InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets of the Shinju (Part IV): Power of the Purified Shinju ❯ A Brother's Gift ( Chapter 26 )

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the support! To be honest, I'm not really mad anymore. All of "her" fics were removed yesterday and once I calmed down, I wrote her an e-mail. Maybe I'm just too forgiving, but I told her that I wasn't mad anymore. I even offered to help her come up with some ideas for her own fic and beta read for her. She wrote me back and apologized which, I feel, shows that she has some amount of character. She doesn't want my help…but that's ok. Everything turned out ok in the end, I guess. I suppose I should be flattered that she thought my work was good enough to steal.

Chapter Twenty Five

A Brother's Gift

Sesshoumaru woke under the tree with Kagome in his arms. He looked at her sleeping face and felt sadness wash over him. The thought of letting her go was hurting him. He trusted her to keep her word and come back, but once she was in her own era he wouldn't be there to protect her. He brushed the hair from her face with his free hand then ran his fingers gently over her skin.

He lay there until the sun moved into the afternoon sky and decided to wake her so they could return to the village. He slowly pulled his arm from beneath her and then brought his lips to hers lightly. She let out a slight moan at his touch and he began kissing her neck and whispering her name. Kagome's eyes began to flutter and she looked around, briefly forgetting where she was. She felt warmth wash over her when she registered that Sesshoumaru was kissing her neck and caressing her body lightly.

She brought her hands to him and urged him up to her. She quickly began kissing him and pulling her body to his. He nearly laughed at her eagerness and obliged by bringing himself into her again. This time both became lost in the intense emotional and physical longing they shared. Sesshoumaru didn't hold anything back as he took her and it didn't take long for both of them to fall to the ground gasping for air.

"We should return to the village now. The others are probably wondering where we have gone." He said to her. She sighed and sat up. "I'm sure by now they know where we are, or at least what we've been doing." She said with a slight smile.

"Regardless, we should be heading back." He stood and reached down for her hand helping her up. Her legs were unsteady, still weakened from the intense pleasure she had been feeling. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"Kagome, I want you to promise me that you will come back." She nodded her head again and rested it on him. He kissed the top of her head softly and spoke in a strained voice.

"I need to hear you say it, Kagome." She pulled her head up and looked into his eyes. They shone with unshed tears. She could tell the thought of losing her after everything he had been through in his life was almost unbearable. It was then that she realized that besides Rin, who was merely a child, she was the only person that he had to share his life with. Everyone that he had cared for had been taken from him and he had made it his sole purpose in life to keep himself detached from any emotional relationships.

She reached up and softly kissed him. "I promise you that I will come back." He looked relived after hearing her words and released her. He quickly gathered her clothes for her and then began getting his own.

Once he was dressed he looked at her again. She was running her fingers through her hair trying to straighten it. "Kagome," He spoke her name before giving thought to his next words. She stopped concentrating on her hair and looked at him. He looked as though he had something he wanted to say but wasn't sure he should. She came to him and hugged him. "What is it?" He stood there for a moment holding her before he could find his voice.

"It is selfish of me to make you promise such a thing. If your life would be happier in your own era, then that is where you belong." She hugged him tighter, knowing it was painful to utter those words.

"I want to come back." She felt his arms tighten around her and his lips again come to her hair and kiss her. "I am glad; because truthfully I don't know what I would have done if you said you would rather stay in your era."

She smiled and looked up at him. He held a soft look now. She could feel the shinju radiating and she was amazed at how different he was now. When she had first met him, he had been cold and had even tried to kill her. Now he held love and she knew he would never harm her. He pulled her back to him and sighed heavily taking in her scent again.

"Now I can truly understand my father." Kagome looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" He kissed her forehead softly, "I now understand how he could so easily fall in love with a human."

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InuYasha approached Priestess Toshi, curious about his transformation into a full demon. She had come out of the shrine as he approached, knowing why he had come. She smiled at him slightly and then asked him to join her inside.

"You have come to ask me about your change?" She questioned. He simply nodded his head. She smiled again. "I must admit, it took me by surprise. The last time I met with you and your brother, I was under the impression that the two of you didn't care much for one another."

"What are you saying? Sesshoumaru had something to do with this?" InuYasha asked incredulously. She gave a short laugh at the stunned look on his face.

"No, he did not have something to do with this. He had everything to do with this. When he purified the shinju, it was his choice and his wishes that brought your demon blood forth. Though you are an heir to the gem, he is the rightful owner. He used the gem to strengthen your demon soul. For the shinju holds your demon soul too, as you well know."

InuYasha stared at her for a moment, unable to speak. Why had his brother done this for him? Sesshoumaru hates him. He slowly turned away and Toshi again spoke as though she had heard his thoughts.

"Becoming a full demon is obviously something that was of great importance to you. Apparently, this is a gift from your brother. He does not despise you. In fact, he cares for you quite a lot. Much of Lord Sesshoumaru's life was dictated by the tarnished shinju. His true soul is one of honor and dignity, not bitterness and hatred. The brother you have known your entire life no longer exists. Remember that when he and the priestess return.

InuYasha glanced back at Priestess Toshi and then stepped out of the shrine, mulling over the words she had said.