A/N: Hey everybody! I am indeed alive and trying to get these chapters out to you good folks. It's been a tough time with the computer I have; it's really old and it likes to just shut down on me and then I lose everything and have to start over, good thing I have most of this written out just not typed up. I hope you guys are still waiting on this story and that you keep reviewing, I love reviews. Cans I have some reviews for Christmas? Please?

I will try my best to put up one more chapter before or on Christmas, promise. This will be your Christmas present and I also promise the next one will be a little more exciting. Well there ya go, hope you guys enjoy and always REVIEW.

Chapter 12:

Awakening

It was through the fog around her mind that she started to gather that she wasn't sleeping like she thought she was; no matter how hard she tried she couldn't force herself to wake up. She felt like she was floating and it seemed like it was in a red haze that shifted to black and back again every so often, to be honest it was starting to freak her out.

Calming herself she could hear her heartbeat and the blood rushing through her veins, something she thought to herself she would never hear again.

'That's right, Inuyasha betrayed me; he let me die. I died because of him, didn't I?' she thought as she once again tried to wake up and once again failed.

Frustration coursed through her at her inability to do what she wanted and before she could really get angry she took a deep breath, at least she thought she did, and calmed herself down. Letting her mind drift to the sounds of her beating heart and flowing blood it was then that she noticed the sound of another heart near hers.

'Shippou?' she thought not knowing who else would get so close to her that she could hear their own heart, but it was also a feeling, an absolute truth that it was her Shippou. Smiling to herself she relaxed even more and soon escaped the red haze into one where she dreamed; dreams of moonlight and a feeling of freedom she had never known before. It was there that she saw her power in the black fox form it seemed to favor; moving closer to it she sat beside it at a lakes edge and watched the moon rise up from across it.

A subtle move to her left alerted her to yet another fox, one that was similar to her power, yet different all the same. It had an alien feel to it, but it was housed in a body almost exactly like the one her power preferred. Looking closer she saw the red of its eyes and felt the powerful, ancient intelligence wash over her as she stared closer; she didn't feel threatened, it was just something she had never come across before.

But as she thought about it she knew that to be a lie, when she had come across demons in the past they always, to her, had a different way, maybe feeling about them. Of course she couldn't study them further because most of the time they would be trying to kill her for the shards, but sitting there, without the threat of death she took her time to study it and maybe understand more than what she already knew.

The eyes that stared at her were the color of drying blood, but it didn't bother her like it used to and behind them she could feel the mind of the demon working, calculating everything she was doing. It was intelligent and unlike everyone thought of most demons, it wasn't a mindless beast. She could feel it and see it in its eyes that it was studying her almost as much as she was studying it; it was unnerving for a moment, but she decided not to let it get to her; she had died once already and who knew maybe she was in a weird limbo of sorts.

A soft touch drew her attention back to her power as its light blue eyes stared at her before laying its head on her lap and relaxing in the demons presence. She took that as a sign that she wasn't in any danger and that she too could relax completely in its company.

Staring back at the sky she wasn't too surprised when the demon laid its head on her lap as well and it was then that everything started to click into place for her. Smiling, she knew that she was a very unique individual and wondered what the fates had in store for her since she knew that she wasn't allowed to die yet. It was an absolute truth that she couldn't shake and it was one she welcomed since she hadn't wanted to leave her friends nor the one that meant the most to her; her Shippou.

Warmth she hadn't felt in a long time washed over her as everything started to fade to black and she knew in the depths of her heart that her story wasn't over and with a small, almost twisted smile she wondered if the fates knew what they were unleashing.

Consciousness came to her slowly as the dream faded to gray and into the recesses of her mind; opening her eyes she saw a familiar ceiling above her and could only smile as she figured out where she was.

"Maru?" She called as she laid there knowing that she wasn't going to be able to move for at least a few more moments.

"You're awake, I'm glad." Maru stated as she walked into the hut smiling softly at the girl on the futon.

"I am as well," she whispered as she moved her hand up to rub her forehead and froze for but a moment as she saw claws where her human nails used to be. Closing her eyes she ignored it and focused on the bundle of energy she could feel coming closer and closer; smiling she opened her eyes and caught Shippou as he came flying at her.

"Mama," he whispered and everything he felt came across to her from that one whispered word, hugging him closer she let him know what she felt as well and everything was alright in that one moment.

Sitting up she sat Shippou next to her before looking at Maru waiting for an explanation on the situation at hand.

"You died Kagome, I assume you remember that?" She waited for Kagome to nod before she continued.

"Well, when you died I was given another vision and I rushed to where I would know you would be so that I could retrieve you r body in order to bring you back. It wasn't your time to die, but your time to be reborn since the power you have was too large for the human body you were born in."

As Maru talked, Kagome tried her hardest to pay attention, but the strangest feeling keep coming over her and turning her attention back to Shippou she noticed that he was stroking something soft and black. Every time he did, that strange feeling would come over her and then stop when he pulled his hand away. She let her eyes travel the length of it and noticed that it seemed to connect to her and that was when she froze and everything made sense to her; the claws and what she now saw was a tail that was connected to her.

"Maru, I have a tail," was all she stated as she stared at it causing the older woman to pause in her speech to stare at her in bewilderment.

"I know dear, that's what I'm trying to explain to you."

"Maru, I have a tail, a tail." She stated quickly a hint of panic in her voice as she continued to stare at it, ignoring Shippou's slight look of worry.

"Kagome, you have a tail because in order to bring you back and not have your power destroy you, we had to make you a demon. A fox demon," she let it hang and watched as Kagome's mind processed what she had said before they lifted to look at the now blushing fox kit.

Snatching him up before anyone could say anything; she held him to her and thanked him for his help in saving her.

"You're my little hero, Shippou, thank you."

Shippou didn't say anything, just held her close for a moment longer before making himself comfortable in her lap as her attention turned back to Maru.

"Sorry Maru, you were saying that my body had to be changed?"

"Yes," she paused surprised that she was taking this so well before continuing on, "your body was slowly deteriorating from the inside out because of the power housed within it. It was shown to me that the only way to bring you back was to change your body to that of a demon, the only body that could house the power you hold. So in order to change it I required some materials in order to do so; Shippou provided what I needed and now you have the body that you do. Not much has changed, aside from the fact that you now have a demon side that you will have to learn to control and try to live with. There are other things you are going to need help with, but I will be here to help you and Shippou will help you as well since you are both fox demons."

Kagome nodded at all the information that she had just received and wondered to herself why the gods deemed her the one to go through all this. Shaking her head she tossed that thought away knowing that she was lucky and that she shouldn't complain about the gifts she had just been given.

"Thank you Maru, there's not much else I say to tell you how much your help means to me."

"Nonsense Kagome, I did what needed to be done and I am glad for it, no thanks are necessary." She smiled at the new born demon and wondered what the future held for them and then smiled knowing that she might get a glimpse of it later on.

It was a few days later before Kagome made her way out of bed to test out her new body as well as the senses that she had started to notice during those days.

As she stood outside she could hear everything with a clearness that she knew she had never experienced before as well as smell things that she didn't know existed. Everything had a smell and as the day went on she started to catalog those scents for later so that she knew what they were and it was a wonderful sensation.

She smiled when Shippou ran around the woods collecting things that he thought she didn't know the smell of trying to help her with her catalog of scents. It wasn't until he started to hide and had her track him that she really started to notice that she could pretty much track him anywhere whether she scented for him or just followed this feeling that she had when it came to him.

"Maru?" She questioned waiting for the older demon to acknowledge her before she went on. "Do you know why I can track Shippou so well? I mean should I be able to I'm supposed to be new at this aren't I?"

Laughing Maru called the young kit to her before she began the only explanation she could come up with.

"Shippou, in all ways now even blood, is your son and a mother, regardless of distance, knows where her child is at. It is something that is hard to explain, it's more something that you feel and know; a thing that cannot be taken away. Just keep yourself open to that feeling and you will always know where Shippou is at, he won't be able to hide from you." She laughed a little at Shippou's pouting face but she knew he wasn't really upset about it.

"So it's something that I will always have no matter what." A strange look came over her before she turned blank eyes to Shippou and smiled before chasing after him once he recognized the look she had. Their laughter echoed through the trees and back to Omnimaru bringing with it a peace she didn't even realize that she had been missing.

Weeks passed in relative peace as Kagome became accustomed to her new body and the new abilities that she learned of during them. Since she was a fox demon now the biggest thing that she could do was the art of illusion and tricks; something that she discovered she had quite the knack for, even Shippou was impressed.

Maru helped her with controlling her demon, but it was something they didn't spend a lot of time on since it seemed that her demon was in harmony with her miko powers as well as being dormant when not needed. She didn't say anything, but she could see the look of wonder on Maru's face when they discovered this fact and had to wonder once again why the gods deemed her so special.

Standing outside the hut in the afternoon sun she took stock of what she had been gifted with and decided that being alive was the best thing she could ask for. However, having the powers she did now, she knew that she had to get back at the task at hand: collecting the shards; it wouldn't be any easier for her, but she could fight better now using what she had. She smiled absently as she watched Shippou dart in and out of the trees working on his agility as well as blending in with the surrounding shrubbery; she saw how well he was doing, but she could also track him without much effort.

The feeling she had dealing with Shippou was one she couldn't explain, exactly how Maru told her it would be, but she concentrated on it, trying to make it stronger to see what would happen. The result was one she was not expecting and neither was Shippou.

'I hope mama is watching me; I've gotten better at jumping through the trees and dodging. Is she watching?'

Shock went through her as she caught Shippous eyes and saw his smile as he continued on with his running knowing what he was thinking and wondering how she knew.

Tentatively she pulled on that link again and again heard his thoughts as he dashed through the trees, twisting and turning as he went.

'Shippou?' she questioned quietly, a whisper across the chasm of their minds. She watched as he stopped dead in his tracks, moments away from slamming into a tree before he turned to look at her eyes wide and wondering.

'Shippou, can you hear me?' She knew as soon as his eyes widened that he could indeed hear her and she smiled as he echoed his own thoughts back to her.

'Mama, how can I hear you?'

'I don't know, but it seems to me that we now have a way to communicate without others knowing; like our own language or secret.'

'Yeah! I can talk to you whenever I want and not have to share what I have to say with anyone but you.'

Smiling she called Shippou to her before heading back to the hut to help Maru with dinner; taking one last look to the now setting sun she wondered how the others were fairing now that she was 'dead,' shaking that thought out of her mind she turned and went inside.

Sesshomaru had watched Kaede prepare the body his heart icing over the longer he stayed the weight of failure crushing him though he hid it well. The whole village was in mourning over the loss of the young Miko and it amazed him to see how much she had been loved, though if he was honest with himself he missed her as well. The talks they had had when the others were doing things and the way she took care of Rin as if the girl was one of her own; the kindness she exuded around those she loved. That and a lot more was going to be missed since she was gone now and hardening his heart he put those thoughts out of his mind and stayed to watch the funeral for the sake of Rin.

The young girl was silent and dry eyed, but he knew that she was heartbroken over her death as well as the disappearance of Shippou; the kit had yet to return and Sesshomaru didn't say but he thought that the kit was dead or never coming back. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, but to have lost more than one; he didn't know how the kit could survive after that not with the look he had last seen on him.

It was a silent procession to her final resting place, a hole Inuyasha had dug himself beneath the Goshinboku; the entire village following to honor her.

Rin clutched his hand, her eyes dry and red from tears she didn't want to or couldn't shed; he saw as she was carried by her friends the crowd opening up to let them pass and her silent beauty in death had him looking away to where she would be buried in the ground. It was a yawning opening in the ground and he had the disturbing thought that it was waiting to consume her as soon as they laid her to rest. Shaking that thought out of his mind he watched as she was lowered into the ground, into a wooden box that he knew would have a lid that would seal her away forever from the living. He watched as one by one the village went to her a laid presents inside her tomb before stepping back and letting others do the same. Her friends stood next to her waiting silently for their turn and before long everyone but the tachi, himself and Rin had given their presents.

Kaede set inside an arrow of purest white to signify her purity and kindness that she had had in life; he had watched her carve it and purify it with her own power days before. Kohaku was next as he laid a replica of his sickle in there, one he had created with a bone white handle, a weapon to represent the rebirth of himself and the freedom he had gained from Naraku because of her. Rin moved from him and made her way silently to Kagome's side and inside laid a crown of flowers on her head as well as tucked a rolled paper in her hands, a picture of them all together that she had drawn. It was so she would never forget who she was and all the people that had loved her and still loved her.

Miroku came next and laid the beads he had carried with him all his life letting her know how much she meant to him and the sacrifices they had both made. Sango came next her eyes red with tears and sorrow, though she held her head high even as the tears trickled down her face, next to Kagome she laid a mini replica of her boomerang letting her know that in all ways she was her sister in arms and in friendship. Kilala was next to her master and she too laid a tuft of her fur and some catnip, telling her that she was forever her friend and to remember the laughter they had had together.

Inuyasha was the last and for a moment he just stood and stared at her peaceful face all traces of pain gone from it as death cradled her in its arms. He laid in her other hand a single sunflower something that was meant to represent the sunshine she had brought into their lives as well as let her know that he had listened when she had said it was her favorite flower. As he lifted to move the cover over her Sesshomaru moved forward startling the others since they thought that he wasn't going to participate in her burial.

Kneeling next to the whole he knew with a macabre feeling that once she was sealed up, the bright spark that had just come into his life would be extinguished and his life would once become the sunless tundra he had known since both his parents died. Reaching into his haori he pulled out a small carved tooth in the shape of his demon form and out it in her hand next to Rin's picture. It was to let her know that he remembered everything she had done for him and that he would always be thankful for it. He had spent hours carving his own fang with his claws, the only thing he thought to give her that would mean what he wanted it to.

With that done he stood and nodded to Inuyasha ignoring the strange look that he had on his face; once she was covered they shoveled the dirt over her and that was that. The villagers dispersed and went back to their homes clutching loved ones all the tighter hoping that nothing this horrible would befall them.

He watched as Inuyasha set up the headstone to mark where she lay, standing there for a moment longer he then turned and headed into the woods, Rin following him silently. As they walked the cool night air washed over him and the fleeting thought that winter was coming soon crossed his mind before he turned his mind on other matters.

'I believe it is time we went home; I have been gone too long.'

Kagome stood outside in the crisp air breathing in and out and watching her breath fog in front of her as she stared at the fading landscape before her. The fall had come quick and had left even quicker letting winter spread its cold, desolate fingers throughout the land causing it to grow quieter and quieter each night as the animals hurried to their burrows. It made her sad to see the land so quiet and empty but it also let her see the beauty of winter that she had never took the time to see. The ice that would steal its way across the creeks and ponds sealing the fish away from the sun and sky; the way the trees would groan in the wind now that they had no leaves to block it out.

It was an empty, stark landscape before her but in that moment of peace she thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Turning back to the hut behind her she smiled as she saw the trees standing tall over it, their leaves still intact as well as all the other plants her power had touched; they all stayed as she had created them. It was nice to see a bit of summer left and as she headed back inside she wondered to herself how long she would be here.

Smiling as she saw Shippou playing with some of his tops in the corner of the hut she absently helped Maru with lunch her mind on other matters as she went through the motions.

'I wonder what to do next? Should I leave and go back to the others; wait, I can't, they think I'm dead and to be honest I don't want to see Inuyasha right now. Should I leave to complete the quest, to gather more shards?

'What am I waiting for here?'

She sat against the wall and stared absently out the window wondering indeed what she was waiting for; she had a responsibility to uphold, why hadn't she started it back up yet?

"Don't worry so much Kagome, the answers you seek will make themselves known in time."

Startled out of her thoughts she smiled sheepishly at Maru as she took the bowl that was offered her and began to eat smiling as Shippou came to sit next to her.

It wasn't until later that night that Kagome felt it, the pulling sensation that she had come to know as the pull of a shard.

Standing up quickly she looked around at a loss of what to do until a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder and turned her to face the older demon.

"Maru…"

"I know Kagome, don't worry I've packed everything up for you and restocked your quiver. It's time for you to begin your quest again; don't worry about me, I will be fine, now hurry before the shard disappears."

Surprise was quickly replaced by a loving warmth as she hugged the demon before her before grabbing her things and heading for the door.

"Don't forget about me mama," Shippou yelled excitedly as he grabbed a bag that had been made for him and his size.

"You know I could never forget you Shippou," Kagome smiled as she let her kit jump unto her bag and make himself comfortable up there.

"Thanks Maru; I appreciate everything you've done for us: for me." Kagome stated before bolting out the door using her demon speed to quickly make her way into the dead forest around them.

"You're welcome Kagome." She whispered knowing that she would be able to hear her.

A/N: I think I'm getting a new computer for Christmas, do you guys know what that means?...

FASTER UPDATES! YAAAA! Won't you guys be happy? I really hope that's what I'm getting! I hope you guys hope for me too, lol!