to clear the air.

"Kagome!" Kouga coughed near the back of the cave. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she shouted, her voice muffled through the fabric. She blinked her eyes open, relieved to see the dust settling. Kouga's shadow rose above her. He reached down and yanked her up by her arm, then spun to face where Inuyasha had been hanging by his wrists only moments ago.

Ginta and Hakakku were by his side instantly. Each stood solid in a ready stance, just in case. Kagome peered in between Kouga and Hakakku, watching as the dust finally cleared.

Inuyasha lay on the ground, eyes closed and ears limp. The chains that had been holding him in place had dropped on top of him. His ankles were still bound and connected to the wall.

He groaned as his eyes slowly opened. His body jerked once, like he'd been hit with a bolt of electricity.

But she saw it. Bright gold surrounded by pure white. They were his eyes, and she knew.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, trying to push through the wall the three wolves had made between them. Kouga reached back to keep her where she was, but she slapped at his arm. "Stop it, it's him!"

He huffed, but moved to the side and let her through, crossing his arms. He wasn't happy, and she didn't care.

Kagome fell to Inuyasha's side, her hands on his face, his ears, his neck. The necklace pulsated a dull glow, as if it were still working its power on him. She wanted to gather him up in her arms and hold him in her lap, to rock him back and forth and whisper that it was all going to be okay. That his nightmare was over. That he was himself again.

Instead she settled on brushing the hair from his eyes, running her fingers as gently as she could through it. His lashes fluttered as he looked up at her. "Kagome," he whispered.

Water spilled over her cheeks. "Hey," she said, smiling through her tears. "Hey, you're back."

"How…?" he managed, before his eyes rolled back and he was out again.

Okay… it was okay. He was back to himself. The necklace had worked. Her fingers passed over the deep purple beads and she thanked Kaede over and over again in her head, thanked whatever god existed that she had known what to do. If what Shippou had told her was correct, the necklace would help contain his youkai side if it got out of control again, which she had to admit was very likely.

But now that he was back to himself the most important thing was getting him comfortable and healed.

"Hurry," she said, rubbing at her cheeks to do away with the last of her tears, "help me get him loose."

She reached for the manacles at his feet, but she couldn't pry it open. Impatient, she glanced back at Kouga.

He stood where she'd pushed by him, arms still crossed over his chest, a deep frown on his face.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked. "Help me."

"Kagome, what assurance do we have that he's back to himself?"

She drew her brows together. "His eyes. His eyes are gold again."

Kouga shook his head. "His eyes have always been blood red."

Ginta cleared his throat, "Actually, Kouga, don't you remember? We got reports back from the seeker wolves that he had gold eyes before he ran himself off the cliff."

"Kouga," Kagome said, her eyes pleading. He couldn't go back on his word now, not after she was so close to getting Inuyasha his freedom back. Not when she was so close to having him whole again. "You promised."

For what seemed like forever, no one moved. Kagome held his eyes, refusing to look away. If she wavered, if she showed weakness here, it would all slip through her fingers. Everything she'd built up with the wolves that led to this moment would have been for nothing.

He held her eyes as she held her breath, until she thought she might suffocate. Then, he relented.

"I gave you my word, and I won't back out of it now." He took the two steps towards her and reached down, breaking the manacle around Inuyasha's ankle in two. Kagome sat back, cradling his head in her hands as Kouga worked none-too-lightly, his black ponytail falling over his shoulder and hiding the frustration on his face.

Once completely free, and sure that he was out cold, Kouga lifted Inuyasha up over his shoulder and followed Kagome out of the cave that had become a prison.

"I'm posting a set of guards outside your room." It was a command and left no room for discussion.

"Fine," Kagome said, voice curt. His childish demands were annoying, but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that Inuyasha was alive and whole and he was himself. Just that thought caused her eyes to well up again.

"If he tries to hurt you I'll have to kill him." He pushed by and entered her chambers ahead of her, dumping Inuyasha's limp body on her bed of furs.

Kagome joined him beside the bed, one arm on the furs, leaning over to look up at Kouga's face. She wanted him to see just how far he was pushing her. "You keep saying that," she said through gritted teeth, "but Inuyasha has done everything but try to kill me. He's kept me alive since the moment I discovered his mirror, okay? He had plenty of chances to kill me, and he didn't. Your wolves, however…" she left her sentence hanging, her emphasis piercing through him, she could see on his face.

He turned to face her, Inuyasha forgotten to him, apparently, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He squeezed lightly, careful of his claws. "If I knew what I know of you now, it would never have happened," he said. "I have kept you well and safe here, in my home. I have given you a title, and seen that my people respect it. Here you will be revered for what you are - perfect and forceful. What kind of life will you have with him? He is an in-between. He will never be able to give you what you need."

Kagome stepped back and swept his hands away. "You call me perfect," she said, setting her jaw, "but you don't know me at all. Don't hold me to such an unrealistic standard. I am not perfect. I am human. And I don't want to be Wolf Queen."

She watched as he wrestled himself for control. He took a step back, then another. "You will have refuge here as long as you'd like, Kagome. That is my word for as long as we are both alive. But once the dog is whole and able, he is not to be inside my lands."

She stood her ground as he left, waited until she heard the shuffling of his feet moving down the dark hallway before she returned to Inuyasha's side.

His face looked peaceful and free of pain at the moment. The relief that flooded through her was almost overwhelming. She was exhausted. So tired. She would clean him in the morning. For now, she wanted sleep.

Slowly, so as not to wake him, she crawled up into the bed of pelts and grabbed at the one gathered at the end, pulling it over the both of them, pausing when Shippou jumped up onto the bed himself.

She hadn't even heard him come in, sneaky fella.

He gazed up at Kagome with wide, watery eyes before crawling his way up onto Inuyasha's chest. He inched his head forward, sniffing a bit.

"Shippou," she murmured.

"It worked," he said, his smile slowly creeping wide. "I did it." He sounded worse off than Kagome felt, and of course he would, he'd run almost non-stop to Kaede's and back.

"Yes," she said, trying and failing to hide the break in her voice. "Thank you, Shippou, you saved him."

"You think he'll know that?" he asked, sitting back on his haunches. His fingers pressed at the torn fabric under him, as if trying to see if Inuyasha were solid underneath.

"I'll make sure he knows it, Shippou. I promise."

He nodded, wiping at his eyes. "I'm tired. Can I sleep with you guys?"

Kagome's heart swelled. She had Shippou back with her. She had Inuyasha back to his normal self, or at least she hopped. She could feel the giant, gaping, invisible hole in her chest start to close, little by little.

Just a bit.

"Of course you can," she said.

Eyes already drooping, Shippou circled, once, twice, three times before curling up into a little ball and promptly falling asleep on top of Inuyasha's chest.

She stifled the laughter that threatened to break free. He looked just like her cat, Buyo, back home, who use to demand he sleep on her chest all the time, curled up and peaceful, just like Shippou was now. Slowly, Kagome eased down. She lay as close to Inuyasha as she dare, her head leaning into the curve of his neck, careful not to touch any wounds. Her hand came up, her fingers brushing against Shippou's back. She left them there. And slowly, with the faint smell of sweat and blood in her nose, she drifted to sleep.

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That's it for this update everyone, thank you so much for continuing to read and review, I really appreciate all your words! I'm so happy to be back with Inuyasha and Kagome, I'm excited going from here on out!

~SugarRos