A/N: Due to popular demand I am continuing this story with a happy ending. It seems some of you were planning my funeral for how I left the story hanging. Let's just see if the dog can redeem himself…
Sesshoumaru's POV
When Hanako shows up at my office door, I seriously consider striking her down. I'm in the middle of peace negotiations to avoid war with the East…what can possibly be more important than that? In a rare moment of clarity, I realize she has probably come with news of Kagome. I have not seen the little miko in days…no weeks. I have been so wrapped up in the negotiations, there has been no time for selfish indulgences.
"Speak, Hanako," I order tersely. She glances at me, her dull eyes fearful.
"My Lord, Lady Kagome is not doing well," she mumbles in a shaky voice, looking down at the floor once again.
"Tell her I regret not seeing her the last week," I reply, pulling another scroll from the large pile. "I'll be by to see her in a day or two before I leave on my trip to the youkai council." When Hanako fails to bow and take her leave, I look up in annoyance.
"Forgive me, my lord, but it has been three weeks since you've been to see her, a-and I think the lady is dying." Her voice is quaking now in her nervousness, tears falling down her cheeks. "She's been like this since the morning following your last night together."
"Why have I not been informed before now?" I ask as my anger rises to the surface.
"The guards said you didn't have time to deal with a pathetic human female," she says miserably. "Kagome stopped eating anything and the guards force feed her every few days to keep her alive…but she is already dead inside." Her voice drops to a whisper. "I don't know if she can be saved."
My mind reels from the news. Why would my Kagome stop eating? The poor thing must be seriously ill. Rising from my desk, I order Hanako to fetch the healer. Those guards have quite a lot to answer for. Why on earth would they not call the healer and notify me immediately of Kagome's illness? As I storm through the palace, the servants all scurry away in recognition of my foul mood. At the end of the dark hallway, the guards on Kagome's door bow and step aside quickly.
"I'll deal with you two later," I growl at the useless guards, not able to trust myself to keep them alive at this point of my anger. They will need to be questioned before they are decapitated.
Kagome is kneeling on the floor next to the massive window in the bedroom. She seems completely oblivious to my approach as she stares unseeing out between the cold iron bars. Her skin is so pale it's translucent. Dark circles mar the porcelain skin beneath eyes sunken into her skull. Her hands grip the iron bars, her fingers blue from the cold. Glancing down into the courtyard below, I smile briefly as I watch my three pups playing in the garden. When my eyes focus back on Kagome, I note how thin and frail she appears in the sheer green kimono she's wearing.
"Kagome?" I call out to her, swallowing hard when she doesn't even acknowledge my presence.
Even in her anger, the tiny miko was always passionate toward me, I cannot recall a time when she simply ignored me. Bending over, I pick up her light form, cradling her gently to my chest. My heart clenches when I realize how lightweight she is now. I can feel her bones poking through her skin in places. It is truly disconcerting to see my normally cheery angel like this. The healer enters the room, and I place Kagome gently on the bed before leaving the room.
"You two," I call out to the guards. "What has been going on here?" Somehow I manage to keep my anger under control, waiting for them to answer.
"The stupid human refused to eat or drink anything," the younger blond guard says. I can't even remember his name. "Hanako was worried, so we forced her to eat and drink every few days."
"Why was the healer not called?" I ask, still masking my rage behind a stoic mask.
"She is only a human," the older guard replies as if that answers everything. Perhaps it does. My views on humans are well known after all. Even after they changed when I adopted Rin, it's not like I went around singing their praises. There's no way these guards could know that Kagome was anything other than a human plaything to me. Especially after I ignored her for weeks on end.
"My lord, I'm ready to speak with you," the healer calls from the other room.
"Stay here," I snap at the guards, pleased to finally see the fear in their eyes as I slam the door closed. When I enter the bedroom, I stop short, horrified at the sight lying on the bed. Kagome is still nude, the healer obviously wanting me to see the hideous bruising all over her body.
"It seems the guards were a bit rough with her," the healer says, her voice filled with anger. "Other than the bruising and the fact that she has no will to live anymore, she is fine." I flinch inwardly from the old woman's glare. She was old when I was a child, and to this day part of me still has a respectful fear for this woman. "I've spoken with Hanako and figured out what caused her decline. It started the morning the tea was stopped. The miko was told she was infertile. She drank the tea every day for the required 1800 days, what is required to make a youkai infertile. It seems that this human miko is immune to the long term effects of the tea as she appears to be quite fertile. My lord, she is dying from a broken heart, she has no desire to continue to live."
"The tea would make her permanently infertile?" I ask, surprised that I was so callous to not even ask the side effect of the contraceptive I forced down Kagome.
"You didn't know?" the old inuyoukai asks in amazement. "Sesshoumaru, I've been very lenient with you through the years because your parents raised you without love. Hell those selfish idiots raised you to be an unfeeling killing machine. But what you've done to this girl is criminal! She's been locked away from everyone for five years. Look at her skin; it hasn't seen the sun in all that time. When she arrived here, she was a vibrant lovely girl. You've turned her into a ghost of her formal self. I don't blame her one bit for giving up on life. Would you want this for your daughter, Isami? Would you want this for Rin?" She storms from the room, leaving me staring at the door in shock. When my mate Misumi strolls through the door, I'm left utterly speechless. Her eyes take in the human girl laying catatonic on the bed, azure eyes staring up into nothingness.
"Come, sit with me, Sesshoumaru," she says as she sits daintily on the silk divan in the living area. Not knowing what else to do at this point, I join her, wondering why she's even here. "We've been together for seven years, and in that time I've come to love you." When I try to speak, she holds her hand up, gesturing for my silence. "Let me continue. I love you as a brother. Unfortunately I never developed any romantic feelings for you. Do you care for me in a romantic way?"
"No," I answer truthfully. "I do care deeply for you, though as you said it is more as a sibling than a mate. You are perhaps my only friend." She stares at me silently for quite some time, her emerald green eyes unreadable.
"You must do something for that poor girl in there," she says, breaking the silence that had become uncomfortable. "You broke her, now you need to fix it."
"What can I possibly do to fix the mess I made of her life?" I ask, finally admitting to myself that this is my fault. I may wish to blame the guards, the healer or Hanako, but ultimately the blame for Kagome's state lies with me. I killed everything I enjoyed about Kagome, her zest for life, her smile, her love.
"What does the girl want more than anything?" she asks, stroking my arm soothingly. "I think you already know the answer. You're falling in love with her."
"I do not love her," I reply automatically. "I desire her, nothing more."
"That is how you've tried to treat this arrangement since you brought her here," Misumi says with a tiny chuckle. "It was apparent from the beginning that she was more than a mere toy. Every morning after you spent the night with her, you were lighter, carefree, the dark, icy lord I was used to strangely absent. Did you even realize that you would smile sometimes on those mornings? I've never seen you smile to anyone other than our pups, and on the rare occasion that I do something you find amusing. You may not even realize what love is. You would have been better off raised by wild animals than your poor excuse for parents. Go finish up your negotiations, peace with the East is the most important thing right now. None of this will matter if we manage to obliterate each other. I'll care for Kagome in your absence."
"Why?" I ask, completely flummoxed by her willingness to care for my lover.
"Because she deserves better than you've given her," Misumi says with a soft sigh. "No human deserves this treatment, but this one saved the world from Naraku. Stories of her sacrifice still travel throughout the lands. The kami have been cruel to see her suffer so. I promise she will be better when you return. Though I cannot say whether she will forgive you or not."
"Thank you, Misumi," I say, the words sounding odd coming from my mouth. Have I ever thanked anyone in my entire lifetime? Though I cannot understand her selflessness, I can see the sincerity in her bright eyes. This lovely inuyoukai I mated is the exact opposite of everything my mother is. How can two females of the same species be so vastly different?
"Use this time to think on what you've done, Sesshoumaru," Misumi says before I can leave the room. "You are a brilliant general, a great leader and a doting father. But when it comes to interpersonal relationships you are the most stunted male I've ever met." She pauses when I begin to growl at her. "No, you will listen to me. None of this matters if you don't change. If you weren't so important to me, I'd wash my hands of this whole mess. Figure out what's important to you and hold onto it with both hands. I will accept the little miko into our household in whatever capacity you decide." She laughs when I openly gape at her. "Do you pay no attention to what the other lords are doing? You have one concubine that you mercifully hide from me. Most lords, high and low ranking, have entire harems. I can certainly share my home with one little female. Besides, I thought you might be willing to turn your head if I were to, oh, dally with one of your generals…"
Her coyness threatens to bring a smile to my face that I manage to conceal. When I realize I feel no jealousy at her request, just relief, I wonder what is wrong with me. My mate just asked if she could have an affair and I'm actually pleased?! The mere fact that she would ask speaks volumes of our relationship. Most ladies in her position have numerous affairs, they are simply kept silent. The strangest thing is the happiness I feel in my heart. How can I possibly be pleased about such a thing? Though as I glance at her from the corner of my eye, I realize that I want her to be happy; that she can find it somewhere other than with me is an immense relief.
"I want you to be happy, Misumi," I murmur softly, waiting for her reaction. Her emerald eyes light up at my words.
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, probably to anyone," she says smiling up at me. "Perhaps there really is hope for you yet."
"The guards must be dealt with before I leave," I say as I cross to the door.
"Leave them to me," she says in a hard voice.
Nodding, I push through the door, completely ignoring the guards. Yes I have a feeling she will make them suffer far worse than I ever would. I am too rushed right now; their deaths would be quick and painless. Not at all what they deserve. Though as I walk down the dimly lit hallway, I cannot help but wonder if I deserve any better for my actions.
Four Months Later
Kagome's POV
Even after four months, I can't seem to get enough of the outdoors. Hastily finishing breakfast, I race from my room, throwing open the shoji door leading to the royal gardens. Arms spread wide I circle in place a few times, basking in the warm heat of the early morning sun. By midday it will be dreadfully hot, but even then I'd prefer to be out here in the balmy air than back inside the palace. For the moment I'm alone and I quickly fall to the ground beneath the massive sakura tree, leaning back against the rough bark. The scrolls I've been carrying litter the ground around me as I search for number six. This is a sinfully sensual romantic story that Misumi gave me a few nights ago. Before I even have a chance to unroll the scroll, a tiny figure flies through the door racing straight at me.
"Gome!" Isami screeches as she throws herself into my arms, her long gold hair flying around her body.
"Isami, you snuck away from your maid again," I scold the young inu girl through my laughter. Her brilliant golden hair is only half brushed and she is still in her sleeping yukata.
"Aww, how did you know, Gome?" she asks, her little bottom lip pushed out into a pout.
"Two things, sweetie," I tell the little girl. When I spy the angry maid at the door to the gardens, I smile. "Actually three things, but the main one is standing in the doorway behind you."
Isami shrieks and runs past the maid back into the palace. Before I can get back to my reading, Misumi appears in the garden. The inuyoukai woman has been so kind, I don't know what I would do without her. In just a few months, she's become more than a friend, she's like a sister. She crosses the garden to kneel under the tree beside me, her long blonde hair in an intricate updo. When I notice her elaborate kimono, I realize we must have important guests arriving.
"Sesshoumaru will arrive home in a few hours, Kagome," Misumi says, eyeing me with interest. "I have a kimono laid out for you and a maid ready to help with your hair."
My heart falls, I'm not sure that I'm ready to see him yet. This whole mess of a situation is simply insane. Though I understand that youkai culture is very different, it's still strange that Misumi would be so accepting of me. Not wanting to frown on my good fortune, I've refused to think on such matters. But now that Sesshoumaru is back will things change?
"Oh, Kagome, you don't have to go back to your prison," she says when she notices my fallen expression.
"But what will happen?" I ask, terrified of the answer.
"I don't know. He's been gone for quite a while what with the skirmishes before the negotiations were complete." She sits back and stares at the sky, deep in thought. "Before he left, I told him to decide what he wants from life. I already know what I want and he's returning with Sesshoumaru today."
"He?" I ask, my eyes wide in surprise.
"Satoshi, the first general of the army," she says wistfully. "I'm in love with him."
"Do they know?!"
"Yes, I do hope they didn't hurt each other too much over the last few months," she says as worry flashes through her green eyes. "Though Sesshoumaru isn't romantically interested in me, I am still technically his mate."
"What a mess this is," I comment, reminded of the dramas on television back home.
"Actually this is hardly a mess," she says laughing. "I'm in love with Satoshi and Sesshoumaru is in love with you. Most taiyoukai relationships are much messier. You're thinking like a human. Youkai live for centuries, I can't think of any that are faithful to their mates. My parents adore each other, but they both have lovers."
She continues to talk amiably, but my mind is stuck on one thing she said. Sesshoumaru loves me? How can that be possible? He kept me a prisoner for five years, almost made me infertile with that horrid tea. That is not the way to act towards someone you love.
"Don't judge him on past actions, he knows what he did was very wrong," she says when she notices my frown. "If he hasn't changed then you need not forgive him. But if he has, then I hope you'll give him another chance. Remember everything I told you about his upbringing." Misumi made it plain that Sesshoumaru was raised in a loveless household, his father always absent and his mother cold and uncaring. He turned into the killing perfection just as they wanted when they named him at birth.
"I don't know if I can see him," I whisper, staring at the scroll in my hands. "I still love him, but he never cared about my feelings. He'd get angry if I ever complained about wanting to leave the rooms. It was hard. I wanted to be with him so badly, but at the same time I was so miserable here."
"Come, let's get you ready to greet our lord," Misumi says as she rises to her feet. "He has been working tirelessly for the future prosperity of the West. He at least deserves our respect for that." Unable to argue with her logic, I gather up the scrolls and follow her back into the palace. My mind almost afraid to hope that I can have any kind of relationship in this screwed up world.
One Year Later
The pain is unbearable! Oh what I wouldn't give for modern medicine right about now. If I ever get my hands on Sesshoumaru, I'll fry him to a crisp with my reiki! As another wave of pain courses through my body, tears blur my vision and I bite my cheek trying to keep from screaming.
"It's almost time, Kagome," Misumi coos from my side as the maid places a cold rag on my forehead. "Not long at all."
"How long?" I ask through gritted teeth. "How long have I been in here?"
"Um, I didn't keep track of time," she mumbles looking away.
"Liar!" I accuse sharply. "Is something wrong? Should it really hurt this bad?"
"Lady Kagome, you will cease this incessant chatter at once," the healer barks from the end of the bed. "Save your strength. You will need it." Another wave of pain courses through my body, and this time I can't hold in the scream of pain. "It's time, push Kagome, push hard!" I bear down with everything I've got, desperate to end the horrendous pain. "Okay relax again, wait for the next contraction." This goes on for so long my mind becomes numb and I merely do as ordered with each wave of pain. When a sharp wailing cry pierces the room, I'm startled.
"Kagome, it's a boy!" Misumi cries happily as she smoothes the matted hair away from my forehead.
"She's not finished, there's another pup." The healer commands me to push just moments later as another contraction courses through my abdomen. Blessedly, the second pup is delivered almost immediately.
"A girl!" Misumi says, peering down at the healer and the pup I can't see. When the infant's cries ring through the room, I sigh in relief. She was slower to cry than her brother and I was starting to worry. As the healer continues to deliver the afterbirth, her aides wrap the infants in blankets before placing both on my chest. My eyes widen in horror at the sight. This must be a terrible nightmare!
"They're puppies!" I cry in dismay. "Why aren't they babies?"
"Oh, Kagome, I'm so sorry, we assumed they'd be hanyou so we didn't think to tell you," Misumi says laughing at my expression of horror. "Youkai are born in their true form. You have just given birth to two very healthy pure blooded youkai pups." My fingers run through the fur on my pups, one silver and the other chocolate brown. Their eyes are closed, so much like a real puppy; I can't help but feel doubt. As I'm gazing down at them, the silver female opens her eyes, a brilliant azure blue just like mine. There is nothing animal about the look she gives me and my heart soars. Shortly after, the little brown boy opens his eyes, a pure gold just like his father.
"Okay, I'm finished here, you may allow the father to enter," the healer says as she packs up her gear. Sesshoumaru rushes into the room and is at my side in seconds.
"This is my cue to leave," Misumi says as she dances to the door. "Congratulations on two beautiful pups."
"They are pure youkai," Sesshoumaru gasps in wonder as he carefully cradles the boy in his arm. I place the little girl in his other arm and watch as he cuddles our children to his chest. His golden eyes appear misty when he glances back at me. "How is this even possible?"
"The kami work in mysterious ways," I murmur, closing my eyes from fatigue. "That was really exhausting."
"I want you to name them, Kagome," he says suddenly, making my eyes fly open in surprise. In this culture the male always names the children, such is his right.
"But…"
"Another gift to show you just how important you are to me," he adds, placing the pups back on my chest.
He has been acting very contrite since he returned a year ago. After a whirlwind courtship, he won my heart back and we mated six months ago. Our beautiful pups were conceived that very night. Strangely enough the second he gave me his mating mark, the one on Misumi disappeared, leaving her free to mate her beloved Satoshi. The Sesshoumaru that returned all those months ago was not the same one I remember. Misumi was right, he did change. Though I suffered in silence for five years, he has somehow managed to make it up to me over the last year. Though, I'm not ready to admit that little fact to him yet.
"She will be Kumiko," I say, caressing her tiny floppy ears. "And he will be Mitsuo." The tiny pup is dwarfed in Sesshoumaru's large hand as he runs his fingers over the downy fur.
"Those are both worthy names," he says softly. "I will send word out far and wide that Kumiko and Mitsuo have joined the Western household. I love you, Kagome," he whispers, nuzzling my neck with his nose. The pups start squirming around, inching toward my breasts, obviously hungry.
"I don't know how to feed puppies!" I cry in dismay when I don't know what to do.
"Relax, love, I'll send help," he says as he strides to the door. "I'll be right back."
"Sesshoumaru, wait," I call out before he can leave. "I love you, too." He smiles before walking from the room. Though rare, he does smile once in a while now. I can't describe the joy I felt all those months ago when he smiled at me for the first time. Though I want to thank him for changing, I leave the words unsaid. The fact that I forgave him and gave him my unconditional love should be all the confirmation he needs that I approve of the change. Perhaps tomorrow I'll bring up the news that I stopped aging eight years ago when I banished the jewel. Though it could be quite amusing to see how long it would take for him to figure it out on his own. Maybe I'll start a betting pool…I'll bet twenty years or so…
Well there you have it, a happy ending. Who knew the jerk at the beginning of the story could actually redeem himself in the eyes of the woman he loved. Perhaps love really does conquer all…