Disclaimer: Nothing in this story belongs to me. I'm merely acting as the translator of a beautifully written SessKik fanfiction 犹如故人归 by 风落潇湘 as I wish to share it with readers who cannot read or understand Chinese. If there are any issues relating to copyright from the author, then I'll remove this story without hassle at once.
Translator's Notes: Despite my best effort, the story is still not perfectly translated by any means. There will also be occasional rephrasing for added cohesiveness and merged chapters to reinforce length. However, I will try to keep everything as consistent with the original work as possible.
Well… this is it, everyone. This is the final chapter of this story and the conclusion. The epilogue (if you can call it that) is merely a bonus. Thank you for all the support given to this story and a big thank you to fabelliot, HinaSasuChoAsu, naruto, 8579, and bubu-chibi-chan for your reviews.
fabelliot: Don't cry. I understand how you feel but there has to be an end eventually. SessKik needs an ending and this story has provided them one.
Yep, Inuyasha has come to terms that he should devote his time to Kagome instead of chasing after Kikyo, who now has Sesshomaru. It probably left a bitter taste inside him, though he understands that it was time to move on with what he has chosen. Kagome too, has chosen to have faith in SessKik and consider Kikyo as an ally against Naraku instead of a rival for Inuyasha's affection. As for SessKik, both of them have made their choices... Now, we just have to see where it would lead them.
HinaSasuChoAsu: That's actually a very good theory, that Tenseiga is actually reverting time when reviving people. Honestly, I don't really have anything to add since I had always thought it was confusing that Tessaiga's Meido could open up a portal to the inside of the Shikon Jewel in the canon. That made very little sense imo, with no proper explanations given, so I simply let Tenseiga opening up a rift in time slide, especially since the well and the Tree of Ages were involved (as we all know how confusing and over-complicated time traveling tend to make things).
I guess in the end, there's a lesson to be learned for all of the characters. I suppose this is why this story appealed to me a lot. Although it's about SessKik, almost every other character got some development. Everyone learned something, like as you said, Inuyasha learned to respect and Kagome learned that she is not flawless but is capable of choosing the direction that her life will take instead of being dictated by her inner darkness.
naruto: It was Onigumo was the who made the wish. Obviously, Naraku wasn't happy about it but couldn't do anything to nullify the wish since his life is now dependent on the jewel keeping his time at a halt.
Yeah, I also liked that part about Kagome facing her inner darkness. In all honesty, I felt it was handled better than in the canon. For some reason, Kagome dealing with her inner darkness has always been a somewhat vague concept. It was as though Takahashi was afraid of delving deeper and exposing Kagome's human nature from within. I felt that was wasted since adding that concept in would've made her more three-dimensional.
Both Sesshomaru and Kikyo are stubbornly determined when it comes to their decisions. However, by the end of this tale, I believe that Sesshomaru has managed to teach Kikyo that indulging on one's desire is not necessarily a bad thing. On the other hand, Kikyo has allowed Sesshomaru to understand that it is sometimes necessary to respect someone else's decision, which is why he ended up doing what he did.
8579: Yeah, this is the final chapter, not including the epilogue. I do hope that the conclusion and the ending reached will be satisfying.
bubu-chibi-chan: Thanks for the support. Unfortunately, this is the only SessKik work from the author that I could find and it was written a long while back...
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Chapter 29-Mutual Acceptance
The single cut altered his entire world.
Thick lines ran along the space in front of him, shedding away the backdrop as a fissure opened up. A strange howl echoed in his ears, with the rumbling of a thunderstorm.
It was a sight he had never witnessed before in his entire life. However, he was unfazed as he assessed the interior. Countless of lights and shadows streaked across the plane and diffused into an inseparable mass. The unknown space roared and shot bright flashes of silver bolts around, temporarily illuminating the specks of fragments that resembled stars. Everything was a mingled pandemonium, zipping about in a hurry before condensing into a single hoard of colors.
The entrance of time was opened and intruded upon for perhaps the first time since its infinite existence. Despite the vast unknown that stretched out before him, the Lord of the West, Sesshomaru, ventured in without any hesitation.
Many unexpected factors served to compose fate. A single event would cause a ripple through time that could drastically change an outcome. No one could predict what might happen if another possibility was introduced and how many potential endings it could result in. Perhaps the number was so great that it was never meant to be calculated.
While roaming in the fragments of time and space, Sesshomaru was gaining a better understanding of the truth behind those dreams.
As their rare visitor, the realm that delved into countless possibilities allowed him a glimpse of the many outcomes. He absorbed everything that was hurled his way—all the situations that happened in the past and would eventually occur in the future, as well as the events that did not take place. While others would have succumbed to insanity from all the visuals he was drilled with, Sesshomaru was not one of those who had a frail mind.
He saw Kikyo and Inuyasha falling in love and becoming an ordinary couple. They had their happy ending, rather than being torn apart by Naraku's schemes…
He saw how she was tricked by Naraku and pinned Inuyasha onto the sacred tree before dying. At the same time, he was wandering through a field not too far away, searching for a fang while carrying the one that could've saved her...
He saw her plummeting into the river of miasma with a grave wound on her chest while he was standing to the side, uninterested in providing her any aid...
Fate was like a mastermind that hooked invisible threads around everyone, controlling them like puppets. Even the world was simply a stage for each passing act. As fate moved, the river of time would ripple and changed its course. It was beyond anyone's guess of how things would turn out.
The so-called causality and reincarnation was nothing more than a cruel prank pulled by fate.
Any factor that diverged from the original trajectory could have led to different consequences. That was how tales filled with sentimental events were created. These parallel worlds, forged by the causality of time and space, all contained their individual tales that were told on the stage that was the world. Any one of them could've brought him an ending that was completely different to the one he was now determined to obtain.
Nonetheless, did any of these what ifs mattered to Sesshomaru?
All of a sudden, everything fell into place as the past clicked together like a jigsaw puzzle.
…
When he opened his eyes, his initial realization was that he was in a dark forest. In reality, the area was brightened by the streaming light of the sunset, though his foul mood altered his perception.
Reclining under a tree, his customary splendor of might and elegance had been distorted into a bloody mess. His once luxuriant silver mane was disheveled and blood marred his white robe with undignified splotches. But the worst of all was the empty sleeve on his left, a glaring defect to the perfection known as Sesshomaru.
The daiyoukai had just fought a fierce battle and suffered a crushing defeat.
It was humiliating.
"Damn you, half-breed Inuyasha…" he muttered a spiteful curse, but that did nothing to alleviate his agony.
Having lost his left arm, the dismembered limb throbbed with pain akin to the jabbing of a thousand needles. Nonetheless, the physical pain was trivial compared to what his pride had to endure.
For the first time, he was defeated in battle. Defeat; it was a word that should never have been associated with that of his caliber.
He was proclaimed the loser in his battle with Inuyasha. He not only failed to obtain the Tessaiga but also lost an arm in the process. Moreover, he couldn't muster enough strength to stand. Against his pride's protest, he could only rest against the tree while waiting for his wound to heal.
So vulnerable and powerless. He had always believed those were depictions of the weak. Never should they be used to describe someone like him, someone with unparalleled strength. The taste of defeat felt too surreal but the reality was extremely vicious. The fact was laid bare before him, just like how his sleeve couldn't cover the blemish he was now forced to live with.
He lost. Aside from failing, he was greatly injured, with all his grace and self-assurance trampled on. Such realization stimulated a furious impulse. It was like a mad dog, tearing and chewing at his pride. Even now, he had trouble accepting that he was the one nursing his wounds in defeat while Inuyasha claimed his prize.
But being the daiyoukai he was, Sesshomaru soon calmed down. Unlike many, his arrogance didn't invite ignorance. Not one to throw a fit like some immature child, he tamed his violent urges and frustrations.
He remembered the cause of his defeat. Frenzy and fury at the Tessaiga's rejection resulted in an unprecedented failure and he would be damned if he allowed himself to commit the same mistake ever again.
As his wrath faded away, confusion urged his thinking. What was the factor that had handed him his defeat? Tessaiga. It initially gave the appearance of a long scrap piece of rust incapable of cutting anything. What did Inuyasha do to initiate its transformation, giving it the ability to land such devastating blow?
What was it? What was the factor that allowed the half-breed's strength to grow exponentially?
The questions evoked memories, memories of his father's words. "Tell me, Sesshomaru, have you someone to protect?"
—Have you someone to protect…?
His father had stood with his back to him when asking Sesshomaru that strange inquiry. Almost without much of a thought, the son's reply had been blunt. "Protect? The answer is no. I, Sesshomaru, have no need of such."
He answered with utmost confidence, never once letting second thoughts cloud his judgment. As he spoke, he carried the aura to dominate the world, with unequaled superiority to stand above all. His father was testing him so he would respond with equivalent sincerity and intensity, even though he couldn't fathom his father's intention with such a question.
The path Sesshomaru desired was that of conquest. He only required his own strength to accompany him on his journey for dominance. Anything else was just cumbersome and useless.
His position didn't permit him to see his father's face. For the briefest of seconds, he thought he had heard his father sigh, but the incongruity of such behavior made him dismiss it as an auditory hallucination. Although even supposing that the great Inu no Taisho did sigh, Sesshomaru couldn't comprehend the meaning behind it; he did not before and he still could not.
Nevertheless, he did interpret the hint of concern through his father's body language. A faint sense of discontent welled up from within when his father supplied no further remark. Then, he followed his guardian's lead and said nothing else.
Someone to protect. Centuries of occasional pondering did not yield an appropriate answer. What was the use of protecting someone else? Why did his father make such emphasis?
However, he recalled how the Tessaiga had shed itself of its rusty appearance and transformed into the glistering fang with immeasurable potential. It occurred straight after Inuyasha's declaration to the oddly dressed human girl.
"You should shut up and let me protect you!" That was what his half-brother had said.
What did it mean? Was his father implying that strength resided in those with the will to protect another?
His musings were grounded to a halt when a woman appeared before his eyes.
Sesshomaru glared daggers at the intruder, unabashedly guarded. He assessed her with a critical examination, noting her withdrawn aura before taking in her attire. Her raven tresses and fair features were none of his concern as he absorbed the red and white clothing she wore.
—A miko, the natural enemy to his kind.
Sesshomaru sneered and flexed his claw, silently daring the miko to attack him. One hint of malice from her and he would instantly wrap his claw around her throat. It didn't matter if he was missing an arm; he was still Sesshomaru, the seasonal warrior he was renowned for.
The miko passed him a look that contained numerous flashes of emotions. There was mostly surprise, followed by a glimmer of confusion, and then a trace of uncertainty. The tides of emotions only lasted for a few seconds before her face lit up with undiluted relief.
His appearance caught her off guard, though she quickly gathered the details of her current situation. Or to be more precise, their situation…
"Ah, this is fairly nostalgic. I see that you haven't changed…"The words came out in an unintentional whisper. 'I never imagined I would be able to see you once more, in this state.'
The space and time that floated endlessly shifted, tugging her along. Having learned that the pulling sensation signaled another one of her ceaseless journeys, she tried to memorize everything that the current sight bestowed her, fearing that she might never receive another chance ever again.
Just when her existence was beginning to wane out, a ray of silver shone from behind her—
…
Along the way, he was granted the chance to completely understand the woman who occupied his thoughts more often than not. Those weren't a part of a dream; they were indeed events that had occurred in his past—in their past.
His involvement not only redirected the course of her future but also successfully changed the past.
In the instant that he lifted his chin, he was met with a sight that was himself. From across the barriers of time, his eyes detained his past self. Back then, that version of him would have never fathomed the truth that came to the present him effortlessly.
—Indeed, what he did manage to reshape their past.
His objective was only an arm's length so he reached out unreservedly. He didn't know what additional consequences could be involved after meddling with time, though he couldn't care less. What mattered was how he had grabbed her wrist and how she responded by whirling around to face him.
Immediately, the world collapsed into oblivion. Nothing was registered into her vision but the daiyoukai before her. If he wasn't already memorizing enough, the bleak emptiness served to amplify his awe-inspiring features and his aura that radiated with supreme dominance. Perhaps it wouldn't be farfetched to proclaim that such magnificence was reserved for him. Sesshomaru was born as a majestic grace that stood in the most prominent position in the world.
"Sesshomaru…" There was only the time to call out to him before a curtain of light enveloped them, capturing them in a space where they could appreciate each other's presence. Yet, it wasn't long before a jarring tug intervened in an endeavor to wrench him away from her.
Time and space didn't usually permit trespassers, nor did such concepts tolerate the existence of two identical individuals. It was time for Sesshomaru to return. Otherwise, one of him would be erased.
The realization came as sudden as his last chance. Without letting the opportunity slip away, he slid his hand down and secured hers in a tight grip. He pulled her form towards him until she was pressed firmly against his body. Regardless of the consequences and no matter what events were to come, he would take her with him, back to the world where they belonged in.
"We're leaving," he uttered, giving her hand a small squeeze.
"Sesshomaru…" There was a question that burned her tongue. She inquired because she longed to hear him confirm it, despite knowing his answer all along. "You do understand that I'm—"
"I'm aware," he cut in, leaving no lingering need to finish off her sentence.
—He knew.
That was all he said. There was no elaboration that followed. What his sentence lacked in length, it made up for it in substance. The present was all she had to occupy her thoughts with. What could or might occur in the future were things for deliberation when that time arrived.
Because of how effortlessly simple it sounded, she couldn't help but smile as she looped her free arm around his waist in an embrace. She knew there would always be things he would never say aloud but acknowledged all the same.
Unlike the specters that were oblivious, she was well aware that she was already dead, that her time had ceased to a stop, and that her body was a fake vessel composed of clay and soil. All in all, there were numerous accusations that rejected her existence.
But did that really matter when there was still an attachment that made her yearn for the world of the living?
No, that didn't matter. Not anymore. Not when Sesshomaru wanted her to stay, with him.
The daiyoukai was born a conqueror. After the problems with Naraku and the jewel were stabilized, he would undoubtedly resume his pursuit for conquest, no matter how long it would take him. But because she was dead, she could afford to stay by his side, accompanying him on a journey that would've otherwise been filled with solitude.
For once, she might have found a merit in her ageless form. While it was undeniably against the laws of nature for a deceased to walk amongst the living, it shouldn't be a concern for him and especially for her. After all, their mutual acceptance had given birth to a new unparalleled conviction.
—The heavens couldn't deny Kikyo, just as they couldn't hope to obstruct Sesshomaru.
Her smile grew as she interlocked their fingers together. 'Sesshomaru, did you know? In the language of humans, there is a special meaning behind such delicate gesture…'
"Let's go," he urged her forward, towards not only the exit but also a brand new future filled with unknown variables.
"Yes… let's go together."
—Together and forevermore.
It was their first sight, yet it was all so nostalgic.
Translator's notes (part 2): And here it is, the ending of this story! While some of you may think that the ending was somewhat ambiguous, I personally find it to be suitable. The story started off with two individuals, each with questions about their life and their way of living. So naturally, the tale ends when they discover and gain what they were lacking.
I should also note that the author has specified that this is a happy end so we can all assume that Inuyasha and his gang defeated Naraku in the end. But as for SessKik, their ultimate objective was less about defeating Naraku and more about finding their mutual acceptance in each other as well as the world around them. And since the story is dedicated to them, the author probably didn't think that it was necessary to write a grand finale of InuKag teaming up to defeat Naraku. So, this is why it ends here instead of continuing on.
Well, regardless… the above is simply my opinion. Who knows, there's definitely many ways to interpret the ending and the tale. After all, we can all say that interpreting a story is not only something a translator does but it is also a fun experience for the readers as well. XD
Now, moving on to the epilogue!
