Chapter Twenty Four: Kikyo's Resurection

Kikyo awoke a few days later, feeling very warm and refreshed for some odd reason, not remembering her encounter for the moment... Deciding to get the grime off of her from traveling for so long, Kikyo undressed, not realizing that she no longer wore the priestess robes she was accustomed to, and plunged into the icy river... Kikyo surfaced a few seconds later, sputtering and shivering from the icy water... It was early spring, so the rivers still had a ways to go before they warmed up enough for normal people to swim in... But being a walking corpse, temperatures never bothered Kikyo until now...

" I don't understand!" Kikyo yelled to herself before letting out a very unladylike sneeze, " What's happened to me?!"

Then, as if a floodgate had opened, memories of her and Naraku's conversation came flooding back... He'd said he wanted to apologize for the wrong he'd done to her and Inuyasha, he said that the jewel had actually manipulated him all that time until he met the other half of his soul in the form of a simple human female... How he'd warned her that the magic used to sustain her fake clay body was about to run out... And how he'd created a new body for her so that she and Inuyasha could finally have the happy ending they'd always wished for!

She couldn't believe it! She was alive again! Flesh and blood once more! And who would have thought that the very one responsible for her death fifty years ago to begin with, would have been her savior now! Kikyo was so happy that she leapt for joy after getting her new kimono on, another surprising gift from Naraku , and leapt high into the air, the height and speed with which she propelled herself with, so very intoxicating and exhilarating, she couldn't help the girlish giggle that poured from her lips...

" I'm alive!" Kikyo cried out in pure joy as she leapt high into the sky yet again, tears of happiness pouring down her cheeks and her spiritual aura shone as brightly as the sun...

Meanwhile, Kagome was walking in companionable silence among her friends, with Inuyasha on one side and Koga on the other side... When she suddenly felt a strange warmth the likes of which she'd never felt before... It stopped her dead in her tracks...

" Kagome?!" Koga asked instantly, " Are you alright?!"

" Yeah! What's up Kagome?" Inuyasha asked equally concerned, " You ok?!"

Rather than answering, Kagome's spiritual powers engulfed her in bright lavender light as tears sprang into her eyes, her connection to Kikyo allowing her to feel the other woman's emotions as if they were her own...

" Kagome?" Sango asked worriedly.

" Its Kikyo's soul..." Kagome said, awestruck, " She's no longer combined with my own..."

" No..." Inuyasha said in dismay, " She can't be!"

" She isn't..." Kagome said grinning radiently, " Kikyo's soul is no longer combined with my own, because she's no longer a corpse..."

Everyone gasped in shock, before the whole gang began to run towards where they felt Kikyo's presence, with Kagome in the lead...

' Please God's... Please let me be right!' Kagome thought to herself as they continued to run towards thier destination, unaware of the pair of warm deep violet eyes that watched them, his soul crying out joyously at the happiness he was responsible for...

The group came to a halt as they reached the clearing where a beautiful waterfall cascaded into a river at the base of a glorious mountain, covered in red and white lilies... And there, leaping with boundless joy, was Kikyo... Her aura shone silver around her as she continued to leap up into the sky as she laughed freely before letting gravity bring her back to earth, only to leap into the sky once again, twisting her body in a summersault before unbinding her beautiful long black hair and letting it whip behind her as she descended back to earth as she touch down gracefully...

The whole group was speechless, for never before had they seen Kikyo display such incredible emotions... Kagome was the first to break free from the beautiful entrancing sight, stumbling forward as if she were caught up in a fairytale dream...

" Kikyo?" Kagome asked as she reached her hand out hesitantly...

" Yes my dear sister..." Kikyo said as she clasped Kagome's hand tightly in her own, " It is I... My body is clay and bones no longer... I am flesh and blood once more..."

" But... How?!" Kagome asked, astonished...

" A miracle, in the form of a powerful demon, I'm afraid to say more then that..." Kikyo said, glowing with happiness, " If you knew who it was, I fear that you will go after him, regardless of how much he's changed for the greater good... Inuyasha? Are you not happy, we get a second chance to spend the rest of our lives together!"

"_" ...

" Inuyasha?" Kikyo said worriedly...

A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye as she turned away from him, her heart constricting in sorrow...

"Forgive me..." Kikyo said sadly, " I didn't mean to assume that you still wanted to be with me when you clearly no longer feel that way... I shall leave you all in peace..."

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, unsure of what to do... He loved Kikyo dearly, but he also cared very deeply about Kagome's feelings and didn't want to upset her...

" Inuyasha! Sit boy!" Kagome yelled angrily.

Inuyasha was shocked as he plummeted to the ground in the oh so familiar position and stared up into Kagome's angry eyes dumbfounded.

" I thought you cared about Kikyo more then life itself! You can't just let her leave after the miracle that someone has been kind enough to gift her with!" Kagome sighed, then smiled as she helped Inuyasha back to his feet... " I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself... Besides, your too old for me anyway..."

" Thanks Kagome..." Inuyasha said smiling warmly...

Then, quicker then a lightning strike, Inuyasha swooped down in front of Kikyo and grabbed her up in a long needed embrace before capturing her lips in a kiss full of passion...

' Its really true...' Inuyasha thought to himself in awe, "Somehow she is truly alive again! Her scent is almost identical to the way it was fifty years ago... Yet, I can smell a lot more power on her...'

" Its really you..." Inuyasha said after releasing her lips so they could both get some much needed air, " Oh Kikyo... I love you so much... With all my heart..."

" Inuyasha..." Kikyo sighed happily, reveling in the warmth of his loving embrace...

Kagome smiled warmly at the two lovers, her heart no longer hurting at the thought of Inuyasha not loving her back the same way she used to love him...

" Kagome?" Koga asked worriedly, " Are you sure your ok with this?"

" I was in love with Inuyasha when I first met him all that time ago... But there's a reason it wasn't meant to be..." Kagome said, brushing happy tears from her eyes, "Kikyo is Inuyasha's soulmate... That's why he couldn't return my feelings..."

Koga smiled at his sweet brave beautiful Kagome and couldn't contain his happiness... Now that Inuyasha and Kikyo were permanently together, he might now have the chance to win Kagome's heart once and for all... Time heals all wounds after all, and he had all the time in the world... He just needed to wait for her and see where they're hearts will lead them...