Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha.
Last Time: Kagome sighed as she put the Shikon Jewel back inside her shirt and stood beside Sesshomaru. She told him she was ready to go. Sesshomaru wrapped an arm around her waist and they lifted into the sky on their way to The Village of Edo.
Their arrival in Edo was a quiet one. Well it was until Inuyasha caught their scent and came running to meet them with the rest of their friends hot on his heels.
"Kagome!" Shippo cried when he saw the miko and then launched himself into her arms.
"Shippo." she said and cradled the kit.
"I trust that you had a... swell time." Miroku said with his signature hentai grin.
"Lecher!" Sango said and smacked him upside the head.
"Oh, Sango, must you be so harsh?" he asked.
"Yes, I must." she said.
"Idiot." Shippo said looking at Miroku.
Seeming to want to change the subject, Miroku asked if they had come to a decision about the jewel. They told him that they had but they wanted to discuss it with all of them first to get their opinions. They all returned to Kaedes' hut to make the decisions.
"Sesshomaru had an idea." Kagome said first.
"What is it Kagome?" Sango asked.
"Well he suggested that I wish for it to be gone. Wish that the jewel would be gone, never to be seen again along with any chaos it had caused." she said to them.
"Well do you think that it will work?" Inuyasha asked.
"It may work. But nothing is ever for certain." Miroku said.
"You are right monk." Sesshomaru said to him.
"What could go wrong?" Shippo asked.
"I don't know." Inuyasha said trailing off thinking of something.
"I know something that will go wrong." Kaede said to them.
"What?" Sango asked.
"If ye make that wish, Kagome ye will disappear from time. Kikyo will be brought back and ye may never exist." Kaede explained.
"What? No, Kagome you can't make that wish." Sango said desperately.
"She can, but alter it." Inuyasha said.
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked him.
"I mean, wish that the jewel would be gone, never to be seen again. If you wish for the rest of it, you will disappear. Miroku may never be born, Sango would still have her family but would be lonely and not have her perverted monk. Shippo wouldn't be an orphan but would still be terrorized by the Thunder Brothers. Kikyo would be alive but at the cost of your own life and you're my friend and I can't let that happen. I would either be with Kikyo or dead. Kaede would have her sister back but she would lose you, you that has become like a daughter to her." Inuyasha said.
The group stared at him. That was the first time he had ever said anything that was remotely intelligent and wasn't completely selfish.
"Brother now you do our father proud." Sesshomaru said to him.
"Thanks." Inuyasha said.
"There are pros and cons to it all. If I make the wish and have all the chaos to be like it had never occurred, everyone would have their families back but I may never exist. If I don't exist you won't be happy and I most definately won't be happy. I want to give everyone back their families but what would happen if I do?" Kagome said to Sesshomaru.
"Nothing is for certain, miko." he said.
"Kagome." Sango said to get her attention.
"Yes?" she asked.
"It's alright. You don't have to bring my family back. It would be nice but they are in a much better place than they were when they were here. If I have you wish for them back, it would be selfish of me and I couldn't take them from the afterlife only to be returned to it later in life." Sango explained.
"Oh Sango..." Kagome said.
"That goes for me as well." Inuyasha said.
"I agree with Sango." Miroku said.
"Yeah, we need you Kagome and it would be selfish of us." Shippo added.
"I would love to see my sister again but it would not be right for ye to trade thy life for her. Kikyo knew that her life would end. She didn't know when, but she was prepared and happy to go to the afterlife. It too, would be selfish of me to ask of ye such a thing." Kaede said.
Kagome smiled at them. She was sure what she was going to wish for on the jewel. She stood and pulled the jewel from inside her short and clutched it tightly in her hands.
"I know what to wish for." she said.
"Then make ye wish and let us all be rid of the cursed thing." Kaede said.
"Hmm." Kagome said and gazed at the jewel.
Kagome was sure what she was going to do. She took the jewel outside and walked to the well, with everyone else following her. She wasn't sure why she had done that but she did. She had a feeling that was where she was supposed to be when she made the wish. When she reached the clearing, Kagome peered down into the well and saw the magic swirling inside.
She knew what that meant. She hadn't seen it when she first arrived in the bottom of the well. It was time and she needed to say her good-byes. How was she going to say them without getting all choked up?
"Kagome?" Shippo said and hopped up on the wells' wall.
"Shippo, um, I need you to be a brave and strong boy..." she said.
"Kagome..." Shippo began and had tears coming to his eyes.
Kagome continued as if he hadn't spoke at all, "I need you to be good for Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kaede, and Sesshomaru. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, m'am." he answered.
Kagome hugged the kit and released him when he told her he couldn't breathe. She ruffled his hair and kissed him on top of the head. He told her good-bye and she made her way to make her good-byes to the rest of them. It was a tear filled few minutes but her tears began to gush when she got to Sesshomaru. Inuyasha, before anyone else said anything, took the inititive and pulled all of them away to let Kagome and Sesshomaru have a little privacy to say good-bye.
"Sesshomaru, I... I.. I can't..." she began.
"Yes you can. Miko it is not forever." he said and held her to him.
"But..." she said as every major thing in history ran through her head.
"No. I will be there. I will find you on the other side. Time can't keep us apart. I am a demon after all and I will live to get back to you." he said.
"You promise?" she asked.
"Yes." he said and kissed her.
"Clap, Clap, Clap" was heard and Sesshomaru and Kagome looked over at a shadow.
"Well that was very touching." a man said entering the well clearing.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru growled.
"There there Lord of the West calm down. I am Time." Time announced.
"Time? As in Father Time?'' Kagome asked.
"Yes." he answered.
"Why are you here?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I am here to fix an unauthorized time jump." he said.
"Me?" Kagome asked.
"Yes, miko, you. Fate messed with time. She conspired with Love and they all twisted the lines of time and fate. They killed off Kikyo, pitted Naraku and Inuyasha against each other, all to get you two together." he explained.
"What?" Kagome asked.
"Fate and Love needed Kikyo to die and pass the jewel to you. You are her reincarnation and because she had the jewel burned with her body, it passed on to you along with her soul. Then Fate opened the well to bring you back to this time line for him." he said.
Kagome was confused. What was he saying? Kikyo and Inuyasha and Narakus' lives were messed with just to get her back in time to be with Sesshomaru? Why? What was going on?
"Fate I need to talk to you!" she thought.
A sudden power surge alerted them that someone else was coming into the clearing. They watched as a beautiful Lady came into the clearing. It was Fate.
"You called Kagome." Fate stated.
"Ah, Fate so nice of you to join us." Time sneered.
"Time, what are you doing here?" she asked darkly.
"I have come to right the wrongs you and Love have created." he answered.
"But you can't. It is my job to read everyones lines, past, present, and future. My job is to put people together, rip them apart if need be. I am Fate and I am doing my job and you are messing with it." she yelled at Time.
"My dear did you not also mess with my job? Even after I told you no?" he asked.
"I did what I had to do that was necessary for the world and for them." she said, pointing at Sesshomaru and Kagome.
"I am doing what is best to keep the Time Line preserved." he said.
"No you're not! You are doing this because I went around behind you back." she said.
Time didn't say anything after that. They all knew that Fate had said nothing but truth. Time was just angry that she had went around behind his back to get what she needed to be done.
"I can just go to Buddha if you want." she threatened.
"*sigh* Do what you need to, just don't do it again." Time said and disappeared.
Fate rolled her eyes after he left and approached Kagome and Sesshomaru. She smiled sadly at them. She, too, could feel the magic swirling in the well and knew what was going on in Kagomes' head.
"Kagome you have to go back. I promise you this I will personally take care of your family here. You will see them again." she said.
"Thank you, my Lady." Kagome said.
Fate nodded at her and let Kagome and Sesshomaru embrace each other. She had to pull them apart to get things going.
"You must make the right wish, now." Fate said.
Kagome nodded, " I wish that the Shikon-no Tama to be gone; never to be seen or heard of again."
The jewel glowed brightly and then, poof, it was gone. Just as she had said, never to be seen or heard of again. Then the magic of the well swirled around her and then she was gone as well, leaving Sesshomaru and Fate to stand in the clearing alone.
"Lord Sesshomaru we need to inform the others of what has occurred." Fate said to him.
He nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. All of his emotions were trying to leap out of him over Kagome disappearing. He kept silent and followed Fate back to the village to let the others know about Kagome.
(500 years in the Future)
Kagome sat in the bottom of the well and cried. She cried until she exhausted herself and fell asleep. She was asleep when her grandfather found her and was asleep when a fireman pulled her from the well. SHe was absolutely exhausted from it all.
Kagome then woke and found herself staring at a sterile white ceiling with bright lights. She blinked to adjust her eyes and then looked around. She was in a hospital and her mother was asleep with her head in her lap.
"Mama." Kagome said and it woke her mother.
"Kagome, dear. I am so glad that you are ok." her mother said.
"I'm fine mama. Why am I in the hospital?" she asked.
"We found you unconcious in the wellhouse. How did you get there? Where have you been?" she asked.
"That is a long, long, long story, mama." she said.
"Well, dear, we have lots of time for your story and maybe it will explain a few things I have just found out." she said.
"What have you found out?" Kagome asked.
"After you story." her mother instructed.
Kagome nodded and began her tale. She told her mother everything that had happened to her and where she had been and why she had disappeared. And as she had said it was a long story. Before she had finished her story a nurse came in to check her vitals and give her some sleeping medication. When she had finished her story, Kagome was to tired to ask her mother what she had found out and her mother let her drift back off to sleep without telling her. She would find out in the morning.