InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Goes By; Life Goes On ❯ The Final Battle ( Chapter 19 )

Time Goes by Life Goes On Chapter Nineteen

The building is not what any of them expected. The stone structure was weather beaten and crumbling. Windows were shattered, the massive steal door rotted, it reminded the group of death. However, the stench of rust, dust, and decay covered over any scent of blood that could be present. Inuyasha tried to sniff out the location of his love and his child only to have the offending smell scramble his senses into an indecipherable mess.
After an hour after scoping out the building, the group made their way through the barrier with the aid of Inuyasha's red Tessusaiga.
A combination of fear and determination led the group into the deep confines of the warehouse. Stealthily they made their way over fallen rafters, broken glass, and chunks of brick. Treacherous as it was they never stalled – never faltered. After years of battling demons, even defiled humans the wayward group learned to be somewhat patient and observant. However, with the emotional state Inuyasha was currently in, this simple task could prove to be somewhat daunting.
Miroku trailed the back to the group, mind whirling with possibilities of this battle, of Kagome, and even Isamu. He could feel the tension from the group before him. Inuyasha's, however, was the strongest. His posture set the tune for the rest of the group. Even Miroku's usual peaceful, laid-back personality changed to that of despondent, even depressed. After all their group was no longer complete, they were missing their lifeline, their rock and without her presence, the group was falling apart.
Even Sango was far more emotional than usual. Her eyes constantly tearing, her once broad smile formed into a semi permanent frown. Her expressive eyes held nothing but fear, sadness, and anger for her missing friend. In all aspects of the relationships, that Kagome formed with each individual was more profound that anyone could explain. In the past months, they all had found out where they stood in Kagome's heart despite the deceit that could have torn them apart. Kagome and Sango found a sisterhood that would rival the same bond of blood.
Inuyasha on the other hand, created a bond only lovers could have. In that moment of lust, Kagome and Inuyasha bound themselves in body, mind, and soul.
Snapped from his wondrous thoughts Miroku found himself unmoving in a huge room. Taking in the state of distress, the room offered Miroku's eyes scoured the room.
Inuyasha poised in a fighting stance, ready to shed blood, Sesshomaru’s emotionless face seared the dark, dank room, and Sango lean figure crouched in the corner searching for any clues. Taking his place between the two dog demons Miroku brandished his staff and prepared for the unseen battle.
“Miroku, remember whatever happens to me make sure Kagome is safe. Get her as far away from the battle as you can. And whatever you do, do not stop running,” Inuyasha commanded, staring off into the dank room. His eyes glowed maliciously and before Miroku could respond, a small sound caught their attention.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kagome held Isamu to her chest trying her best to comfort the scared and confused infant. However, he warbles did not cease. He continued to cry and his tiny fists clutched in her shirt.
Her sweet consoling words not heard through his tiny ears and even when she tried to breast feed, he would not latch on. Instead, he would whimper and kick his legs in frustrations and fear.
Letting out a frustrated cry, Kagome rolled to her back mindful of her now swollen ankle. Letting out a small whimper of her own, she pulled herself into a sitting position to look at her foot. Swollen and darkly bruised Kagome knew she had begun to rethink her thoughts of it being broken. However, after a light pressure to the swollen appendage she reassured herself that it was only a sprain.
Staring down at her fussy child, she began to cry. ‘This was not supposed to happen. I was not supposed to be captured by the Naraku, I was supposed to defeat him with the aid of my friends,’ she thought, as tears began to fall freely down her dust-covered cheeks.
Shifting again, she stretched her tired and achy body into a more comfortable position and propped her head with her right hand. The tears cutting tracks in the dust on her face she began to sing a lullaby in hopes of calming her child.
‘Nakunayo, nakunayo mitegoran konohoshizorao kowaimonomo nayamimo kieteyuku nanzennenmo maeno hikari’
Her small voice echoed through the large room instantly calming the petrified young and soon she found him drifting off to sleep as her voice soothed his rampant heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“That’s Kagome,” Inuyasha whispered, taking a step towards the voice, “She’s here!” His face instantly lit up and a tear slipped past his lashes. ‘There is hope yet,’ he thought turning to face Miroku.
“Let’s go,” Sesshomaru, sounded taking an unsure step toward the harmonic singing voice coming from the far corner. Having impeccable night vision, Sesshomaru gracefully maneuvered through the dangerous room with ease followed by Inuyasha and the others.
Finally, after a moment of moving effortlessly around the fallen debris they found her.
Kagome jumped when she felt a presence looming over her and as a protective gesture, she pulled the sleeping form of her son to her chest and pierced the darkness with an evil glare. It was not until Inuyasha spoke did she realize she was rescued.
“Kagome,” Inuyasha said, barely over a whisper.
“Inu…Inuyasha?” releasing Isamu and ignoring the painful throbbing in her foot Kagome leapt to her feet and threw herself into the arms of the man she loved, “You came for me.”
“Of course, I came for you.” Inuyasha whispered, closing his arms around her small form and held her protectively to his chest. “Kagome, I’m sorry, gods am I sorry this happened to you.”
Tears of relief slipped down her cheeks soaking his familiar attire in their wake. Never before had she been so happy to see Inuyasha in her life. After her outburst at the Goshinboku tree, she just knew Inuyasha was done with her, but it was in this moment that she realized how deep his love actually ran. Breaking free from his grasp, she started to hobble back to the floor to scoop up her – their – child, but Inuyasha stopped her.
Placing a tender kiss on her trembling lips Inuyasha moved to where Isamu lay and picked him up off the floor. Turning back to the somewhat relieved group, he slid an arm over Kagome's shoulder and began to lead her out of the warehouse.
“Ku ku ku Inuyasha I see you finally made it,” Naraku said, from his hiding place.
The now reconnected group cringed at the sound of his voice and scoured the darkness for his exact position.
“Naraku, you bastard show yourself!” Sesshomaru demanded stepping in front of his brother and his mate. “Or are you too scared to meet your demise?”
“Sesshomaru? I would not expect to see someone of your caliber helping such a worthless half-breed. Have you had a change of heart?”
“That does not concern you, you filthy ingrate,” Sesshomaru growled, grabbing for the hilt of his Tokijin.
“Perhaps you are right, but what does concern me is the fact that you are aiding my captive.”
“Fuck you!” Inuyasha growled, releasing Kagome's shoulder and moving to stand by his brother, “She is in no way ‘yours’. Now come out and fight!”
Miroku and Sango made their way toward Kagome and each of them placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they listened to the threats. Kagome turned to face Miroku, and then Sango with a small thankful smile.
Removing her hand from Kagome's shoulder Sango took grabbed her Hiraikotsu and hurled the giant boomerang toward a covered window. The impact of bone, brick and glass attracted everyone’s attention. The powerful blow took out half the wall illuminating the dark space with the bright morning sunrise.
After eyes adjusted to the barrage of light they all focused, their attention to the area Naraku's voice had permeated. Only to find the area deserted. The hair on the back of their necks stood on end as a peculiar feeling washed over them. Before anyone could gather their wits and prepare for an attack, Naraku shot a tentacle from the remaining shadows.
Inuyasha growled out in pain as the grotesque appendage pierced his right shoulder. Blood rapidly soaked his haori. Naraku may have delivered the first blow, but Inuyasha vowed to have the last. With a yell of rage, Inuyasha lunged in the direction the tentacle came from and swung with brute force.
When the dust finally settled the group was surprised to see nothing but empty blackness. Inuyasha turned back to the group when another tentacle shot from the left and headed straight for Kagome. Leaping into the line of fire Inuyasha growled as the second tentacle plunged into his left arm. Grinding his teeth Inuyasha turned pleading eyes toward Kagome before turning to Miroku, “Get her out of here!”
“NO!” Kagome cried, wrenching herself from Miroku's grasp, “I will not leave you!” Placing Isamu into Miroku's arms, “Take him. Get him as far away from her as you can.”
Miroku stood dumbfounded by the turn of his priorities. His face ashen with concern he searched the eyes of the hanyou, his friend.
“Kagome you can’t stay here, it is too dangerous,” Inuyasha pleaded. He did not care what happened to him but he would be damned if any harm would come to the mother of his child, his life, and his soul. “Please go with Miroku and get out of here. Sango you go with them…” his sentence was cut short as Naraku took another shot at Kagome, “Naraku you’re going down!” With a howl of anger, Inuyasha lunged once again in the direction the tentacles were coming from slicing them as he went.
Sesshomaru joined the fight and soon the two brothers found themselves surrounded by the vile hanyou.
Kagome kicked and screamed her displeasure with having to leave Inuyasha to battle Naraku, but Miroku's strength proved to be formidable and unrelenting. However, that did not stop her from flailing about even after they made their way through the crowding streets of Tokyo.
“Why Miroku? Why?” she wailed. She did not want to leave him behind she needed to be there to help, her mind ran rampant as she thought of the possibility of living her life with Isamu without Inuyasha by her side. It was not a life she did not want nor was it a life she would live. Finding no solace in the actions to come Kagome allowed Miroku and Sango to lead her from the warehouse and back to the safety of the shrine.
Stepping through the door Kagome noticed her mother sitting at the kitchen table, a look of helplessness and uselessness plastered on her face. Her eyes were red rimmed and blood shot, undoubtedly from hours of crying.
“Mom.”
Saya looked up from her coffee cup and relief washed over her, “Kagome, I’m so sorry for not being able to prevent any of this. That… that man was powerful and just took what he wanted,” she started crying again but instead of glaring into her coffee cup she launched herself out of the chair and wrapped her arms around her daughter.
“Mom… mom it’s okay. There was nothing you could have done to stop him. That was Naraku… the guy we have been battling in the feudal era all these years.”
“You mean that was… him. The evil hanyou that took possession of most of the shard.”
“Yes mom the one and the same. Now you see why I told you he was so ruthless. He is power hungry and loves to hurt people by going after the one thing they care about most. But that does not matter anymore because tonight he will meet his demise, Inuyasha will make sure of it. Besides, Isamu is fine momma, he’s here.”
Saya released her daughter and turned to face the couple standing in the doorway holding a semi content infant. Miroku flashed a small smile as Sango stepped forward and placed a gurgling Isamu in his grandmother’s arms.
Saya smiled down at her beautiful grandchild. Even though he has attributes of a demon, he was still the most precious thing in the world. He brought joy to her daughter since her sudden appearance in her time without her companion, her love. The arrival had left her beloved daughter distraught and alone. Then came the news no mother wants to hear from their young daughter.
“Mom,” Kagome called from the bathroom, her voice full of fear and uncertainty. “MOM!”
When Saya entered the bathroom, she found her daughter sitting in the floor body convulsing with powerful sobs. Her heart broke for the unknown, for the plight of her daughter.
“Kagome, Kagome please what’s wrong?”
“Oh mom, what am I going to do?” she implored, pointing to the small stick on the sink.
Saya slowly turned her attention from her broken daughter to the thermometer size stick, “Kagome, is this what I think it is?” with a steady hand Saya picked up the object and stared at as if it had two heads. “Oh my god, Kagome. How… when did this happen?”
Kagome stared at the floor for several minutes before telling her the about the one night she lost her inhibitions and allowed her heart to take over. It was that one faithful night that she found herself in this sad yet happy predicament.
Through the conversation Saya never once interrupted actually, she listened to her daughter’s plight and misfortunes before giving her all of her support.
“Kagome, there is something I have of your father’s that I hoped to give you when you graduated college, but now this is the best opportunity for such things.”
“Mom?’ Kagome questioned. Her mind was a jumbled mess and her heart was shattered at her feet so much so that she could only decipher part of what her mother had said.
“When your father died he left a trust fund in yours and Souta’s name. I was to give it to you when you started college but I am going to talk to the lawyer that preceded the will and amend its convictions. I want you to take the money and get you a place for you and your child. A place where you are safe, but close enough to me for help. And as much as I want you to stay here, this part of your life is for you to grow and enjoy without three big headed people trying to tell you how to do things.”
Kagome smiled weakly and accepted the offer her mom just gave her.
Saya blinked away her thoughts as she peered into the life of her daughter and grandson. She had made the right decision and she thanked the gods every day for such blessings. After the money had came through two weeks after the alterations to the will. She made sure Kagome was blessed with a comfortable apartment of love.
Then Inuyasha came back into her life and things changed for the worse. Of course, she knew Inuyasha would come through and things would be the way they were supposed to be.
She turned her gaze back to her daughter and noticed her limp toward a chair and her brow furrowed with concern, “Kagome your ankle.”
“Yeah it’s nothing I just twisted it. I think I am going to take some aspirin and lay down,” She said, walking away from the table and wobbled up the stairs.
Her ankle throbbed its protest as she climbed the short flight of steps. ‘Damn how am I going to pull this off?’ she thought stepping into the bathroom. The tile floor felt cool against her bare feet. Opening the medicine cabinet Kagome pondered over the pain relievers before her. Deciding to go with the ibuprofen, she downed four with a swig of water before turning on her good heel and making her way across the hall to her bedroom.
Lying down on the bed, she stared up at her white ceiling as the thoughts of the battle downtown plagued her mind. Not able to rest with her hanyou battling for not only his life but for the life of her and their son as well she sat upon the bed and thought of a solution.
Remembering the one of the many bows and quiver of arrows she left behind she made her way to the closet and prayed they were still there. As luck would have it, they were, hiding behind boxes of things yet to make it to her apartment. After a quick and painless battle removing the barricade she withdrew the old bow, quiver, and climbed out her bedroom window. ‘Man I feel like a teenager sneaking out for a late night rendezvous,’ she thought descending the Sakura tree that shaded her room. She felt foolish not being able to walk out the front door, but in light of recent events, she knew Sango and Miroku would stop her before she even made it to the door. Landing with a soft thud and a whimper of pain Kagome took to the stairs and around the corner. To an unknown future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sesshomaru fought with the ferocity of a tiger as he inflicted a deadly blow to the abdomen of Naraku. His eyes were flashing red with anger, hair billowing about in the effort to move like lightening, as Inuyasha countered every blow dealt by Naraku.
“Sesshomaru this is getting us nowhere,” He growled dodging another tentacle. Slowed by his wounds and blood loss Inuyasha could feel his body betraying him. However, he would not stop; he would never relent on his attacks. After all his human blood was not capable of giving up, he was determined to make Naraku pay for his actions.
“Do you have any suggestions?” Sesshomaru growled, lunging forward again.
“Yeah I do!”
The three demons stopped mid swing to turn their attention to the sound of a voice. A voice that was as sweet as an angel was. To say Inuyasha was surprised to see Kagome standing there, bow notched was an understatement.
“Naraku, you’re going down,” she yelled, releasing a purifying arrow. The arrow glowed with her power as it made its way through the air before piercing Naraku in the chest.
Anger flashed in his eyes as the arrow made its way toward him. Reacting out of nature Naraku shot one more tentacle toward the group piercing Inuyasha in the chest.
Kagome screamed as he hit the floor in a lifeless heap, and before she knew what was going on her body tingled with power. Moreover, as a last effort she lunged toward Naraku blasting him with the purity of a miko.
Sesshomaru watched in awe as Naraku turned to a fine dust and rained on them. Kagome on the other hand did not have time to revel in the defeat of their foe, immediately after the blast she turned to find her life crumpled on the floor. Summoning what was left of her strength she gently filled his body with her power, hoping to heal is fatal injuries. Her body swayed from the use of such powers and as it faded back into her body she found herself losing consciousness. A sound from the back of the warehouse caught her dying attention and as she watched Sango and Miroku enter with worried expressions, everything went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The day wore on and night fell upon the tired, worried group as they carried out their two lifeless friends. Keeping to the shadows, they made their way back to the shrine.
Kagome regained consciousness as her mother rubbed her face with a cool, wet cloth. And as the blackened fog of sleep rolled out of her eyes, she mumbled for Inuyasha.
Trying to sit up her mom placed a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t try to sit up Kagome; your body is still weak from the battle.”
“Mom, when… how… what happened?”
“Sesshomaru said you purified Naraku with your powers before turning to save Inuyasha. Apparently you over exerted your body and you blacked out.”
“Inuyasha? Where is he?”
Saya lowered her head and mumbled an apology to her daughter before getting up and leaving her exhausted daughter to rest, “Get some rest Kagome we will fill you in later.” With that, her mother stepped out of the room and closed the door.
‘How could you leave me Inuyasha? You were supposed to stay with me forever, but now you can’t because of that disgusting hanyou. Oh Inuyasha I’m so sorry I did not come sooner,’ she thought, burying face into the pillow. Tears found their escape and made their way down her cheeks. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep.
“How is she?” Sango asked, peering through her bangs at Saya.
“She will be okay,” Saya assured, “she is resting now but I told her we would tell her all the details later.”
Nodding in agreement Sango stood from her seat and made her way to the living room where Miroku and Souta sat watching TV.
“Saya said she woke, but did not tell her anything.”
Miroku turned to watch Sango enter the room and take a seat beside him on the couch, “I guess that’s best, at least until we hear from Sesshomaru,” Miroku said wrapping an arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer to him.
With Naraku dead, they had hoped a happy conclusion would come from it, but now they sat in Kagome's time waiting for any sort of news that things would turn out right.
Saya joined the others in the living room after cleaning the kitchen and checking on Kagome once more. On the TV was news about a disturbance in one of the abandoned warehouses and though they wanted to smile at the newscaster for seeming so clueless they could not. All they could do was sit and wait.
Shortly after midnight, the phone rang starting everyone out of a light slumber. Miroku and Sango had stretched out on the couch, Saya was in the recliner, and Souta made use of the floor. Finally, on the third ring Saya reached for the phone.
“Hello.”
“Saya, its Sesshomaru. I need you to bring Kagome down here.”
“Are you sure that would be a wise thing to do Sesshomaru? I mean she just came to not too long ago and now she is resting.”
“It is imperative that she gets here as soon as possible,” Sesshomaru all but growled into the receiver. ‘Sometimes humans can be so infuriating,” he thought hanging up the cordless and making his way back down the long corridor.
Saya sighed before turning to face the confused faces of her guests, “That was Sesshomaru. She says we need to get Kagome there right away.” Not waiting for an answer Saya stood and quickly made her way to her daughter’s room. With little hesitation, she shook her daughter awake and ordered her to get dressed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ride to Sesshomaru’s mansion was deafening quiet. Kagome sat in the back with Sango and stared off into space. While Sango tried to reassure her by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. The occasional squeak of seats was all that was heard for the thirty-minute car ride. Miroku sat pensively in the front praying to Buddha that all was well and they could all return to the way things were.
Finally, Saya pulled her sedan into the driveway. The cobble stone driveway wound its way through pristine forest before ending at a massive three-story mansion. Donned with marble pillars and great statues of dragons, Saya gasped at its beauty.
As the four passengers exited the car, the two massive oak doors opened. Sesshomaru, dressed in black slacks and a white button down shirt stepped into view.
Stepping down off the porch Sesshomaru made his way to the awaiting guests. His face contorted with worry, and grief.
Peering through her bangs Kagome acknowledged his presence with a curt nod before taking Sango's hand. She did not intend to talk until she was told what was going on. Her face emotionless and hard, her body tense. As Sango led her toward Sesshomaru, she was surprised when she felt a delicate hand on her arm.
Kagome stopped walking at the light touch and turned to face the dog demon standing before her. She watched intently as he started to talk.
“Sango, Miroku, Saya please have a seat in the parlor. I need to talk to Kagome,” he said, grabbing her small hand in his own and led her to a nearby garden.
Kagome gasped at the beauty of it. Sakura trees spotted the garden, their fragrant blooms wafted in the air. A hot spring sat nestled in the midst of their delicate branches just enough so the blossoms could cascade down to float on the water. White Lotus flowers lined the walkways, and Momiji trees shaded the stone benches. Her heart fluttered to see a side of Sesshomaru she thought never existed and for the first time that day, she smiled.
“Kagome I brought you here for a reason. I need to tell you everything that has transpired as of late,” Sesshomaru said, keeping his tone light and comforting.
Kagome tore her eyes away from the natural beauty of the garden to face a worried, sympathetic face. “Where’s Inuyasha?” she asked.
Sesshomaru was unsure of her bluntness and decided to remain quite on the matter for a moment, “I will tell you everything you desire, but first will you walk with me?”
Kagome stared back at the garden and thought about the proposition she was dealt. Of course, she could tell him no and demand answers now, but there was something in his tone – almost pleading- that she could not deny him. She nodded.
Sesshomaru sighed inwardly as he smiled softly down at the frail girl before leading the way through the garden, “Kagome tell me what you see.”
“What do you mean?”
Sesshomaru sighed again, “Tell me what you see around you, here at this very moment.”
“Well…um…” Kagome bit her lip in concentration. Her eyes darted around the lush foliage. She saw many things but there was an undercurrent in his words. ‘What do I see? Is this rhetorical?’ she thought. “I see lush lotus beds, blooming Sakura trees and the wonderful shade Momiji trees,” she responded.
“I see,” Sesshomaru said, looking around all the plants she named. “Do you see anything else?”
Kagome swept the garden once again, searching an unseen answer, praying that this was not some test, “I see beauty unrivaled by the gods, serenity that could ease a wary heart, purity so clean Buddha himself would be proud, and above all else I see love.”
Her second response is as he expected. Her heart was warm, pure and incapable of hating. She was always looking out for the well-being of her comrades no matter the consequence to herself. She was heaven sent to lead his brother out of the darkness of untrusting, and bring him to the wonderful world of love. And they the faith of the kamis she did just that.
She was the only one that would stand up to him, even after countless threats to end her sorry life, and yet he she stood. Bathing all around her in a warm embrace, and to see her unsmiling would break even the cruelest person’s heart. Even for her to know she proved herself worthy of so much more she had not wanted a life without his stubborn, pig headed brother.
“Is that what you wanted to hear Sesshomaru? Did you want my intake on your garden? How I perceived it? What does that matter anyway?”
“It matters Kagome, because love can overcome any obstacle. All the feelings, you showed in your final battle, here in this garden proves how much you love Inuyasha. No matter his heritage. I commend you for your bravery, for your passion and I wanted to share this one thing with you.” Taking a step farther into the garden Sesshomaru stopped to let Kagome comprehend his departure before taking her place beside him.
“Kagome I built this garden for Rin decades… no centuries ago, and she loved it. However, she never saw the emotions you saw in it. She saw a gift a place for relaxation. It was for her but for the life of me I could not tell her its secrets. She may never know what I have hidden deep within this vast expanse. But I am going to show you now.”
Kagome was stunned. ‘How could this be the cold hearted bastard Sesshomaru we fought all those years ago?’ She thought, eyeing his person as if he was a stranger.
“Come I will show you what I mean,” Kagome jumped slightly at his voice as it penetrated her thoughts.
This time Kagome followed immediately, there was something about this that piqued her interest. Something so fascinating she was compelled to oblige his requests. There would be no turning back now; letting her heart guide, her she followed Sesshomaru until he came upon a medium sized marble block.
Kagome stared at the white shining stone for a moment before turning confused eyes onto her companion, “Sesshomaru, what is this.”
“This Kagome is the one thing Inuyasha held close to his heart. It was his life and his curse. Because of this, he was forced to live a life as an outsider never to trust anyone. That is until you came along. You showed him what it was like to be loved again. You are his savior Kagome and I wanted to show you his mother’s grave.”
Tears pricked Kagome's eyes as the words and meaning sank in. to think Sesshomaru had allowed Inuyasha's mother to rest in his back yard was unheard of. Even when he found Rin, his hatred toward other humans never faltered. However, at the same time Rin changed the stoic demon into the compassionate, caring person she knew today.
“Sesshomaru this is beautiful… but how did it come to be?”
“When Rin and I became mates she was in her 18th year. She was the reason I am what I am today but back then she had been my downfall. When my confidants found out I mated a human they seized my castle and over threw my authority as leader and protector of the western land. Laying low, Rin and I built a small hut here, and made a life for ourselves. It was not until a few centuries later when I decided to expand the hut and build this wonderful garden for Rin did I discover its deep seeded secret. At the time, it was only a small rock with a name on it: Izayoi. After weeks of deliberating its fate, I came to a crossroad. I could have just tossed the stone out and let bygones be bygones but as the days came and went, my heart changed. So I left it here to remind me of the person I have become.”
“Sesshomaru?” Kagome whispered, kneeling down to rub the smooth stone with a delicate hand, “Does... did Inuyasha know?” Kagome felt fresh tears pricking her eyes and batted them away with the back of her hand.
“No he does not,” Sesshomaru said his voice light. He waited a few moments to see if she would catch on to what he said, but when she did not he continued, “I was hoping you would do the honor of showing him such a thing.”
Kagome bolted to her feet and turned to face Sesshomaru. Her pounding heart threatened to escape her chest, tears fell freely down her cheeks and before she could brace herself, her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground.
Covering her face in her hands, she wept freely. At that same moment, all the tension in her body melted away and left her feeling refreshed and new. The tears never stopped but a warm smile found its way to her face and with a burst of energy, she threw herself into Sesshomaru’s arms and clutched him tightly to her before running off into the direction of the house.
Sesshomaru smiled and shook his head at her exuberance before slowing making his way in the direction Kagome had went.