One Shot: Side story to The Next Great Adventure. As the title tells you, this is Sango's story starting from the moment Kagome disappears from in front of her eyes. Can stand alone, but makes more sense after reading the first few chapters of TNGA.
There is a slight HINT of Yu Yu Hakusho at the end, but because it's so small, I did not make this a crossover although the main story is. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nuttin' but the plot.
I watched as my last adult friend disappeared in front of my eyes. She was the sister to my soul, my best friend, and the last thing holding me here. A few years ago, I lost my entire family and village. Everybody, that is, except my little brother. What happened to him was worse than simple death. He, too, passed finally. It was a release from the torture and control, but it broke my heart.
A couple of days ago, I lost my husband. He was my soul mate, my only love, my life. I watched him take a blow meant for me, a blow that ended his too short life. He died mere minutes before our goal was complete and his curse would have ended. Now the only thing remaining of him and his bloodline resided in me.
So, I guess, perhaps, I have one last thing to hold me here. I opened my eyes. I was surprised to find the grass below me so close. I realized then, that I was on my knees and tears were streaming down my face. The whimpering cries of "Kagome" I had been hearing were being emitted by my throat.
I stopped the whimpers, but I could do nothing about my tears. I looked up and saw a bleary Keade walk by me. She patted my head as she walked by and told me she'd be in her hut.
A hand came to rest on my shoulder. Oh yeah, there was one more in my group to watch the fool I continued to make out of myself. I didn't care at that point. I'd just finished losing everyone.
"Taijia." The masculine voice of Sesshomaru was tight. Was he, too, mourning? In my grief, I had never considered what he'd lost. Inuyasha was the last of his bloodline. They fought all the time, but they were brothers. Had Sesshomaru wanted the hanyou dead, Inuyasha would have been in his grave years ago. Well, he was now, so I guess it didn't matter.
"Taijia." He repeated. Huh. I don't think I'd ever heard him repeat himself. He's too….. stuffy, I guess.
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" How embarrassing. You could hear the tears in my voice and I'd hiccupped.
"This one is sorry for your loss. This Sesshomaru knows that you will never love another like you do your mate and that at this point in time your grief is overwhelming. However, you must be strong for the pups you carry."
"Pups?" I asked, confused. He misunderstood me.
"Babies I think you humans call them. You must be strong. It is what the monk, Miroku," he must have sensed my sharp stab of anger, I'd never heard him use Miroku's name before. "would have wanted. He'd want you and the pups to live happy lives."
"I don't understand. More than one? How can you know?" I asked, shocked. He was right about what Miroku would have wanted. Miroku would also have wanted to have lived happy lives with us. I'm going to miss that pervert. How could he be so selfish as to leave me?
"Their hearts beat. There is a strong one that is yours. Then there are two that are not as strong as yours. Those belong to the pups. They will be strong and healthy if you take care of yourself and them."
"I will. It's hard though, he's gone. She's gone. Inuyasha and Keiko are gone. Everybody is gone Sesshomaru. It's just me now." I was out of my mind with grief, that's the only excuse I have for breaking down like that and confiding in the Ice Lord. Or perhaps not so much ice anymore. No, that was definitely grief that was showing through those great golden orbs.
"Perhaps. However, you will always be an ally of this Sesshomaru. Should you ever need aid, I will be here." He paused for a few minutes and looked towards the Palace of the Moon. It was a beautiful place, we'd been there once before. Kagome had been ill and I injured, so Sesshomaru had taken us there to recuperate. I'd like to see it again, someday. "I have need of a favor from you, Taijia."
He looked back at me then. He'd never looked at me that way before. I'd seen frequent glances with that look at Kagome and a couple towards Miroku, but never me, not until now. It was a look of respect and had I not been already kneeling from grief on the ground, I would have out of shock.
"This one must repair the damage neglect has left upon his lands. Hunting that vermin Naraku has left the Western domain overrun with unwanted creatures and they must be eliminated after Inuyasha is laid to rest. Rin cannot accompany this Sesshomaru on this journey." He looked towards the direction of the village, and Rin. Shippo, too, was there. "It would please me greatly if you would look after her for a bit while I complete this extermination."
It took me years to figure out the real reason behind it. At that time though, all I did was answer him with an affirmative.
"Jaken, of course, will be at your service. Should you be wanting of anything, let him know and he will gather it for you. The Kitsune will be taken under my wing as well. But this Sesshomaru desires him to remain as companion to Rin while I am away. Is this acceptable to you, Taijia?"
"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru. When will you be leaving?" I was wrong. He was the last adult link to my group. He came later, but he was a member of our group. Our pack, if you will. He wasn't my friend, not yet, but in the future he grew to become one. Kagome, of course, was his friend. I could see his mourning for her as well in his eyes. I watched him glance towards were she disappeared before looking off towards the Palace of the Moon and returning his gaze to the direction of the village.
I was envious of him then. He grieved for Kagome now. But he had thousands of years ahead of him, provided he didn't do something stupid and get himself killed. He would be seeing my soul sister again. Not me. No, I would only see her after she died, five hundred plus years in the future. Another tear leaked out of my eye and trickled down my cheek. My husband would be available much sooner. But first, I had to live out my life and give life to our children.
"The day after tomorrow." It had taken him so long to respond, I jumped at his answer. I had forgotten he was even there, "I will be returning every other week to check on everything. I will bring supplies for you when I return each time. I do not want the guardian of my ward leaving her to go hunting. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." I gathered my emotions as tight as I could, which wasn't very tight at all, and rose from my position on the ground. I turned towards the village and began my journey back. I had a ward to secure and a hut to prepare for us to stay here. I would not be returning to my village. No, that village would have to be resurrected by someone else. It was time for me to watch over this one, Kagome would be born here someday and I would make sure to do everything I could to protect it and its people until I passed to join my husband in the afterlife.
Sesshomaru moved to walk beside me. It was a strange occasion; normally he was always in the front leading. The only person he'd ever tolerated at his side was Rin. Or Kagome, come to think of it.
We reached the village and a tearful Rin came running out of Keade's hut. She slammed into Sesshomaru's legs held on for dear life.
"Why do you cry, Rin?" Sesshomaru questioned.
"Rin does not know, Lord Sesshomaru. Rin is sad because everybody is sad. Where is Lady Kagome? Lady Kagome can make everything better, but Rin does not see her. Is that why Lord Sesshomaru is sad? When will she be back, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Lady Kagome has returned to her time, Rin." He ignored her other questions. How did Rin know he was sad? I could no longer tell he was anything but neutral.
"Kagome's gone?" Shippo whimpered. "She'll be coming back, right? Kagome can't just leave!"
"It wasn't her choice, Ship. She was pulled back when she completed the jewel, there was nothing she could do or she'd have stayed. I promise." My heart was breaking for the kit. I lost all thoughts of suicide then. Shippo, too, had lost everyone. I would stay to take care of him and he could have siblings in the children Sesshomaru promised I would have.
Shippo threw himself into my arms. I held onto him so tightly I'm sure it would have hurt had he not been a demon child. I sunk to the ground as I lost control of my tears again. Small arms wrapped around me and another sobbing child collapsed into my lap. I opened my embrace to hold Rin as well. Kagome would have been a good mother to them. Now I would take care of them in her stead.
Sesshomaru kept his word and left with Inuyasha's body two days later. Rin didn't cry when he departed, although it was easy to tell that she didn't want him to leave. She extracted a promise from him that he would be careful and return to her ever couple of weeks.
He kept that promise, too. Every two weeks he'd come. It was, as Kagome would say, like clockwork. Not sure what clockwork is, but I picked up on a lot of her sayings and get strange looks because I use them so frequently. He always brought meat with him. Rin and I helped Keade with a garden, and with the two together, we never wanted for any food. He also brought other goods with him, and always left a bag full of gold. We rarely used the gold, but he brought it anyway insisting that I keep it. I put it in a box hidden in the floor for safe keeping.
The routine continued for six months without change. Then, two days before midwinter my water broke. I was almost a month early, but I'm told it's normal for twins. Didn't stop me from panicking over their health though. Keade was my mid-wife and little Rin helped tremendously in the delivery.
I had two babies, just like Sesshomaru had said. My first born by five minutes was a little boy. A little angel of a girl was born next. They were perfect. They both had Miroku's eyes. I cried as I held them.
"They're beautiful." Keade smiled as hovered over me. Rin had climbed up next to my shoulder and looked at them.
"They're all wrinkly. And they're messy and noisy. But, I think they'll be perfect for our family, Lady Sango." Rin chirped as she scrunched up her nose.
I had to laugh at that. The sound surprised everybody in the room. I hadn't had much to laugh at in the past seven months. Rin smiled and planted a kiss right between my eyes. Then she kissed each of the 'noisy and wrinkly' babies.
"What are you going to name them?" She asked, then she darted to the door and opened it to allow an excited Shippo into the room.
"Sango! You had them!" He jumped up to the spot Rin had just vacated and peered at them. He scrunched up his nose and peered out of one eye at them. Then he switched eyes and leaned closer. He sat straight up and looked at me.
"I know, they're noisy and wrinkly and messy." I interrupted with what I'm pretty sure was a smile on my face.
"Yeah, but that's okay. They smell a lot like Miroku. We can keep them, 'kay?"
I'm pretty sure I cried. I gave him the okay and Rin climbed up next to me on my other side. Keade smiled down at us all and told the children that they'd need to come with her soon so I could get my rest.
"And so child?" Keade turned her attention to me, "what will be their names?"
"My son is named Miroku. I hope he grows to be as honorable and kind as his father. Maybe a bit less lecherous though." Keade misted up and told me that was the perfect name for my eldest.
"My beautiful daughter will be named after the most beautiful woman I know, inside and out. Her name is Kagome."
"These are perfect names, granddaughter of my heart. They both have the powers of their father, but the girl has a bit more. I will train them both in the ways of the spirit, if you so choose, child."
And so she did.
Sesshomaru came back two days after the birth of my children with supplies. He stayed for a week and left again. He returned the next day with gifts for the children. He told me that the amulets would grant them safety and safe passage in his land. They would be recognized as allies of the Moon and none would harm them while in his lands. He told me that should the situation ever be dire, they need only put a drop of their blood on the crescent moon carved into the amulet and they would instantly be transported to safety at his citadel.
I gaped at him in shock. He protected us, yes. But this was above and beyond the protections that guarding his ward warranted. It was then I realized we had grown to be friends. Somehow, the loss of our friends and comrades had linked us closer than years of knowing each other had.
Rin hopped over and showed me her amulet then. It was identical to the golden circle resting next to my daughter. My son's was a circle as well, but instead of the pure yellow gold, it was black onyx lined in gold. Shippo peered closely at hers and then at the ones that had been gifted to the babies. I could see the hurt in his eyes and my heart nearly broke for him.
"Kit." Sesshomaru gently got his attention. "My brother was my heir as I do not yet have one. He died without heirs. Until this Sesshomaru has an heir of his own, he must choose someone to hold the place."
Sesshomaru paused and kneeled down until he was closer to Shippo's level. He would have had to drop flat on his stomach to be completely level. The Kitsune kit was very small still.
"It would honor this one greatly if you would accept the position of Western Heir. You would have to travel once a month with this Sesshomaru to patrol the western border. You would also have to reside at the Palace of the Moon in order to receive lessons on the land management. Do you accept?"
Shippo eep'ed and looked at me. This was a great honor for Sesshomaru to bestow upon the boy, but I would do nothing to influence his decision.
"I-" Shippo looked at Rin and the twins and turned a watery look back at Sesshomaru.
"They, too, would come to the Western Citadel." He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow, "if the Taijia so wishes. Rin, of course, will be coming to the Citadel with you."
"What about the children's lessons?" I asked, I needed to accept for their sake, but my responsibilities also held me here.
"Should the kit accept, we will escort you and the other children here every month as we patrol. You will have one week for lessons and then we return the citadel." He looked Shippo again.
"I accept." Shippo crowed and threw himself into Sesshomaru's stomach.
Sesshomaru gave Shippo an awkward pat on the shoulder and gently pushed him back. "Inuyasha was of this Sesshomaru's blood and therefore never needed an amulet to be recognized. He was also much more experienced than you, so he did not need this."
Sesshomaru pulled one more amulet out of his sleeve. This one was different; I guess I should have expected it. The chain was gold, just like the others, but much thicker. It resembled a rope and from it hung a crescent moon. The moon was cut from an emerald and was the most expensive piece of jewelry I'd ever seen. He hung it on the neck of a child.
I about fainted.
And so that is what happened for the next several years. Of course, Sesshomaru wouldn't let us travel until the twins were six months old and made me ride Ah Un with them. The children rode on Kirara. Jaken walked behind Sesshomaru. The twins were walking before their lessons actually started, but we still made the monthly trip to and from the western citadel.
Keade was right. Kagome's powers were stronger than Miroku's. Fitting, I thought, for their power levels to resemble those they were named for'. Kagome strove to be a great Miko, just like the one in the stories I always told her.
Miroku, on the other hand, was determined to be the strongest demon slayer ever. He learned his spiritual lessons, but he was always more determined to master the weapons training from Sesshomaru. He was quite adept at the sword and staff. But his best weapon was my Hirakotsu.
Keade lived until the children were sixteen. She died six days after their birthday. Kagome had already taken over most of the duties of village miko and was officially the junior one. She spent half the year in the western citadel and half the year at the village. When Keade fell ill the day after their sixteenth birthday, Kagome took over all of Keade's duties. Including, Keade's final rights.
It was a sad winter for us. Even Sesshomaru attended the funeral. Shippo was released from his duty for that month in order to mourn for Keade in the village. Kagome decided it was time for her to leave the nest for good. She stopped coming to the citadel except for brief visits and moved out of our hut and into Keade's. Miroku decided to stop coming to the village since there was no longer anyone to train him. He focused solely on his weapons training and went patrolling with Sesshomaru and Shippo.
I decided to move between both of my children. One month I would spend with Kagome and the next month with Miroku. It worked for awhile, but eventually my battles in the past caught up to me and I wasn't able to make the trip in the winters anymore. I stayed in the Palace of the Moon from mid autumn to mid spring. For half of spring and fall and all of summer, I would stay in the hut my beloved husband and I built before his death.
Rin surprised everyone. Or perhaps nobody. She came to me one day and asked me to train her in secret in the ways of the demon slayers. And so I did. The soft and gentle girl I met became a hardened, and somehow still gentle, fighting master. She was thirteen when she surpassed my abilities. My blood children had just started learning the art of fighting. She went to Sesshomaru and asked him to finish her training.
Sesshomaru pretended to be upset with me, but he glowed when he taught the daughter of his heart how to fight. Hehe, he never did let her out of his sight during a battle though. Not that I know of anyway. Miroku was upset for years that he couldn't beat her. I'm not sure if he ever did, to be honest. But, I do know that he was brave enough to ask Sesshomaru for her hand in marriage, and I also know that he somehow got it. I gave him Hirakotsu as a wedding present and I gave Rin my old Taijia outfit. She cried tears of happiness.
They built a house right next to the Goshinboku and made the forest a safe haven for peaceful demons and humans. Sesshomaru gifted them Inuyasha's Forest as theirs. He told my son of blood and daughter of my heart that they and all their descendants would forever be welcome in their forest and always have sanctuary at the Palace of the Moon. The once cold hearted man had thawed.
After I stopped making the monthly trips, Kagome began to visit the palace four times a year. It was always on the first day of the season and would stay for one week before traveling back. After Miroku and Rin married, she traveled to visit with them every week. She was there for the births of all four of my son's children. He had three boys and a daughter. When my granddaughter turned six, Kagome brought her home with her to train in her powers. My granddaughter, Keade, had almost as much spiritual power as her aunt. The boys had power, but it was negligible and Miroku took their training in hand.
Keade, unlike either of my children, was determined to master both her strong spiritual powers and the abilities as a taijia. And so her lessons were split between my son and daughter. I think Kagome knew that she'd have to find a successor outside of our blood, for she began sending out subtle messages looking for any students. Several came her way and she set up something resembling a school mikos.
One day, a young man arrived with his niece. She desperately needed training before she destroyed everything in her path. And so the girl, Mei, became my daughter's prized pupil. It was the young man that mattered most, though. He began courting our little miko and won her heart. They married and had a beautiful son. They named him Kohaku, after my brother that lived the massacre of my birth village only to be tortured for years until his death. It warmed my heart.
Two years later, when Kagome was pregnant with her second child and I was a month away from fifty, I decided my time on Earth had passed. It had been a little over thirty years since I saw my beloved and my family was happy a safe. I went to sleep one night and woke in the arms of my husband.
"Hello, wife." Miroku said to me, as soon as my soul left my body and he embraced me.
He looked just like he had when I'd last seen him, minus the fatal wound. I wrapped my arms around him, more joyful than I'd been since our wedding day.
"Hello, husband." I whispered into his neck. When I pulled back, I could see tears in his eyes. I felt them trailing down my cheeks as well. That surprised me actually, how could I feel when I was no longer in my body? I knew I wasn't, because there was my body not five feet from me.
I cupped his face in my right hand and then, shocked, pulled my hand back to look at it. My youth had returned. He laughed at my surprise. Then, I felt a slight pressure, a familiar slight pressure, a slight pressure I had missed for over thirty years on my backside.
"Pervert!" I slapped him. Then I jumped into his arms again. This was the man I fell in love with. This was the man I'd missed for so long.
"My dear Sango, how am I a pervert? As your husband, I am entitled to-"
I cut him off with a kiss. Perhaps he was a bit of a lecher, but he was also my husband and he was right, he was entitled to do that. And then I returned his gesture. As I was entitled, as well.
I laughed as his eyes grew fairly large. Suddenly, I think I'd found another favorite thing. No wonder he couldn't help himself all those years as we fought Naraku. If I reacted anything like he just had, I couldn't blame him.
"You did well, my love." He said, "The children grew to be fine and successful adults. I don't have to worry about them at all. I've been waiting for you for years, would you like to continue to wait here for us to see Kagome's fate in the future? We can watch over our children and their descendants, or would you like to move on to the next great adventure?"
"As long as I'm with you, Miroku, I don't care what we do."
"Well, let us travel on then. We've been here long enough, perhaps we can do more whatever comes next."
I agreed with him and grabbed his hand to hold in mind. I had one last thing to do, before we left the world, however. I had to say goodbye to my friend, the Western Lord. And so we travelled to the Palace of the Moon. Huh, travelling as a ghost was much quicker than travelling as a human.
I saw Sesshomaru standing out in the middle of the grounds staring at the full moon. He turned to us as soon as we stepped out of the shadows. I was a bit surprised, I had planned to come and say goodbye, but I didn't think he'd ever know I did it.
"Hello, Taijia. I see you have joined your husband." He said to me, completely unruffled by the sight of two ghosts.
"Hello Sesshomaru. I came to say 'Goodbye'." I hadn't really thought of anything past that point, I just knew that I needed to say that to the person who'd been left, besides Shippo of course.
And speaking of the devil, there came that little guy dashing down the long staircase. He, too, saw me.
Shippo had grown in the past thirty years. Oh, he obviously wasn't an adult yet. I'd say he looked to be about fourteen.
"Hello, Shippo." My husband spoke, unsurprised that Shippo could see him.
"Hey, Miroku!" He grinned at the man beside me, then he turned his attention to me, "you're leaving us then? I'm glad you're back together with Miroku, but I'm going to miss you."
I looked from Sesshomaru's passive visage to Shippo's forlorn features and back. Okay, I wasn't following something here.
"Can all youkai see ghosts?" I asked.
"Yes." Was Sesshomaru's simple reply, "Miroku has been following you around for years. He asked us not to say anything, so you could move on, though you never did. This one has a favor to ask though, before you depart."
"Anything." I promised recklessly.
Sesshomaru gave me a look. If you've ever met Sesshomaru, you know his looks speak much better than words. This particular look said, 'Idiot human, do not think to make a promise you may be unable to keep.' I grinned sheepishly at him.
After a nod, Sesshomaru spoke again, "There has been some unrest lately in the Western Lands. Messengers report the unrest is also in the other three lands. Small pieces of the country have been changing, almost as if it's being divided into two separate pieces. This Sesshomaru has also noticed a slight haze sometimes. The haze resembles a powerful barrier being formed."
"Okay." Miroku frowned at Sesshomaru. Shippo cocked his head at his lord. This was probably news to him.
"There are rumors of a being called Enma trying to divide the world of humans and demons. He is a being from a different world that coincides with this one. It is called Reikai. The favor, this one asks, is if you could travel into the spirit world and tell me if these rumors prove true. The reports from Kagome," he meant the one from the future, he'd never called my daughter by her name, "would be that it is true. When we traveled with her, she told us that there were no youkai in her future."
"We can do that." I answered him, see? I hadn't been promising something I couldn't keep, "How do we get there?"
"Getting there isn't the hard part, my dear Sango. Getting back is." Miroku turned to me with a frown, "Spirits can travel through to the Reikai with no trouble, you have to have something linking you here before you can come back though. I was able to travel back because my soul mate was here. If you were to come with me, I don't think I could travel back to this world, and I think the same would be for you."
"This Sesshomaru does not claim to know the ways of travel, but if what the monk says is true, perhaps this one should not ask this favor of you." He answered with a furrow between his brows, that was his way of frowning.
"Sango and I will speak of this together, Lord Sesshomaru. We will give you the answer before morning."
"Very well. We will await you in the gardens." He turned away, his hair billowing out behind him in a wind that I couldn't feel, "come Shippo."
We watched them walk away from us. Once they were out of sight, Miroku grabbed my hand and we meandered away from the castle.
"We have all of eternity together, Sango." Miroku said, a wistful look on his face.
"Yes." I frowned, "you want to spy for him. You want to go and leave me here."
"It won't be forever, wife, just until I can confirm the rumors." He answered me.
"Miroku, I don't want to be without you, I just got you back." To my shame, tears started rolling down my face. I'd lived thirty years without him, in death I join him and now he wishes to leave me again. Would we never be together?
"Oh Sango. You will never be without me. I've always been there. Always!" Miroku embraced me and held me tight, "It will be an adventure, my dear, just like old times. Wouldn't you say life has been boring since Kagome left? It's time to stir things up a bit!"
I withdrew a bit from his embrace and looked at his face. Light was shining through his eyes in pure excitement. I thought for a few minutes, about the last thirty years and realized he was right, life had been boring. Sure, it had been mostly happy, but very subdued. I couldn't imagine being a spectator of our lives as he had.
I gazed at him and knew he saw that I'd accepted his choice. He beamed at me and twirled me in a circle; I'd have been dizzy if we were alive. He set me down and grabbed my hand, dragging me behind him to tell Sesshomaru our choice. And that's when I knew: Death is just the next great adventure.
Hope you enjoyed!