(A/N: This is, sadly, the last chapter. I hope you enjoy my final chapter.)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 15: Heading Home

Onigumo's remains didn't reunite. In fact, they shriveled up and rotted away. His demonic energy faded as the smell of death reached the nose of the non-humans in the group. Onigumo was really dead this time. The one responsible for Naraku's birth was in Hell where he belonged.

Kikyou let Tetsusaiga drop from her hands and fell to her knees. She was exhausted. Using Tetsusaiga was harder than she thought, probably because the sword was, meant for her father and not for her.

Speaking of her father, Kikyou turned around to see how he was doing. "Father? Are you alright?"

Inuyasha groaned and sat up. "I've had worse." He said.

Kikyou sighed. She turned to her mother and friends. "How about you guys?"

"We're all fine." Toriyasu replied. "But Miroku and Sango are still unconscious."

"They'll be fine." Kagome assured him. "They've got nice bumps on their heads, but they'll recover. And I'm sure Jineji has some herbs to help them."

"Who needs special medicine?" said Shin. "Healing on your own helps boost your strength."

Kikyou snorted. "Yeah right, you're just trying to act braver than you are."

Shin cut his eyes at her. "You're just boasting because you killed Onigumo."

Actually it had really been Linca who had finished off Onigumo, but she had moved so fast that no one had seen her, not to mention the Wind Scar at obstructed their vision. But Linca didn't care if they knew or not. Let them think Kikyou had beaten Onigumo, it didn't matter to her.

"We need to get back." Said Kagome. "Toriyasu, do you think you could transform into something that can carry us all."

Toriyasu sweat-dropped, but nodded. "I guess. I'll have to take several breaks though."

"And when we get back, you and I are going to have a talk, mister." Souten growled, glaring at her son.

Shippo chuckled, even though it hurt. "Now Souten, don't be so hard on him. Remember what we were like as kids."

Souten glared at him. "And as for you, I am going to make sure you stay in bed for at least a week."

Shippo's smile faded. "But I heal fast."

"I'll say when you've healed, end of story!"

Linca watched everyone worry over each other and their injuries. The fools. Didn't they know that if an enemy were nearby that they were showing weakness? Shaking her head, the Princess of the Western Lands turned to leave. She didn't get far though as a voice called out to her.

"Linca wait."

She stopped, but didn't turn around to face her aunt.

"I just wanted to say thanks." Said Kagome. "You really saved us back there."

"She saved you?" asked Kouga, in surprise.

Linca ignored the wolf-demon, speaking only to Kagome. "Your thanks is unnecessary. I did not come here to save you. I came to kill Onigumo, and for no other reason."

Kagome smiled. 'But you did anyway.' She thought. 'You can't fool me.'

"I was after Onigumo for my own reasons." Linca continued. "And none of them included you."

A heavy wind began swirling around her. She was once again in the center of her 'traveling tornado'. It took off, bringing the Princess of the Western Lands with it as it snaked through the sky and vanished among the horizon.

"She's just like her father." Inuyasha growled.

Kagome chuckled. "You need to read in between the lines, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just think about it. She said she didn't come here to save me, but to kill Onigumo. By doing so she did save me. And why do you think she was after Onigumo in the first place?"

They were interrupted when Miroku moaned, signaling that he was waking up. "What happened?"

"You got knocked out." Shin replied.

Miroku didn't seem to register what Shin said. "That's nice." He muttered, rolling over and grabbing Sango, who was lying right next to him, his hands just 'happening' to land on her breast and rear.

Sango's eyes suddenly snapped open. She apparently wasn't as dazed as her husband because she turned red with embarrassment when she realized he was groping her in public. That was only to be done in private.

SMACK!

"PERVERT!"

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"I am so glad that you are alright, Kagome." Said Jineji.

Kagome smiled up at the half-demon. "Thanks, Jineji. And thank you for your healing methods."

Jineji smiled and nodded. "Anything for my friends."

The injuries after the battle with Onigumo could have been much worse. The demons and half-demons were already beginning to heal, even faster thanks to Jineji's healing herbs. The humans were a little worse off. Ico's arm hadn't been broken, but there was a small fracture, it could have been worse. Sango had a nasty bump on her head, as did Miroku, who also had a slight concussion, but they've had worse. Kohaku and Kagome just had a few scraps and bruises, nothing a few days of rest wouldn't heal.

"So Onigumo is dead?" Jineji asked.

"And it couldn't have been soon enough." Inuyasha grumbled. "He was the one that started all this. Everything with Naraku, the Jewel Shards, the deaths of countless individuals. It was all because of him."

Kagome leaned against him. "Yes, he was bad, but if it wasn't for him, we might never have met."

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. It was true. If Onigumo had never come into the picture, things would have been different. Naraku would never have been born, so he never would have killed Kikyou. But then Kagome might never have existed. Neither would any of Naraku's incarnations, including Kanna and Kagura. And if Kagura had never existed then Linca wouldn't have either. And who knows how that would have affected the Shikon Hunters. True, Miroku and his family never would have had the Wind Tunnel and Sango and Kohaku's friends and family wouldn't have been killed, but then they might never have met, and their kids wouldn't ever have been born. Yes, Onigumo was the reason why their had been so much suffering, but he was also the reason why they had their loved ones now.

'I don't know whether I should say thank you or damn you, Onigumo.' Thought Inuyasha. 'But regardless of what happened, I'm happy with the way things are.'

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Sesshomaru knew immediately when Linca arrived. He knew even before the servant entered the room to report her arrival.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Kagura, your daughter has returned." They said.

Next to him, Sesshomaru sensed his mate relax, even though she hardly showed any sign of showing she was upset in the first place. But she couldn't fool him though. Kagura had been worried about their daughter. She didn't usually worry about Linca, for their daughter was very powerful, but Onigumo was no ordinary demon. Even Sesshomaru had to admit that he was a little concerned, though he was much better at hiding it than his mate.

"Show her in." he said.

A few moments later, the Princess of the Western Lands entered the room. "Mother, Father, I trust your journey went well." She said.

"As always." Kagura replied, smiling at her daughter.

"And we heard that you went on a journey of your own." Said Sesshomaru.

Linca nodded. "I did. A demon dared to attack my sister and niece, as well as attempt to take your brother's mate. He insulted our family. Such acts could not go unpunished."

"Agreed." Said Kagura. "I trust all went well?"

The smallest smile appeared on Linca's lips as she repeated her mother's exact words. "As always."

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"You're back!" Rin cried, running to her husband and showering his face in kisses, followed closely by Aiko, who hugged her father's leg.

Ayame and Sakura did pretty much the same thing, only they did it to both Kouga and Shin. "Kouga, Shin, are you ok?" asked Ayame worriedly.

"Doing fine, Mother." Shin replied.

Kouga smiled. "My muscles are still a bit stiff, but I'll be fine."

Sakura frowned. "Why, what happened, Daddy?"

He ruffled his daughter's hair. "Tell you later, princess."

Sakura frowned. "But I want to know now!"

Toriyasu hurried over to her. "Um… I-I'll t-t-tell you wha-what happened." he said, blushing furiously.

"That is going to wait." Said Souten, picking her son up by his tail. "First you and I are going to have a nice long talk about rules and why they should be followed."

"But, but, but…"

Shin chuckled. "We should come visit more often."

Kikyou snorted and crossed her arms. "We deal with you enough as it is."

Shin cut his eyes at her. "You just don't like me around because I'm better than you at everything."

"What the-" Kikyou sputtered angrily. "You are not!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Bring it on, wolf."

Kagome cleared her throat. "Guys, now is not the time for this. There's a lot we have to do."

She frowned as she realized that meant preparing a funeral for Kaede.

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Four days later.

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Kaede's funeral had ended just a few hours ago. It was very depressing for everyone knowing that their village leader was gone. She was buried next to Kikyou's shrine, forever to remain by her mentor and sister.

It was around this time that the villagers decided to approach Kagome, one of them carrying a bow. "Lady Kagome?"

Kagome turned, surprised to find a large group of people watching her. "Um, yeah?"

"We would like to speak to you."

'Did I do something wrong?' "About what?" she asked. In response, the villager held out the bow to her. She looked at it in confusion. "What's that?"

"This," said the villager, "is Lady Kaede's bow, and Lady Kikyou's before her."

Kagome knew this. She recognized her mentor's weapon. "Why are you giving it to me."

"Now that Lady Kaede has passed on, we need a new village leader." The villager explained. "You were her apprentice, so now we look to you."

"HUH?" Kagome had not expected this. "Me? The village leader?" The villagers nodded. "Why me?"

"Lady Kaeda became leader once she became old enough after Lady Kikyou passed on. And Lady Kikyou became leader after her mentor passed on."

Kagome looked at the bow nervously. "And now you want me to take over."

"Yes."

Kagome gulped. For some reason, when she was Kaede's apprentice, she never thought that she would one day take up Kaede's position as village leader.

"I can't." she said. "I can't be a leader."

"Of course you can."

Kagome turned to the speaker. "Miroku?"

The monk smiled. "Kagome, you've always been a leader. Ever since we've first met."

"No I haven't." said Kagome, shaking her head. "I was just the shard detector. Inuyasha was the leader."

The half-demon shook his head. "No, Kagome, I was the protector. You were always the leader."

"It's true." Sango agreed. "You always made friends with everyone we met. You got along with everyone. You fought whenever necessary. You kept peace between everyone. You took care of everybody. Whenever you weren't around, we were lost; we couldn't go on without you."

Kagome looked at her friends and family in amazement. "You really think I can do this."

"We know you can." Said Shippo.

Kagome remained where she was for a moment, but finally a smile crept up over her face. She turned to the villagers.

"Alright, I'll do it." She said.

The villager held the bow out to her. Kagome accepted it. She felt the power of Kaede, Kikyou, and all the priestesses before them flowing through the weapon. Her smile widened.

"Let's hope you'll be a better leader then you were before." Inuyasha muttered, teasingly.

Half the villagers groaned and sweat-dropped while the other half sighed and shook their heads.

"Oh Inuyasha…" said Kagome sweetly. "Sit!"

Thump!

THE END

(A/N: And this is where my story ends. It was my first Inuyasha story and I hope you all enjoyed it. Also, please note that I said my first Inuyasha story. Yes, there will be another. However, my next one will not be a sequel to this one or be connected to it in any way. It's about Kikyou, not Kagome and Inuyasha's daughter, who tries to find her place in the world after Naraku is destroyed. I'm calling it 'Kikyou's Journey'. I should have the first chapter ready in about a week. I hope you'll look into it. But for now, I'll settle for some final reviews. Later!)