Within Temptation
Chapter 1 Unexpected
Three years had passed since the jewel brought her back to the present time. She had stopped calling it her time for it never felt like her time she felt so out of place here and more at home 500 years in the past.
After returning she finished high school and went to a local 2 year college majoring in history. Her friends said she was obsessed with her classes but what they didn't know was that she had lived some of it and she wanted to know what happened to everyone. At first she could find nothing on any of her friends or about that time other than war. Then one day while in an old run down book store she came across an old book with hand written pages it was a story about a time traveling miko a half demon, a monk a demon slayer and a demon fox kit. Kagome smiled and wiped a tear away as it fell and bought the book. At home she read the story and it told of the group killing an evil half demon who wanted the shicon jewel to basically take over the world. The story talked about how the miko despaired and how the monk and slayer getting married and having kids and rebuilding the slayer village and how the half demon and fox kit still traveled the lands fighting demons and keeping the peace. The more kagome read the more she cried. At the end of the book there was a small chapter on a demon lord and a small child it was more hearsay than the rest on the book but she knew it to be true as well.
Two days before the 3 year anniversy of the jewel bring kagome home she sat on her bed and pulled the book from her night stand and read it again till she felt a little better then went down to the kitchen and helped her mom prepare for the dinner they would have the next night in celebration for her friends in the past. That night kagome took a shower and laid out her miko clothes for the morning. The clothes were the same as kikiyuo and keadea's but she chose black pants instead of red ones. Kagome fell asleep thinking of all the people and friends she met in the past and fell asleep with a smile.
The next morning kagome woke and dressed and went down stairs and help her mom brother and grandpa prepare the house and cook and set food out and make their offerings to be taken to the well house for thanks and when it was time kagome her mom Tanya and brother souta and her grandfather sato walked to the well house offerings in hand as they approached kagome felt a weird feeling come over her and it made her pauses and as soon as souta opened the door the things in kagomes hands dropped and the plate shattered. Tanya and Sato turned to look at kagome to find her crying and shaking.
"No it can't be." Was all kagome said as she looked into the well house.
"What is it kagome dear?" Tanya asked going to kagome.
"The well, the magic, its back its there I can feel it." Kagome said running into the well house and down the stairs to the old well.
Kagome ran her hand over the lip of the well and she felt the buzz of the magic react with her like always like it was never gone.
"It works the magic is back I don't know what to do." Kagome said turning to look at her family and that's when she noticed her brother had a large brown messenger bag and was handing it to her mother.
Kagome started to cry even more.
"Kagome dear it's not much but under wear bras and spare cloths and a large towel. But it should be enough till you can get settled. "Tanya said walking down the stairs and handing the bag over to kagome, "we love you ok now go before it stops working again." Tanya said giving kagome a hug and souta and Sato followed suit.
And without hesitation kagome turned and jumped into the well and cried when the purple magic engulfed her and after a few moments she was standing on the dirt bottom of the other side of the well. Looking up kagome was met with bright blue sky. Kagome smiled and climbed out of the well and headed to the village she just hoped that everyone or at least some one was there for her to let know she was back and never leaving again.
In a clearing not far off a figure turned feeling the wash of magic over his skin and amber eyes followed the way the magic had come from before looking to the darkening sky and waited for his company to arrive for he knew it would not be long before she showed. 'It has been three years.'
Kagome made her way down the hill into the village and toward keadea's hut as kagome was about to knock a girl looking to be about 12 years old ran out and right into kagome taking her he off guard and they both fell to the ground.
"Oh my miss I am so … lady kagome is that you?" The girl said looking down at kagome.
"Rin? Is that you? You have grown so much." Kagome said hugging the girl and standing up.
"Kagome lady keadea is gunna be so surprised to see you!" Rin said taking kagomes hand and pulling her into the hut.
"Rin child who are you talking to?" keadea asked before turning around.
"Hello keadea I have missed you." Kagome said with a big smile.
"Kagome child but how the well has not worked for three years? No that must wait. Rin go fetch songo and meroku." Keadea said patting the pillow beside her.
Rin left and came back pulling a confused songo into the hut meroku following. Songo took one look at kagome and pounced knocking kagome back words again crying.
"I have missed you too sister and you too meroku." Kagome said hugging both of them.
After a lengthy hello kagome jumped into the past three years ending with the well working again. After a cup of tea kagome looked to songo.
"Where is inuyasha?" kagome asked looking around when she noticed the uncomfortable looks.
"Oh kagome…" songo said taking kagomes hand.
"No.. No it can't be? What happened?" kagome said distressed tears starting to flow down her cheeks.
"Two weeks ago from what we was told it was a demon that took him off guard and killed him." Meroku said with a sad look.
"How though?" kagome asked looking to everyone.
"We .. We don't know kagome. Umm sesshomaru came and told us and took us to his family home where he buried him." Sango said trying to comfort her sister.
"Where is he?" kagome asked standing.
"He is in inuyashas forest. I am supost to go see him tomorrow." Rin said looking to kagome
"What?" kagome asked looking to Rin.
"He does not like to come into the village but likes to come check on me every few weeks." Rin said standing up, "I can take you to him."
"No Rin I can go myself it is too late for you to be out and I need to talk to him alone." Kagome said standing and grabbing her bag and heading to the door.
"If you go tonight child take this." Keadea said grabbing a bow and quiver full of arrows.
"thanks." kagome said taking the bow and arrows and left heading to the forest.
As kagome reached the edge of the forest kagome stood and brought forth her aura and pushed it out only to have an aura push back against hers.
Sesshomaru had been waiting on the miko to show when he felt her aura brush against him. He pushed back with his own aura calling her to him.
She followed sesshomaru's aura to where he was camped and drew her bow and aimed an arrow right at his chest.
"Sesshomaru stand and face me." Kagome said starting to get mad.
Sesshomaru did nothing and kagome got made and fired a warning shot, that got him to react but not in the way she thought. Sesshomaru was up and standing in front of her, her bow and arrow gone, mad she slapped him and hard.
"You promised me sesshomaru that you would watch him for me that you wouldn't let anything happen to him. That was the only thing I had asked when I gave you back your arm 200 years sooner than you could grow it." Kagome yelled glaring at him.
Sesshomaru said nothing but watch as her skin took on a soft pink glow and her eyes burn a bright sattfire blue. She was losing control and he had to fight with himself at the sight of her, he was growing hard. He had long ago admitted to himself that he had feelings for the miko but he was made at himself for not thinking about the possibility that the jewel would send her back to her own time. That he would not see her again but fate had other plans that was now clear. With her powers growing out of control sesshomaru did something he had ever only done once before. He took kagome by the wrists and pushed her back against a tree pinning her hands above her head and kissed her before she even knew what happened. Within moments kagome calmed and relaxed against him. Sesshomaru began to pull away eyes half lidded and looked at kagome, her cheeks were flushed eyes closed and her lips were parted. Sesshomaru had half the mind to take her now and his beast purred at the thought but he would not, not till the time was right.
Sesshomaru took a few steps back and let kagome slide down the tree and sit. She pulled her legs to her chest her head resting on her knees.
"Eat miko." Sesshomaru said taking a seat at the base of a tree across from her.
Kagome looked up to him then to the fire where there was meat cooking and took one skewer and held it, thinking back to a year before the final battle with sesshomaru joined the group she called family.
*flash back*
"Don't be taking too long kagome we have shards to collet." Inuyasha griped as kagome packed her bag to go home for a few days.
Kagome looked to inuyasha only to find that he was no longer looking at her but off in to the nearby forest.
"Inuyasha go to her I'll be back in 3 days." Kagome said picking up her bag and heading to the well.
Inuyasha looked to kagomes retreating back ears flat against his head, he sighed and turned to the way kikiyuo was and took off. He stopped long enough at the forest edge to watch kagome disappear from site, before going to kikiyuo.
Kagome walked lost in her own thought till a demonic aura pulled at her own, she dropped to one knee bow and arrow in hand. Movement had her aiming to her right. She waiting but nothing came and so she pushed her aura out again and felt the tug of another. After recognizing the demons aura belonged to one that was not a foe per say she put her bow and arrow away picked her bag back up and continued to the well.
"Sesshomaru what is it that you want I have places to be." Kagome said coming up to the well and setting her bag down and turning to the demon lord who walked into the clearing.
"You are foolish to let your guard down miko." Sesshomaru said eyeing the miko.
"Don't take me for a fool sesshomaru for I am not the little naive girl I use to be." Kagome said lifting her hand to show that she had placed a barrier around herself.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes 'her powers have indeed grown' was all he thought as the stared at each other.
"Sesshomaru if all your gunna do is stare at me then I'm going home." kagome said turning back to the well about to jump over the well.
"How does it work?" sesshomaru asked looking to the well.
"I don't know I really don't. A demon pulled me down it in my time and ripped the jewel from my body here 500 years in the past." Kagome said taking a seat in the lip of the well, "sesshomaru, if things go the way I think they are going to go then we are gunna need your help killing neroku. Your sword along with inuyashas sword and my arrow will need to combine for the kill shot." Kagome said looking to sesshomaru.
"hn" was all kagome got before sesshomaru turned and started to walk away.
"Sesshomaru the battle is not far off maybe a years' time now. Join us in this last bit of shard hunting we have left. Neroku grows stronger every day and the stronger we make our self's as a whole we will always out power him. For we have one thing he does not, we have love and family. I don't know if you have seen it or not but since you took Rin under your protection you yourself have become stronger. Love makes us strong not weak like you like to believe. I will be back in 3 days think on what I have said and asked sesshomaru." And with that kagome jumped over the lip of the well and was engulfed in purple magic and gone to her own time.
Sesshomaru stood looking at the well long after the miko had left. She was wise and no longer the young girl that he had tried to kill nor as naive. There was no thinking required he would join her group if only to be near her and know more of her and the power she held within her, her mind and body. He would wait nearby till she came back and then give her his answer.
Three days later kagome returned and headed back to her waiting friends and without hast they continued on their way. Around noon kagome who was walking at the back of the group stopped and looked behind her and then to the sky and waited. It took her friends a few moments to realize that she had stopped and turned to her.
"Hey what's the holdup kagome?" inuyasha yelled from his spot at the front of the group and stared to make his way to kagome.
Kagome said nothing but waiting eye to the sky and every one's eyes followed hers. Before long a shape could be seen heading towards them and as it came closer inuyasha started to growl and curse. Kagome sat him before he could even pull his sword, and waited for their gest to land.
"Lord Sesshomaru." Kagome said with a formal bow.
"Miko" sesshomaru said noting the slight change in her.
"And your answer." Kagome said looking up to him.
"hn" was all she got as he lifted his hand and his two headed dragon with Rin and jaken landed behind him.
"Very well." Kagome said with a smile as she waved at Rin and then turned to the head of the group and started to walk away sesshomaru following, leaving songo, meroku and inuyasha gaping at their miko friend.
The group walked till the sun had sunk below the tree line before making camp, near a hot spring mind you thanks to sesshomaru.
After getting camp set up and a fire going kagome, Rin and songo took off to the hot springs. Rin giggled as she played in the water and kagome was happy that Rin still bathed like kagome had tought her and smiled.
"Kagome, you know I would not question your judgment but why did you invite sesshomaru to join us?" songo asked in a whisper.
Kagome smiled and turned to her sister, "because songo sesshomaru has power and because of Rin here that power will never die." Kagome said as she looked off into the trees where a pissed off demon was pushing at her barrier.
"Rin its time to get out." Kagome called as she and songo got out of the hot spring.
Kagome helped get Rin dressed and she sent her and songo back to camp say she would only be a few moments and when she knew that they was back at camp safe she let down her barrier and waited for sesshomaru to show.
"You know sesshomaru I understand that you worried for the girl but eavesdropping is unbecoming of you." Kagome said turning to him as he walked into the small clearing that held the hot spring.
"hn" was all she got.
After a few moments kagome spoke, "sesshomaru there is one thing I would like to do for you. You will have to trust me fully for it to work if not then I could cause more damage than good." Kagome said walking up to him.
"I would like to speed up the growth of your left arm so you have two arms to fight with." Kagome said standing next to sesshomaru.
"As you wish miko." Sesshomaru said removing his armor and placing it on the ground.
Kagome stood next to him and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other into his sleeve on to what was left of his bicep, "do you trust me?" kagome asked looking up to him.
"hn" was all he said.
Kagome pulled forth her healing powers and pushed then into sesshomaru's arm and slowly moved her right hand down his arm in till she was holding his fingertips in her hand. Sweating and shaking kagome stepped away leaving sesshomaru to look at his arm and flex it. Kagome smiled before she swayed and started to fall. Sesshomaru was at her side and had her in his arms. 'Foolish miko' sesshomaru thought as he picked kagome up and grabbed her bags and headed back to the camp.
"I'm sorry you have to carry me." Kagome said half out of it.
"Sleep miko you need your rest." Sesshomaru said as the camp came into sight.
Before inuyasha could start yelling kagome sat him.
"Slayer get her sleeping rolls." Sesshomaru said turning to the slayer.
Songo jumped up and pulled kagomes sleeping bag out and laid it out. As sesshomaru laid kagome down songo noticed that he now had both arms.
"Lord Sesshomaru you have your arm back." Songo said bring every ones attion to sesshomaru.
"You can thank the miko for that." Was all he said before sitting down against a tree next to kagome and Rin.
No one said anything to him after that and they all started to settle down for the night. For a while sesshomaru just stared at his hand deep in thought, after a while he looked to kagome and watched her sleep.
"If you hurt her I will kill you." Came a whisper only loud enough for him to hear.
Sesshomaru looked up to the tree inuyasha had jumped into after kagome had sat him. Sesshomaru couldn't see his face but he didn't need to the words were a threat coming from a pack alpha and it took him by surprise.
"Do not look at me like that sesshomaru you cannot hide how you look at her.
Sesshomaru said nothing but closed his eyes.
As the days turned to weeks and the weeks turn into month's things went from slow to busy quick. The group went to dealing with neroku every few weeks too dealing with him every few days they all knew the finale battle was fast approaching.
One night kagome slipped away from every one and used her aura to call sesshomaru to her.
Sesshomaru found her sitting on a rock near the stream they camped near.
"Miko it is not wise to go going off alone by yourself." Sesshomaru said walking to stand behind her.
"Sesshomaru will you do me a favor?" kagome asked looking up to the stars. Sesshomaru said nothing so kagome continued, "if anything should happen to me during or after the finale battle will you please look after inuyasha for me. He has come so far to be left alone again and I'm not sure what he will do if he loses me. The love he and I share is not what I first thought it is that of pack. Just please look after him for me." Kagome asked finally looking to him. And for the first time in a year sesshomaru seen kagome cry.
"If only to repay you for my arm." Sesshomaru said turning, "come kagome you need your sleep for this calm will not last." And with that he headed back to the camp.
Kagome smiled at the uses of her name for he only used it when they were alone. She stood and wiped the tears away and headed back to camp.
The next few days were quiet and they all knew time was running out kouga and a few of his men joined them as well as kikiyuo and they all went over battle plans. Kagome and sesshomaru sent Rin and shippo away they hated it but knew it was for the best.
They were ready when neroku finally made his move. It was bloody and hard and towards the end kagome seen her opening and looked to sesshomaru who nodded and kagome made her way to the vile half demon.
Well well well bring me the jewel are we?" neroku said with an evil laugh.
"No not really." Kagome said holing out the jewel.
"Kagome no!" inuyasha yelled trying to run for her but sesshomaru blocked his way.
Kagome had found another way to kill the vile half demon without the use of the two fangs and had told sesshomaru about it and what he was to do and he was ready.
What kagome did next no one not even neroku seen coming, kagome poured all of her sadness and love for all those affected by the evil wrath of neroku into the jewel making glow a bright white and before neroku could even blink kagome plunged her hand into nerokus chest combining the two half's of the jewel. Both kagome and neroku were engulfed in a blinding white light for a second everyone stopped breathing and then an energy wave blasted over the battle field. Kagra dropped to her knees holding her now beating heart, kanna blinked dropping the mirror she held, kuhaku dropped his weapon and dropped to his knees and cried, kikiyuo said her good byes as she became nothing more than dust in the wind and kagomes soul returned to her. The blast had sent kagome up into the air and now she was falling back down and she was caught not by inuyasha but by sesshomaru.
"It's done, and I don't have much time." Kagome said looking to her friends.
Kagome watched as her friends came running.
"I love you all of you and I will never forget any of you." Kagome said as the jewel left her hand and exploded into nothing but dust. "Live happy and rebuild what was left."
"I will do what you have asked of me." Sesshomaru said looking down at her.
"Thank you." Kagome said placing a hand on his cheek as she faded away back to her own time.
Kagome sat at the bottom of the well and cried.
If kagome knew what she knew now she wouldn't have cried as long.
She was back not that's all that mattered she was back in the time she called her own.