Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! I meant to have this up before graduation (which, even though I was practically convulsing cause I was so freakin' cold, was amazing :D), but life was busy and I needed to get stuff done before I could finish typing this last chapter that we've all been waiting for. :)

It's been a long, looong ride, but I hope you guys enjoy this final chapter as much as I enjoyed typing it.

Real quick though, I just want to thank everyone for everything. Thanks to those who have reviewed, thanks to those who have been reading since the very beginning, thanks to those who congratulated me, thanks to those who love this story, thanks to those who hate it: so pretty much, thank you everyone! In the end, you all helped create this mass of insanity that I guess we can call a story.

So yah. My appreciation for you all will last forever, and ever, and ever.

So, without further ado: the last chapter of Property of Akatsuki: Higurashi Kagome.

"Be there, be there, be there, be there!" Repeated Higurashi Souta in hurried gasps of breaths as he led his mother to the place where he swore he felt Kagome's aura lingering around.

Despite Kagome being the one with the incredible powers, he himself had quite a few skills that weren't as well known. And he planned on keeping it that way, since Kagome's powers seemed to get her into more trouble than necessary.

Although, he had a feeling it had more to do with Kagome herself than her powers.

Ikuko, who looked more anxious than anything, kept a close distance between her and her son. She didn't question the fact that her son claimed that he sensed Kagome—she just wanted to see for herself if Kagome really had returned to them. She didn't want to get too excited though, in case it turned out to be a false alarm.

But... hope clutched her heart and refused to let go. There was something in her gut that screamed at her that Kagome was indeed there, wherever there was.

And—

"Mom, look! It's Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" the youngest Higurashi shouted.

Frantic brown orbs widened as a figure clad in a red haori and matching red pants turned at the sound of Souta's voice.

What neither Higurashi was expecting was for Miroku to tiredly sit up, seeming to have just woken up from a nap. The monk looked in Inuyasha's direction to ask something, but he only blinked in surprise when he heard Souta and Ikuko came to a halt just a few feet behind them. He turned towards them, fully awake now.

Shippo still lay asleep besides them.

"W-where's Kagome?" Souta asked the two of them the moment he had caught his breath.

He got his answer when Inuyasha and Miroku exchanged a guilty glance.

Ikuko felt her heart deflate a little. "Was she here though?" She timidly asked, hoping to get an affirmative answer.

Clearing his throat, Miroku replied with a nod, "she was."

Ikuko brought a hand up to her heart and clenched it into a tight fist, relief causing it to shake. Souta began looking around the seemingly empty field of herbs. "Where is she now?" He questioned, expecting his sister to pop out of a bush or something at any moment.

Inuyasha finally spoke. "Listen kid, you gotta understand that—"

"Where's Kagome?" Souta yelled, looking down at his idol, expecting him to say something like, 'oi, calm down, she just went to go help some villager that asked for her assistance. You know how Kagome is—can't say no to anyone! She'll be back soon.'

But that wasn't what Inuyasha was really going to say.

Inuyasha's dog like ears pressed down against his skull at Souta's outburst.

Sensing the male's discomfort, Ikuko placed a hand on Souta's shoulder. "Souta, please listen to what Inuyasha-kun has to say, okay?" the kind woman pleaded.

Souta frowned and crossed his arms across his chest before gazing off into the distance. Knowing that her son would be silent for a few moments, Ikuko directed her attention back on Inuyasha. "So... you did see Kagome?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah."

"Is she... did she look okay?"

"Better than okay, I'd say," Miroku answered with a sturdy nod, "still lovely, and still feisty."

"Oi monk, don't disrespect Kagome like that in front of her mom!" Inuyasha protested, whacking the perverted monk on the side of the head.

Miroku pouted. "I wasn't disrespecting Kagome-chan, I was complimenting her!"

"When it's you who's saying it, it's disrespectful!"

"Inuyasha, that's not true! I—!"

Ikuko clapped her hands together, immediately defusing the situation and keeping it from getting out of hand.

Inuyasha chose to scowl, and looked to his left while Miroku offered a melancholic look to the understanding woman known as Kagome's mother. "Ikuko-san, did you know Kagome-chan is with the Akatsuki?"

"I had an idea," Ikuko truthfully replied with a somber smile. "A friend gave me the necklace she had originally made for Inuyasha, remember?"

Shock filled the field before all sets of eyes landed on the black and white rosary still wrapped around her small wrist.

...it all made sense now.

"They were all protective of her," Inuyasha suddenly muttered, tearing his eyes away from the necklace. "It kinda pissed me off."

"Kagome always did make friends very easily," Ikuko commented as she too stared down at the rosary. "I suppose that this situation, despite the fact that there are criminals involved, is no different."

Miroku sat up straighter. "But Ikuko-san, aren't you worried about Kagome-chan's saf—"

He stopped talking when Inuyasha suddenly held up a small slip of paper to Ikuko.

"She probably wanted you to have that," the silver haired male muttered.

Ikuko took it from his hold. Souta leaned closer to her, wanting to see what message his older sister had left this time.

Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. They won't hurt me.

A strange but comforting feeling took over Ikuko's body in that moment and she closed her eyes, bringing the note that Kagome had held just a little while ago to her heart.

It was all okay. Kagome was safe.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring her back," Inuyasha said, his tone apologetic.

Ikuko shook her head, dismissing his words. "Don't apologize, Inuyasha-kun. You know how she is: we all know how she is. She's the type of girl who's never really in any danger," she told him as she made her way over to the slumbering Shippo and lifted him into her arms, intent on carrying him back home.

Miroku nodded in agreement. "This is very true."

Ikuko smiled: a real smile this time, and not just one of comfort.

Miroku and Inuyasha stiffened, alarmed at her mood change.

Whenever Kagome switched moods like that, it meant something bad was about to happen.

Something really, really bad.

They could only imagine what her mom was capable of when she switched moods like that.

"Well, how about we all go back to my house and I cook you boys some dinner? Sounds good, ne?" The older woman invited as she began walking back in the direction of her home.

"Maybe we should tell her that her daughter is still living with S-ranked criminals?" Inuyasha asked once she was far away enough, still slightly frightened.

Miroku gulped. "I think we should. I don't think she heard what we said."

Souta sighed. But, despite his current feelings, even he couldn't help but feel relieved. "It's not that, you guys. She's just relieved to know for sure that Kagome's safe. It's only natural that she's super happy now that she knows that her daughter is going to be okay."

Miroku slowly smiled at the young boy who resembled Kagome, and in his mind, he pictured that he was in fact, talking to the blue eyed beauty. "Indeed, she always will be."

Inuyasha keh'ed and stood up. "Like I said: there's nothin' to worry about. Kagome probably has those Akatsuki guys wrapped around her little finger, and makes them clean, and cook and..."

From up ahead, Ikuko's smile widened.

No one could understand just how elated she felt at the moment. No one could understand how one small sheet of paper with three small sentences had brightened her world, because she knew that Kagome was alright.

Her beautiful, kind, sweet daughter was alright.

It was still hard for her though, because she couldn't see her at the moment and probably wouldn't for another while. But, she knew deep in her heart that eventually, Kagome would return home.

Kagome always came home.

And Ikuko would eagerly be waiting for her return.

Even if it took one year.

Even if took five years.

Even if it took ten years.

If there was one thing Kagome could say about her stay with the Akatsuki, it was that it had been entertaining. And exhausting, but she was no stranger to that particular feeling.

She supposed that at first, she had been anxious, and a bit scared after Leader had forced her to join the most feared organization in the shinobi world, but not as much as one should be if they were stuck in the same situation as her. After all, living with a bunch of S-ranked criminals listed prominently in the bingo book was not something to be happy about.

Yet, for some reason, even from the very beginning, that hadn't bothered her. The fact that she was surrounded by murderers barely even registered in her mind, and she never really gave much thought to it.

'You're too damn trusting,' Inuyasha had always told her, and she would usually reply by saying 'it's trust that binds humans together, so why wouldn't I trust him or her?' and Inuyasha would glare at her, because even inside his stubborn head, he knew she was right.

Was trusting a group of male delinquents the smartest idea in the world?

No, definitely not.

However, Kagome had this habit of not conforming to society's standards and as a result...

...she tended to get along with everybody.

Well, almost everybody.

"He is not my boyfriend!"

"Then why the fuck is Tobi babbling on about how this Inuyasha guy or whatever practically threw himself on you and proclaimed his love for you or some shit like that?"

Kagome blanched and looked away from Hidan towards a jittery Tobi, who stood there with his hands up in a defensive position. "Tobi-kun, that didn't happen!" she yelled.

Tobi clapped his hands together. "But Tobi saw in Inuyasha's eyes that that was what he wanted to do!"

As expected, Deidara stepped in. "How the hell could you see that when all you have to look out of is that stupid little peep hole in that even stupider mask!"

Tobi clenched his fists to his heart, well aware that his superior was suffering from conflicting emotions. "Don't let jealousy cloud your judgment, Deidara-senpai!"

"Don't let stupidity cloud yours, hm!"

Kagome stomped her foot. For once, she wished that she could walk in this living room without having to bite someone's head off! "Can you guys please stop yelling at each other?"

Kisame tried to stifle his chuckles, and from beside him, Itachi watched the scene as it continued to unravel with a stoic expression, but there was definitely a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"It's almost like the time Tobi convinced the others you and Kagome were secretly seeing one another," the Uchiha lightly commented.

Kisame shook his head, that particular incident still fresh in his mind. "That poor girl."

"On the bright side though," said a familiar voice as the ever present Zetsu popped out of the ground to stand besides Kisame, "she's not thinking about how much she misses her family and friends."

"Of course not," Kisame replied, "she looks like she's thinking of ways to kill Hidan and Tobi instead."

"She returned," Konan commented from the room she and Pein were waiting in, having sensed Kagome's presence along with the other four, but not wanting to go outside and deal with the commotion currently taking place.

Pein looked out the window, his gaze deep and pensive. "...I wanted that girl here because I knew she would change the mind sets of the members of this organization. As shinobi living in a world plagued by war and hate, happiness, love, and joy are merely regarded as burdens. They are burdens. We are tools, and nothing more. However, she's the one person who would help a deranged group of convicts experience the emotions that were robbed from them from the beginning. They deserve that, at the least."

"...in order words, she does not make it a burden," Konan simplified.

Pein remained silent, but Konan knew he agreed with her statement.

She herself enjoyed having Kagome around too.

At this point, the sharp pain enveloping Kagome's head wasn't a headache.

It was a migraine.

"Sit him, hm!"

"I'm not going to sit Tobi-kun, Deidara-kun!"

"Yay!" Tobi cheered. After all, he in no way, shape or form, wanted his face smashed into the ground. "Ka-go-me-chan is not going to sit To-bi~" he sang.

Annoyed with Tobi (like always), Hidan grasped the rosary around his neck, pulled it off and thrust it in Kagome's direction. "Here, now sit the happy go lucky fucker," he pleaded.

Kagome frowned and pushed the silver rosary away. "I can't believe you guys! The only reason I even use that is to keep Inuyasha from getting into serious trouble."

"That's hard to believe, hm," Deidara muttered in a low tone.

Hidan stared down at Kagome, intrigued with what he had just discovered. "So wait, you're into S&M? Is that why you have this so called 'sit' command?"

"Did you not hear what I just said!" Kagome fumed as her face turned red.

Hidan smirked as if he had just uncovered some deep dark secret of hers. "It's always the pretty ones who are into the weird shit," he said.

"Smashing someone's face into the ground counts as S&M?" Deidara asked.

"If the person likes it, then yeah," Hidan nodded sagely.

The fire in Kagome's body died out at that.

...they could believe whatever they wanted to believe.

Tobi suddenly grabbed her hand, alarmed at how much her body had slumped at Hidan's words. "Don't collapse on us like last time, Kagome-chan!" he exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

Kisame came up from behind and began patting her head. "As the princess of the Akatsuki, you should expect every single day from now on to be like this," he teased.

"Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to that," Kagome mock sobbed.

"What you need is some stunning art to cheer you up, hm," Deidara said with a cocky smirk. He reached into the pouch attached to his pants and pulled out a wad of clay to begin making a sculpture he knew Kagome would appreciate.

Hidan decided to use another approach. "How about I dress up like this Inuyasha guy for you and you can just sit me to hell or whatever: I heard he has silver hair just like me."

"You might want to be careful: Kagome might try to slam your face into the ground with her bare hands," Itachi added in that serious yet teasing tone of his.

This time, Kagome couldn't help but smile.

'It's not just trust that binds people together,' she told herself as she watched Hidan attempt to rile up a typical calm Itachi, and saw Deidara attempt to re-sculpt 'mistress centipede,' and felt Tobi tighten his hold on her hand, and Kisame pat the top of her head, 'it's the need to be emotionally attached to someone too,' she concluded.

She completely understood why she was here now, and she did not have a single protest against it. She missed her family and friends, without a doubt, but, she had a feeling she would see them again.

Having eight or so convicts emotionally attached to her?

Not the brightest idea ever.

But...

Kagome brightly smiled.

She wasn't a fan of conforming to society's standards anyways.

END.