I DON'T OWN ANYTHING BUT THE OCS! Sorry for the late update everyone! Here is the final chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it!
To BraziaRios
Really? Really and truly you'll stay?! YAYAYAY!
To WarriorPrincess
Sorry! Haha but it was an emotional chapter for me as well. I was originally planning on ending the chapter at the part where Kagome and InuYasha were holding Akari but decided I didn't want you guys to find me and possible murder me for it. I'm glad you liked Masaru's little scene, it was about time those two got reunited. Thanks for the compliment by the way!
To Awesome Guest
Sorry for the torture! Lol here's a new chapter for you so enjoy!
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"Yusuke!" Botan called out in surprise as she watched the tired young man walk up the stairs with Kuwabara on one side while Sesshoumaru followed a few steps behind. At the sound of her voice, several of the construction workers paused and looked over as the blue haired woman jumped into the arms of the tired teen before quickly getting back to work. "You're alright!" Botan said with a shaky voice as she pulled away from her surprise hug to look at the boy as he blinked at her in shock.
"What makes you think I wouldn't be?" Yusuke snapped as her words sunk in, making Botan laugh and wipe her eyes.
"Where are the others?" Kuwabara asked just as Shizuru and Yukina walked out of a small cabin like building and saw them. "Yukina!" The carrot top yelled in pure relief and joy as he ran over to the ice woman and hugged her tightly while spinning around in a circle.
"It's great to see you, Kazuma!" Yukina said inbetween laughs before she was set down and her boyfriend hugged his sister, earning a small smile for his efforts.
"Botan," Sesshoumaru greeted calmly, making the Grim Reaper gasp and give him a quick bow.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Botan gasped in surprise before smiling as she noticed his attention wasn't even on her, but instead on the Wind Sorceress that was marching over to him angrily. "Yusuke, Keiko called earlier. Apparently, you two were supposed to go on a date last night?" Botan told the teen, making him groan and rub his non-greased hair.
"Dammit! She's going to kill me!" Yusuke moaned and sighed before turning around at the sound of a familiar voice. Behind him was a handsome teenager with long brown hair, parted down the middle wearing a red obi sash tied at the waist of a pink-trimmed blue robe over brown pants and black shoes, with the "Jr." mark on his forehead and a blue pacifier in his mouth.
"Perhaps I should tell you the news before that happens." A teenage Koenma said calmly as he smirked at Yusuke while Botan ran to give him a hug as well.
"Lord Koenma!" She cried out happily, reminding Yusuke absently of Kuwabara's reaction to seeing Yukina all the time. "Is everything alright?" Botan asked Koenma with a touch of worry as she looked up at the older teen.
"Yes Botan, sorry for the worry." Koenma told the shorter blue haired young woman before returning his attention back to Yusuke. "I'm not sure how it happened but Suzume's soul seems to have been annihilated and the threat appears to be over with." The Lord of the Spirit World said with a raised brow at Yusuke.
"It wasn't because of us." Yusuke said with a sigh and went on to explain everything. When he was done Botan looked stunned and Koenma looked a bit amazed though he was confused as well.
"If Akari is as injured as you say, why aren't you rushing to get back?" Koenma asked and Yusuke gave a small smirk at the question.
"Kurama called while we were flying over here and told us that Akari was stabilized and if she makes it through the day she'll be fine." Yusuke told them and watched as Botan visibly relaxed and smiled.
"Thank goodness then!" She said happily, it was no secret that she didn't like leading small children to the Spirit World. "Shall we all go visit then? Yukina can speed up her healing!" Botan exclaimed with a clap of her hands.
"Maybe not, remember what happened last time?" Yusuke asked with a wince/smile that made Botan pause to think.
"Botan, perhaps you and I should return to the Spirit World for now." Koenma butted in, distracting Botan and discreetly motioning for Yusuke to leave. Yusuke quickly left, going off to find his orange haired friend and the other's.
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"You know, for someone who wants to live you sure are lazy." A familiar snobby voice said as I opened my eyes and looked around the blurry space in confusion. "Geeze! Get out of here already! It's bad enough you visit but I refuse to let you live here! This is my territory, Pup." My demon snapped at me and began kicking my side impatiently as I tried to roll away from her.
"Alright! Alright! Damn!" I yelled at her as I managed to scramble up onto my own feet and glare at her smug expression.
"Good!" She said in a smug tone that made me growl. "Shut up already! I don't want to see you again for at least a year! Or even a decade!" She snapped at me and this time it was my turn to look smug.
"To bad! Because we're the same person." I told her in a triumphant tone and crossed my arms with my own smug grin.
"You were dropped on the head a lot." My demon said calmly while shaking her head.
"Hey!" I yelled at her and moved forward a step in order to hit her.
"Look Baka, it doesn't work like that. After all of this, I'm going to be going to sleep for awhile." My demon said and waved her arms around us, making the usual white space flash with different scenes from everything that had happened since Kagome and InuYasha had found me. "So do me a favor and don't call me for anything! I mean it! I want to rest for a couple hundred years." She told me as the scenes vanished and her ruby red eyes with silver slits turned back to me.
"What about that stuff? The one's with the fighting going on? Did we really attack our pa-parents?" I asked, my voice falling over the last word as it came out as a whisper as I looked at the scenes showing what I had done to InuYasha and Kagome. Part of me wanted those to be just fake dreams, like the ones I had from the island, but another -smaller- part of me was terrified they weren't.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're fine now though. InuYasha's healed more than likely, I doubt he'd stay down for long. He's a stubborn idiot that's for sure." My demon said with a scoff that made me smile in spite of what she told me. "Kagome was just thrown back, I doubt she's hurt at all. You'll have to thank her for getting rid of that stupid shadow. It was a pain the ass for me to deal with." She added and I gaped at her in surprise.
"What? Shouldn't you be going somewhere already? Pathetic, no good, ba-" She started to insult me just as my eyes found another scene.
"Wait, that waterfall thing. My-I mean our- birth parents were there. Were they really...?" I asked making my demon look at me with a thoughtful expression.
"...I don't know. They could be. It makes sense that since we were so close to death that we would see them." She said with a shrug before we both turned to look at the waterfall scene and the couple standing in the image. "They look like you." My demon said after a minute of silence, and I blinked.
"Was that a compliment?" I asked in shock and earned an angry snarl in response.
"Shut up and do us all a favor and WAKE UP!" She yelled at me so loudly I jumped back and landed in darkness.
"What the hell? Dammit!" I yelled silently as sound started to slowly filter into my head. As the annoying beep grew louder I noticed a faint humming sound as well as breathing. As I got use to the sudden sounds around me smells started to sting my nose, making me wince at the sharp lemon scent and a few others that made my eyes water as I opened them to the blurry but harsh light around me. "Damn that bitch. The only decent part of this is I feel normal again." I thought with a soft groan as I tried to move my arms to wipe my face only to have my left one sting like a bee while my right felt floppy.
"You're awake!" I heard an achingly familiar voice say before I was enveloped in a soft hug. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision of the pale pink color in front of me as the scent of lavender, something sweet, and the scent of InuYasha washed over me. "How do you feel?" Kagome asked me as she pulled me away to look me over with misty eyes.
"I'm fine." I croaked and glared at her when she raised a single eyebrow and wordlessly passed me a water bottle.
"Drink it slowly," Kagome told me softly as I started to gulp the water greedily. I felt my face burn as she sat down beside me and watched me, her eyes a mix of different emotions. After a minute, I lowered the bottle to my lap and stared at my hands, not wanting to look up at Kagome as flashes of the fight started to appear in my mind. "Hey, it's okay." Kagome whispered and wrapped a hand around one of my fists while leaning closer, her scent making part of me whine for her comfort, something I never thought I would ask for.
"No, it's not! I hurt you and InuYasha! If it wasn't for me, you'd all be safe back home and none of this would've happened." I whispered angrily while forcing myself to squash my inner whine and turn away from her. "I can't hurt you again." I whispered in a weak, shaky voice as a few tears escaped my eyes and hit the blanket around me.
"Akari, " Kagome started and I felt her hands grab my shoulders. "Look at me, we're fine. All of us. Okay?" Kagome said pulling my body around to face her while I continued to look away.
"Akari, look at me." Kagome said, moving one of her hands to my chin and forcing me to look at her. "It wasn't you attacking us, I know because I could see it in your eyes. You were fighting it just as much as he was fighting you. The injuries you have? Those are signs that you fought just as much as we did and you're here, proving that he lost." Kagome told me, her voice fierce as I stared in her eyes.
"Bu-" I started, wanting her to realize it from my perspective.
"No." She said angrily, and I watched her eyes flash with tears. "Repeat after me. It isn't my fault." She said and glared at me when I opened my mouth to contradict her.
"...it isn't my fault." I whispered and looked at the wall past Kagome, idly noting it had a picture of cherry blossom trees hanging on it.
"Louder." Kagome said and moved herself into my line of vision.
"It isn't my fault." I muttered just above a whisper.
"Again." Kagome said and I looked up at her with a mix of confusion and guilt, both feelings telling me that it WAS my fault.
"But it is my fault!" I said loudly and winced at the glare Kagome gave me as she grabbed my arms and pulled me up onto her lap. "What ar-"
"I want you to scream that. Tell me it's your fault and make me believe it." Kagome whispered into my ear while folding her arms around me and pinning me against her. "If I can't believe you then it means it wasn't your fault." She said softly as my eyes burned more and I bit my lip to try and stop the small whimpers escaping me.
"I-it's al-l m-y fau-lt." I hiccuped and felt her arms squeeze me tighter as she hummed softly.
"How is it your fault?" She asked and I shook my head, how could I explain? "The way I see it, you protected your little brother and Shippo, and fought to find me every step of the way. Even when all the adults told you to stop. You fought against Suzume, you released your demon blood, and you slowed Yakumo down enough for us to save you. You may not see it our way but that's what we see it as. Now, repeat after me as loud as you can. It's not my fault." Kagome whispered softly and closing my eyes to try and stop the tears I grabbed onto her arms.
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" I screamed as loud as I could and felt something inside me break as sobs escaped me and made my whole body shake.
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Kagome held Akari tightly as she cried, mentally thanking herself for putting up a barrier around them as soon as the child had opened her mouth. It had muffled the sound enough not to bothered anyone, or so she thought as InuYasha came rushing in with both her boys on his heels. Both parents made eye contact but before Shippo could open his mouth to ask questions, InuYasha had ushered him out of the room and sent her one last look that said they'd be having a talk later.
"It's alright," Kagome whispered as she slowly began to rock back and forth, a trick her own mother had done for her and Souta when they were younger. After a while Akari's cries dwindled off into hiccups and both mother and daughter sat there, neither speaking save for Kagome's soft humming.
"I'm s-sorry," Akari hiccuped softly, making Kagome pause and look down at the girl as she wiped her eyes.
"Don't be." Kagome soothed, and pulled the girl back against her as she moved around till both were laying on the small bed, Kagome's feet hanging off a bit. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Besides, I'm trying to raise all of my little pups to be honest and not tell lies." Kagome said, looking down at Akari as she wiggled off of Kagome's chest and instead beside her. Akari froze a bit at what was said before turning her head down, but not before Kagome caught the small relieved smile on her daughter's face.
"I don't know about you, but I want a nap!" Kagome said with an exaggerated sigh and smiled as she sat up and pulled the discarded blanket up over her and Akari with one hand while pulling the stunned girl closer to her with the other.
"Bu-Wait! I'm not tired!" Akari tried to say as Kagome ignored her and just pulled her closer, placing her chin inbetween Akari's folded ears as the girl tried to wiggle free.
"Nope! You're staying right here with me." Kagome said with a light tone and listened as Akari huffed in frustration. "Relax and go to sleep," Kagome whispered and started to hum InuYasha's lullaby, something she had learned from him what seemed eons ago. A few minutes later, InuYasha crept back into the small room and smiled at Kagome as she continued to hum to a sleeping Akari.
"You're one hell of a wench, Kagome." InuYasha whispered and smirked when Akari's ears twitched and Kagome smiled.
"Love you too," Kagome whispered, before frowning. "Where is Shippo?" She asked in a whisper as she absently started to run a hand through Akari's hair.
"Shippo's talking with Kurama, last I heard both were discussing different fox tricks." InuYasha told her as Masaru began to fuss a bit, trying to get to his mother.
"Ma! Ma! Ma!" Masaru chanted, making both parents smile at his little chant before he was passed to his requested person.
"And how has my big strong man been?" Kagome asked with a soft laugh as Masaru grinned and chewed on his fist, making Kagome notice a set of tiny fangs in his mouth. "When did you get those?" She asked as she carefully moved his fist away to look at the small teeth better.
"Apparently they started coming in two days ago, I don't know how I missed it." InuYasha told her as he carefully pulled a small chair over to the bed to sit closer to them, since there wasn't any room on the small bed. "What was with her yelling earlier?" He asked after a minute and Kagome smiled at him.
"She was blaming herself for what happened. I told her to make me believe her and when she couldn't I told her why it wasn't her fault then had her yell as loud as she could so she would see the truth. I remember reading about how it's supposed to help." Kagome said with a shrug as InuYasha looked at her with disbelief on his face.
"Whatever, so long as it worked." InuYasha told her nonchalantly while leaning back and propping his feet up onto the edge of the bed. After a few minutes of just talking about nothing InuYasha decided to shift the conversation towards Kagome's family. "Sesshoumaru said your mother is an excellent accountant. Apparently when all of this shit started he had Hitomi go and get her and your brother, but Souta ran down the well and your mother refused to leave. Kagura managed to get her out of the shrine with the promise of seeing you as soon as you were found. So I'd expect her to show up any time now." InuYasha told his mate as Masaru tried to chew on Kagome's fingers, making her whisper an 'ouch' before lightly swatting his nose.
"No biting," she told him before looking over at InuYasha in concern. "So Souta's back at our time and my mother is worried sick." She said with a sigh as Masaru began to suck on her fingers instead of try and gnaw on them.
"Yeah, could be worse. At least we know they're safe." InuYasha said with a sigh. "Sango and Miroku are probably watching Souta, and Keade probably has him working around the village." InuYasha added after some thought and caught Kagome biting her lip in an attempt to cover her laughs.
"Knowing Sango she figured out what was going on when we didn't come after him." Kagome said and shook her head with amusement on her face.
"Yeah," InuYasha said, letting the conversation die off as he let his thoughts drift. It wasn't until a few hours later that he noticed that everyone was asleep and decided to try something. "Come here, Pup." He whispered as he stood up and carefully lifted Akari up off of the bed, allowing Masaru to slid into her spot and Kagome to frown in her sleep before moving a bit.
"...Yasha?" Akari slurred softly as InuYasha returned to his previous position, though now he had Akari resting on his chest.
"Go back to sleep, Pup." He whispered just as softly and began to lightly rub her ears.
"M'kay." Akari said and snuggled against him, making him blink in shock before smiling at the action.
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"We'll send Souta back as soon as we get home." Kagome told her mother as the small family of five all stood in front of the well house. It had been a rough three days, making the entire trip be two weeks and a few days. Kagome wasn't sure where the time had gone, but she was glad it was over already.
"Alright, please try to visit more now that the well is open." Kagome's mother told them as she once more hugged Kagome tightly.
"Not so fast, Runt!" InuYasha said as he grabbed onto the back of Masaru's little jacket and lift him up. Masaru had started walking late yesterday and seemed inclined to wander off at every chance he got.
"We'll try," Kagome told her mother before she glanced over at Akari and Shippo, both of whom were reading a copy of the Higurashi family history. After talking to Akari about what she remembered of the fighting she had learned about the girl meeting her parents and - with the help of her mother - had looked into the family history for a man named Toshiro. After a lot of searching they had found an old chest full of things that had apparently been his journals. Since the discovery Akari and Shippo had started to kidnap most of the scrolls. "Alright you two, come on. Give your Grandmother back her scrolls. You can read them when we come back." She told her two oldest and smiled as they groaned and whined a bit before passing the scroll to Tsubaki who gave her grandchildren a smile.
"That includes the two in your sleeves Akari as well as the three in your bag Shippo." Kagome said and had to bite back a laugh when the two looked at her in surprise. "A mother is all knowing." She told them in an all powerful voice as the two quickly pulled out the remaining scrolls and gave them to Tsubaki, who was laughing.
"Alright already! Let's go!" InuYasha growled and Kagome smiled as she looked over at her mate and youngest, laughing at the sight of Masaru trying to copy Inuyasha's impatient look.
"Alright," she said with a small laugh before hugging her mother one last time and leading everyone to the well. "Ready?" She asked and watched as first Shippo, then Akari, followed by InuYasha and Masaru jumped into the well. Then with a deep breath Kagome jumped into the familiar well that led her home.
`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.` A rough summary of what happened during the next five hundred years. `.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`.`
After they had gone back to their time, Souta had gone home making a trip back every other day to train until one day the well closed, much like it had for Kagome. During the time it was closed Sesshoumaru officially blood adopted Rin, somehow turning her into a full fledged demon! Sango and Miroku had two more children, a boy named Kaoru that arrived in early spring the following year the well had closed and a little girl named Gina a year later in the winter. Four years after the well closed Souta returned to the village, now a young man. He began training diligently under Sango and Miroku, hoping to become the first Monk/Demon Slayer. During his training he and Kohaku met and became fast friends, both finding love of the demon variety. Kohaku met a young half bat demon named Shiori, which the group remembered from their travels years ago, and Souta fell in love with Rin, much to Sesshoumaru's displeasure and his brother's great amusement. It wasn't long before both 'brothers' decided to explore the world with their mates. It wasn't until Kohaku and Shiori returned to Japan two years later that the poor girl couldn't have a child, but both mates had adopted a young wind demon named Jun from Ireland and a young ice demon named Toya from China. Both boys would become strong fighters under Souta's keen eyes and later rivals to one Spirit Detective Team.
The large pack grew and were able to live happily until Keade's death a few years later. Kagome took up the title of village priestess, having been Keade's apprentice. A year after Keade's death, Souta and Rin appeared for a visit with three young pups; two fine young boys who took after Souta and a young girl that looked much like Rin had when she was a child, though the girl also had puppy ears.
Nothing else happened again until Miroku and Sango died in their sleep in their eighties, the pack was heartbroken for years. It wasn't until they noticed a few of the descendants of their friends were being courted by many members of the Higurashi Clan that the cloud of depression began to lift. Kagome found herself beyond happy to know she was descended from her brother and sister as well as best friends. Two hundred years after the well closed a second time InuYasha and his small pack of now seven -Kagome having a set of twin girl's ten years after Souta returned- decided to follow the two boy's and travel the world as well. Sesshoumaru kept in contact with InuYasha through the years, both discussing future plans and such. It wasn't until they met their first neglected hanyo in another country that they decided to start adopting kids.
Five hundred years later, while a young Kagome began her journey through the well, the pack made one final trip to Japan. There they met with Tsubaki and explained everything to her, before sharing their story with an up and coming Mangaki (sp?). Once done, they moved to the United States -the only place they had not visited- and settled down a bit. A month before the Yakumo battle started they sent supplies to Sesshoumaru and also a large sum of money to Dr. David via Shippo. Sesshoumaru and he talked for a while, the older demon introducing the Kitsune to Hitomi and noting that the boy was instantly head over heels for the girl but was to stubborn to admit it, before learning of a young child he would possibly be meeting soon.
All in all, the five hundred years passed easily for the large group and if you asked any of them about it, they would just smile and laugh.