Chapter Ten – Feeling Alone
I was so happy while writing this story, all of the reviews meant so much to me so thanks to all of the reviewers. And I'm re-writing this chapter next, so hopefully I'll get back into the flow and write some new chapters after I finish re-writing this. I hope that people enjoy reading this story and drop me a line letting me know what you think. Hopefully the re-write will improve it and not ruin it in any way. Review please.
Dreams and Flash backs are in italics.
Kagome was still deep in her thoughts only coming out once she realised that car had come to a halt. They had arrived back at the Shrine. "Oh we're here. Thank you very much for dinner and answering my questions," Kagome said softly as she got out of the car though she blushed slightly when Sesshomaru got out as well, "You don't have to walk me to the door Sesshomaru," she protested.
"I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I didn't," he said as he locked the car and took her arm as they started up the steps. She couldn't muffle the giggle that escaped her lips at the change in Sesshomaru that came and went as it pleased, it made her wonder if it really was the same Sesshomaru. He held Kagome's arm lightly but firmly, golden eyes silently and unobtrusively scanning the surrounding area. Since he had stopped the car he had felt a strange aura and he could feel eyes watching him and Kagome. It was coming from somewhere in the area of the shrine, he could feel a presence, not quite youkai though similar but for some reason his senses could not pinpoint its exact location. He sighed inaudibly and berated himself: This is what comes from not training and using your skills. From now I'm training a couple of days a week with my pups…
Sesshomaru's head turned sharply to the right when he heard a branch snap and a figure jumped down out of the tree. Without thinking he pushed Kagome behind him, after all she was Inuyasha's mate and for history to play out as it should she was needed back in the Feudal Era. The figure continued to walk towards them, a low growl emanating from it and Sesshomaru growled back.
"Who are you? Why are you with her?" the figure growled.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru demanded and growled back trying to get a scent, his back stiffened as he recognised Inuyasha's scent, what was he doing here? "Inuyasha?"
Kagome gasped, her heart jumping into her throat when she heard Sesshomaru say Inuyasha's name. Could it be Inuyasha? Sesshomaru said he had tried to kill himself but that he had saved him. But if so, why hadn't he tried to find her in the last couple years? But before she could say anything the figure walked into the light showing a small boy with long ashen blonde hair with puppy ears, extended claws and now red tinted golden eyes. "Why are you with my mummy?" he growled.
Mummy? Sesshomaru wondered in slight shock and then glanced at Kagome. She had a son and didn't tell me? No, she didn't tell me that she and Inuyasha had a son. Perhaps she did not know how I would take the news since I was so against half-breeds in the past and decided not to tell me. Sesshomaru shook his head trying to dispel the questions that came to mind, instead he silently watched as Kagome walked over to the young boy and she gathered her son into her arms, calming him with softly spoken words and without a trace of fear. But then she never had, even in the Feudal Era. No matter if she was faced by Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's Demon or even Naraku. Holding him against her chest she coaxed softly. "Hey sweetie, you can calm down now. It's okay, I'm right here and we're just fine."
There was an almost immediate change in him as he calmed down and snuggled against her, calming down at the comforting embrace and her scent. His claws and fangs went back to their normal size and his eyes back to their normal golden brown, but he was staring up at her like he was going to burst into tears, "Mummy why were you with that man? Don't you love me anymore? Me and Daddy?"
When he took the time to look the young boy over he could see the resemblance, though his colouring was weaker than his own and Inuyasha's the resemblance was obvious. He reminded him so much of Inuyasha as a pup, because despite the fact that he hadn't ever shown any love towards him, deep down he'd cared. He just hadn't been able to forgive him for being a hanyou and that their father had chosen Inuyasha's mother over his own. But this time it was different this was his nephew and his little brother's son. He watched in silence as Kagome explained to her son who he was and he was once more reminded why she had gained a grudging respect while in the Feudal Era. She was remarkable for a human and while he realised that with Rin and Kagome, it had taken a few millennia to realise it was the same for other humans as well.
"Oh sweetie, of course I do!" she said tears forming in her eyes at the sight of her distraught son and the idea that he would think she didn't love him anymore. Blinking away the tears she pointed at Sesshomaru and said softly. "But you see that man over there? He's very important because he's your daddy's big brother."
"Daddy had a big brother?" he asked with wide eyes before looking over at Sesshomaru in barely concealed awe. "Does that mean he's my Uncle? Like Uncle Souta?"
"Yes sweetie," she said with a slight laugh. "That's your Uncle Sesshomaru."
"Oh," he said forgetting all about his previous worries and shifted slightly in her arms so he could see him better. Peeking at his newly found uncle from around his mother Taishi whispered, "Can I say hello?"
"Of course," she said as she put him down once again and curling her fingers around the tiny hand she walked with him over to Sesshomaru. Hoping that Sesshomaru had changed enough to accept her son, though if he had gone out of his way to stop Inuyasha from killing himself then she had to believe their relationship had at least improved in her absence. "Taishi this is your Uncle Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru this is Taishi."
The two males looked at each other for a long moment and Kagome was beginning to worry until Taishi let go of her hand before bounding over to his newly found uncle, throwing himself at Sesshomaru and hugged him. Taishi pulled back from the once again shocked and speechless Sesshomaru and started back towards the house at a light run. "I'm going back to bed now mummy! 'Bye Uncle Sessh-oo-maroo!"
For a while they just stood in silence until Kagome broke it uneasily. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Taishi," she said staring at the ground.
"It's fine," Sesshomaru said dismissing it. "You were only protecting the boy; after all you did not know what my reaction would be."
Kagome nodded slightly… her eyes far away at that moment. "You know he is the only reason I am alive right now." she said softly and then looked up into Sesshomaru's golden gaze… so similar to Inuyasha's yet so different.
"In what way?" Sesshomaru enquired.
She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms over her arms as she replied softly, "Once I realised that I was stuck in this time I fell into depression. To begin with I jumped down the well everyday for months and I had terrible nightmares about Inuyasha abandoning me, I still have the nightmares sometimes. But after my mother locked me out of the well to keep me out I tried to end my life."
"How did Taishi save you?" Sesshomaru questioned.
"I… don't know," she said with a slight laugh. "It seems kind of silly when I say it out loud...it's just know that after I slit my wrist I thought I felt Inuyasha and I looked up and saw my little boy. He asking me why I didn't love him and why I was killing the both of us and it snapped me out of my daze so I called my mum to help me but I passed out. I'm fairly sure I should have died of blood loss before they arrived but I didn't."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed when he took in this information. The boy must be quite strong to contact her when he was merely a few months old, he couldn't have been any older for her to be unaware of the pregnancy. "Hn...well you are very fortunate then, but I must go. Rin will be waiting up for me."
"Oh… about tomorrow…" she said trailing off.
You will see Rin tomorrow," he said not quite going back to his emotionless tone, but almost. "Unless you aren't coming?" he said raising his eyebrow.
"Oh yes I will come…" she said still slightly unnerved about the idea. "I just wondered how I was going to get back."
"You will find out tomorrow," he said with a very Inuyasha like smile and then he was gone. Kagome shook her head and walked back to the house."
* Scene Change *
Kagome groaned and covered her head with her sheets as the alarm clock once more began buzzing at her. It was so inconsiderate… with a sigh she threw her sheets off her body and sat up. After a moment she stood up and walked to the window. The morning was beautiful; the sky was a pure sky blue with fluffy white clouds here and there, birds were singing and there was a fresh, sweet smelling breeze coming through the window. And for the first time she could remember in a while…she was happy and looking forward to the day. The news that Sesshomaru had given her was in some parts disturbing and vague, but he had also given her hope. Hope was better than all the money in the world and what she needed so desperately more than anything else. A hope that she could get back to Inuyasha and that Taishi would get to know his father because he needed a father, someone that could teach him about his abilities.
She wondered if Sesshomaru could teach him the basics before they left...it was so dangerous in the Feudal Era. Kagome shook her head, there was time to work all of that out once she went and saw Sesshomaru. Once she found out about this thing that might be able to take her and Taishi to the Feudal Era. She stretched her arms over her head and looked around her old bedroom. Now that she had hope it didn't seem so overwhelming or so full of painful memories, instead it was full of happy memories. Of the times Inuyasha came with her, of the times he checked on her from the tree when he thought she didn't know… of the times he stayed with her.
With a grin she grabbed some clothes and went to have a shower. Fifteen minutes later she walked back into the room now dressed in a dark green hipster pants and a pale green off the shoulder top, her ebony hair loose down her back. Kagome smiled as she looked in the mirror and she saw a glimmer of the girl she'd been years ago. Gone was the sad and haunted girl, instead the happy, loving and carefree girl had returned finally.
Kagome looked down at her son still asleep in the small bed that her mother had brought up for him and she smiled softly and brushed a hand through his soft hair, he murmured something but stayed asleep. Tears filled her eyes when she looked at her son, hers and Inuyasha's son. He looked so much like Inuyasha. She looked at him once more before she took her handbag and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. "Hey mum," she said softly as she sat at the table.
Looking up from making breakfast she asked, "Are you going somewhere?"
Kagome nodded, "Yeah I'm going to go and see Sesshomaru." At her mother's raised eyebrow she replied, "No not like that mum! He thinks he might have a way to get me and Tai back to the Feudal Era. Besides he's happily married you know, it's not like he'd be interested in me that way in the first place and I'm not interested in him."
"Oh?" she asked as she placed Kagome's breakfast in front of her before sitting down in the chair next to her. Worry evident in her brown eyes as she looked at her daughter, "And if he had this knowledge why didn't he try and find you?"
"Because he had probably forgotten about my existence, it's been five hundred years Mum, besides that he wouldn't know where to look or when. But yes I'm going to go and see him and his wife," she said taking a mouthful before adding almost to herself, "That reminds me I will have to ask him how Rin survived five hundred years…"
"Why wouldn't she?" her mother asked. "Isn't she a youkai?"
"No she is human unless he found a way to change her," Kagome said with a grin. "Well I guess I will find out if he will tell me."
"So you want me to look after Tai again today?" her mother asked and Kagome nodded her mouth full with the last of her food. "Did you tell him goodbye?"
"No he was asleep still. I shouldn't be too long and if you need me I have my mobile phone. If he asks tell him I went to see his Uncle," Kagome said as she gathered up her dishes and took them to the sink before dropping a kiss on her mother's cheek as she moved to exit the room. As she walked down the stairs of the shrine she ran a hand through her hair and flagged a taxi.
Half an hour later she arrived at Sesshomaru's home and she looked around in awe. When the taxi pulled up at the gates she wondered if maybe she had gotten the address wrong and that they wouldn't let her in when she pressed the buzzer, but all she had to do was think about Sesshomaru to realise that it wasn't too much of a stretch for it to be his. Surrounded with beautiful green gardens and brilliantly coloured flowers of every type she could think of and the home itself was huge! As she looked around she was reminded once more of the wealth the youkai had managed to accumulate, it was almost like a castle though after a moment Kagome wondered if it was. It could very well be the Western Lord's castle from the Feudal Era that she had heard about from Inuyasha. Sesshomaru would have kept ownership of the castle that had been in his family for thousands of years. Cut from cream stone it was beautiful, tall and magnificent.
Kagome exited the taxi and walked up to the front door and rang the door bell. She was wondering how they would hear it in such a large castle when the door opened and she saw a woman who she could only assume was a maid standing there. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.
"Yes I'm Kagome Higarashi and I'm here to see…Sess…uh, Mr and Mrs InuTaisho," she said while silently berating herself. They didn't go by Rin and Sesshomaru anymore... she would have to ask them what their names were now so that she wouldn't almost call them their proper names again by mistake.
"Oh yes they are expecting you," the maid said slightly bowing. "Follow me please."
Kagome followed the maid into a large, sunny and bright lounge room where she could see a young woman sitting in one of the pale green arm chairs that were placed here and there in the room. She was reading a book from what Kagome could tell, though at that moment the woman stood up from where she was sitting and turned to face them.
"You may go," She told the maid in a soft cultured voice but once the maid was gone she ran over and hugged her. "Kagome!"
"Uh, hi," Kagome said with a grin as she hugged the girl back that could only be Rin. When she pulled back she was slightly taken aback by the fact that she had grown almost to the same height as her now, though Rin had a certain elegance about her that she seemed to have gained from Sesshomaru, or perhaps he really had found a way to make her youkai. But despite her elegance it seemed the girl had kept her wild hairstyle though it was a little more elegant in the way it was layered and flicked out around her face, reaching below her shoulders but it was a little strange that the little girl now appeared older than her and was much, much older. Despite the years she still bubbled with youthful laughter and joy and at closer inspection she could see the other girl's bump that she recognised as pregnancy. Smiling Kagome asked, "You're pregnant?"
Smiling they sat down together and Rin put her hand on her stomach with a smile. "Yes I am. This is the forth pregnancy though that's not too bad for being with someone for five hundred years...and of course not all of them were single births either. I heard from Sesshomaru that you had a little boy?"
Kagome nodded and said, "Taishi. He's three, what about yours?"
"We shouldn't tell you," said a soft masculine voice and Kagome rolled her eyes. What was it with these males and their desire to say the same thing over and over again? What could be the harm in finding out about their future children?
Rin pouted cutely, "But I want to tell her about my babies!"
"Rin you know it can unbalance things, what would you do if we told her all that and then she ended up changing things with her knowledge if she successfully goes to the past. Just a simple slip could stop us from even getting together," Sesshomaru gently chastised as he came further into the room.
She could see his point in a round-a-bout way, she didn't want to learn anything that could wreck their relationship so she decided to change the subject "So what names do you go by in this time anyway? I almost said your real names to the maid."
"Oh that's not overly important here. Almost all the people that work here are youkai, hanyou or mates with a youkai or hanyou," Rin said with a grin. "Here we just go by our proper names, but legally I go by Rinoa and Sesshy here goes by Maru."
"Sesshy?" Kagome said a giggle passing her lips at such an adorable nickname being put to someone like Sesshomaru and though he glared at her it was wasted since Kagome wasn't paying much attention and it softened considerably when it landed on Rin.
"I told you not to call me that," he said gruffly. "Especially with company."
"And has that ever stopped me before?" Rin said with a raised eyebrow.
Why was it that he could never win? He wondered before saying, "Come Kagome I need to talk to you about the amulet."
Kagome followed Sesshomaru into his study and sat down in one of the seats, moments later he did the same thing though he didn't say anything. They sat there in silence until Kagome broke it, "So what is this amulet that you wanted to talk about?"
"The amulet is what I think might be able to take you back to the Feudal Era."
"You think!" Kagome shrieked and Sesshomaru winced ever so slightly as the noise rang in his ears. "What do you mean you think it will work?"
"Well its not like I can test it is it," he growled slightly in response to the pain and annoyance that she was causing his person. Sometimes he wished that humans weren't so loud or that his hearing wasn't quite so good.
"You can't?" she demanded. "Why not?"
"Because from what I can find out it only works twice," he said with an inaudible sigh. "So if I used it to check I would then either have to wait another five hundred years to give it to you or use it to come back which would mean it would then be useless."
"Oh," Kagome murmured feeling very foolish. "Sorry..."
Sesshomaru nodded his acceptance of her apology then leaned down and unlocked one of the draws of his desk. Then proceeded to pull something out and place it on the desk between them. It was a small dark mahogany wooden box only about six inches in diameter with golden filigree around it. Kagome inched closer to the box so she could see the detail of the box and saw that it had strange symbols engraved in the lid and on the sides which she assumed that it was the language of those who had made the box and the object inside. Reaching out she hesitantly opened the lid, the inside was covered in blood red velvet and Sesshomaru pulled out the pendent. The fragile filigree chain was long and on it was a blood red stone, possibly a ruby, surrounded by gold and linked to the chain. Though in the middle of the stone was a tiny golden time glass. Kagome looked away from the pendant and at Sesshomaru, who after a moment placed the pendant in her hands.
"This pendant was made long ago by a race that has been gone from this world for centuries, much about them has been lost and even this pendent has been thought a myth for centuries," he said leaning back in his chair slightly. "It is thought to be able to take a person to another place and another time. I have been looking for this for a while though even I don't understand its powers I managed to decipher the fact it can only be used twice, so you must be careful. If you were to use it and end up in the wrong place you would only have one chance to get either back here or to the feudal era."
Kagome looked at the pendant solemnly… would she risk it?
Okay since this is a new chapter I expect you ALL (no exceptions, hehe) to give me reviews! So I know what you think. How am I supposed to continue and feel loved if you won't talk to me? However I don't want flames! If you do I will have to cry in the corner sniffl