Darkness was supposed to be perilous, formidable in comparison to the serenity of daylight. Yet, the jaded girl waited with open arms as the moon climbed out of hiding.
Her eyes reflected the celestial patterns illuminating the world beyond her window. The faint chill of fall bristled over her out-stretched hand as 'he' emerged from the old well house.
She was surprised that he still reached for her, indulgent in sharing chaste touches and innocent exchange. This time, however, was different, purposeful. The stiffness in his grip was reassuring as he was greeted by the scent of death lingering in the halls.
The girl was quiet, leaning into the strength of his chest. It was still, almost complacent as Kagome's fingers knitted into his earthy scented haori.
He was the only comfort she could seek. Her mother was gone with Sota, awaiting the first flight back from Sendai.
A sharp breath hit her lungs at the thought of Jii-chan squabbling on his nightly walk around the shrine. He had sipped his tea at the table and left it cold as he fell silent.
Closing her swollen eyes, she felt the saltiness of her tears trickling beneath her lashes. InuYasha stiffened against her, absently emitting a passive growl. The vibration made the miko longingly nuzzle into his throat.
It amazed her how connected they had become. The expanse of time was obsolete as the thinnest hint of injurious emotion tugged at the hanyou's senses.
The silence was breviloquent as her snivels ceased. The man closed his eyes gently, letting Kagome guide him to the floor.
Her heart was captured in staccato. It was unusual compared to the sweet melody he was used to. Delicately, his clawed fingers brushed Kagome's hair behind her ear.
There was nothing to be said, no words to correct the absolution of the melancholy creeping through her bones. Kagome flinched as she was quilted by the hanyou's silken hair, which reflected the soft rays of the mourning moon.
Guilt numbed any feeling, other than the irrevocable substance that came along with any death. There was no explanation to the myriad of emotion, or name for something so estranged.
She was foreign in her own body.
InuYasha knew the miko's thoughts wandered to the Spector, the past version of herself.
He caught the way the saddened flora wafted with uncertainty. Her own mortality bit at her rumination, making her sore bid delve deeper into her beloved's arms.
Jii-chan, Higurashi Misato, was a veteran of pious proportion and methodical whimsy. He was the last of her father's family and the thought made her weakly gasp.
The Goshinboku guarded another slumbering soul, she frowned.
InuYasha felt his ear twitch at the sound and eased his nose into the crook of her neck. He lovingly nuzzled her, pulling at the mouth of his haori.
The girl felt his body subtly shift, obviously trying to lessen the disturbance. The warmth of his haori engulfed her small form, draping her inside the very thing she believed to be safety.
For hours, the man listened to her voice creak and whisper into his shoulder. Before too long, he had given her enough solace to sleep. He was the guardian, after all, and even though his forest was gone in this era, it didn't mean that he wasn't still protecting all of the lost souls.
Graciously, he peered out the window behind him, feeling the awareness of the ghosts roaming the grounds. Her Jii-chan was there, still prideful in his work.
He wondered if one of the many lingering souls belonged to her father, and surely it was true.
With a sigh, he brought his attention to the girl in his arms. He placed a gentle kiss atop her crown, knowing that the ends of the earth couldn't keep him from her.
Kagome, through the lives of many, or few belonged in the deepest trenches of his heart and as long as it was beating, she never had to feel alone.