InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Enigma of Power ❯ It's Hard to Say Goodbye ( Chapter 21 )

Sorry for the delay, but hey, I made up for it in length…I hope. Anyway, enjoy and please review.

Kagome awoke in her own bed and was instantly lonely. It seemed that it was not nearly as warm as it had been before. She rose and showered, enjoying the feel of the hot water on her body. She dressed and went downstairs. Her family was seated around the table, but the moment she entered Souta was up and running into her arms. She laughed as she hugged him. Her mother was up as well, a smile on her face.

"You came home last night?"

"Hai. I wanted to tell you…Sesshomaru and I…we are to be mated."

She beamed at them and her mother's smile was equally as bright. She hadn't seen her daughter this happy in years. She pulled Kagome into her arms.

"I'm happy for you. Can we…I mean will there be a ceremony?"

"Yes, a rather elaborate one. I was hoping you would be able to come."

"Just tell us when."

Kagome kissed her mother on the cheek, then her face became serious. "Right now I have to go withdraw from school. I can't finish, but I do want to take all my books with me. I want to learn every language I can."

Her mother opened her mouth to respond, then nodded. "I know that when you set your mind to something, there is nothing I can do to change it. I am glad though, that you are willing to continue learning."

Kagome nodded and stepped from the circle of their arms. She grabbed her bag and waved goodbye before starting off toward school. She was almost there when Yuka and Eri ran up behind her.

"Kagome! We heard you were seeing an older guy. Is that true?"

Kagome smiled at them. "Sort of, I'm not so much seeing him as marrying him."

Her friends gasped. "Marry…are you sure…I mean how well do you know him?"

"I know him well enough to know that I love him and I am going to marry him. I know it's a little sudden, but I'm withdrawing to go live with him."

They both stopped. "Withdrawing? But you've worked so hard."

She turned to look at them. "I know, but he is my life now, he and our children."

"Children…you mean you're…is that why you're marrying him?"

She blushed a deep crimson. "I have to get going, and to answer you, I am marrying him for two reasons, the first and most important is because I love him and I want to spend my life with him. The second is because he needs me almost as much as I need him. You have no idea how good that knowledge makes you feel."

They walked with her in silence all the way to the school. Then they turned to go to their class while Kagome walked to the administrative offices. It took several hours for her to complete everything that was necessary. Every person she talked to tried to convince her to stay, even if only to finish out the term. At last she sat with the head of the school. He sighed as he looked over her papers.

"Now I know you've heard this at least a dozen times today, but are you sure. Considering all your work, though, I would think you would want to at least take the final exams."

"I just can't."

"Is there a reason for this?"

She sighed and nodded. "I'm getting married. My duty is now to my husband and our children. I will continue to learn, but I cannot do it here."

The old man had gone deathly pale. "Married?"

"Look, I want to get this finished and start my move."

"Your move?"

"I'm moving in with him."

"And your mother and grandfather?"

"They know and approve. He's a good man and we love each other."

"If you don't mind my asking, how old is he?"

She blushed and looked down at her lap. This was a very hard question to answer. "He's older than me."

"That is not an answer." His eyes narrowed, had an older man taken advantage of her? It was not unheard of that the family would sign off on the marriage if there was a child involved. "I would like to know his age."

She took a deep breath. "To be honest, I don't know exactly. I know he is significantly older than me."

"Kagome-san…"

"Look, I know how it sounds, but you have to believe me, this was my choice. He didn't pressure me. In fact, he was afraid what others would think when this came out. He was afraid that everyone would look at me like I am some sort of scandal. He begged me to think long and hard before I agreed."

"If this is about the child…abortion is a viable option nowadays."

"Abortion? But Shippou and Rin aren't…they're…"

Now his eyes went so wide Kagome could see the whites all the way around his irises. "You mean…all this time you haven't been sick…you've been pregnant?"

Kagome's face went bright red. Where were they getting this from? "I…my family is larger than you think, and I would like to dedicate myself to them. I don't understand why everyone is trying to stop me."

"We are only looking out for you."

She jumped to her feet. "I don't need anyone looking out for me. I have Sesshomaru and Inuyasha to do that, thank you. I have Rin and Shippou to raise and I am having a very hard time doing that because of you! Now I am leaving."

He jumped up too. "Wait, Rin and Shippou…"

She let out a deep breath. "Rin is Sesshomaru's. I am only glad she is willing to think of me as her mother. As for Shippou, that is complicated. He has thought of me as his mother for a long time though he is not my child."

"And…are you pregnant."

"No, but I still think it is important to take care of Rin and Shippou. They are my children though they weren't born of me. Please, try to understand that this is my choice, no one pressured me into it."

He sat and signed the paper. "Very well, I think I understand what is going on here. I was worried for you, Kagome, I admit it. I am still worried but not as much as before. I believe this man will take good care of you…this Sesshomaru."

"He will."

"Now who is Inuyasha?"

"His half-brother. Inuyasha is a little upset with me right now, he and Sesshomaru have never really gotten along."

A knowing smile came over his face. "Sibling rivalry, seems like no matter how old you get nothing changes."

She laughed softly. "Yes, I know what you mean. I hope they shape up in time for the wedding. I don't much like the idea of having to bind and gag both the groom and the best man just to make it through the ceremony."

He chuckled softly and handed her the forms. "Good luck, it sounds like your entering a very lively family."

"That's putting it politely." She took the papers. "Thank you. I hope to see you again some time."

"And I hope to see you too, Kagome-san. Be happy."

"I will."

Out in the hall she let out a long breath. She needed to say goodbye to her friends before leaving so she slipped along the halls and waited outside the door for lunch. When the students emerged it seemed that they all collectively froze. Kagome smiled at them.

"I've come to say goodbye. I don't know when or if I'll ever come back here to Tokyo."

Yuka stepped forward. "So you're going to Hong Kong with that older man, aren't you?"

Kagome grinned at them. "I am going to live with him, yes. After all, I'm marrying him. We're going to have a family together."

"You mean…children?"

"Yes, Rin and Shippou will have a proper family and Sesshomaru and I will have children of our own. Now I have to go. I'll be leaving this evening."

"So soon?"

She nodded. "Goodbye!"

She turned and jogged out of the school. She knew that if she turned to look at the hurt look on her friends' faces, she would cry. She didn't know if she would ever see them again. She might live that long, but there were no certainties when it came to that sort of thing. She caught a bus home instead of walking. At last she stood at the steps. Sighing softly she began to climb. This trip had been harder than she thought. Saying goodbye to everyone had been tough. She stopped and sat on the steps, trying to come to terms with what she was doing.

"Is it so hard…" her head snapped up and focused on the old youkai from the jewelry store, "is it so hard to say goodbye?"

"Hai."

He sat next to her. "You and Sesshomaru-sama have something truly special and rare. That charm I gave you has a great power not only over the wearer, but over those around her. It will protect you, and him. He felt it though I doubt he knew what it meant or the origin of the magic."

"What did it do to him?"

"It protected him, from himself. Without the charm the ice in his soul and the stone that surrounds his heart may not have chipped away enough for you to enter in. The human child started it, but you finished it. Now he is whole, and someday he will realize that he is not the Lord of the Western Lands."

"He's not?"

"He is a Lord of all lands, a Lord to rule the world. Someday he will come to see this, and I know that you will help him, Kagome-sama."

"You know?"

He chuckled softly. "I do not know when this will happen, but I do know that you and he will save this world from itself again and again. Be strong, Kagome-sama, I know that your love will guide him into his destiny and someday we will walk in the sun among the humans. Someday my son will be free to walk by my side on the streets of Tokyo."

Kagome watched his eyes shine with unshed tears. She reached over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He smiled at her kind gesture before rising.

"Here I am babbling on and you need to get home. I will see you again, Kagome-sama, this I promise you."

He gave her a bow and before she could respond he was gone. Kagome rose and climbed the steps to her family shrine. Near the top a familiar noise greeted her, a young girl's laughter. She sprinted up the last few steps and saw Rin playing with Souta in the yard. She gave a cry of joy as she scooped the child up into her arms. Sesshomaru emerged from the house wearing some of the modern clothes they had bought during his stay. He came over and gave her that tiny tentative smile. She beamed back at him and let him embrace them both. Rin threw her arms around her father's neck, not minding in the least that she was sandwiched between the two of them. Kagome rested her head against his chest and took a deep breath consciously forcing herself to relax after the trying day.

"Some humans are coming."

"This is a shrine, people come and go all the time."

He nodded slightly and rested his head on the top of hers. A moment later Yuka and Eri appeared at the top of the steps panting from exertion. Kagome looked up at them, confused at what they were doing there and glad Sesshomaru had hidden his markings. They stopped when they saw Kagome and she could tell they were embarrassed about the situation. Kagome smiled at them and turned to Rin.

"Would you like to meet some of my friends?"

"Like Inuyasha-san?"

"No, not at all like Inuyasha. More like Sango."

"Ok."

She set the child down at took her hand, leading her over to the two girls. "Yuka, Eri, this is Rin."

Rin bowed to them. "Pleased to meet you." She turned to Kagome. "Can they play, Okaasan?"

"You have to ask them, Rin."

"Can you play? Okaasan said it was all right."

Eri smiled at the child. "We have to talk to your Okaasan for a moment, then we can play, how does that sound?"

"Yeah! They can play!"

Kagome laughed softly as the child ran off to continue her game with Souta. She took her friends by the hands and led them into the house. Sesshomaru followed silently. He sat and the girls did as well while Kagome went to get tea for them all. Sesshomaru regarded them silently for a moment as they shifted nervously under his gaze. Kagome had never done that, she had always faced the things that faced her. It was almost as though she couldn't help but stand up for herself and the people she loved.

"You are worried for her."

The girls jumped, and Yuka nodded slightly. "It's just that, we never met you and we didn't even know she was that involved with someone."

"I can understand your concern."

Kagome appeared with the tea and set it on the table. She sat and poured everyone a glass. "I haven't been completely truthful with you. Ever since I was fifteen I've been disappearing."

"You weren't sick were you?"

"No."

Eri swallowed around the lump in her throat and cast a fearful glance at Sesshomaru before speaking. "We guessed as much, but we let you have your lie. We figured you would tell us eventually."

Kagome took a deep breath. "I don't know how much of this you're going to believe."

Sesshomaru sat in silence as Kagome told them the whole truth. He knew that this was hard for her. She faltered several times and he reached over and took her hand, lending her what support he could. It was almost an hour later before she finished. The two girls sat in silence for a long minute before Yuka spoke.

"This is a little hard to take in. Is there any proof?"

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru and he nodded. The markings appeared on his face and his tail curled over his shoulder. The girls jumped slightly at its appearance then settled back down in their seats. Eri nodded slightly.

"Will we be able to come to your wedding? I mean, it's going to be on the other side of the well, right?"

"I honestly don't know if you can come through the well, I think I have to be with you to activate the spell."

"Before we can be wed though, we must deal finally with Naraku."

Kagome nodded. "Yes, now that I know that Rin can come here, I feel better. She and Shippou will be safe while we deal with this."

"If you wish, I can go get Shippou."

She sighed softly. "No, I better go. Inuyasha might mistake your intentions."

"You haven't told him?"

"I…sort of. I sounded him out and he damn near bit my head off."

"He believes I slew his mother."

"I know." She looked down at her hands. "I know the truth of it, but Inuyasha will never believe unless he can see with his own eyes." She shook herself and smiled at him. "I am going to get Shippou. They should spend the night here, just to get used to it. I should be back in an hour."

Yuka smiled at her friend. "Is it all right if we stay?"

"Of course! After all you have to play with Rin and I am making dinner. I hope you like ohagi."

Both girls grinned and Sesshomaru assumed this was some sort of food he was going to enjoy. Kagome leaned over and kissed his cheek before letting herself out. Sesshomaru nodded to both girls as he gathered up the tea.

"Feel free to join the children or entertain yourself otherwise."

Both girls nodded and ran outside to play with Rin. They watched as Kagome disappeared into the well house. A little over an hour later she emerged with a small boy with bright orange hair and tail in her arms. He glanced at her and she nodded and set him down. He ran over and executed his best bow.

"I am Shippou. Kagome is my Okaasan and soon Sesshomaru will be my Otousan. Okaasan said you knew about the well and all so it was ok for me to come play with you."

She ruffled Shippou's hair. "I'm going to make dinner. You try not to get too dirty."