The next morning I awoke to the sun shining through the cracks in the huts door and into my eyes. I blinked briefly and then opened my eyes to face the world.

Inuyasha was no longer in the hut so I assumed he was outside in a tree somewhere. Sango was lying on the floor of the hut, still asleep with fresh bandages already on. Miroku, who was a little paler from the poison, was also still asleep. Shippo was snuggled up next to Kirara who was lying there contently.

I got up slowly and exited the hut, squinting against the suns bright rays. Inuyasha, as I earlier assumed, was in a nearby tree with one leg hanging off of the branch carelessly. He was looking off into the distance with a thoughtful look on his face.

As I approached him he turned to me and smiled weakly. I gave him a small smile back in return.

"Ready to talk?" I asked him.

He nodded as he jumped down from his perch and landed in front of my. His silver hair gleamed in the sunlight. His amber eyes were more intense than ever and his fang was lightly grazing his bottom lip.

We began walking through the village, oblivious to anything but each other and the words we spoke. We had so much to figure out and it had us both semi-nervous.

"How did I destroy him with one arrow when you couldn't even with Sango and Miroku's help?" I asked to start us off.

"I…don't know. He seemed weaker than before but so were all of us. He had time to train and get ready for our expected attacks but that one arrow…I almost seems impossible."

I nodded, agreeing with every word.

"It just seemed too easy, you know?" Inuyasha asked.

I nodded again as we continued walking.

It was silence for a moment as Inuyasha pondered something.

"When I turned demon…I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" he asked sheepishly, his voice full of concern.

"No. I think I got you to turn back in time, though I don't know how I did it. The other times it always took something more but this time it only took you looking at me and me calling your name."

"It was like a war was going on inside me. It always seemed like that since I don't have my father's sword to suppress my demonic side. When I saw that look of fear on your face it brought me back somehow," he admitted with all honesty.

"When you turned demon, it was like you weren't even with us anymore and that's what brought that fear."

He nodded sadly. You could tell that he didn't like that he lost control so easily even though it wasn't his fault.

"I was so helpless," I muttered, staring at the ground.

"You saved us all," Inuyasha objected.

"No, I didn't save anyone."

Inuyasha gave me a confused look. He was going to object further but I shook my head, silencing his objection.

"They all got hurt. I didn't save anybody."

"Kagome, they have you to thank that Naraku's dead," he told me forcefully. "You shot that arrow and killed Naraku."

"That wasn't me," I said sadly. "That was the old Kagome."

"What are you talking about?" he asked a little frustrated.

"Nothing," I said quietly, not wanting this to go any further.

We stood there in awkward silence for a little while before he spoke, shattering the silence.

"Kagome-"

"I need to talk to Sango," I told him, interrupting his sentence.

"What are you-"

"I'll be back in a little while. Please don't follow me."

With that spoken I turned sharply on my heel and headed towards Keada's hut to find Sango. I needed to talk to her before I could talk to Inuyasha or anyone else. I was so confused with all of this and was hoping that she would have an answer to clear all of this confusion.

"Sango?" I asked quietly as I entered Keada's hut.

"Kagome? What is it?" she asked, seeing the pained expression on my face.

"I-I…If you're feeling up to it…would you come outside and talk to me for a minute?" I asked politely, not forgetting that she's hurt.

"Sure," she said, slowly getting up as to not re-open her wounds.

We walked silently outside and away from the hut so no one would over hear our conversation.

"What is it, Kagome?" she asked as she slowed to a stop.

"I remember."

"Huh?"

"I remember. Everything. I remember," I said brokenly.

"Really?" I nodded. "That's great!" she exclaimed.

She looked at my face when I didn't celebrate with her. She cocked her head to the side in a confused jester.

"He made the wish," I explained, "so I don't feel as if I went through all of those things that I remember. It feels as if they're just a memory and nothing more than that."

"Oh, Kagome," she said as she pulled me into a hug.

"I didn't tell him yet," I whispered into the hug.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah. I couldn't tell him. I don't think I can. I'm not her because I never truly lived through all that. He made that wish which made time start over so I didn't go through all of those memories like I should have."

Sango held me away from her, looking at me with a soft expression on her face.

"The jewel," she said after a minute. "It has to be inside you still."

Now it was my turn to be confused.

"What?" I asked her.

"If we get the jewel out of your body, we can make another wish so that you do live through all of that but don't die," she explained happily.

I shook my head sadly.

"I can't. Inuyasha, he wanted to give me a chance at a normal life and I see that now. I don't know which I want more and I think it would be better if I just left without him knowing that I remember everything."

"No, Kagome. He cares about you, more than anything. He deserves to at least know that you remember him. He deserves a chance to convince you to stay wherever you wants you to," she told me forcefully. "He deserves that much for all that he's been through."

I looked at her with my sad expression. Her eyes were forceful and full of feeling, showing that she meant every word.

"I can't tell him, though," I told her finally.

"Why not?!" Sango asked, a little aggravated.

"I don't want to hurt him anymore."

"Please, Kagome, you have to tell him. You're the only person who's ever stood by him and without you…" She left the sentence hanging for me to finish the rest in my mind.

Sango was right, in a way. I'm the only person who's ever stood by him who lived long enough for him to make a lot of memories with. I don't remember one time that I have ever left him for good and never came back. Even now I still am by him. Even when I didn't remember, I chose him over Kouga and over everyone else. I could go through the well but I came back, wanting to remember him. Maybe it's just destiny.

I nodded. "I'll tell him. Thank you, Sango."

She gave me one last hug as she went back to the hut, leaving me to find Inuyasha and tell him all that I know.

I walked back to the place I had told Inuyasha to stay at and, sure enough, he was in a tree close by. I approached him and caught his gaze. He looked confused and slightly irritated but he deserved to be. I left without tell him anything but he kept his side of the 'deal'.

"Inuyasha," I started, my voice cracking slightly, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" he said, not making an attempt to move from his perch on the tree branch.

"When we defeated Naraku, while you were turning back to a hanyou from your demonic form…" I took a big breath, getting ready to see what his reaction would be like. "I got my memory back," I said softly.

"What?" he asked, unsure if what I said was true.

"I remember everything, Inuyasha," I stated, proving what he heard correct.

"Really?"

I nodded.

His face turned up into a smirk as he jumped down from the tree, facing me.

"'Bout time," he said, pulling me into a hug.

"I didn't live through those memories, though, because of the wish," I whispered against his muscular chest.

"You did, you just don't want to believe it. Trust me, Kagome, because I had the same feeling."

"You reset time, Inuyasha," I objected.

"But what happened before I did that…it really happened."

I looked at him, taking in his words. I didn't believe any of it at first, but then I saw the look on his face and the feeling in his eyes. He truly wanted me to believe it though I felt like I couldn't, like it wasn't real.

I focused on his eyes as different memories of us ran through my head in a wave so quick that it almost wasn't there. I blinked, recovering from that wave and stared more immensely into his eyes.

"Inuyasha," I whispered as I jumped into his arms, taking in his scent, barring my head in his chest. "I believe you," I muttered. "I'm back."

I meant every word. I was back. The old Kagome, the one that I thought I could never be, the one who had that great mold that was finally filled again. I remembered everything, and now I finally felt and held all the emotions that went with those memories.

"Why'd you make me forget? Didn't you want me anymore?" I asked, tears streaming down my face.

"Of course I wanted you, Kagome."

"Then why?"

"Because I felt as if I took any chances you had at a normal life away from you," he admitted sheepishly.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I didn't want a normal life?" I countered.

"How could you want this life with all of the hurt Naraku brought and all the times I hurt you?" he said, dodging my question.

"Because, even though there was hurting and all those horrible deaths, there was all the good we've done and all the lives we save. There was all the times we had together good and bad that I cherished. And," I continued, "I have a family here who I could never just leave behind no matter what hurting it brought."

I pulled away from the hug and watched a small smile play against his lips.

"Kagome, do you mean that?"

I nodded. We both leaned towards each other and kissed lightly, pulling away soon after.

Miroku's wind tunnel was finally gone, Sango had her family along with Miroku, Shippo had his parents, and Inuyasha and I had each other. Everything was starting to actually look up in this world that had once brought so much pain and sorrow. Naraku was finally dead…again. The jewel was complete and still inside my body. Everything was so messed up but now it's just perfect.

I now know that it was destiny that brought me back here and brought my memories back to me. Keada thinks that my soul, when Inuyasha made the wish, didn't want to let go of this world which is what helped destiny bring me back and not let me let go until I remembered everything I was supposed to remember.

My life, though it's far from normal, is actually better than anything else because I have two families who love me. Besides, what life is complete without going 500 years into the past?

The end

--

I want to thank all of the following who have inspired me to write/finish this story. I hope you guys liked it and would love to hear what you think.

Kagome In Love
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Wolf/DogHanyou
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Loved Forever
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Inuyasha's Emerald
andrea
ki tama onikkusu
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Thanks again!