I do not own Inuyasha. Not mine. Never will be.

What Seems So Is Transition

(From "The Reaper and the Flowers")

There is a Reaper, whose name is Death,

And, with his sickle keen,

He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,

And the flowers that grow between.

"Shall I have naught that is fair?" saith he;

"Have naught but the bearded grain?

Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me,

I will give them all back again."

He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,

He kissed their drooping leaves;

It was for the Lord of Paradise

He bound them in his sheaves.

… … … … …

"They shall all bloom in fields of light,

Transplanted by my care,

And saints, upon their garments white,

These sacred blossoms wear."

And the mother gave, in tears and pain,

The flowers she most did love;

She knew she should find them all again

In the fields of light above.

O, not in cruelty, not in wrath,

The Reaper came that day;

'Twas an angel visited the green earth,

And took the flowers away.

Longfellow

He hadn't had the heart to wake her. When they'd returned to where Kagome had been left with Sango and Kirara, they found her deeply and peacefully asleep. Her arms were wrapped around one end of mokomokosama with her delicate fingers tangled into his luxurious fur. Kouga had handed Sango the haori they'd found and the men turned their backs on the two women so Sango could dress Kagome. His beast had returned to him reluctantly for the few moments it took to cover the girl only to return once the task was complete.

Sango had been careful not to wake her and so Sesshomaru also took care in cradling her against his chest before the small band of warriors returned to the encampment. Now and then on the short trek away from Naraku's abandoned castle, he would look down on his sleeping miko. Her hair flew around her face in its butchered state, but she was still beautiful. With her hair so short, he was able to admire the curve of her shoulders as they slipped into the slender slant of her neck and throat. He had never noticed that part of her before because of the length of her hair and because she always wore it down when it was long. He knew he would mourn the loss of the long ebony waves cascading down her back and the way the silken strands fell through his fingers as he ran his hand among the midnight locks, however, even when her hair had grown out again he would have to remember, every now and again, to ask her to wear it up so he could admire how exquisite her neck and shoulders were as they came together.

He landed in the camp shortly before the others only to give Shippo a sharp look as he called out for Kagome. The kitsune froze as the icy, dangerous gaze of the Taiyoukai fell on him and he paled. "Remain quiet. She needs to sleep." He said in a gentler tone than he might have had Shippo not silenced so quickly.

Shippo nodded and slowly approached Kagome once Sesshomaru had laid her down and covered her in her sleeping bag. The Taiyoukai gently smoothed her hair and stepped away from her, leaving mokomokosama wrapped around her. The kitsune curled up against the miko's shoulder and nuzzled her neck gently. "I love you, Momma." He whispered so softly even Sesshomaru had difficulty hearing the words.

It would seem at some point I will have to claim another into my pack if he calls her his mother. The thought was not loathing or annoyed. Rather it was an assertion of a truth he was more than willing to accept and make accommodations for. His eyes rose as Kouga and Inuyasha ran into camp and Kirara landed with Sango and the still recovering Miroku. He walked toward them and nodded faintly. When he spoke, his voice was soft, mindful of the sleeping Kagome. He was happy that Jaken was being silent and that Rin was asleep near Kohaku. "Naraku will most definitely seek to hide himself after this. He most certainly knows Kagome is alive from the sudden burst of her powers."

"He used the same connection to his benefit before." Miroku said softly. "It seems the jewel's holy power allowed him to traverse the bond she created when she freed you from the arrow of sealing as my holy power allowed me to traverse the same link. When she died, the links were severed, but now that they have been reestablished, she is again in danger until she learns to control her new powers."

"We all felt the surge of power from her when she freed Sesshomaru, but are you certain that it was the same thing that happened when she was resurrected?" Kouga asked with faint confusion in his eyes. "I didn't even realize there was a connection with her until she was brought back."

Miroku nodded and looked to each of the group in turn. "It is her power blossoming. Until recently she has only been in possession of part of her soul. The greater part, to be sure. Only a fracture of it remained within Kikyo, but with that fracture… Kikyo was ten times more powerful than Kagome. It wasn't just her skill. It was that she had access to a raw power that was originally Kagome's. Kagome was only ever able to access her powers when she was either incredibly focused or incredibly desperate because, to do so, she needed to reach out to the piece of her soul that resided in Kikyo and, on some level, Kikyo had to allow her to take it. Furthermore, the reason why the pulse was more powerful when she was resurrected is most likely because Sesshomaru had not removed the jewel shard before he brought her back, am I correct?"

Sesshomaru met the monk's gaze and nodded. He drew Tesseiga and held it out to Miroku so the monk could remove the shard from the hilt. He did not apologize. "I have never brought anyone so close to being completely gone. The shard enabled me to save her."

"I understand, but that is most likely the reason the pulse was so strong this time. Kagome was born with the jewel in her body. Her soul was reincarnated with it. Who knows what that did to her powers?" Miroku replied as he took the shard and replaced it in its vial.

"We saw a bit of her power when Kikyo was resurrected in her clay body." Inuyasha said softly as he remembered that night with a slight shiver. He looked into the distance vacantly. "Kagome's body was empty. Her soul was gone and her body was fading into death. Everything that was Kagome should have been gone, but, somehow, Kagome came back. She ripped herself away from Kikyo's resurrection almost entirely. She brought herself back even though she shouldn't have even existed once her soul had been transferred into Kikyo's resurrection."

"And until now she hasn't had access to all of her power." Sango finished Inuyasha's thought. Kagome had told her about her memory of that fateful event. The girl's words were still burnt into her memory. "She said that there was white light all around her. She felt like, if she tried, she could touch the life energy of everything and everyone around her. When Kikyo threatened Inuyasha, she said that she reached out to her dying body and fought to be brought back so she could help him." She looked over to where the miko slept. "She used to look at me sometimes with this hollow look and when I asked her what was wrong, she said that she was looking at the part of her that wasn't there anymore. She was looking at the part that had been stolen."

"She never mentioned any of that…" Miroku said with faint sadness in his voice.

"There are a lot of things she never mentioned to you or Inuyasha or anyone but me, Miroku." Sango said softly as she returned her gaze to her beloved's indigo eyes. "I am certain that the only person who knows more than I do about the workings of her mind is her mother… Sesshomaru." She met the Taiyoukai's worried gaze with her own. "Could you part with her for a few days? I have a feeling Kagome will want to go home to see her mother. When the more horrible things happen, she always longs to return home for comfort."

"Why are you asking his permission?" Inuyasha groused. "She isn't his mate yet."

"Yet." His brother snarled faintly, sending a chill down both Inuyasha and Kouga's spine. He calmed and returned his gaze to Sango. "I think that she should at least for a few days. Then, if she and all of you are willing, I suggest we retreat to the seat of my control in the West for a duration until she is able to grasp her powers more fully."

"Oh no." Inuyasha snarled at his brother, receiving a deep frown from the Taiyoukai and a furious gaze. "On your terms? In your palace? Your rules? What, you think it will be safer for us there while Naraku builds up his forces again? We'd be better off moving around so it's harder for him to locate us."

"If Kagome wishes to go, she will go." Sesshomaru managed through gritted teeth. He hadn't raised his voice above the soft silken tones they had been at since he'd touched down in the encampment. He hadn't wanted to wake Kagome. He would remain in control as long as he needed to, however, if he were pushed much further, that would become very difficult to do. "You, most definitely, are not her mate nor will you ever be. She will make her own decisions."

"I'm not the one who is trying to control her!"

"You will quiet your voice."

Inuyasha ignored the venom in his brother's words and continued. "You think because she shared some part of you that it makes her yours? You think because you resurrected her that she belongs to you?"

"Inuyasha… You need to calm down." Sango said with warning as she watched the situation go from bad to worse. "You don't know everything that's gone on. You need to quiet yourself."

"Feh! If you think I'm going to keep quiet for this, you've lost your mind." He glared at his brother, letting his hand move to the hilt of Tessaiga. "She ain't yours to push around."

He held his calm as tightly as he could. He had almost won his battle with his temper when his sensitive ears caught the soft whimper of Kagome as she stirred and fought to stay asleep. Our Kagome needs silence. Came the warning of mokomokosama. Sesshomaru snarled and sped forward, catching Inuyasha by the throat, pinning him to a tree as far from the camp as he was able. He'd had enough.

Inuyasha winced and gripped Sesshomaru's wrist with both hands, gasping for breath. He hadn't even seen him move before he felt the strong hand around his throat and found himself painfully slammed against a tree well out of sight of the camp. "What… The hell…"

"You will learn something very quickly now if you value your life, little brother. No one owns Kagome. Not you. Not the mongrel wolf. Not me. No one but herself. She, however, owns us and does not even realize it. Even if she accepts me as a mate, I will never force her to do anything she does not wish to do. She may only share my memories and my experiences, but that is enough to earn devotion. As you well know, hanyou, her ability to accept, forgive and understand knows no limits and for that simple reason she deserves to be protected always and forever be loved."

Inuyasha choked and gasped sharply, then yelped when he hit the ground as the Taiyoukai threw him harshly against another tree. "Did you… Did you say love? You… You can't love. And anyway, she's only a human. You hate humanity."

"That is none of your concern."

Inuyasha stood and scowled. "It is entirely my concern. If you didn't figure it out already, before you decided that Kagome was worth a damn, the group of us had been connected to her. We're family and family looks out for each other. Going to your palace makes us a sitting target for Naraku."

"If we do not settle somewhere for a short time, she will not have the time to hone her abilities. My palace is safe and with her family with her, we would be more than a sitting target, Inuyasha. Moving around exposed as we are will only lead to her being kidnapped again and I will not be able to resurrect her again if Naraku decides to take her life again. If he did as he most certainly intended before we came to rescue her, I… Am not certain there would be anything remaining of this world in the wake of my rage. In the wake of all of our rage. It would break her beauty and purity and I could not endure seeing that."

"Why are you saying this? What the hell does it get you?"

Sesshomaru scowled and met his brother's gaze slowly. "I am not telling you this for your sake. I am doing this for hers. As much as my home would become a target for Naraku, at least behind my walls with my soldiers defending us, we would have time to prepare and not have to worry about sieges in the middle of the night stealing her away when we are most vulnerable."

He studied his brother with intense scrutiny. For years he had protected Kagome with his life and with nearly everything that was within him. Nearly. There was always that part of him that had been exclusively Kikyo's and Kagome had suffered for it. He'd been torn in two by the same person and he realized it now. Kikyo's memories of her time of being resurrected as well as her original life had all gone to Kagome. Kagome was Kikyo reborn. He'd been a fool never to notice that before. He'd been a fool and now it had cost him everything, including his role as her protector. However, he would not relinquish it completely until he knew that Sesshomaru was worthy. Inuyasha realized that, even though he was loath to admit it, his brother was very close to proving that he was.

"You said that she was forever loved." He met Sesshomaru's gaze and found some of the ice fracture and melt away. "It's easy to love her. Even when you don't want to. Even when you want to hate her. She fills up your heart until there isn't any room left but somehow… You find yourself able to care and wanting to care more easily than you ever had before. It happens before you even realize it's happening. If you love her, Sesshomaru, you have to know what it will mean for you. There's no real coming back from her, but, then, once you're there, you don't want to come back."

"You seem to be trying to warn me away from her." He said simply with the ice returning to his voice and eyes, though his features remained placid. "Your attempt at reclaiming her is futile. Unless she tells me she does not want this Sesshomaru, I will never turn from her."

"Wouldn't that make you hers? Like a trained dog? You like to curse our father for having been so attached to humans and now you're turning out just like him." Inuyasha spat, and then found himself again pressed against a tree with claws digging into his neck. He winced and then smirked. "Did I touch a nerve?"

"If you value your life, you will cease this exercise in futility. If you continue, you risk harming Kagome with your words and I will not tolerate it."

"If you kill me, she'll never forgive you."

Inuyasha felt his heart almost stop as his brother smiled in what appeared to be faint pleasure. His eyes filled with malevolence as he spoke his next words. His voice was filled with an evil mirth. "She would, in time. You say again and again how forgiving she is. How good. How loyal. She might hate me for a time, but hate is very close to love and switches easily if given reason."

"You'd be no better than Naraku in her eyes." He felt himself beginning to panic slightly as he realized he might have pushed his brother too far.

"I highly doubt that." He sneered. He felt a wash of pleasure, as he smelled the musk of his brother's intense fear. He knew no small part of that was because he realized how close to death he was, but part of Sesshomaru wondered how much of his fear was related to the fact that Inuyasha knew he was very close to losing Kagome. You have no idea how lucky you are, Inuyasha. Hatred is indeed very close to love. Nothing but a razor's edge separates the two. Walking that line cuts deeply those who try and my indifference has been shattered. Her understanding of my pain only allowed me to, again walk between the two. Fear of losing her caused me to falter to the other side of the continuum and I will not allow anyone to take her from me. Not even myself. He dropped his half brother to the ground and turned to walk away.

"You… Why didn't you kill me?" His voice faltered in his disbelief. His life had flashed before his eyes in a brief instant and the vision of it had terrified him. He'd left nothing in his wake but pain, loss and unfinished business.

"This Sesshomaru would prefer to watch you suffer." He replied, telling a half-truth. "If you live, you will be forced to see as I claim her as my own. Anything you do to try and separate us will only hurt her and drive her further away from you. If you love her, Inuyasha, no matter how deeply you hurt you will let her find happiness with me if she chooses it. In either case, I will have my revenge on you."

"She doesn't even have a chance. You're too much of a tactician."

"She realizes my nature, Inuyasha. If she did not want me because of who I am, I am certain she would have pulled away from me in the beginning." He paused and looked back only enough so that he met Inuyasha's gaze with the corners of his eyes. "In the morning we will take Kagome to the Bone Eater's Well and let her return home for a few days to recover. When she returns to us, I will lead us to my seat of rule and we will remain in the palace until she has some proficiency with her blossoming powers. If you disagree with this, you will not confront me about it until she has been returned to the care of her mother. I will not have her more upset than she already is, do you understand me?"

Inuyasha felt a chill running down his back. He diverted his gaze from his brother's and nodded. "That is one thing we both can agree on. She's been through enough already."

Sesshomaru nodded and turned away to return to the encampment. He was glad that no one had followed them for their conversation. Part of him was surprised that he had revealed as much as he had to his bastard half brother, and yet he had realized it was necessary. No one but Sango was closer to Kagome than Inuyasha was. Miroku came close, but as with Sango, Sesshomaru knew that he had an understanding with the monk. Kouga was no more than an annoying fly buzzing near him. It was Inuyasha who could harm what was so quickly growing between the Taiyoukai and the young miko. Inuyasha was enough like Inu no Taisho that Sesshomaru knew there was only one thing that would break through the hanyou's overwhelmingly frustrating level of brashness and stubbornness. It was the truth. And so Sesshomaru had not held that from Inuyasha when they had their confrontation. In the same light, Sesshomaru had not told Inuyasha everything. He had not betrayed the girl and exposed what he had learned through his beast. Mokomokosama had not been eavesdropping on Kagome and Sango's conversation. He'd been curled around the miko and could not help but hear as she had professed her love. But Inuyasha did not need to know that. It was visible and Inuyasha had even said that he suspected as much, however that did not mean that the Taiyoukai had any right to inform his brother how correct he really was. And so he had let Inuyasha only know the barest minimum of his intent. I will have to keep myself from killing him, now. Pity. I had so desired to watch my father's chosen son and heir bleed out. No matter. Watching his heart die slowly will be enough and finally I will have something… Someone who chooses me over him not because I am the only one, but because I am the one they wish for.

Love is sunshine,

Hate is shadow,

Live is checkered shade and sunshine.

Longfellow

She caressed the smooth wood of the ledge. Time and the elements had sanded and polished the corners and surfaces of each board so that it had a timeless but well loved look that begged to be sat upon for a few moments to think. It had looked the same in her time, as if eternity's love was enough to keep it there. He would take me into eternity with him… He has to know I love him and I know he loves me, but if I don't say it… Saying it makes it real and until I do, it won't really be there. But how could I love him so quickly? Don't be silly Kagome; you know it's happened before. You loved Inuyasha this way too. Maybe from the moment you saw him pinned to the God Tree. When he looked down at you with those eyes and even… Even when he tried to kill you. You could forgive him because you loved him from the first moment you saw him and you still do, only not as you first did. You can't make the same mistake you did with Inuyasha. If you'd told him as soon as you realized it, maybe… Maybe you would have had his heart they way destiny seemed to want you to. But you faltered. Perhaps that was actually destiny. To love someone. To learn to love them completely. To learn to forgive them utterly. No matter what. If I hadn't learned that because of Inuyasha, I never would have been able to love Sesshomaru. Not even knowing what I know of his past now. Perhaps I might have been able to forgive him, but not love. I know that about who I was. Who I was before I met Inuyasha. She was still a little girl who believed love was magical and always perfect. She didn't understand disappointment. She didn't realize what real love was. She only had what she'd seen of her parents for such a short time through the eyes of a small child to use as a blueprint for any relationship that would come. She didn't know the way I do that love is trials as much as it is joy. Momma taught me that while I was still in love with Inuyasha. She told me what I'd missed with my child's eyes about her and my father. She helped me understand what it's all about. Everyone sees me and thinks I'm so pure and gentle, the perfect miko, but what they don't understand is that I had to find my way to this place. I had to learn to center myself and let go. I had to learn to forgive… But sometimes I miss being that girl. I miss slipping into my mother's arms and feeling like her embrace could chase away all of the monsters in the world. Like her kiss could heal any scrape I received. Like her voice could soothe my broken heart. I miss that innocence. I miss my mother… "I miss her so much." She whispered and felt Sango's hands on her shoulder's tighten. "But I can't just leave when Naraku is still out there. He might not go into hiding. If I leave now, he might attack without you being ready and I just can't… I can't ask you all to wait for me and leave yourselves open to attack here."

"Kagome, you need to rest. I can see it in you even after you slept all the way back here and all of last night. You're so weak. Naraku's barrier sapped your energies and the only way to help that is for you to go somewhere that you will be completely safe from him. Where you'll be taken care of." Sango murmured and wrapped her arms around her best friend. Kagome was so pale. Even Sesshomaru had seemed disturbed by how light she had been when she had curled into his embrace after they broke camp. She'd looked so small wrapped in mokomokosama, curled in the crook of the Taiyoukai's arm. So small and broken. "We'll be here when you come back."

She covered her face with her hands and trembled, leaning back into Sango's embrace. She was so terribly tired. It took all her strength just to stay awake. "You can't make promises like that. Every time we meet him, he gets stronger… More resourceful. I don't know what I'd do if you all weren't here when I came back…"

"Kagome, you can't think like that." Miroku said softly. He'd watched Kagome and Sango with a great deal of worry. He'd never seen Kagome in such a state. Even when her soul had been stolen to resurrect Kikyo. Even when she'd been very ill. It was like she hadn't slept in years. "Have faith in us."

She shook her head fiercely and curled her back so her elbows touched her knees. Her hands still hid her face as a river of tears coursed and pooled into her palms. She sobbed softly, shaking. "I'm so tired… I'm just so tired and weak and useless. I'm a burden to all of you and you're just so patient and gentle and I… I'm not worth all of this."

He'd had enough. He walked up and was beside her in less than three strides though he'd been standing across the clearing. He knelt and gently took her wrist, then firmly pulled her up so she was forced to look at him. "Do not say that about yourself. Never say that." He said with a gentle but fierce tone. He drew her against his chest and kissed the crown of her head. "This Sesshomaru knows how tired you are. How weak and vulnerable… You are worth all the care we can show you. You are not useless and certainly are not a burden. I will not hear those words come from you again in regard to yourself. If you try, I will silence you."

"Sesshou… You can't see it… I'm not…" Her words were hushed suddenly by his lips pressed surely to hers. A soft whimper escaped her and she held to him with all the strength she could spare. Slowly he pulled away from her. Mokomokosama had curled around her hips to steady her in the place of his lost arm. She felt so safe, so loved. He was what she was afraid of leaving. Afraid because she didn't really know if it all was just a dream or if it was all real. She looked up and met his gaze with sleepy, shimmering eyes. He pressed his brow to hers and breathed her in as his beast curled tighter around her. "I love you." She breathed only to find his hand clutching at the nape of her neck gently. She closed her eyes and took the silk of his haori into her hands. He'd removed his armor before they'd broken camp and so the heat of his body had replaced the coolness of the metal. The heat that still clung to the weave of his clothing and warmed her fingertips.

It took him a moment of holding her and breathing her in to center him self and regain the strength her words had suddenly drained away from him. The strength of his resolve that she needed to return to her time, if only for a few days to recover. The strength he'd built up against his need to claim her entirely as his mate. She'd disarmed him and thrown him off balance all at once. He realized, painfully, that he had no defense against her. She'd been woven into his soul and he could find no way of removing her without harming himself forever. Though he would never want her gone. Slowly, he found his voice again. "I will be here, Kagome. Naraku will do no harm to any of us, especially not me. You need to go to your home and recover. Take as long as is necessary. Then come back to me."

She trembled and nodded after a moment. He helped her to her feet and then Sango handed her the slowly falling apart awful yellow backpack full of her things. She met his eyes once more and he took her hand, squeezing reassuringly. "Will you miss me?" The words were as haunted as they were hopeful.

His eyes danced with faint, wistful ribbons of tenderness meant only for her. He turned her hand and kissed her palm. "I already do, my Love. Go now so you may sooner return."

She blushed faintly, and then stood on the edge of the well. She looked down into the vast shadows of its depth. It always looked deeper than it was in actual physical depth. The dark of it mirrored its depth through time. She'd never been afraid of that depth until then because, until then, it had never separated her so fully from what she loved. She steadied her breath and then jumped with her eyes closed. Time wrapped around her like the loving embrace of an old friend and guided her home. All the way, only one thought touched her mind. He called me Love.

So I wanted to introduce myself. I know, finally! Here I am, ten chapters along, and I haven't even said a word aside from the story. I go by the pseudonym Ivy. I've been writing since… Since I could write, actually. It's one of the things I "do" in so much as what I do defines me. I write, I sing and I dream. They all make my life worth living and give me purpose so I am a writer, singer and dreamer. So this story was originally posted on A.Single.Spark in response to the Longfellow challenge. The first quote at the beginning of the Prelude was what inspired this whole story from beginning to end. I figured since I got such a great response to it there that I would post it here. The story is still not complete, though I doubt it will go much further than a handful of chapters more. It's winding down. I will be posting more stories as I go along, but I was bored today and the writing bug just wasn't biting, so I decided to try and figure this site out again and, low and behold, I managed to get the downloading thingie down. Teehee. I wanted to thank those who have sent such wonderful reviews so far on this site and also to those who have given me so much support on A.Single.Spark. I'm so timid about my writing. It's like putting myself out naked on display and so, well, I guess the only way to put it is that I'm glad people like what they see. In any case, I hope you all enjoy. Peace.

Ivy