The once deafening battlefield was eerily quiet. The households began to collect themselves from their fallen state trying to make sense of what had happened. Even the hawks had been forced from the air as their human appearances reverted back looking around. Only they remained along with the corpses. The horde seemed to have vanished before them, as if purified. And the spot where Naraku had been crated out into a hole leaving nothing but the black outline of the half-demon burned into the surface. No one could sense him. He was gone as the gravity of the situation began to sink in. They had won.

Inuyasha spat out dirt from his mouth, having face planted into the grass from the shockwave. Taking in his surroundings he was stunned to find Naraku was nowhere to be found. But this wasn't like all the times the half-demon had suddenly disappeared to save himself. After all these years of hunting him, the enemy was finally defeated. Finding his friends, Sango had sat up with an exhausted Miroku lying in her lap. His hand was open, yet there was no danger. The wing tunnel was gone, which further proved that Naraku had been beaten. Shippo was crying in relief that they were both all right, Kirara nuzzling her partner tenderly. Standing, the half-demon looked for Kagome. However, the older teen was nowhere in sight. There wasn't even a trace of her existing from where she had been kneeling on the ground. Her scent had completely disappeared worrying him greatly.

Wolves pulled themselves up with some struggle as their demonic forms began to recede. Shrinking in height their legs slightly shook from exhaustion glancing around the field. They could not find Aisu or Tobi among the forces left alive. And Akiko's demonic aura had vanished. All set out to search for them.

The reincarnation lay on the ground unconscious. Her human features had reverted back with the wave of energy from the Shikon jewel. Even the Ice Blade had disappeared from her grasp, as there was no longer an immediate danger. In a blurred movement, the Lord of the West was by her side in the form of a man. He lifted the young woman into his lap and began searching for any signs that she was fatally injured. The demon was relieved to find that was not the case as he slowly coaxed her awake. With a low groan Akiko's brows scrunched before her eyes began to slowly open. Feeling his arm wrapped securely around her, the young woman knew exactly who was beside her and breathed a content sigh.

"Are you hurt?" Sesshomaru questioned to be sure.

"Exhausted, but I will live," Akiko murmured. Blinking to clear her vision, she asked, "Lord Orochi–?"

"The snake is dead." Again, that was a cause for much relief. Looking up towards the demon's voice he wasn't in focus. There was a brightness to her surroundings, she could just make out his shape, but all details were lost. Reaching up the young woman cupped Sesshomaru's cheek in a tender manner. Thumb running across his cheek he took notice of her actions and wondered, "Can you see?"

Her head shook, voice heavy with emotion, "It's so blurry."

So their assumption had been correct. Though she had not been completely blinded as before, this state would still be a struggle. It was almost more disorienting to the young woman than being left in an unseen world. And the Lord of the West couldn't help but wonder if over time that too would go away and leave the young woman in darkness. Leaning forward, Sesshomaru didn't care if any of the soldiers around them saw as his lips laid over the reincarnation's expressing his relief that she was still alive after all of this. That was all he truly cared about, pulling away. "We will take it one step at a time."

Giving a breathy laugh she managed to sit up to hug him tightly in gratitude. The demon pulled them both to their feet as Tobi and Aisu joined their side. Sensing the both of them, Akiko turned slightly in their direction and reached out a hand. Immediately Tobi pressed his snout into the reincarnation's palm. Sesshomaru shared a look with the former queen confirming that the young woman's sight was no longer the same. Aisu heart ached upon realizing that, feeling terrible that something so profound was given to her heir only for it to be ripped away once more. Even if it was a curse from Naraku. A part of her had been hoping their fears had been wrong.

Hearing that the households were gathering themselves, Akiko listened to their movements before asking,

"Where's Kagome?"

Kagome's head hurt as everything started coming back to her. The ground was hard and the air chilly, eyes cracking open to find herself surrounded by darkness. Disoriented, the older teen pushed up with some difficulty due to the head rush that followed. Her eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and found that four familiar walls surrounded her, glancing up to see the roof of the family shrine. The wish had thrown her back into her era. With wide eyes, the older teen turned her attention back to the ground, hands frantically feeling across the dirt and looking for a way back. She had to know what happened. Did her wish not only get rid of the Shikon but destroy Naraku as well? Were Inuyasha and her friends all right? Was Akiko–?

A light came from above, looking up upon hearing her name. "Grandpa!" she called back. Scrambling out of the well the old man hugged her tightly as she returned the gesture.

"I read all about it," he spoke. She knew he was talking about the scroll that detailed Akiko's journey in the other era. "You had disappeared and this was the first place I knew to look." Pulling away he glanced over his granddaughter who was dressed as a warrior covered in dirt and cuts from the battle, relieved to see she had not sustained anything life threatening. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"How am I here?" Kagome then asked. "Why did I come back?"

"Come inside," he coaxed. "Your mom and Sota are sleeping so it will just be the two of us. We can talk about it."

Walking inside, he draped a blanket over Kagome's shoulders and made sure she was comfortable before making some tea. As the two sipped at the warm liquid the older teen was beginning to feel exhausted. Now no longer fighting everything was hitting her at once, body aching from the fall she had sustained in the middle of the fight. "I have a theory," the older man finally spoke up. It drew her attention, forgetting about her aches and pains for a moment. "The Shikon and you have always been connected. It's the whole reason you were taken to the Feudal Era. By wishing it away it brought you back to were it all began. By making it disappear the same could be said for you disappearing from a time period that was not yours."

"I couldn't get back through..."

Grandpa sighed heavily, setting his cup on the table. "Then it seems it has finally sealed itself."

"But what about Akiko?" she asked with worry. The young woman wasn't in the well with her.

"It appears... that she was left behind."

That surprised Kagome. "Why?"

"I don't believe she will ever return," he spoke sadly. "For years now she had agreed to assume her role in the north. Her returning to the present was never in the cards. The jewel did not take her back because there's no connection between them. The Feudal Era is her home now and it saw that keeping her there."

"Naraku–"

"He is dead, you need not worry about that." At least there was a cause for relief. "We were all so worried about you. Your mother and I... we were reading the scroll together when it was all happening. Sota is too young and we made sure to not tell him." It took him a moment to continue. "You were in the darkness for three days." That surprised the older teen. "For three days we had no idea where you had gone. The text merely stated that you had vanished. I have been in the shrine for three days waiting for you to return because I knew this is where you would end up. But we began to wonder if you would return at all as the days went by." There were tears now in Kagome's eyes feeling absolutely terrible for worrying them so much.

"Is Akiko all right?"

He smiled at that. "She is in the care of good friends." And then he turned somber. "If we would have known the last time we saw her... would be the last time... She's never coming back, Kagome. None of us blame her for the decisions she's made, but our biggest regret is not saying goodbye. And when you had vanished... we began to assume the same would hold true to you as well." Moving around the table, Kagome hugged her grandfather tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. The guilt weighed heavily on her for worrying her family so much. That was not her intention, and the fact that they had already lost Akiko to the Feudal Era was hard enough to cope with. "I'm sorry I worried you."

That night, after a good hot shower and tending to her cuts, Kagome lay awake in bed. Her thoughts surrounded Inuyasha, her friends, and Akiko. She wondered if everyone truly was all right since the scroll Grandpa had did not detail her comrades. But she also thought about her family here. For years they always worried about the prospect of her returning or not. What she did was not exactly safe with every enemy they faced. A few times the older teen had come back looking worse for wear. Though her mom would never voice it, she could see at times that the woman wanted her to stay behind. So she was safe. She supported Kagome through a lot and now that it was all over, the reincarnation felt guilty thinking about the past still. With the Shikon gone Kagome could give her family what they always wished for: peace of mind knowing she wasn't in harms way. They worried about Akiko too. Since entering the well, the young woman came back less than her. But the difference was that they could see how important it was for Akiko to go back every time to learn how to become a ruler. And since entering the well, the young woman felt more at home than ever before. With all the tragedy she had experienced in the present they could not find it in themselves to force her to come back. No matter how much they worried about her safety as well.

Kagome sighed to herself, rolling onto a side and looking to the window that Inuyasha would always come through when he would come to collect her. With the well not working for her, then he probably couldn't come looking for her either. But the past was finally safe. She had been so wrapped up in their matters, the older teen had not been able to take into account what her family was feeling when she was gone. They had covered for her a lot with the fake sicknesses in school so there were no suspicions as to her extensive absences. And Kagome had always worried that she would never be able to graduate trying to balance both lives these last few years. Now she could finally focus on her studies like she always wanted... but even that thought now seemed so foreign to her. No, Kagome thought to herself, there was nothing wrong with still thinking that. She had succeeded in her mission and now it was time to return to reality. With Naraku and the jewel gone there was no reason for her to return to the past and the fact that the well refused to open further proved that it didn't want her there either. It was a tough pill to swallow that she would need to forget about the Feudal Era and reassure her family that everything was all right.

The present was where she belonged.