Never Let Go

Chapter Six

"Turn your head up to the sky, nothing down below, don't let go." Never Let Go By Josh Groban.

He held his greatest treasure in his arms for the first time in five hundred years. All the pain of those lonely nights on his balcony vaporized in the warmth of her love. The emptiness that had almost ripped him apart filled by the beating of her wounded heart. The scent he had scoured the earth for that belonged to her aloe filled him with peace that he thought lost to him. he hadn't meant to make her wait for him but he had to make sure that everything was perfect.

Unknown to her every step of her life had his hand in it somehow. The reason her mother had the money to hold the shrine, the reason that she got accepted into the university, the scholarships that she had received, the house that she owned, all of it had his touch on it but she didn't know it. He didn't want her to there were no reasons for her to. All he had ever wanted was her happiness, he didn't want her pain. All of the years that she had traveled with his brother it had taken all of his immense control not to strangle the brother that new that they had created that night five hundred years ago for hi. The child moved at the touch of his power. It knew him as father. Kagome had done well with his son just as he had known that she would even if he didn't make it the years to her. He held her as he had longed to do for so long, the others knew that he would do anything that he could to make sure that she was happy and right now it was his love that she needed and she would get it.

"Is this real? Are you here Maru? Are you the one holding me? am I dreaming?"

"Yes Kag, I am here, this is real. I am the one holding you. You are not dreaming my love. Open your beautiful eyes and look at me I have waited so long to hold you." His voice was low in her ear.

Her delicate face turned up from his chest to set her eyes so deep and pure into his own. In that moment time stopped, the world quit turning the moon shone brighter on the two of them. Silence reigned around them, only the two of them existed in the world around them. Their hearts beating as one, their love filling the other with peace that they had thought lost to them. They were whole now, the link that had been tattered almost broken was once again back and stronger than before. Blue of the ocean depths stared into the burning gold of the sun, passion, love, and peace in their gaze. The loneliness and pain vanished. They were together and the time they had been apart had not dulled the double edge blade of their love and passion.

"Why did you wait?" behind Sesshoumaru she turned the ring that he had given to her. He had come to her in his full demon appearance, she could only do the same thing for him.

"I wanted you to finish school, I was hoping that you would know about the new life within you and not be angered that I didn't tell you when it happened."

"I found out almost a month ago about your child my love, it was the only tangible connection that I had with you, I wasn't mad. I wanted to share my joy with you." She smiled at him.

"Kag it is our child and we will share the joy of his birth. I knew that you would love our child, I just didn't know how you would feel about the fact that I didn't tell you when it happened." He slid his silver clawed hand up her back to cup the back of her neck.

"I liked the fact that I found out after I had left, it gave me something to hang onto. I am not mad about it Sesshoumaru. I just didn't know if you survived the time that we have been apart."

"Nothing would keep me from you Kagome, It was so hard to stay away from you while you dealt with the baka over there. So many times in these past twenty five years he has found himself at the receiving end of my poison claws all because of you, my mate. He never once argued with me in the five hundred years that we have been living under the same roof. He made sure that I remember all that you stood for. The Westland's owe the two of you a great deal of thanks for the way that they are ran today."

"You mean the whole country." Inuyasha laughed as he moved to stand at their side.

"We now control all of Japan?" Kagome was frightened.

"Well all the youkai that live here yes." Sesshoumaru stated.

"How can we be standing here with all of the humans around and still not be seen?" questioned Kagome.

"that is thanks to your nieces and nephews." Miroku spoke in.

"Nieces and nephews?" Kagome turned in Sesshoumaru's embrace to look at the others.

"Our children," Sango moved to stand beside Inuyasha.

"You mean they are holding a barrier to protect us?" Kagome had a guilty feeling come over her.

"No, because of our children we placed a spell on the island it took us almost a hundred years to get it right but now we can be ourselves and no one is any the wiser. If we travel to other countries we have special charms like your ring to hide us but when we are here we don't need it." Kagura stood beside Miroku.

"So I don't have to hide anymore?" Kagome looked to the silent couple standing behind the others.

"No you don't," answered Sango as she moved pulling Inuyasha with her so that Kagome could see her children.

"Rin, Shippou, you really are my children from the past?" Kagome walked to them free from Sesshoumaru's embrace.

Maru knew that she had hurt the children that he raised, but that she didn't mean to. She loved them but that for them to simply appear at her side had thrown her a curve that she didn't know what to do with. Rin was having a hard time looking at her because of her denial of them. Shippou was comforting his sister but was torn. He had been warned long ago that their mother might not know them when they found her. He didn't want his mother to think that he didn't understand but at the same time it was his job to take care of Rin and right now Rin needed him but so did his mother, Sesshoumaru moved to stand with his mate in front of his children.

"Rin," his deep voice called to his daughter.

"Yes father," answered Rin her eyes on the ground in front of her feet, her long silver hair hiding her eyes from her parents.

"Do you remember the talk that you and I had about twenty five years ago?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, father." Answered Rin.

"what did I tell you then?" he asked her putting a clawed finger under her chin forcing her to look at his understanding golden eyes.

"That mother would have a hard time knowing who we were because who have grown since the last time that she saw us," Rin's voice was a whisper.

"My daughter, I wasn't lying to you. Five hundred years you have had to grow and change. Your mother on the other hand has only been away from us for what to her was only about two months. She hasn't changed but you have." Sesshoumaru was looking deep into his daughters eyes.

"You mean that she is the same as she was the day she left us?" comprehension finally slammed home for her.

"That is exactly what I mean Rin." Maru moved from in front of his daughter.

"Mother?" Rin took in the black inuyoukai in front of her.

"Rin, what is it," Kagome was slightly confused.

"Might I have a hug?"

"Why ask you never have before?"

"You carry my little brother." Rin smiled.

"I am not fragile that I know of," Kagome giggled.

"Don't run at her!" warned Sesshoumaru.

"We won't father." The children answered as they ran to her and gently embraced their long missing mother. Rin held her first crying in her hair apologizing for acting the way that she did. Kagome soothed her as much as she could telling her that it was all right, that everything was fine. Once Rin was fine Shippou walked up to his mother he had missed her so much in the years that he had to live without her. He picked her up in the air, startling her, making her laugh as he spun her around in the air. The laughter of Kagome was infectious and soon they were all laughing with her. Shippou looked to his father and smiled Maru knew that the kit was up to something, he then watched his mate get tossed into the air only to fall into his out stretched arms. Maru looked at Shippou, growling lightly.

"You always told me that you thought of her as an angel that fell from the sky, well now she is and you are the one that caught her." Shippou laughed.

"I might have said that but there was no reason to take a chance in hurting her." Sesshoumaru warned.

"Maru can we go home?"

"Yes Kag, it is time to go home." He looked into the eyes that held his heart and soul, the desire that he found there humbled him. he took to the air, flying like the wind to his palace in the mountains.

All through the night they loved each other knowing that they had all the time in the world now. Every time that Kagome and Maru succumbed to the lure of sleep they each told the other of their love.

"I love you Maru. Don't let go of me."

"I love you too Kag, don't worry I will never let go."

SHIMEKIRI