InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ I Will Wait ❯ Chapter Ten: Eternal ( Chapter 10 )

A/N: Aaroyle, to each their own.  Personally, I’m a fan of het, yaoi, and yuri, as long as the story is well-written and entertains me.  But then again, I’ve always been a firm believer that you can’t help who you love.  But I digress, that little rant in Ch. 8(?) was primarily there because I noticed while writing that it could easily be ready either way, depending on the reader’s preference.  I decided to note the fact that yes, I do understand that, and no, I don’t particularly care which reading you prefer, whichever brings you more enjoyment from the story, really *shrugs*.  It was just an aside and not really meant to be given any serious thought.  Kouga, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sango are all very minor characters in IWW, their interactions in this story are really little more than me playing a tithe to AFH, which made quite a bit more use of them.   Standard disclaimers, blah blah.   I Will Wait By: Banshee Puppet Chapter Ten: Eternal   The thing about life: right when you think you’ve got everything figured out, it throws you for a loop.   Kagome thought gathering all of the shikon shards would bring things to some kind of resolution, some sort of peaceful denouement where things fade where things fade to close with a melancholy, yet hopeful, whisper, but what things ended on was bloodshed, war, destruction.   Defeating Naraku, no easy task in its own right, released the many demons that had made him up for fifty years or more…and they were fairly well pissed off.  The shikon jewel was like a homing beacon for the demons, and so very much had happened that in the end, Kagome had been forced to give it to Shippo in hopes that the kit would be able to get it to Inuyasha on the battlefield while she, elsewhere, tried to deliver Sango’s baby.  She could only pray that the men and Kaede were able to do what they always did and save the day.    A bright flash of light and a child’s cry were the last images of the feudal era the miko was permitted to have though.  In her mind, she’d always imagined embracing her lover softly, bidding her friends a tearful farewell—but the reality was a much harsher affair, and she found herself blinking up at the roof of the well-house through tear-blurred eyes.  Sesshomaru would return to her?  She couldn’t even guarantee he’d survived the battle, and what about Inuyasha and Sango and the baby, and Miroku, and Kouga—what about poor little Shippo, and Rin?  She might never know what happened to any of them.   Kagome buried her face in her hands for some minutes and sobbed relentlessly until she managed enough steadiness to climb out of the well, no longer connected to the feudal realm by the Shikon jewel, nor by any lingering power she might have had as a miko.   “Mamma, I’m home,” she said dejectedly, voice dry as she entered the Higurashi house.   Sesshomaru’s shoulders tensed a bit in nervous anticipation. ‘Kagome…’ She really was back, and she’d been crying.  He supposed he understood why.  He remembered returning from the battle, looking to Sango for Kagome’s whereabouts, finding her gone.  Even knowing the day would come offered little to no solace.  The next few years were a blur of grief—he couldn’t be sure what had happened, or where, or when.  It was another battle, another war, that had finally knocked the sense back into him.  That’s right—they would meet again—he still had that promise to keep, that moment to look forward to.    And now, nudged on by Mrs. Higurashi, he understood the moment of their reunion had finally arrived.  Kagome’s mother made a shooing gesture at the nervous youkai, perhaps too understanding for her own good.  “You get out there and welcome her home,” she told him.  “Or I’ll change my mind about letting you come visit.”   Sesshomaru felt that in all the years of his long life, he had never been more anxious about anything.  He stared at the archway between the kitchen and living room for a long moment before stepping through it at last.   Time seemed to freeze when Kagome looked up to fine him there.  To look at him, she understood fully just how long  the years had been between then and now.  His tail was gone, hair cut short, though longer layers on top ruffled forwards to occasionally fall in his eyes, and though his golden optics were still as enchanting as ever, slight creases of age formed at the edges of them.  He’d become somewhat distinguished, though she found him to be just as beautiful as he ever was.   After only the slightest pause of surprise, Kagome ran forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her love.  Unable to form any real words, she cried.  She cried for Sesshomaru waiting five hundred long years for her to return, and for Sango’s baby who was born on a battlefield, for all of her friends who anything could have become of for all she knew, and for herself, who the past had rejected and the future had yet to know.  And also, she cried for happiness, for the joy she felt in finding that Sesshomaru had kept his promise, for the warm, strong arm around her shoulders…for knowing the worst was over and their lives together about to begin anew.  When she finished with tears, she led him to sit on the couch with her.  “Tell me?” she asked, “all that’s happened to everyone.”   “That,” Sesshomaru responded, “is a very long story.”   The hours waned on as the inuyoukai spoke more than he had in…probably his entire life, really, dulcet tones soothing her somehow through the story.  He related that everyone survived the battle.  Inuyasha, in the end, had chosen to become human so his child could have a normal life.  Shippo and Rin eventually wed, and some time later, their son married Inuyasha and Sango’s grandchild.  Miroku never did find a woman to bear his child, but he seemed content enough with the curse on his hand gone to not pursue it too much and behave as a normal monk, though Sesshomaru felt his more lecherous habits lasted out his life…much to Inuyasha’s aggravation.  Eventually the monk rather by accident adopted a young hanyou, though his own age was quite advanced at this time, so Kouga helped him care for the boy and took on the job on his own when the monk passed away.  The two had actually stayed in Sesshomaru’s home for a time after the monk’s passing, as the temple Miroku had called his home was given to another member of the service who didn’t look very kindly on demons of any kind.  But eventually, the twentieth century arrived, and with it the second World War.   Sesshomaru and spent those years in African seeing as it seemed about as safe a place as there was at the time, and besides, he had no real desire to get involved in human conflicts.  That perspective saved his life in the end, as the atomic weapons that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki decimated the demon race across the entire island of Japan—demons being, apparently, far more vulnerable to the radiation even than humans were.  His tail?  Oh, that had been lost in a much earlier war when his lands were stolen from right beneath him! (which, by the way, he still appeared to be rather irate about)  And Jaken, he’d remained by Sesshomaru’s side until this past winter, when old age had finally claimed him rather peacefully in his sleep.    All in all, for such a long history, it seemed as if everyone had gotten their small share of happiness.  And now, Kagome understood, finally, it was their turn.  She rested her head against the youkai’s shoulder.  It was only a short while for her since she’d been in his arms, but it felt like ages; she could only imagine what it must be like for him.   “I have a gift for you,” he said after a stretch of silence.   Kagome lifted her head and sat up.  “A gift?” she asked.  Sesshomaru wasn’t the type for random presents, so she was intrigued, what could it be?  Her heart thundered in her chest when he placed a black velveteen ring box in her hand.    “If you’ll have it,” he said.   She didn’t realize she was holding her breath as she let the box snap open, revealing a lovely gold and diamond wedding band with the most peculiar pink stone at the center that looked suspiciously like the shikon jewel in minature.  It was really little more than an unsually clear bit of rose quartz—not expensive by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a reminder of the past’s trials and fond memories for both of them, and Kagome felt it was a lovely, perfect ring.   “Of course I’ll accept it,” Kagome exhaled, feeling on the verge of tears again.  “Yes, absolutely.”  It was when she took the band from the box that she noticed the etched letters inside the band, a single word only, ‘eternal’.   “Sesshomaru…” she said.  It was so oddly romantic for him that she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed and blush faintly.    He took the ring and slipped it onto her finger, daring himself to say words to her which had always been difficult for him, though he’d felt him just as earnestly now as he ever had.  “This ring is only a symbol,” he told her, “but as long as you wear it you will never be able to forget that I love you, very, very much.”   Kagome threw her arms around the demon’s neck and found herself crying again.  “Then you’d better wear one too,” she said.  “So you won’t forget either.  I never want to let you go again.”   “Gods and fate willing,” he answered, embracing her again and taking in the familiar, peach blossom scent of her hair, “you won’t have to.”     (End Chapter)   A/N: Egads!  Talk about a fluff-fest at the end!  Well, we’re almost there at long last folks!  Just the Epilogue to go, and all I have to do is type it!