Tell me what you think..
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
When Kagome used the Shikon Jewel to set aright the wicked things Naraku had set upon this world, she made a miscalculation that changed the course of her life. What happens to the Jewel after a pure wish is made? No one thought to ask that question. Kagome, unfortunately, discovered the answer to that question approximately four months ago.
Inuyasha had killed Naraku; most of his cronies had long since disappeared or been slaughtered. Kagome made her wish, with the utmost care, choosing her words with precision. The wish came out beautifully and everything that could be fixed was. The Jewel shone brightly before it disappeared. Everything was perfect.almost. Inuyasha kept his promise to Kikyo. He joined her in hell when he was informed by the ghostly voice of Midoriko that his first love had been dead for too long to be allowed to return to the living. There had been tears in his eyes when he told Kagome of his choice. There were tears in hers then and now as she relived the feel of his embrace; his kiss, the one she had so longed for was bittersweet, and salted by their tears. He had pressed the Tetsusaiga into her hand and nuzzled her neck one final time. She had tried to stay strong for him and watch as he sank into the earth. In the final moments, she could bear the breaking of her heart no longer, and a scream ripped through her throat, cleaving the air:
"Inuyasha!"
Tears flew through the air as she ran to him, his face turned and his eyes held sorrow. She vaguely felt someone restraining her as she struggled to reach him, to save him, to hold him in her arms once more. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Kagome could see the words traced there though:
"Goodbye.Beloved."
He descended into the earth at last, with only a smoking crater remaining. Kagome slipped through Miroku's fingers and sank silently to the ground. She cried softly into her hands and soon the sky followed suit. Watery sunlight shone down on a broken little girl with broken little friends in front of a broken piece of earth.
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Kagome ran her hand gently along the rusty blade of the Tetsusaiga. Trying to find comfort in the last material thing she had of Inuyasha. She stood up suddenly and decided to try the well one last time. You see, for the past four months, it had denied her access to the future, her home. She emerged from the forest, walked across the meadow and hopped into the well. Two and a half seconds was all it took for her to hit the bottom. She lay there catching her breath for a moment, as tears started to well up in her eyes. She swallowed her sobs immediately, climbed up the vines and headed back to the village.
When it was discovered that Kagome could not go through the well, she was invited to stay with Kaede. Sango and Miroku settle down together in a village not too far away and Shippou had gone to find a mate. Kaede had many theories as to why Kagome was still here. She told Kagome that because the Shikon Jewel was gone, the magic that had brought her from the future was invalid and could not be used to send her back. Kagome let herself get lost in the thoughts and explanations she was given, but as she approached the hut they shared, a sense of wrongness filled her. She called out to Kaede and received no answer. When she entered the dimness, she saw her body on the ground, and realized her closest link to this time had left her. Everyone had left her.
She ran to the Goshinboku.
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Sesshomaru could taste his victory. It had taken him four long months after his half-brother's death to find out who had the Tetsusaiga and the whereabouts of both. He had to torture that ex-demon exterminator and her monk; both were probably dead. He glided through the trees with almost a smile on his lips. This was the night he was going to have what he wanted most.
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She sat with her face in her knees, silent only because she could cry no more. That was where Sesshomaru found her: under the Goshinboku, her frail frame ethereal in the moonlight and stars. He hesitated for the merest moment, compelled to watch her. He shook it off though, and came at her quickly, his claws unsheathed, and noted she had the sword with her. This pleased him greatly and allowed himself to play. He raked his claws over her left arm leaving four shallow, jagged cuts that bled sluggishly. She wasn't surprised, nor did she cry out. She merely looked at them and at the one who inflicted the wounds upon her. She had found a new release for her pain.
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When Sesshomaru turned back to have another swipe at Inuyasha's woman, he was startled at her reaction. She lay against the tree still, watching the blood seep out of her wounds. This puzzled him, but as the saying goes, one does not look a gift horse in the mouth. He lashed out at her with his whip- claws, green-glowing and filled with poison. She was at death's door in less than a minute. Yet still she did not fight back, nor scream for help. She had stood up to face him and her fragile body took his punishment. He lowered himself to the ground to stand in front of her; she was trembling from blood loss her eyes closed. She opened them to look at him; they were night-sky blue and glazed with pain and sadness.
"Do you think you can choose to go to hell over heaven?" she questioned, her voice merely a breath of a whisper. So soft even Sesshomaru with his demon hearing had to strain to understand. His heart began to twist with guilt, but he rebelled against it and grabbed her by the throat, bashing her beaten body into the Goshinboku behind her. Incoherent thoughts flooded his mind, flashes of other lives, until a future of his own found it's way to him.
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Kagome ran to the Goshinboku. This is where Sesshomaru found her. Rather than attacking her suddenly, he felt compelled to watch her. She finished crying and stood up, walking back towards the village. He followed her secretly, staying hidden from the sight of all. The rest of the villagers had found Kaede and were preparing her body for burial. Kagome helped them and agreed to stay until a new miko could be trained. Sesshomaru watched this lowly human, broken into a thousand pieces, give of herself to the village, to whom she had no obligation to. He watched as she chose a little girl who possessed a small amount of power and try to help her nurture it to become strong. Months went by and he watched her mend her heart. He was obsessed with what she did, how she did things.
Sometimes at night he came at night and stood over her with wonderment, seeing her clutch onto the Tetsusaiga's sheath and whisper his brother's name in her sleep. He watched as she trained the chosen child to identify certain plants to aid in healing, how to harness what came from inside to heal. The girl she apprenticed showed a strong improvement in her miko abilities, Sesshomaru noted. Suddenly, something of a flash went through his head. What on earth was he doing? He a powerful demon, reduced to some pitiful fixation on a human who was stupid enough to love a hanyou. And the said hanyou hadn't enough brains to keep himself from being sucked into hell by a corpse! Sesshomaru stood angrily and made his way to Kagome, who had the Tetsusaiga hanging from her waist. He backhanded the novice miko out of the way, knocking her unconscious if not killing her. He spoke to Kagome in a murderous tone;
"Give me the sword, Wench." Kagome looked in horror at the small form that was laying on the ground, her gaze rotated to the demon lord standing in front of her and dissolved into anger.
"How dare you," her voice was low, restraint evident. "This sword belongs to me, given by Inuyasha, who received it from the father both you and him share. It is by right, mine alone and my death will be what separates me from it." Sesshomaru smirked at her.
"Is that so, wench? And how do you plan to stop me from taking it?"
"By any means necessary, demon," was the curt reply. Kagome took her bow from her back and placed an arrow to it. It thrummed with power as she shot it towards Sesshomaru, him barely avoiding being purified. He charged towards her, but she already had an arrow to the bowstring. She shot again and missed again, but came close enough to where Sesshomaru was burned by the purity the arrow held. She reached into her quiver for another but was stopped by a clawed hand on her wrist. Kagome struggled, twisted and turned, but could not escape the demon lord's vice-like grip. Sesshomaru leered at her, indiscernible emotions swirling in his eyes. His mouth came down close to her ear, breath hot as he whispered,
"You cannot win, miko," he then dragged his tongue across her cheek, tasting the salt trail of tears that seemed perpetually impressed upon her face. His other hand reached down and unlaced her belt. Kagome's eyes widened in fear at what this meant, but he let the belt slide out of his hands and took the Tetsusaiga. She felt this and her eyes hardened. Life returned to her stunned body and she grabbed the sheath of the sword. Sesshomaru sighed,
"You leave me no choice but to kill you then." He removed his hand from her wrist and transferred it to her throat, lifting the struggling miko high above ground. Her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and silvery light shone around her. It burned Sesshomaru's hands violently, but when he let go of Kagome's neck, she remained suspended in mid-air. She spoke, but it sounded as though she were a thousand miles away and with a spectral quality to it.
"You have committed many sins, Sesshomaru-sama. Nevertheless, I see goodness in you. Mercy is not for the weak, it is a power only the strongest can use. Therefore, I grant you mercy."
Kagome lowered to the ground. And began to sob into her hands. Sesshomaru, looked on, perplexed at this small human first floating in the air, then crying on the ground.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Kagome screamed into the sky. She quieted once more, but continued muttering into her hands. "I just want to live out the rest of my days without torment from anyone! Midoriko, I wish for peace."
A coolness filled Sesshomaru and he felt different. He felt compassion for this small creature who had endured so much. It was an odd feeling and he didn't like it at all, but he couldn't stop himself. He walked over to Kagome, knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder, empathy in his eyes.
"I will take you away from here."
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The vision flashed through his life faster; blurring images so that he only had snatches of them, but he felt what he was feeling at the time. Showing Kagome around his home for the first time; showing her to Rin and watching the little girl light up at the thought of a 'mommy'; Kagome falling into a pond and him giving her a stern look to suppress his laughter; a dinner to celebrate he first month there, then her second and third and finally her fourth. He was taken a little deeper into that future, and it took him a moment to gauge where he was. He was in his library, reading to Rin, when Kagome came in. A strangeness filled his heart and stomach as he looked at her. He puzzled at these feelings and questioned as to what their cause was. Were these feelings for her? A human? She was in a simple white kimono, her black hair parted in the middle of her head, hanging in damp waves on either side of her face. Rin laughed happily and ran to her. Kagome picked her up and set her on her hip.
"I'll take Rin to bed now, Sesshomaru."
"Sesshomaru-sama," Rin corrected Kagome. A faint smile played on Kagome's lips. Sesshomaru nodded. Kagome had been at his place in the West for a little over four months and was immediately adopted by Rin as a surrogate mother. But Rin had yet to stop correcting Kagome on Sesshomaru's name as Kagome had yet to address him properly. It was merely a fond game for the three of them now. Both left the room and Sesshomaru went to bathe before going to bed.
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Kagome fell into her bed with a whoosh. Rin had to have at least 3 stories of Kagome 'land' before going to sleep. She didn't mind in the least-it was a little payment for the favor that Sesshomaru had granted her. He was the reason her heart was beginning to heal. She wasn't aware that she was being watched though, and Sesshomaru noticed that she had a smile on her face. He wondered what it could be that made her smile like that, after so many months of sadness. He wanted it to be him. He stepped softly through the doorway of his adjoining room.
"Kagome?" he queried into the dark.
"I'm in here," was the reply. A pause then, "Sesshomaru, could you stay with me for a while?"
It sounded incredible that a lowly human would ask such a thing of the powerful demon lord of the Western Lands, but even more implausible was the fact that he complied. The time with her had changed him somehow, he thought as he crossed the room and sat on her bed with her. Unconsciously, he began stroking the velvety night-black hair that covered her head. At this Kagome turned towards him and gauged the look on his face. She sat up and leaned into him, capturing his lips in her own. He turned it into a bruising kiss that reddened both her lips and cheeks. He gently laid her back onto the bed, loosening the ties on their bedclothes while she held on to his neck. He untangled her from the sheets and made a trail of feather- light kisses up her exposed body, starting from her hip. She gasped and leaned into him when he reached her breasts as he skillfully worked her nipples with his tongue and hand. He continued traveling up her body with his mouth and came to a stop hovering over her lips.
"Do you want this?" he whispered softly. "I will not take you without your consent."
Kagome's voice cracked when she answered, "I.I do."
Sesshomaru swiftly rent the remainder of cloth from her body with his claws; he was already naked. He nestled himself in between her thighs, and could feel her shaking. He had to be gentle, and restrain himself, but gods! He wanted this woman! He knew from her scent that she was untouched. In his mind he felt a sort of pride: he would be her first, her last, her only. He slipped his length into her entrance and she cried out only once. He positioned their bodies so that she was sitting on his lap, and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He waited for her to get accustomed to the feel of him inside her and then gave a few experimental strokes. The noises she made told him her body approved. Soon they began to get into a rhythm, and he could not help but feel that her body was made for his. Every moan, sigh, gesture she made only aroused him further and he reveled in the feeling. When he felt he was ready to explode, he reached between them and gently brushed against her hardened nub. She cried out again, this time in pleasure, and they climaxed together. Sesshomaru bit into the junction of her shoulder and neck, drawing blood. He lapped at it and held Kagome close, easing what he knew was his new mate's momentary pain. The cold, stolid, emotionless Lord of the Western Lands had claimed a life-mate and love.
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The vision ended in a blinding flash. Sesshomaru knelt underneath the Goshinboku, with the broken body of Kagome in his arms. The moon arose and lit the trails of tears that ran down his cheeks. He put his head down upon her chest and wept brokenly for something that never was, never could be. The wraithlike voice of Midoriko whispered in the wind,
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
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P.S. This was a one-shot.
When Kagome used the Shikon Jewel to set aright the wicked things Naraku had set upon this world, she made a miscalculation that changed the course of her life. What happens to the Jewel after a pure wish is made? No one thought to ask that question. Kagome, unfortunately, discovered the answer to that question approximately four months ago.
Inuyasha had killed Naraku; most of his cronies had long since disappeared or been slaughtered. Kagome made her wish, with the utmost care, choosing her words with precision. The wish came out beautifully and everything that could be fixed was. The Jewel shone brightly before it disappeared. Everything was perfect.almost. Inuyasha kept his promise to Kikyo. He joined her in hell when he was informed by the ghostly voice of Midoriko that his first love had been dead for too long to be allowed to return to the living. There had been tears in his eyes when he told Kagome of his choice. There were tears in hers then and now as she relived the feel of his embrace; his kiss, the one she had so longed for was bittersweet, and salted by their tears. He had pressed the Tetsusaiga into her hand and nuzzled her neck one final time. She had tried to stay strong for him and watch as he sank into the earth. In the final moments, she could bear the breaking of her heart no longer, and a scream ripped through her throat, cleaving the air:
"Inuyasha!"
Tears flew through the air as she ran to him, his face turned and his eyes held sorrow. She vaguely felt someone restraining her as she struggled to reach him, to save him, to hold him in her arms once more. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Kagome could see the words traced there though:
"Goodbye.Beloved."
He descended into the earth at last, with only a smoking crater remaining. Kagome slipped through Miroku's fingers and sank silently to the ground. She cried softly into her hands and soon the sky followed suit. Watery sunlight shone down on a broken little girl with broken little friends in front of a broken piece of earth.
*********************************************************************
Kagome ran her hand gently along the rusty blade of the Tetsusaiga. Trying to find comfort in the last material thing she had of Inuyasha. She stood up suddenly and decided to try the well one last time. You see, for the past four months, it had denied her access to the future, her home. She emerged from the forest, walked across the meadow and hopped into the well. Two and a half seconds was all it took for her to hit the bottom. She lay there catching her breath for a moment, as tears started to well up in her eyes. She swallowed her sobs immediately, climbed up the vines and headed back to the village.
When it was discovered that Kagome could not go through the well, she was invited to stay with Kaede. Sango and Miroku settle down together in a village not too far away and Shippou had gone to find a mate. Kaede had many theories as to why Kagome was still here. She told Kagome that because the Shikon Jewel was gone, the magic that had brought her from the future was invalid and could not be used to send her back. Kagome let herself get lost in the thoughts and explanations she was given, but as she approached the hut they shared, a sense of wrongness filled her. She called out to Kaede and received no answer. When she entered the dimness, she saw her body on the ground, and realized her closest link to this time had left her. Everyone had left her.
She ran to the Goshinboku.
*********************************************************************
Sesshomaru could taste his victory. It had taken him four long months after his half-brother's death to find out who had the Tetsusaiga and the whereabouts of both. He had to torture that ex-demon exterminator and her monk; both were probably dead. He glided through the trees with almost a smile on his lips. This was the night he was going to have what he wanted most.
*********************************************************************
She sat with her face in her knees, silent only because she could cry no more. That was where Sesshomaru found her: under the Goshinboku, her frail frame ethereal in the moonlight and stars. He hesitated for the merest moment, compelled to watch her. He shook it off though, and came at her quickly, his claws unsheathed, and noted she had the sword with her. This pleased him greatly and allowed himself to play. He raked his claws over her left arm leaving four shallow, jagged cuts that bled sluggishly. She wasn't surprised, nor did she cry out. She merely looked at them and at the one who inflicted the wounds upon her. She had found a new release for her pain.
**********************************************************************
When Sesshomaru turned back to have another swipe at Inuyasha's woman, he was startled at her reaction. She lay against the tree still, watching the blood seep out of her wounds. This puzzled him, but as the saying goes, one does not look a gift horse in the mouth. He lashed out at her with his whip- claws, green-glowing and filled with poison. She was at death's door in less than a minute. Yet still she did not fight back, nor scream for help. She had stood up to face him and her fragile body took his punishment. He lowered himself to the ground to stand in front of her; she was trembling from blood loss her eyes closed. She opened them to look at him; they were night-sky blue and glazed with pain and sadness.
"Do you think you can choose to go to hell over heaven?" she questioned, her voice merely a breath of a whisper. So soft even Sesshomaru with his demon hearing had to strain to understand. His heart began to twist with guilt, but he rebelled against it and grabbed her by the throat, bashing her beaten body into the Goshinboku behind her. Incoherent thoughts flooded his mind, flashes of other lives, until a future of his own found it's way to him.
**********************************************************************
Kagome ran to the Goshinboku. This is where Sesshomaru found her. Rather than attacking her suddenly, he felt compelled to watch her. She finished crying and stood up, walking back towards the village. He followed her secretly, staying hidden from the sight of all. The rest of the villagers had found Kaede and were preparing her body for burial. Kagome helped them and agreed to stay until a new miko could be trained. Sesshomaru watched this lowly human, broken into a thousand pieces, give of herself to the village, to whom she had no obligation to. He watched as she chose a little girl who possessed a small amount of power and try to help her nurture it to become strong. Months went by and he watched her mend her heart. He was obsessed with what she did, how she did things.
Sometimes at night he came at night and stood over her with wonderment, seeing her clutch onto the Tetsusaiga's sheath and whisper his brother's name in her sleep. He watched as she trained the chosen child to identify certain plants to aid in healing, how to harness what came from inside to heal. The girl she apprenticed showed a strong improvement in her miko abilities, Sesshomaru noted. Suddenly, something of a flash went through his head. What on earth was he doing? He a powerful demon, reduced to some pitiful fixation on a human who was stupid enough to love a hanyou. And the said hanyou hadn't enough brains to keep himself from being sucked into hell by a corpse! Sesshomaru stood angrily and made his way to Kagome, who had the Tetsusaiga hanging from her waist. He backhanded the novice miko out of the way, knocking her unconscious if not killing her. He spoke to Kagome in a murderous tone;
"Give me the sword, Wench." Kagome looked in horror at the small form that was laying on the ground, her gaze rotated to the demon lord standing in front of her and dissolved into anger.
"How dare you," her voice was low, restraint evident. "This sword belongs to me, given by Inuyasha, who received it from the father both you and him share. It is by right, mine alone and my death will be what separates me from it." Sesshomaru smirked at her.
"Is that so, wench? And how do you plan to stop me from taking it?"
"By any means necessary, demon," was the curt reply. Kagome took her bow from her back and placed an arrow to it. It thrummed with power as she shot it towards Sesshomaru, him barely avoiding being purified. He charged towards her, but she already had an arrow to the bowstring. She shot again and missed again, but came close enough to where Sesshomaru was burned by the purity the arrow held. She reached into her quiver for another but was stopped by a clawed hand on her wrist. Kagome struggled, twisted and turned, but could not escape the demon lord's vice-like grip. Sesshomaru leered at her, indiscernible emotions swirling in his eyes. His mouth came down close to her ear, breath hot as he whispered,
"You cannot win, miko," he then dragged his tongue across her cheek, tasting the salt trail of tears that seemed perpetually impressed upon her face. His other hand reached down and unlaced her belt. Kagome's eyes widened in fear at what this meant, but he let the belt slide out of his hands and took the Tetsusaiga. She felt this and her eyes hardened. Life returned to her stunned body and she grabbed the sheath of the sword. Sesshomaru sighed,
"You leave me no choice but to kill you then." He removed his hand from her wrist and transferred it to her throat, lifting the struggling miko high above ground. Her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and silvery light shone around her. It burned Sesshomaru's hands violently, but when he let go of Kagome's neck, she remained suspended in mid-air. She spoke, but it sounded as though she were a thousand miles away and with a spectral quality to it.
"You have committed many sins, Sesshomaru-sama. Nevertheless, I see goodness in you. Mercy is not for the weak, it is a power only the strongest can use. Therefore, I grant you mercy."
Kagome lowered to the ground. And began to sob into her hands. Sesshomaru, looked on, perplexed at this small human first floating in the air, then crying on the ground.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Kagome screamed into the sky. She quieted once more, but continued muttering into her hands. "I just want to live out the rest of my days without torment from anyone! Midoriko, I wish for peace."
A coolness filled Sesshomaru and he felt different. He felt compassion for this small creature who had endured so much. It was an odd feeling and he didn't like it at all, but he couldn't stop himself. He walked over to Kagome, knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder, empathy in his eyes.
"I will take you away from here."
*********************************************************************
The vision flashed through his life faster; blurring images so that he only had snatches of them, but he felt what he was feeling at the time. Showing Kagome around his home for the first time; showing her to Rin and watching the little girl light up at the thought of a 'mommy'; Kagome falling into a pond and him giving her a stern look to suppress his laughter; a dinner to celebrate he first month there, then her second and third and finally her fourth. He was taken a little deeper into that future, and it took him a moment to gauge where he was. He was in his library, reading to Rin, when Kagome came in. A strangeness filled his heart and stomach as he looked at her. He puzzled at these feelings and questioned as to what their cause was. Were these feelings for her? A human? She was in a simple white kimono, her black hair parted in the middle of her head, hanging in damp waves on either side of her face. Rin laughed happily and ran to her. Kagome picked her up and set her on her hip.
"I'll take Rin to bed now, Sesshomaru."
"Sesshomaru-sama," Rin corrected Kagome. A faint smile played on Kagome's lips. Sesshomaru nodded. Kagome had been at his place in the West for a little over four months and was immediately adopted by Rin as a surrogate mother. But Rin had yet to stop correcting Kagome on Sesshomaru's name as Kagome had yet to address him properly. It was merely a fond game for the three of them now. Both left the room and Sesshomaru went to bathe before going to bed.
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Kagome fell into her bed with a whoosh. Rin had to have at least 3 stories of Kagome 'land' before going to sleep. She didn't mind in the least-it was a little payment for the favor that Sesshomaru had granted her. He was the reason her heart was beginning to heal. She wasn't aware that she was being watched though, and Sesshomaru noticed that she had a smile on her face. He wondered what it could be that made her smile like that, after so many months of sadness. He wanted it to be him. He stepped softly through the doorway of his adjoining room.
"Kagome?" he queried into the dark.
"I'm in here," was the reply. A pause then, "Sesshomaru, could you stay with me for a while?"
It sounded incredible that a lowly human would ask such a thing of the powerful demon lord of the Western Lands, but even more implausible was the fact that he complied. The time with her had changed him somehow, he thought as he crossed the room and sat on her bed with her. Unconsciously, he began stroking the velvety night-black hair that covered her head. At this Kagome turned towards him and gauged the look on his face. She sat up and leaned into him, capturing his lips in her own. He turned it into a bruising kiss that reddened both her lips and cheeks. He gently laid her back onto the bed, loosening the ties on their bedclothes while she held on to his neck. He untangled her from the sheets and made a trail of feather- light kisses up her exposed body, starting from her hip. She gasped and leaned into him when he reached her breasts as he skillfully worked her nipples with his tongue and hand. He continued traveling up her body with his mouth and came to a stop hovering over her lips.
"Do you want this?" he whispered softly. "I will not take you without your consent."
Kagome's voice cracked when she answered, "I.I do."
Sesshomaru swiftly rent the remainder of cloth from her body with his claws; he was already naked. He nestled himself in between her thighs, and could feel her shaking. He had to be gentle, and restrain himself, but gods! He wanted this woman! He knew from her scent that she was untouched. In his mind he felt a sort of pride: he would be her first, her last, her only. He slipped his length into her entrance and she cried out only once. He positioned their bodies so that she was sitting on his lap, and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He waited for her to get accustomed to the feel of him inside her and then gave a few experimental strokes. The noises she made told him her body approved. Soon they began to get into a rhythm, and he could not help but feel that her body was made for his. Every moan, sigh, gesture she made only aroused him further and he reveled in the feeling. When he felt he was ready to explode, he reached between them and gently brushed against her hardened nub. She cried out again, this time in pleasure, and they climaxed together. Sesshomaru bit into the junction of her shoulder and neck, drawing blood. He lapped at it and held Kagome close, easing what he knew was his new mate's momentary pain. The cold, stolid, emotionless Lord of the Western Lands had claimed a life-mate and love.
*********************************************************************
The vision ended in a blinding flash. Sesshomaru knelt underneath the Goshinboku, with the broken body of Kagome in his arms. The moon arose and lit the trails of tears that ran down his cheeks. He put his head down upon her chest and wept brokenly for something that never was, never could be. The wraithlike voice of Midoriko whispered in the wind,
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
***************************************************************************
P.S. This was a one-shot.