AN: Okay, so I've finally buckled down and started overhauling this thing. The first chapter is pretty much the same, but I've changed quite a bit later on. I hope that I've made the story more well-rounded. I really struggled with what Kagome could change when she gets sent to Middle-earth.

Also, Sindarin and Quenya are absolutely beyond me. I had to make two Elven names (you'll find out why later) and I'm sick with the thought that I messed them up. I'm sorry if I did and will accept any suggestions gratefully. If I use an Elven phrase, I totally got it from Tolkien himself (since I would fail epically at the correct grammar of Sindarin) or I got it from A Gateway to Sindarin by David Salo. He was the chief linguistic consultant on the LotR films.

On the subject of Glorfindel, this is fanfiction, so I ignored the debate on him and just made Glorfindel of Gondolin the same Elf as the one that resides in Imladris. He survived killing the Balrog.

Er…I think that's it…please let me know what you think!

…..

Book One

Part, the First

Things That End

Sengoku Jidai

Japan, Earth

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed as blood dripped in her eye.

The hanyou glanced at her and smiled sadly from his place within Kikyou's arms. "I promised her, Kagome. Once Naraku was destroyed, I promised her I'd go with her."

Tears streamed down the young miko's face as Sango, Miroku, and Kirara staggered to her side. The smell of death permeated the air, giving the ravaged battlefield an even darker feel. Demon bodies were strewed across the once lush meadow. What remained of Naraku were just charred ashes already being scattered by the wind. Kagome stood beside her friends, all of them bleeding and battered yet triumphant.

Sesshoumaru had headed for the tree line as soon as the Shikon had been restored and purified. He paused, however, at the miko's cry. Turning his head, he narrowed his eyes at the sight. The ground beneath his half brother and the undead miko began to tremble.

"What about your wish, Inuyasha?" Kagome cried out in desperation.

Sango wrapped her arms around the distraught woman, holding her back.

Inuyasha turned and accepted the jewel from her. He glanced at the jewel before looking into his best friend's eyes. His heart lurched at the agony reflected there. Tightening his hand on the jewel, he made his decision.

"I wish for your happiness, Kagome," he stated clearly.

Kagome sobbed as she broke from Sango and threw herself into Inuyasha's arms. "Please, please don't go," she whispered, her voice rough from crying and the strangle hold Naraku had her in at one point during the battle.

Inuyasha gently pulled away. His golden eyes flicked to the cut that ran through the middle of her right brow to below her eye. She was lucky she hadn't lost that eye. As it was, though, Inuyasha knew it would scar.

"Sorry 'bout that," he grumbled before stepping away. "Feh, you better not mate with that wolf! I'll haunt your ass."

Gasping a weak laugh, Kagome allowed Miroku to pull her away. The ground began trembling again and Inuyasha resumed his descent with his dead love. Kagome covered her eyes and turned away, unable to watch her best friend being dragged to Hell. Just as Inuyasha's head disappeared, a green whip shot out and split his skull in two. Sango gasped and wrenched her eyes to the stoic Western Lord.

"His death has always been mine," he stated.

The exterminator barely heard him over Kikyou's anguished wail. Wincing, Sango saw the earth close and the scream stopped.

Miroku blinked and watched as Inuyasha's soul ascended into the heavens. Smiling, Miroku nodded to Sesshoumaru. "Very generous of you, Lord Sesshoumaru. Thank you."

Sesshoumaru merely arched a brow and disappeared. Sango whirled on Miroku as Kagome tried to understand what had happened.

"What the Hell was that?!" Sango snarled.

Miroku's eyebrows shot up at her swearing, but decided it wasn't the time to comment. "Lord Sesshoumaru killed Inuyasha before Kikyou could drag him to Hell. This allowed his soul to escape so that he can be reincarnated later. Kikyou went to Hell alone, but with Inuyasha's promise fulfilled."

Kagome sniffed and shook her head. "Well, whether Inuyasha made a pure wish or not, the Shikon is gone…" she trailed off, however, when the jewel shot up from the ground to hover in the sky.

"Never mind," she grumbled, glaring at the object.

A pink light flashed, leaving behind a miko in full armor. The inu-tachi's eyes widened in recognition.

"Midoriko?"

The priestess gave a faint smile and inclined her head. "I am forever bound to the Shikon, but, after contact with you, Kagome, I have at last defeated my enemy. Contrary to the myths, though, the jewel will not disappear and it can be corrupted again with enough malice."

Sango groaned and glanced to Miroku, who was frowning thoughtfully.

"What can we do, then?" Kagome asked.

The elder miko smiled. "Your hanyou friend made an unselfish wish for you, Kagome. I will grant it on one condition. You must become the permanent guardian of the Jewel. I'll use the last of my powers to fuse the jewel to your soul, making you the embodiment of the jewel."

Kagome clenched her eyes shut and fought back a scream. She'd just lost her best friend and now she was supposed to give up her humanity? How much did she have to sacrifice? Her blue eyes opened to look at her two friends. They had stayed by her far longer than she deserved. They were her family on this side of the well.

"What do you guys think?"

Miroku blanched and glanced to Sango. They shared a silent conversation before turning back to their friend. "Lady Kagome, we will support and protect you regardless of your decision."

Kagome looked down to see Kirara rubbing against her legs. Smiling, she bent and swept the neko into her arms. Brushing her cheek against Kirara's soft fur, she said, "At least Shippo's safe with Kaede and didn't have to see all of this."

Lifting her eyes, she met Midoriko's with determination. "I won't let the jewel be broken again, and if that means you have to bind it to my soul, then so be it."

Midoriko's face flickered with relief for a brief moment. "Thank you, Kagome. I will do everything in my power to prepare you for this guardianship. One day, dear one, this burden will not press you as it does now."

Kagome sighed. "That day is very far from now," she whispered almost bitterly as she let Kirara down.

Midoriko nodded. "Yes, and there are many hardships you will face before then. I will give you twenty years with your comrades before I take you from this place. We will train relentlessly, for you will need all of your resources to walk the path you've chosen."

Kagome felt the crushing weight on her heart lift slightly at hearing she could stay with her friends. "When do we start?"

Another bright light flashed, expanding to surround Kagome and Midoriko. Kagome's ears grew to have a hint of a point and her blue eyes became a shocking electric blue. The light intensified before abruptly being sucked into Kagome. She gasped and staggered, grateful her friends kept her from falling.

"There, I've changed your body and mind to accommodate your new role. Now, I must rest." The ancient miko gave an encouraging smile to Kagome. "We will begin your training tomorrow."

That said, she disappeared. Kagome felt her settle into a small niche in her soul. Then, darkness claimed her.

…..

Miroku watched as Kagome healed an injured villager. He sighed as Sango came to sit beside him on Kaede's porch. Or, rather, what had been Kaede's porch before the old miko passed. Now, it was Kagome's when she was in the village.

"What has brought such somber thoughts to my husband's mind?" Sango asked quietly.

The monk nodded toward their friend. "She tries, but she'll never look completely human."

Sango blinked and looked to see Kagome laughing at something Shippou had done. It had been ten years and the kit was now an adolescent. One could almost mistake the fox and miko for blood kin. Her faey like appearance and intense, old eyes, gave her an otherworldly feel. Still, Shippou kept her from being too morose. It helped as well that Kagome was an upbeat person by nature. She didn't let anything keep her down for long.

Sango smiled when Kagome was tackled by five shrieking children.

"Perhaps Midoriko is going too easy on you, Kagome, if children can take you down!" Sango called.

Kagome tried to glare, but couldn't quite manage it through her laughter. Sango chuckled and glanced to see Miroku smiling sadly. "You okay?"

Miroku shook himself and nodded. "I was thinking. We've reached the half way mark, now."

Sango cocked her head to the side, but said nothing. She was well aware of how long her sister had left with them.

"I was thinking that, if not for Kagome, I never would have met you," he finished. "If she hadn't convinced Inuyasha to let me go with them and then convinced us to help you, we wouldn't be here today. I don't know that I'd even be alive."

His wife looked away and watched as Shippou approached them. "I know."

"Your brats are not staying with me tonight," the kitsune stated when he was near. "Kagome brought them way too much chocolate on this visit."

Miroku arched a brow and saw Kagome allowing her adopted nieces and nephews to drag her toward their parents. Tell tale signs of the brown sweet were on several of his children's faces. Groaning, he glared at the woman he considered a sister, despite the fact that she'd stopped aging at the age of twenty four.

"Kagome!" Sango growled. "You know the rule on sweets!"

Kagome grinned. "Sorry, they waylaid me and swiped my backpack. It wasn't on purpose."

Miroku jerked his thumb toward their home next door. "Go wash your faces, you pirates."

The oldest suddenly wouldn't look at them, shuffling his feet in the dirt.

"You did fill the wash basin this morning, like you were supposed to, didn't you?"

The boy shook his head sheepishly. Shippo sighed and began herding the kids toward the creek.

"Come on, runts, let's get you cleaned up."

Midoriko appeared beside them and motioned to Kagome. "Come, it is time to train."

Kagome pouted, but followed obediently after the spirit. Midoriko had been training her for the past decade and Kagome was often surprised by what she was learning to do. It was a boost to her esteem to know that, with time, she would be a great warrior. Kagome didn't know that many already considered her as such.

Sesshoumaru even gave her a grudging amount of respect after she had returned Tetsusaiga to Inutaisho's last family member. She pointed out that since he allowed Rin to follow him, he would be protecting her; thus, the sword would allow him to use it. She had been correct. It was funny, after Tetsusaiga accepted the lord, Tenseiga had glowed and healed his arm. His face had been priceless. Now, she rarely saw him and his group, but they were cordial when their paths crossed. The last she'd heard, Rin was marrying some minor human lord.

Still, there was much Midoriko had to teach her. Ten years suddenly didn't seem that long.

Midoriko glanced back at her pupil. Kagome was progressing at a far swifter rate than she had anticipated. The only thing she struggled with was control of her miko powers. That was to be expected, though, in one that had grown up not being trained to use them. She wondered just how much those powers would grow with the proper training and motivation.

Turning, the elder miko pinned Kagome with a hard stare. "Kagome, you are excelling at the weapons training and your cultural lessons, but you don't seem to be putting forth the same effort with your powers training. You still treat your powers as if they aren't real to you."

Kagome lowered her eyes and nodded. "In some ways, they aren't."

Midoriko shook her head. "Ten years you have studied, learning languages and cultures and a history totally foreign to you. Perhaps you will only be able to unleash your true power when you are finally on your true path. Still, where you are going is a very dangerous place. You know this. I have taught you the history of that world, but there is still much left to learn. Maybe you just have to find your inspiration."

With a groan, Kagome rubbed her hand down her face. "You're bonded with the Shikon and the Shikon is bonded to me, so can't you just zap all this training into my head?" she whined vaguely.

Midoriko shook her head. "Nothing comes of taking the easy way, Kagome. The best learned lessons are those that you go through fire for yourself." She paused and considered. "Though, you all ready know that sometimes miko can see things that have yet to happen. Be cautious with this ability. You know very well about self fulfilling prophecies."

Kagome almost missed her old math classes.

…..

Later, Sango approached Kagome as the woman was collecting her bathing supplies. "Mind if we join you?" She asked, indicating her and Kirara.

Kagome grinned. "Do I ever?"

The women laughed and made their way to the hot spring nearby. As they languished in the water after washing, Sango brought up the topic she had been agonizing over.

"Kagome, Midoriko said that you're going to a very dangerous place," she began.

The miko cracked one eye open and nodded. "Yeah, but then, why does that not surprise me? It's not like this place is without some major badies."

Sango looked away. "It's different, though. Here, you have us-even if Miroku and I are getting too old to really be of any help." She held up her hand to stop her friend's denials. "Where you'll be going, you won't have anyone. Kirara and I talked it over, and she would like to go with you."

Kagome sat up in the water and stared at the older woman. "What?" Her blue eyes flickered to the neko youkai watching them from the shore. "Kirara, why? You've always guarded the taijiya clan. Sango's descendants need you."

Kirara cocked her head, seemingly smiling, and mewed. Sango grinned and shook her head as the women dried themselves off and donned their clothes.

"Kagome, my family is large and growing every day. They have each other-not to mention Shippo and the family he'll be starting. You, on the other hand, will be leaving without any of us." Sango bit her lip and her eyes bored into the other woman's. "I couldn't live with myself if I let you leave alone, with your world ending yet again. I won't have you abandoned!"

The miko had tears in her eyes as they darted between her two friends. "Kirara? Do you really want to go?"

The neko nodded, letting out a content purr. The tears in the miko's eyes spilled as she hugged her best friend.

"Thank you, Sango," she whispered. "I was so afraid…" She broke off. "Thank you."

Sango clenched her eyes closed. "Anytime, little sister."

…..

Ten years came and went and the children Kagome had delivered were now coming to her with babies of their own. Miroku and Sango were grandparents and Shippo had finally grown and taken a mate. Kagome smiled sadly. Her mother and grandfather had passed and Sota's wife was pregnant with their second child. The world had moved on without her.

Lightly, she brushed her fingers over the lip of the Bone Eater's well. Today was her last day and she was sealing the well for good.

"I wonder what you'd say about all of this, Inuyasha," she mused aloud.

Laughing through her tears, the miko stepped back and released a powerful wave of magic at the portal. It flared once more before the magic died. Now, it was nothing more than a forgotten hole in the ground. Steeling herself, Kagome made her way to where Midoriko stood beside her friends and their families.

Sango and Miroku hugged her tightly before letting her go to the others. When Kagome reached Shippo, tears were in both their eyes. She hugged him as hard as she could before stepping away to look at his mate.

"Take care of them for me."

The vixen smiled and bowed deeply to the woman she looked up to. "It is done."

Nodding, the miko turned to Midoriko. "I'm ready." She nuzzled Kirara as the neko leapt onto her shoulder. "We're ready," she amended.

Midoriko nodded sadly. "Yes, you are. Now, as my final gift…"

Kagome found herself clothed in a durable green haori and white hakama with matching boots. Armor wrapped around her body and her hair pulled itself into a high ponytail. Glancing up, she saw her teacher offering her weapons.

"This bow and quiver will fly the truest arrows. This katana will deal the deepest wounds. And these," she said as she handed Kagome several kunai, "will be secret friends."

Bowing, Kagome strapped the weapons on and then looked at the large group. "I love you guys."

Midoriko swallowed and put her hand on her student's shoulder. "It will take time, but you will be happy, Kagome. I promise you that. Remember who you must find first."

And then, Kagome disappeared.

She landed on her feet in a place utterly foreign to her. The magic of the world assaulted her, making her fall to her knees as she tried to assimilate everything that had happened and the immense history that was inundating her mind.

A tall figure appeared before her, frowning down the blade of his sword that was pressed against her throat.

Kagome concentrated on seeing through the blurriness being sent here had left her with and smiled weakly. "Master Elrond…I've heard so much about you."

Elrond watched in shock as the woman with the unusual accent collapsed at his feet. Sheathing his sword, he knelt and checked her over. Seeing that she had simply fainted, he called for a servant to take her to a room.

…..