Kamia: Well, dear friends, this is it. The last chapter.

Luna: We should have been done years ago!

Kamia: Sorry, but growing up is hard!

Tira: yeah…. Well I'm off to medical school. I finally got my core classes out of the way and can now focus entirely on my major.

Kamia: That's great, Tira! I'll miss you, and best of luck on becoming a surgeon.

Tira: Bye guys! Bye readers! Hopefully I'll visit after the semester is over.

Luna: Awww there goes my best friend…

Kamia: Don't worry, Luna. You'll always have us, right readers?

Teme: InuYasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Sunrise, Madman Entertainment and Viz Media.

Luna: What are you doing here?! O.o

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Chapter 16: The Curse is Lifted!

Kaede unlocked the front door, allowing Inuyasha to enter. "Where's Bankotsu?" he yelled as he looked around the shabby cottage. At the sound of scurrying the young adult looked down to see Kouga running into the room. The pup reached to where he stood quickly before latching onto Inuyasha's pants leg. Taking the hint, the dog demon followed his best friend with Kaede not far behind. When inside the back room, the man was about to panic until Kouga retained his attention again. After listening to what the small creature had to explain, the silver haired man looked back over to where the witch had stood. Kaede leaned against the wall near the doorway, not bothering to feel ashamed at her greed. "What was in the bag?" was the only thing he could manage to question after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.

-Flashback-

After listening to the instructions Kaede had given, the young prince made his was deep into the forest, once again. He held onto a burlap sack while making sure not to be seen. He walked a brisk pace to a clearing before turning right, as per the witch's directions. A part of him was still unsure why he was doing this. He knew it had been nearly a year since he had set out to find his younger sister. Jakotsu had been so precious to him and his brothers. His family had believed they were under a curse and would soon crumble for the longest time.

The first born, Mukotsu was a very feeble child. At his thirty-sixth year of life, the eldest was lain bedridden and unable to move beyond the small amount it took to step out of his bedroom. Kyokotsu was born five years after him, but after four it was obvious that they were going to have to rely on the third son, Ginkotsu. Kyo was born too simple to properly run a kingdom, much less a family. Tragedy struck, however, when Ginkotsu had been nearly crushed to death under a falling tunnel when he was seven. He had spent the rest of his life learning to use his right hand to write with as well as moving around without any legs. When Renkotsu was born, their parents were very quick to shelter the boy. He was kept to himself with only his tutors and brothers as company. So sure that they were going to get things right by this son, the parents thought nothing of sheltering Bankotsu when he was finally born three years after.

Free to wonder on his own and play with other children, Bankotsu feared nothing of death, nor did he believe in superstitions such as curses or luck. As the only child allowed to play outside on his own, the young boy had thought those same privileges should be set upon his baby brother, Suikotsu. When the five year old took the three year old outside to play with him one day, he did not mean to loose track of him in a game of hide and seek. The fact that they were in a crowded market place didn't bother him until hours later when he was still unable to find his baby brother.

It wasn't until a week later that the guards had made any progress in locating the young child, but by then it was too late. The damage had been done. Suikotsu was found hiding under a stack of crates in a dark alley way. His shirt was long gone as well as any valuables he could have held onto. There were scars along his body especially near his back and he was deathly pale and thin. He had the appearance of crying but was too dehydrated to actually produce any tears. All he could say was that they girls weren't nice, while flinching from any touch that came his way. Bankotsu was wrought by guilt at the thoughts of what could have befallen his little brother. From then on, he was more thoughtful and protective of his family, go far as to spend his life in training.

It was only when Jakotsu was born, that Suikotsu was able to calm down a bit. She had her own charms to her that brought a smile to ever member. She was both spunky and calm and acted appropriately for any situation. She was always someone to talk to when any of her brothers had needed an ear or shoulder and was beloved for it. When Jakotsu disappeared during her morning jog, Bankotsu knew he could not stay at home.

Their father and Renkotsu were busy with the thought of impending war. Their mother was distraught on what to do while wishing to provide comfort to her youngest son. Suikotsu had a breakdown from worry and needed to be under the utmost care. The young prince knew things were never going to be the same again. Against brother Mukotsu's request, the young man had set out on the trail to where she was last seen.

Although his was second in line to the throne, Bankotsu felt Renkotsu could handle things just fine on his own. He had left Mokutsu in charge of looking after the distraught teen. When he had first began his quest, he was accompanied by his two other brothers Kyokotsu and Ginkotsu, whom after spending time as an invalid was able to fashion himself a device that allowed him to move about from place to place. They had come to a fork in the road at several points and agreed to take a different path from there. Thinking back on his two siblings, Bankotsu began to worry on how if it had been a year since they parted, if they were disturbed by his disappearance as well.

As he came to the edge of a cliff, Bankotsu left his thoughts to the current situation at hand. He kicked a few stones over the ledge before waiting for any type of movement. From the corner of his eye, he was able to quickly dodge an attack brought out by the larger bird like creatures living there. He eyed each paradise demon carefully to see which had the stronger looking talons. Finding his target, the prince lashed out only to be knocked back by an unseen bird of paradise from his side. He tried to find his footing but was unable to as he fell over the edge of the cliff.

Using his Banryou, he quickly stabbed into the rock face before he could reach an end below. He stood on the large blade and prepared for the inevitable attack from the creatures above. After what seemed to drag on forever, Bankotsu used his spare sword to latch off one clawed talon causing the creatures to flee. He caught the falling appendage before placing the item deep into the bag.

"One down... several to go." he sighed before looking below to see if he was going to be able to get down without breaking anything. He reached over to a tree branch that looked sturdy enough to support his grip. As he climbed down and dangled from the ledge of the branch, he pulled on the hilt of his Banryou to dislodge it from the stone. Not accounting for the swords weight, the branch he held onto snapped causing Bankotsu to hit several others on the way down to the ground. He cursed at the fall upon landing, reaching a hand out to his neck. Having sustained more injuries than necessary, the man contemplated if a years worth of memories were really worth the effort. When an image of Ayame's face came to mind, all thoughts ceased. He thought back to the look that had come across it and tears budding at the corners of her emerald eyes. He knew those moments had meant a lot to her, but couldn't comprehend why she would feel that way. What had they done? What had they shared?

As the sun began to rise above the tree line many hours later, the foreign prince had made his way out of the forest. The sack on his bag smelled profusely of blood and gore while it's bottom began to leak a bit. He hated the smell, and the feeling of grime on him, but knew he had to finish. After spending all night, Bankotsu had managed to find the creatures and gather certain body parts from each that Kaede had called for. "These memories had better be worth it." he muttered as he knocked on the door to the witches house.

-End of Flashback-

Ayame was wondering about the village while trying to get back into the routine of doing chores around the house. She had been gone for over a year, abused and neglected for far too long that her parents feared for her mental stability. Not willing to become a sheltered doll locked away for the rest of her life, the young woman insisted on trying to get back on track. Last she had checked, no one has done the laundry while she was gone. Which was an exaggeration on her part, but she need time to think on her own and laundry had seemed perfect at the time.

When she walked back home, the red head took note that everyone was gone. Assuming Kagome was doing the shopping with their mother and her father was in the woods cutting down more timber, she thought nothing of it. As she closed the door and prepared the latch, she noticed something. "Why was the door unlocked?" it occurred to her that if her family had been out of the house than the front door would be shut tight with the back being the only way in. It was how they knew if each other were their or not. Placing the basket of cloths back down by the small table near the door, she turned around and silently stepped down the hall.

All the lights were off, giving a sort of dim view from the sun outside. As she reached the kitchen, she noticed a small flower resting on the counter. She would have thought nothing of it, if it weren't for the fact that the petals of the flower seemed a bit wilted. Carefully picking up the iris, she examined it to notice a few small red specks ghosting over the stem and leaves. "This is..."

"I thought about returning it to you for some time." a voice announced, giving the young girl a jolt at the suddenness. Ayame felt her breath catch in her throat as her heart thumped heavily against her chest. Slowly she turned her body towards the doorway near the back. There stood Bankotsu, his armor having been removed with his traditional robe revealed from underneath. The man stood near the hall with his hands behind his back. There seemed to be a guilty look upon his features as he took a deep breath then released it as a heavy sigh. "They were always beautiful on you..." he continued. "But I was afraid that if I gave it back. That if it was out of my hands for too long..." he moved closer to where she stood, his left arm lifting to cradle under her chin assuring their gaze never left one another. "... you would be gone."

Ayame felt the picks of tears forming in her eyes as her thought clouded with possibilities. He smiled slightly, amused by her silence before reaching up to wipe a tear falling free from one of her green orbs. "Oh, Ayame... sweet Ayame..." he whispered before bringing out his right arm from behind his back. "Would you please become... my princess of the stars once more?" Her eyes held onto his for the longest time before she looked down to see a necklace laced in his hand. It was a stunning chain made from possibly real silver with a lavender pearl gracing the middle. Understanding fully what it had meant, the young woman couldn't hold in her breath any longer before she latched onto the man in front of her. Bankotsu was stunned at first before pulling her closer into his arms and rubbing her back gently. It nearly broke his heart to hear her sobs, but knew these weren't from grief. He allowed himself a relieved laugh as small drops lightly graced his cheeks as well. They both were glad this pain was finally over.

Over the next few weeks, things seemed to go by rather fast. Kohaku had spent most of his time trying to redeem himself for the wickedness he had committed while under the influence of Naraku. Among the things he's apologized for, he has also resolved old case on disappearances, thefts, and even murders. Because he was so young and not in control, the village had forgiven him of all charges and allowed him to continue services through volunteer work.

Although she had been worried about it, Sango was just too glad to have her little brother back. The widow had remembered the promise she made with her late husband and tried to continue life without him. It was hard at first, but with the support of Sesshomaru, the two seemed to be doing fine. They would have gotten married, but many things kept popping up. She had given birth early on in the week to twins, naming them after her late mother and former husband, Mia and Miroku. She refused to say her son's full name for a while and shortened it to Moku at one point. Sesshomaru felt that finding stability within their home was the best option to take with his own daughter soon turning into a pre-teen.

"What's wrong, Kouga?" Kohaku had asked one evening while the pup had rested his head forlornly upon the teen's leg. The wolf had been mulling over what had been learned for a while now. He felt he had enough clues to know who he was meant to fall in love with, but didn't want to risk the chance of being wrong again. The pup sighed and opted to ignore the boy.

"Moping about again?" a voice asked from above as Kirara landed on her feet from pouncing near by. The pup perked his ears up at her arrival before deciding to lower than once again. The cat did not like being ignored for a long while so instead she chose to paw at his lax tail. Kouga found it amusing at how easily distracted the girl could get as he played along by waging his tail back and forth. He decided to try to get to know more about the cat, since it was obvious that she knew plenty about him already. They chatted and played for days while traversing the village square. On a fine afternoon, Kouga decided to try the inevitable.

"Tsukiko." he called catching her attention. The cat turned her head to look at him questioningly ready to comment on how no one calls her that anymore until she felt the scruff of fur against her jaw. In a ray of light the cat pulled away before noticing those eyes upon her again. Kouga had seemed sincere in the kiss, but she just couldn't understand why.

"Kouga, you know it's no use... " she began before feeling herself be pulled into a warm chest. Uncertainty crossed her mind at the feel of hands against her skin. She lifted one of her paws to see fingers instead. Her voice was deeper than a simple mewl as well as feeling a chill in the air. Pulling back slightly, her hazel eyes glanced at the man in front of her. Kouga was in his human form again.

Kouga couldn't help the slack smile that spread further across his face. In his right hand, he took a strand of long blonde hair that was flowing loosely from the woman in front of him. She was beyond anything he could imagine. Her dainty form and pale skin held onto him tightly as surprise crossed her face.

"Are we really?" Tsukiko whispered, certain everything happening right now was a dream. She had spent over a decade cursed in a smaller form; it seemed nearly impossible for her to return back to life after.

"Human again? But of course my dear." he whispered back as they held each other close, unaware and uncaring of the crowd slowly circling around them in the village square. It wasn't until they felt a warp tarp being thrown onto their shoulders did the two look up to see Inuyasha and a very flushed Kagome. "Oh, right... animals don't wear cloths..."

The End

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Kamia: Well that is the end. Obviously the original ending was meant to be much shorter but I felt you guys deserved well more than a simple "And they lived happily ever after".

Teme: wow, just rereading this… Chibi you really need to fix that sudden shift going on in the middle.

Luna: Of course she will! This entire story is going to be redone some time in the future, right?

Kamia: ….sure why not, but first let me post some other fics up before getting started on that. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! I might possibly make a prequel fic and or a spin-off to this story now that the ideas are flowing these days... but who knows? Tell me what you guys think!

Teme: See you guys next time!