Word Count: 2,254 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter:  Apologize by Timbaland and OneRepublic

Previously:

Frantic, Kagome asks in her mind, “What is going on?”

The feeling of some hugging her come over her, as Midoriko tells her, “The last gift of the Kami’s.  My souls is yours, and therefore, this is able to be done.  My memories, my years of being trained as the last warrior priestess is being transferred from my soul to yours, from my mind to yours, my body to yours.  When you wake tomorrow, you will know all I know.” And with this, she coaxes Kagome’s active brain to a sleep state, in order to pass the last of the information to her.

With that, Midoriko prays with all her abilities that this will be enough.  When she goes back, she won’t be mistaken for Kikyo, she will be as her true self.  As Kagome.  The Mate of the most powerful Taiyoukai the world will ever know.

Now:

When Kagome wakes up the following day, the world is completely different to her, even with her knowledge of the future she had woken up with yesterday is nothing to what she has gained overnight.  The information she has gained, the power she can feel at her fingertips is amazing.  Then Kagome is worried that if the Kamis are allowing this, then how bad can it be back in the past? That she is going to be going back with more training than she even left with to repeat this, with how much stronger she had been, that they felt that she needed the additional information.

Getting up, Kagome blinks as she looks over and sees a kimono, with a high color, but the sleeves are not as much material, but still will pass the standards of back then.  She cocks her head at how the material is a blue that is the same as her eyes, but the edges are in a yellow and blue pattern that looks familiar to her.  Her obi is not the traditional darker or a shade lighter, but is a red and white pattern that goes well with her colors.

Shaking her head, she dresses in it, surprised at how comfortable the outfit is, before heading downstairs.  She can feel time actually pressing on her to hurry.  She moves into the room that only holds her mother, her face falls as she realizes that this will be the last time for a long time to see her family.

Her mother, seeing her face, comes forward and kisses her on the forehead. “Kagome, there is nothing to be sad.  Did not your Midoriko tell you, that you will be here in this time?  I figure that is why the timing is so tight, to try to stop the two of you meeting each other.  Now, the bags are going to be heavy with the books, but I got everything you should need.”

She stops and looks to Kagome.  “I’m proud of you, Kagome.  Never forget that.  Now, from what I gather, you have someone waiting for on the other side of the well.  And you don’t want to have him wait any longer than needed.” She smiles at her daughter, knowing that she is basically sending her daughter to her mate.

With that, Kagome’s eyes spilled the tears she is feeling, but she nods and hugs her mother, before gathering the bags.  She grunts a little with the weight, but she manages to get them situated.  Hopefully whoever is waiting for her on the other side will also help her out of the well. Otherwise, she is not sure on how she is going to get them out of the well.

She sighs, then with a head nod to herself, she heads out of the house, heading to the well.  She prepares herself for Madam Centipede, the knowledge in her head allowing her to make short work of her. She snorts as the bow and arrow that ended Naraku is now something she can call at any time, not needing the physical props anymore.

Then she looks in the depths, and then looks back at the house, saying her goodbyes to her family.  “Better get to it, Kagome.”

And with that she jumps in the well.

When she lands, she automatically looks up as she always does to make sure she has made the trip.  And sees the blue sky of the time period that will be home for her from now on. Then she registers the Youkai that is waiting for her.

“Sesshomaru?”

And with her utterance of his name, he is done in the well with her, grasping her around her hips and taking her with him out of the well with one leap as if she and the bags weigh nothing to him.

When they are out, he pushes off her bags, and then holds her close to him.  A deep breathe of her scent is enough to settle him and he sighs in relief that she is back with him.  Where she should have never left. He can feel his beast inside him also relaxing, both of them acknowledging the presence of the one they have loved through the end of one world and will through this one’s if it comes about.  But she will not leave their side again.

Kagome is confused, but at the same time, when she take in a breath of air, she is comforted.  And she relaxes in his arms, as the past couple of days run through her head. And the memory of him on the field as he brought her the jewel, as he watched over her those many nights.  Things are starting to faintly line up in her head.  But the reality is one she has rejected, known that it could never be.  That it would be a dream, this must be a dream…

Sesshomaru finally looks down and grips her chin in his hand, as he stares into her eyes.  And he is surprised by the new color, but notes that they suit her as much as the brown ones did.  He notes the tones of her eyes, and is pleased with the change.

She looks shyly away, but when he tells her, “Kagome, don’t look away.  I knew you were going to look different, that your true self will be coming out of its cocoon.  I’ve waited too long for you to come back to me to miss a second of your attention.” His tone is softer than normal, and Kagome also doesn’t miss he dropped the Sesshomaru this and that.

As she turns to look at him, a confused look in her eyes.  He smiles, “Do not tell me you had no idea of my feelings the first time, Koi?” He teases her.  He has looked forward to this very day for so, so long.  Could anyone blame him for being himself?  Plus the Sesshomaru that Kagome had known was a younger version, one that had lived without his mate, one who had changed for her.  The youkai he is now understands her background, why she does what she does, and will help her blend better in this time.

She can’t help the burst of laughter. “What feelings? I never understood anything from when you showed up and asked me to join you!” She is being honest.  She has never understood why he had showed up that day, nor why he had stuck by her side from then on.

A small smile lifts his lips.  He shakes his head and quietly murmurs, “Maybe I was still a little cool for you to catch on, but do you think I would willingly travel with someone that long, then make no fuss when Inuyasha joined us?” He remembers the many nights he watched over her, the days he made sure nothing got through him to even breathe on her.  She is his, and he made sure that all knew it.  But maybe he didn’t make clear to her the same thing.

Then his eyes turned haunting as he tells her, “Then the battle, the battle that I had hoped would free you from your duty. When you saved me, killing Naraku with our strikes, I thought I was finally free to court you as I wished to, to take you as my mate.  I was standing there waiting for the damn wish that would free you, instead that damn Jewel took you away.  And no matter how much I wished for you to return, I instead had to suffer through that travesty of a future, being promised that you would be mine.”  He pulls her closer burying his head in her hair, surrounding him in her scent, and marking her with his scent.  “In the end, I was glad you were not here.  That you did not see what happened nor watch the world as it burned to death.  That you did not see how your innocent wish, the one that freed the world from the evil of the Jewel, ended up being the one that brought a worse evil to the planet.” He and his beast shudder from the thought of her being there, having to see that and was never so happier in that moment that the Kamis did not grant his prayers nor the Jewel the wish as it seemed to have done for the others.

Kagome gasps.  “You, you lived through it?” She knows that the world really did end and that is why Midoriko and the Kamis sent her back.  This is the essential time to change the world.  But no matter the information that was given to her, she has no idea what needs to be done, they had told her while she was trained that she will just know.

He nods, his arms still around her, reveling in her being here. “Someone had to.  And I thank the Kami’s that you were not the one.  I lived for the 500 years waiting for the chance to have you back at my side, then I ended up fighting near the end of that time, trying to make the world one you could live in.  When you were born, I was there.”

He smiles fondly remembering it, “You were adorable and you saw me then.  It took everything I had to leave you there.  I was there, somewhere in the background of your life at all times, I could not stay away from you even though I should have.  I was restrained by Kouga and Shippo when your father died.  I had made sure that your family stayed at the shrine.  Then after your father died, I did what I could to make your life as calm as I could, while in the background, I was fighting for everyone’s survival.  When you grew of age to be able to sense Youkai, I had removed everyone but us three, and the three of us retreated as we felt your power grow.” His eyes reddened as he remembers the fight he had with his Beast, and truthfully with himself when they had been the last to leave.  He left humans to watch, but not to be there, to leave her fate to others had bothered he and his beast to the point that he had destroyed his home in that time.

He growls, “I even watched as a younger Inuyasha would drag you back to now, when he would treat you like trash.  The Baka had no idea how special you are.  But in the background, though I watched over it all, I fought, trying to make the world not to be overtaken for at least the time that you were traveling, thinking that when you were torn from the feudal era, you were brought back to that time, and I could finally have you by my side.  It had been my hope.  And when the time I calculated for your return came, using the times you had returned while in my keeping as a guide, nothing.” He closes his eyes as he remembers the pain the howl from his Beast how the two of them raged.

He holds her closer, his mokomoko curling around her even, making sure that she not get hurt on his armor, but as close as he could have her. “The despair was worse than the day you were gone.  That day, the day we defeated Naraku and I was only waiting for your wish to ask your permission to court you, that day the whole world knew of my intentions for you, the rage I felt at you being taken from me the moment I thought it had ended.  But that was nothing, Kagome to the day I realized that you were really gone, it was not a good day. The world had every reason to fear me.  And at that moment, as if he had known that you would not be coming back either, it became the day that the demons came out of hiding and he attacked the humans.” His eyes redden as he and his beast remember it.  They had only the time to howl out their pain before the ground opened and the armies of Hell came forth.

His eyes still tinted red as he tells her, “I saved your family first.  That may have led to our downfall, but I could not let the last remains of you to die as hell itself was opened on Tokyo.  I spirited them away, then came back to fight.  And it just never ended.  The last memory I had was of my true form being pulled down, as I killed him.  Being told that because of my sacrifice, of your sacrifice, that if we came back to now, would result in the two of us never parting again.” And that promise is one he will force everyone, even the Kamis to keep.  He will not go through losing his mate a third time.

He looks down at his beloved’s eyes and tells her, “It was a choice I had no problem making, nor will I make a different one ever.  Koi, I didn’t want to interfere with your duty, but I could not stay away any longer from you.” He had fought battles she will never imagine here and in the future that was to make sure she was safe.  He had trained harder than even the first version to make possible the time they are in, that she would have a home worthy of her.  Much had changed from what she knew from this time, and he is eager to show her what he himself has done for them.

Kagome needed to sit down.  She looks around and tugs out of his arms and collapses in the grass before the well.  She looks up at him, “Sesshomaru…I don’t understand.  I thought you hated humans and only tolerated me for some unknown reason.” She had told herself this, convinced herself of this.  And repeatedly as she found herself falling for the elder Taisho brother.  And now to find out this?  This has to be a dream.

He quickly kneels in front of her and looking in her eyes, he tells her, “I never hated you.  You confused me, then I was mad at Inuyasha.  How could he have the attention and love of my Mate?  I hated myself for trying to hurt you, but the fact you were my Mate is the reason you survived my poison attack.  As my Mate, my beast couldn’t hurt you.  He couldn’t allow me to hurt you.  It is why I did everything to save you.  Why I attacked Inuyasha to teach him how to protect you better.  Rin was rescued because she reminded me of you.  For good reason, but we will get to that later.  Everything I did was because of you.  I was close by you, only returning to my lands when you left so that I could take care of it, to make sure that when this was all over I had a home and lands to offer.  Then when you declared yourself free of him, I couldn’t help myself, I found myself in your camp offering to be your protector.  The months following that were the happiest in my long life.  I wanted, needed to tell you, but my sense of honor told me to wait.  When we are done with the Jewel, I could have you, court you.  I could have you without any interruptions.”

He looks up at the sky, remembering the fights with himself at times with the sheer need of having her as his mate, his other half.  “Will you forgive this Sesshomaru for his grievances against you?  For not recognizing you and fighting against my beast until he won?  He has loved you for so long, and I have come to his way of thinking.  But it is my fault for any thoughts you have of us not favorable.  I will use the rest of eternity to make it up to you.  Please don’t reject us.” He looks down at her, pleading for the first and hopefully for the last time in his life.  But if he needed to ever do it again, it would be because of this woman in front of him.

She stares at him, trying to get it all in her head. She finally says, “Mate?” Her voice is tremulous, still not believing that this is not a dream that she will wake to the real world where the man she fell in love with still just tolerates her for some reason.

He slowly nods his head, his eyes never leave hers. He waits for her, knowing she needs to work her way through this.  He has known for over a thousand years, but she is only now knowing.

She looks up at the sky.  She has always found him attractive, but she never thought that she would have a chance.  She finally looks at him, “But I am human.” It’s the only thing she can offer right now.

He shakes his head slowly, “Kagome, you were never human.  But even if you are, it doesn’t matter.  I have loved you for over 1,000 years.  Doesn’t that tell you how devoted I am to you?”

She lifts an eyebrow as she repeats, “A th-thousand years?” She is still in shock, trying to comprehend that this is real.

He nods.  “Unlike you, I was sent back to the beginning.  And some things have changed, changes I was told were allowed.  I took care of the Thunder Brothers to make sure your Kit was taken care of.  The spider hanyou has been kept under control.  He could not be eliminated, but he has been kept harassed and unable to make as many people’s lives as miserable as did before.  All your friends are in a better place.  They will know of you, and you will meet them later.  I did much, to try to keep myself calm.  To be able to here, today, waiting for you.”

He pauses and then kneels before her as he takes her hands in his and asks, “Kagome, will you accept my courtship?”

A sharp drawn breath comes from her as the Lord of the Western Lands not only asks the all-important question, but is actually kneeling before her.  And she can hear Midoriko telling her that her mate and her are equals.  That he is her reward, along with the fact that he will be by her side.  She looks up and asks him, her want evident in her eyes, “But… what if we do mate? And we have Hanyous?” It is the only objection she can think of that will hurt her if she did this and he hates their children.

Sesshomaru’s gaze softens and he moves to her, holding her face in both of his. “We won’t.  And if for some reason, we do, I will love and adore them only seconded to you.  Please Kagome.  Please give us a chance.”

She stares into his eyes, and she finally tells him, “Yes.”

Final Count: 3,411 words

Fairfarren~Wendy