Chapter 7: Even if it was just for a moment.


I couldn't believe my eyes. Of all the people that I would possibly see in this time. He was not one of them. I looked over at my mother. Her face riddled with the confusion that rivaled my own. Moments had passed before she broke the awkward silence between us.

"I'm sorry, you two know each other?"

"Unfortunately, I do happen to know who he is."

He gave me a sly grin. "You don't seem so happy to see me Kagome."

"Considering that this is the most I've seen of you. Since all, you have ever done in the past. Was tuck your tail between your legs and run away." I grimaced at him. "Isn't that right Myoga?"

He smiled, his eyes squinting; showing his crows feet. "My love, would you please give us a moment? I promise to explain everything to you later." He said whilst touching her arm. She nodded, giving me a confused glance before leaving the room. He put his hands up in a defensive manner.

"Now Kagome, before you get angry. Let me explain."

"Why should I? Days before the final battle against Naraku. You said you had to find Totosai. To break the curse that Tsubaki had placed on you. That kept you in that ridiculous flea form. You'd promised things would be different that time. Yet, you never came back. Not once!. Not even to see if we had survived. I don't know why I bothered to put my faith in you to think that you'd actually come back, and now you've managed to slither your way into my mothers' bed."

"No, that is where you are wrong Kagome. I did come back. While it may have been too late, I still came back, and as for your mother Kagome. I fell in love with her. That is why I mated her, and no other reason."

"You're damn right it was too late! Your curse had been broken all that time. If you were there to help me, I wouldn't have had to make the sacrifice I did! We could have used your help. I needed your help Myoga, and you weren't there. Oh, you love her, do you!? Liar, you don't love anyone but yourself. You said you loved us, but you still left us. Just to save your own skin."

"No! I cared for all of you; you especially. I kept my distance, but since the day you were born I watched over you. Making sure to keep you safe. Using every connection that I had to keep you hidden from him. I surrounded your house with charms and talismans. That would keep any demon out. I even went as far to have my subordinates follow you and your family when you left your home. To make sure they kept you hidden with cloaking spells. Sesshomaru could have been standing next to you, and would never have known. New charms had been placed around the building when you were moved here." He let out a long sigh. "Every birthday, your first day of school. Your father's death. I saw it all. Even that day you were pulled into the well. I so desperately wanted to stop that from happening. To spare you all the pain you would have to face, but I knew there would have been great consequences for meddling with your destiny. I waited until the day you were sent back. That's when I'd gotten close to your mother. She seemed so sad. Your condition and the hospital bills were starting to take a toll on her. It bothered me to see her that way. I helped her as much as she would let me. Eventually, I found myself falling for her, and the rest was history."

I could feel my heart wrenching in my chest all over again. So much had happened and I'd missed it. Second chance or not, I would never get those years back. All those years had passed, but in my mind, I'd said goodbye to them only yesterday. I buried my face in my palms as the painful memories swarmed my mind. I missed them and the anger I'd been holding onto since the day he had left had resurfaced. I looked up as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I know all too well what you had to sacrifice to save them. I am sorry Kagome. I truly mean that. I was a coward and only had my best interest back then. I am truly, deeply sorry for deserting you. All of you. Know this Kagome, because of what you did for them, they lived long and happy lives. Their children had children, and those children had children. Their families even have descendants that still live on today. I assure you they all missed you greatly. Shippo, Rin, Sango, Miroku, the lot of them. Mourning the loss of their greatest friend. Inuyasha as well. He took you leaving the hardest out of everyone. Even though he tried his best not to show it, but we all knew. He roamed all of Japan after the monk and the slayer had died. Dragging Kikyo along until her clay body could no longer go on and crumpled to dust. He had pushed shippo away long before Kikyo died. I kept a close eye on him even though he would never let me physically get close to him. Losing everyone else pushed him over the edge. In the end, he died old and alone. It was on the night of his transition. His human side had succumbed to old age. He'd fallen asleep at the base of a tree and never woke again. I carried him home, burying him at the base of Goshinboku. Hoping that he had found some sort of peace in the afterlife."

I took it in, all of it. My heart filling with sadness. He had died all alone. No one to hold his hand as he left this world. No matter how many times he had broken my heart. I could never bring myself to hate him. Nor to wish him any ill will. I wouldn't wish what happened to him onto anyone. Not even my worst enemy. I twiddled my thumbs as my worst enemy came into mind.

"What about him?"

"I came across him once. About two hundred and fifty years after Inuyasha had passed. He had slaughtered the town where the castle of the west once stood. He looked like a feral creature. The image of him standing there drenched in the blood of those he'd slain, will forever be etched into my mind. Piles of dead bodies surrounded him. Limbs scattered about. He demanded the people tell him what happened to his castle and of the Shikon Miko, but no one knew what he spoke of. They couldn't provide him with the answers he'd wanted. So they paid with their lives. Also, his arm had been severed-"

"Was the wound recent?"

"Yes, I could tell it was a fresh wound. He looked as though he was on the verge of death."

"Did he have a sword with him?"

"No. At least none that I saw."

My mind was reeling. Did the jewel send him further into the future? Far enough that he'd be away from my friends, but not into modern day society in his condition. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to make sense of it all. This entire timeline was starting to give me a headache.

"Do you know where he is?"

His face became stern. "Do you want to see him again Kagome? From what the slayer had told me, he was very cross with you."

I could hear the concern in his voice. "I don't want to seek him out Myoga. I just want to know where he is. So that I never run into him. If I know where he is. I will know to avoid going there. "

"Is that really why Kagome? Or do you wish to see if he has changed?"

I shot up, placing my hands on my hips. "What are you insinuating!?"

"Perhaps you want to see if he's no longer that malicious demon that you once knew. To see if he's succumbed to his beasts feelings. I assure you Kagome he has not changed at all. He is the same demon that you remember."

"As I said, I do not wish to seek him out. Besides, I'm not a child anymore Myoga. You do not need to treat me as if I am one."

"Kagome I have lived for millennia. You will always be a child to me. A child whom I will protect. Whether you may like it or not." He clasped his hands in his lap. "You have to stay away from him Kagome."

I sat back down. "I know that, but Is there something you aren't telling me? You're pushing this awfully hard."

"He has been searching for you this entire time Kagome. He had come very close to getting his hands on you once. At the very hospital where you'd been. That's why I suggested to your mother that you be moved somewhere else. If we have moved you here one day later, he would have had you."

"How am I supposed to live my life. Take advantage of the second chance that I've been given if he's out there scouring all of Japan for me?"

"With this?"

He held up a ring, a ruby stone sitting in the middle. I took it from him, rubbing my thumb over the stone. I could feel the magic residing in it. It was intense for such a small object.

"Where did you get this?"

"Over my many years, I've collected many things."

"Why not just have one of your people make a charm?"

"None of them could make a charm as powerful as this one. I never knew one of them would come in handy. It will disguise you, and hide your scent. That should keep you safe from him. As long as you're okay with living out the rest of your days as someone else."

I leaned back into the chair, dragging my hand over my face. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life in hiding."

"What choice do you have Kagome? He's become a very powerful man. He is the most feared demon of today. He has eyes everywhere. You could take one step out of this building as yourself and he'd know where you are in a matter of minutes. If he finds you he could even go after your mother and even your brother. You'd be putting yourself in the same situation you ran from so long ago He will not stop until he kills you Kagome. You have to understand that."

I stood up walking towards my bedroom. "Tell my mother I'm not hungry," I called over my shoulder.

"There's a gift in your closet." He called back.

I shut the door behind me. Slumping down towards the floor. Is this what the jewel really wanted. Me, doomed to spend the rest of my life on the run from Sesshomaru. Hiding in plain sight, to live this new life as someone else. I let out a deep sigh, running my fingers through my hair. Sliding my fingers down to my neck feeling the mark. Hundreds of years looking for me, all because of one night. I looked at the ring, slipping in on my finger. I waited for something to happen, but nothing came. I didn't feel any different. I stood up walking over to the mirror gasping once I saw my reflection. It was a completely different person staring back at me. The person in the mirror had shoulder-length hair that resembled flames. Persian colored eyes. She had a much smaller frame. Not to mention her chest was flat as a board. I looked like an adolescent who had yet to hit puberty. I slipped out of the white dress, putting on something much more comfortable. Shoving my feet into a pair of sandals and grabbing a backpack out of the closet. This must have been the gift he was talking about. Putting on the big yellow pack, I felt nostalgic. I cracked open my bedroom door, sticking my head out. Myoga and my mother were seated at the dining table. No doubt he had explained to her how we knew each other. I tiptoed down the hallway to the front door. Hopefully slipping out unnoticed. I ran towards the elevator, pressing the button an unnecessary amount of times. I slipped in, barely giving the doors enough time to open. I needed to get away from all of this. Even if it was just for a moment.