Series: Kamisama Hajimemashita/Kamisama Kiss

Pairing: Kagome/Kurama (meaning the karasu tengu from Kamisama Hajimemashita, not the kitsune from Yuyu Hakusho.)

Summary: Three years after the quest, the well opened up one last time. But instead of Kagome returning to Feudal Japan to be by Inuyasha's side, Inuyasha goes to her time to bring her back. Only things don't go as planned when he finally finds her, she's moved on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kamisama Hajimemashita or Inuyasha.

Unmei ka Hitsuzen

or:

Fate or Destiny

Inuyasha never expected the well to open up again a mere three years after it had closed up even for him and Kagome. But his childhood had taught him not to look a gift horse in the mouth and Kagome had taught him how to appreciate second chances. So without any thought or hesitation he jumped into the well. That he could have ended up stuck in Kagome's time never occurred to him. Nor did asking Kagome's family where she was when he realized that she wasn't home.

After spending three hours going in circles in all of the places he'd been to or seen while in Kagome's time he finally caught her scent. His nose eventually led him to a shrine where a festival was taking place. (Not that he knew what was going on.) She was arm in arm with a guy with red hair who smelled like some kind of bird youkai. His red hair stopped below his chin and he had black eyes that seemed to have a violet tint in certain types of light. The expression on his face was relatively neutral but it was broken by a smirk when Kagome giggled at something he said. Two or three years Inuyasha might have been glad to see his first real friend so happy. But even without Kagome around Kikyou didn't last long, and the hanyou realized how lucky he had been to have a girl like Kagome by his side.

So with the same jealous rage Kouga and later even Bankotsu and Sesshomaru had always invoked when near the time traveler, he butted in. "Oi, Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes widened. "... Inu... yasha? But what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home of course, Wench." he said as if it were obvious as he tapped his foot impatiently, "It's been three years, I thought you'd be happier to see me."

"Okaa-san knows I'll get home late, so it's fine." Kagome told him, ignoring the rest of what he said.

"You know what I mean!" Inuyasha growled.

The redhead grit his teeth and glared. But Kagome was still used to his antics and temper so she just sighed. Inuyasha's ear twitched at the sound.

"Let's go somewhere more private." Kagome said, visibly deflated, "Come on Kurama."

The redhead snapped back to reality and looked at Kagome; his eyes tracing her face searchingly before they softened. "Okay. I'm sure Nanami won't mind if we go inside the shrine."

She smiled and squeezed his hand, a silent gesture of thanks. Feeling awkward but not sure why Inuyasha looked away, absently realizing that wherever they were looked familiar. The situation had been so strange that it threw Inuyasha off. He was reminded of Kouga, and worse of when Sesshomaru had come to be closer to Kagome than he ever was. He didn't feel the same bout of jealousy that those two had provoked, though, and the hanyou couldn't understand. (A voice sounded it his head, saying that he knew and really had to stop denying it. He then half remembered one of the days from his childhood where Myoga had tried to teach him about youkai culture and mentioning something about his father but he couldn't remember what the flea had said and for some reason Sesshomaru's mother came to mid but he ignored it, pushing the voice to the back of his mind.)

Growing angrier by the minute Inuyasha followed the pair to a girl who smelled fully human yet felt like something else at the same time. She was with a funny smelling youkai who had short silver hair and blue eyes and a guy with crazy silvery white hair who smelled like a snake. The girl and kitsune were arguing while the snake tried to appease the girl and convince the kitsune of something at the same time. (He only made it worse when the girl scolded the kitsune after he snapped at the snake.) The sight made Kurama chuckle while Kagome sighed resignedly. Kagome shook her head with a fond smile and then approached the trio. Suddenly, the wind shifted and the pleasant breeze blew towards the trio. The kitsune's nose twitched and he suddenly was facing Kagome, Kurama, and Inuyasha with a leaf in his hand. Both males moved so that the girl was between them.

"Who's the dog?" the kitsune asked suspiciously.

"It's okay Tomoe, he's a friend." Kagome reassured, "You remember the hanyou I mentioned, Inuyasha?"

Tomoe, the kitsune, relaxed but didn't put his guard down nay. "What's he doing here? When I checked that well of yours it didn't seem like anything would get it working again."

"Why the hell does how the well is working matter?" Inuyasha retorted.

Tomoe's eyes gained what for Kagome and the other three was an all too familiar sadistic gleam, so before eh could provoke the rash hanyou into causing a scene the ex time traveler spoke up. "Ah, Tomoe-kun, Nanami-chan, can we talk in the temple? Out here Inuyasha is liable to attract too much attention."

Tomoe sighed, traded the leaf for a fan, and after glancing at Inuyasha for a moment looked at Kagome searchingly. Then his expression changed and Kagome was sure Tomoe would act conceited and refuse. But right when the kitsune opened his mouth the brown haired girl intervened.

"Of course, Kagome-chan." Nanami said with a smile, ignoring Tomoe's indignant and annoyed expression, "come on, I'll take you there."

Tomoe sighed, resigned to being involved in yet another troublesome situation and was concerned that in spite of the negative picture she had painted most of the time when describing Inuyasha's personality his mistress still trusted the hanyou because he was Kagome's friend. "Fine. But I'm coming along as well."

Nanami was surprised. "Eh? But we'll be fine, Tomoe. You should stay and-"

"Mizuki can look after the festival on his own." Tomoe refuted, ending the argument before it began.

Nanami still wasn't sure. "But-"

"I'll be fine, Nanami-sama." Mizuki said with a smile.

"Right this way, Kagome." Tomoe said to the ex time traveler with a smile, ignoring Kurama and Inuyasha.

The group was in what served as the living room in minutes. Tomoe didn't even pause before sitting next to Nanami. But right as the brown haired girl was gesturing for Kagome to sit next to her, Kurama pulled the blue violet eyed girl into his lap. She blushed, but smiled and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

When it became clear that everyone else was too busy staring at either each other or him out of concern or suspicion Inuyasha's confusion and frustration made way for anger and he exploded. "What the hell is there to talk about Kagome!? It's been three years, its high time I got you home to my time."

Kagome sighed, squeezing the now glaring Kurama's hand and giving Tomoe a warning glance when she noticed his eyes narrow. "How many times have I told you, Inuyasha? My home is here, in this time period. I'm lucky the way you made me miss so much school didn't ruin my chances at a good future."

"What the hell are you talking about? You said you would never leave me side!" the hanyou all but shouted, "Your future is to live in my time with me! So just listen like a good wench and let's go already!"

"Chauvinistic idiot! That's not how things work!" Nanami exclaimed, glaring at Inuyasha.

"What're you getting at?" Inuyasha retorted.

Tomoe spoke up now, his tone condescending. "Kagome spent an entire year going back and forth between the present and your time period, and she says you always came to drag her back to the past at an earlier date than she said she would return on. It should have been obvious."

"What should be obvious?" Inuyasha asked.

"This time is five hundred years into your future, a long time even for spirits and youkai." Tomoe pointed out, "Things have changed so much that this time is practically a whole different world."

"In this time there's nothing to hold Kagome back from choosing for herself, and her choices aren't limited by her gender." Kurama added, "If she doesn't want to go with you and leave everything behind, that's her choice."

"But I lo-" Inuyasha's ears drooped but he didn't give up.

Kagome, however, didn't let him finish.

"Stop right there mister!" she demanded, "Kikyou is gone again, isn't she?"

Inuyasha was surprised, and it showed. "How-"

"You were about to pretend to have feelings for me, right?" Kagome stated, "I knew from the beginning that no matter how close we got or how much I could ever come to care Kikyou would always come first. I've grown up a lot since we met, even when we killed Naraku you had already long since blown any chance you had with me."

Now the hanyou was the picture of guilt and dejection. "But I... I thought..."

Kagome shook her head. "Enough is enough, won't be hurt by how you see Kikyou every time you look at me anymore. Besides, I've finally found love."

Nanami's eyes shined in excitement. Tomoe's eyes softened in spite of himself, being fond of the ex time traveler. (Kagome had helped him move on from the past, she was the only reason he'd admitted to himself that just maybe his feelings for Nanami could become romantic.) Kurama's eyes widened before he smiled. He still wasn't used to Kagome being open about what their relationship was, and he hoped that he never stopped feeling elated during such moments. He kissed Kagome on the forehead, a silent gesture that both thanked her and said that he loved her too. She smiled at him, understanding.

Inuyasha's heart plummeted, and as was usual for him he lashed out because he thought it would suffice for venting his feelings. "Quit avoiding the subject already! What's going on?!"

Kurama smirked as he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and drew her closer. "We've been in love for two and a half years. I had thought it was obvious that we're a couple."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome incredulously.

"Really Kagome, a full blooded youkai?" he stated sarcastically, "Because that worked out so well for my parents and Shiori's parents."

"You're forgetting Jinenji, Inuyasha." Kagome reminded the hanyou, "The last time I visited him and his mother to pick up some herbs his father was there."

"What?! I thought he left or died." Inuyasha exclaimed.

"He kept his distance to keep them safe from his enemies, but he did return when he could to check up on them." Kagome explained, "This time is safer and in most cases more peaceful where the supernatural is concerned because it's no longer safe for lots of humans to know spirits and youkai exist. Besides, our love is worth the risk.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he finally remembered something else.

"Inuyasha, do you remember what we were going to do the day I died?" Kikyou had asked one day, "Would you... still be willing to become human? I don't want any children we might have to suffer because of what they are."

Inuyasha's eyes dropped and he lowered his head so that his bangs hid his eyes. Though he'd never understand what was being said or even paid attention to what was said at the time their friends had implied many times that Kagome had had feelings for him. She had even been able to do what even he himself was never able to and accept him for who he was. But it had always and would always be overshadowed by his memories of Kikyou. Suddenly he could no longer deny or ignore the fact that he could have had everything from Kagome that he at that time hadn't known to want from Kikyou. But with startling clarity, he realized that he was three years too late. Looking away to hide his reaction, Inuyasha finally realized that he recognized where he was.

"...What is this place, anyway?" he asked, "It looks kinda familiar."

Kagome facepalmed, not surprised. Tomoe looked incredulous. Nanami seemed shocked. Kurama had a deadpan expression that practically said 'Are you serious?'

"Inuyasha... this is Mikage's shrine." Kagome said, "He left over twenty years ago, and when he came back to town Nanami helped him so since she was kicked out of her home he gave her the shrine and his position as kami."

"That wimpy god's place?" Inuyasha said, "Makes sense that he would run off and push the job on someone else. It's not like that girl can do any worse that he probably did. Just look at how rundown it is."

"Hey!" Nanami shouted in protest, angry.

Tomoe was twitching; Kagome could practically see an anger mark on his forehead like in an anime. "You have a smart mouth, Dog."

"Sit boy." Kagome muttered tiredly, "Inuyasha didn't anyone tell you that sometimes if you can't say something nice you shouldn't say anything?"

Nanami giggled at the sight. Tomoe and Kurama both smirked. When Inuyasha had finally managed to sit up, he found Kagome standing right in front of him. Before he could look up to meet her eyes she bent down and took off the sacred beads. Then she held them out to him. He looked at her incredulously but she only smiled.

"Take them. Something tells me that as long as I'm the one they tie you to you'll never move on." she said gently, "Go back to Feudal Japan. Live your life and meet a nice girl who accepts you the way you are. Get Kaede to redo the spell when that girl proves herself or even burn the beads if you want."

"...Keh." Inuyasha looked away rather than reply but she understood; and then he turned to Kurama, "You better take good care of her Birdbrain, hurt her and I'll find a way to find out and kill you."

The redhead smirked as if at some private joke but nodded. "You have nothing to worry about."

With that Inuyasha left. Kurama got up and approached Kagome, putting his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Kagome turned around to look at him. "I'm fine. That actually provided closure I never realized I needed."

Kurama smiled gently. "That's good."

Suddenly Kagome grinned mischievously. "All that's left is to get Nanami-chan a boyfriend."

"Kagome!" Nanami whined, cheeks red with embarrassment.

Kagome just laughed, unfazed. As they returned to Mizuki she continued to tease the other girl as Kurama and Tomoe got into an argument. Fro them, it was life as usual while they enjoyed their happily ever after.

Owari