and guess what my dumb butt forgot to do until now... you guessed it DISCLAIMER! so here it is now:

DISCLAIMER: i don't own Inuyasha... sadly :) but Tsume is mine, so please no stealing

Memories Long Gone

Sesshomaru stood calmly at the edge of the battlefield. The once-green grass now glowed red, both from the blood and the light of the rising sun. The tangy, metallic smell assaulted his sensitive nose; he snorted once, hoping to be rid of it. A vain, fools' hope as it turned out. He took a deep breath through his mouth instead, and the smell was not quite so strong that way.

Gold eyes surveyed what was left after the battle. It had been a long, difficult night, but as he had known from the beginning, he had risen victorious. He feared nothing, especially not these idiot humans who thought they could destroy him by sheer numbers. Rustling behind him drew the dog demon's eyes over his shoulder; he fought a smile at the sight of the only human he could stand, Rin. She stood, just as calmly as he did, in her bare feet and knee-length kimono, watching him with her big brown eyes. Next to her stood Jaken holding his staff and twitching when his master's eyes fell on him. Sesshomaru forced himself not to sigh. No matter how much the little goblin annoyed him, he wouldn't kill it until it stopped being useful.

A breeze sprung up as he considered them, carrying with it the echoes of the night before; the screams of men and the clashing of metal weapons as they fought. He sighed deeply, forgetting to breathe through his mouth, and was greeted with the scent of blood again. Disgusted, he almost moved to cover his nose before remembering the pair behind him; they could not see him do such a thing. Imagine how weak he would appear! He forced his hands to remain at his side as Rin called softly,

"What are you going to do now?" Were it anyone but her who had asked, he would have snapped and entertained the notion of killing them, and possibly followed through with it. However, it was her, and she had asked a valid question. These foolish humans had come far too close to discovering his palace; it was in no way a wise idea to stay near anywhere the humans knew to look. He turned his back on the bloody field to address the girl who was now a young woman. She met his eyes without fear and he smiled just slightly at her.

"I have more than one castle," he answered. "Some are hardly even known to demons, let alone humans. We will go to one of them." She nodded once, accepting his answer before pulling Jaken back towards the treeline.

"We will wait for you, Lord Sesshomaru. Call us when you are prepared to leave." How well the little thing knew him. Hiding his growing smirk, he turned back to the battlefield, now awash in the red-gold glow of the rising sun.

"Oi, Tsume-chan!" Kagome called from the sidelines. A young, auburn-haired girl turned from her kendo lessons to smile back.

"Kagome-chan, can you not wait for a little while? I'm quite busy!" she responded, giggling. Kagome shook her head.

"Sorry, but I have to tell you something!" Hasegawa Tsume rolled her eyes and bowed to her sensei.

"I'll be back, sensei, hopefully. Kagome's stories can be… long-winded." Smiling, he waved a hand carelessly.

"Don't worry; your lesson is nearly over anyway. I will see you next week!" Tsume laughed, and waved goodbye as she carefully lifted her wooden bokken over her shoulder and took off in her friend's direction. Kagome waited impatiently, almost literally bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited for Tsume to reach her. Tsume forced herself not to snicker at her friend's expression and purposely walked super-slow the last few feet. Kagome nearly exploded when she finally got there.

"I have got the strangest story to tell you!" the black-haired girl burst out as soon as Tsume was next to her. "Last night, I dreamed the weirdest thing!" Tsume sighed.

"Tell me while I put my stuff away." Kagome grinned and prattled on about the dream she'd had. Although, Tsume thought the details were a little to clear for it to be just a dream. Perhaps it was; but she sincerely doubted it. The well in her friend's backyard shrine leading to another dimension, or another time? She was superstitious enough- and enough of a fantasy-lover- to want it to be real. Actually, she hoped it would be real… Tsume brushed that off. Kagome was right; it was just a strange dream.

They made good time, despite Sesshomaru not being able to simply carry the two of them. Rin had declared that she enjoyed walking, and he found he didn't have the heart to deny her. At least for now. Most likely, within the next day or two, he would grow bored with walking and simply pick her and the goblin up and fly them to his castle in the mountains. He sighed, breathing in the scents around him: the clear, fresh smell of the stream next to them and the strong, spicy smell of the forest around them. Loathe as he was to admit it, especially in front of Rin and Jaken, he was greatly enjoying himself.

It was later that night, and Tsume had agreed to spend the night at Kagome's house. She and her friend had spent most of the evening alternating between watching movies and talking about Kagome's strange dream. Tsume longed for a dream of her own like that, but doubted she would get it. She hardly remembered her dreams, and when she did, they were thoroughly confusing and often rather violent. All she dreamed about were battles… long, bloody battles after which she licked blood from her claws and cleaned her mouth of the metallic taste. Sometimes, she would wake up the next morning with the taste of blood still on her lips and scratches on her body where she remembered wounds in the dreams.

It was both unsettling and fascinating.

To Sesshomaru's amazement, they actually reached his home in the mountains on foot; he had never grown impatient with the pace set by Rin; although Jaken did grate on his nerves, although that was hardly a surprise. Now, at home and relaxing as much as he allowed himself, he settled into the private baths close by his chambers. He almost hoped he would fall asleep here; when he did, he dreamed strange, but fascinating dreams. They were o a young woman, with auburn hair and bright amber eyes. He had dreamt of her once on the way here, but he remembered very little of it. He only remembered calling her name, but when he woke, it left his mind as quickly as a shadow fled light.

Tsume rolled over in her bed for what felt like the thousandth time that night. Unlike Kagome, who had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Tsume could not sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt like something, a word or a name, was right on the tip of her brain and it kept her awake. She felt like it was something important, something she should remember, but did not. Finally, as the moon settled right outside the window, she decided to go outside for a bit. Maybe it would calm her enough to allow her to sleep.

Silently, she slipped out from under the covers, grabbed her coat, and left the house. She stood silently outside the shrine in Kagome's backyard a short while later, drawing the lapels of her coat closer to her body in an effort to shield herself from the cold. She breathed in the cool night air, relishing in the scents it brought her: the cold taste of the fall leaves, and a slight spice. The trees, perhaps, or a coming storm?

As she stood debating this in her mind, a strange sound from behind her caught her attention. Slowly, she turned to study the shrine, surprised to see a light shining from inside. Curious, ignoring the little voice in her head, warning her away, she slid the wooden screen open and stepped inside. Immediately, her gaze was drawn to the well, the one Kagome had so often spoke of, the one in her "dream". Tsume gently touched the rim, not remembering when she had approached it, and stared into its inky black depths. Something about it stirred her memory… Something was there, on the other side, and it called to her heart as nothing here ever had.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, reclining in his bed, relishing in the warmth it provided. All around him was silence and the subtle scent of sandalwood incense the servants insisted be present in his chambers at all times. Despite his initial reluctance to it, however, he found he liked it. It was calming, and it brought images to his head, and feelings, and a name he could almost remember. It was frustrating, but at the same time he enjoyed it. After all, never let it be said that Sesshomaru no Taisho turned a challenge down! Sighing, wishing the feelings of someone rubbing his shoulders were real, he allowed himself to sleep.

Tsume leaned forward, her entire body called into the depths of the well. Whatever it was on the other side, she wanted it with every fiber of her being. Nothing in her stopped to think that perhaps it was dangerous, that perhaps it was some sort of enchantment. No, it was something good! Something she knew, something her body and heart remembered but her mind had forgotten. She didn't even hear the shouts of warning from behind her as she stepped up onto the edge of the well where her hand had previously sat.

"Tsume! Don't!" Somewhere in her, she heard her friend Kagome's desperate call from behind her. But the rest of her said, "Jump! Go!" And now, she was following her instincts, not the calls of a human, even one she called "friend". She allowed her weight to pull her forward, allowed herself to fall headlong into the pitch black space that was once a well.

Sesshomaru was dreaming. That had to be the answer. Never had he felt so peaceful with another, especially not one of the filthy half-bloods. But this girl… With her long hair and light, laughter-filled eyes… He wanted her near him. A name… She had a name, and he knew her name. His body, and his previously ice-cold heart, knew her, knew her name. But his mind struggled to remember. "Ts-" He could remember no more.

"It's all right, love. I am coming back!" He could not deny the relief that filled him at her voice. It had been so long since he'd heard it… He hadn't heard her since the battle that had taken her away from him. "I am coming back to you!" The dog-demon's heart swelled with joy with the knowledge that his demon, his fox, was returning.

Tsume… Tsume!

Tsume felt her heart grow warm. Someone was calling her name. And she knew that voice! It had been so long since she had heard him, she had almost forgotten. No, she had forgotten. She had forgotten the love of her life, had allowed her human mind to take over as she fled the battle that had nearly taken her life. And somehow, she had ended up across the well, away from him. Away from Sesshomaru, unable to get back.

At least, not until Kagome told her of her "dreams". Now, she had a way to return! "Sesshomaru!" she cried, her voice alight with joy. "I'm coming home!"

"I'm coming home!" Sesshomaru jerked awake at that. And now, even waking, his mind remembered. A hundred years of waiting, of forgetting, and now, she was coming home. He closed his eyes again, this time not to sleep. He wanted to remember her. His "claw". His Tsume.

They had met in a most unfortunate fashion. She was a starveling half-fox-demon. Sesshomaru, of course, was a high-ranking demon lord. Tsume had had the gall to try and steal from him in the middle of the night, and he had nearly killed her for it. He was glad, much later, that he hadn't. But there had been something about her… Something that he could not, no matter how furious he'd been, eradicate. As it turned out, he had been right. She saved him later, and against her own kind at that. He hadn't needed her help, of course, but having her defend him against her own people was an astounding thing…

And beautiful. It wasn't until she followed him out of the camp, and he'd seen her in the moonlight, the red-brown of her hair muted in the starlight, her eyes almost shedding light on their own. Her fox ears twitched at every sound, and she'd held her tail out of the mud with an embarrassed smile on her face. Oddly enough, he had found this adorable and had asked her what her name was. Her name, spoken in her gentle voice, had him. He had asked her to come with him then and there, glad that his "loyal" servant Jaken and Rin were not there to witness this. At first, he thought it a weakness, but later, she proved him wrong. She joined him, fighting alongside him many times, always victorious.

Until that day. That hopeless day when humans attacked them. The day he lost her.

Tsume could see light on the other side, finally. She had been falling for what felt like years, but finally the tunnel was coming to an end. And she could hear him. In the depths of her mind and heart, she could hear Sesshomaru calling for her. And how she wanted to answer. She remembered now, everything. That night she met him, nearly got killed by him, and the night he asked her to stay with him. She remembered fighting humans with him, and the one who nearly killed her. And- she fought the pain in her heart at this memory- how she left him, heartbroken and cold, as she fled to the future to save her own skin…

The light ahead of her was much larger now, and she could smell the scents ahead. Sandalwood and a musky, heavy smell she hadn't known for far too long a time. His scent. Hear ears twitched, hoping to hear him; she hadn't even noticed they had changed from human to fox again. She did realize how much she had missed her true form. Her short, long-furred tail hung behind her as the well passage set her gently on her feet before him.

He was even better than she remembered. His pale skin and white hair nearly glowed in the gentle candlelight; the smell of incense, which she had always loved, combined with his smell so perfectly… Tsume found that her voice hardly worked at the sight of him after so long. She took a deep breath, and finally managed to call his name.

"Sesshomaru!" He jerked awake, golden eyes meeting hers for the first time in over one hundred years. Tsume felt she was finally home.

She was there! Standing before him, her auburn hair reflecting the candlelight, turning almost red, her ears perked forwards to catch any sounds he might make. As before, she held her tail in her hands, stroking the fur nervously. However, she still met his eyes with that strong stubbornness he had grown and learned to love over the hundred and fifty years he had known her before she was gone. And now, she was here again.

"Tsume… How can you be here?" he whispered, rising from his bed to stand before her. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I was alive, Sesshomaru… in the future. I ran away, I left… I was afraid, scared they would kill me before I could get back to you…" He ignored the slight anger he felt at hearing this, opting instead to hold her. It had been so long, and he missed the way she folded against him in all the right places. She sobbed softly, whispering apologies and regrets into his shoulder. Regrets that were not necessary.

"Shh, Tsume, it is all right. You are returned, now, everything is as it should be." She sighed, looking up at him, smiling through her tears. How he had longed to see that smile again, longed deep in his heart even as his mind forgot her. "I have missed you," he whispered, cupping her chin gently with clawed fingers. She tilted her head into his palm, her eyes closing.

"And I you, love." Sesshomaru tilted her head up, lowering his mouth to hers. She returned the kiss with an energy he remembered; he laughed softly against her mouth. Tsume was just as he remembered: a joy to be around, lighting up even the stoniest of hearts with her spirit. It was what he loved most about her. He broke the kiss, turning her so her back was to his chest and pulled them both back so they landed on his bed. She laughed that laugh like bells, and he had to smile. Tsume turned to face him, still laying on him, her long hair covering them both. "Sesshomaru…" He reached up to touch her face, still hardly able to believe she was home.

"Tsume… Don't ever leave me again." His heart could only handle so much ice, after all, despite what others thought. She smiled, a small chuckle escaping.

"I won't, I promise." He stroked her cheek; she sighed, amber eyes meeting his golden ones. "I love you, Sesshomaru." He smiled a true smile for the first time since she'd been gone.

"I love you, too, Tsume."

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