Fighting the agony seizing every muscle in Sesshomaru's body he looked up to see an incredible blinding light come from the twin priestesses, in a moment everything that he thought he knew about the power of his mate and her sister was blown away with a tremendous explosion of energy. At his side,e Roku began to melt away, jakken clung to his leg clawing at the power that flowed through his body wringing agonized breathless cries from the ugly creature.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" he grunted just before his webbed fingers lost hold of the fabric and he has swept away into the expanse around them.
Feeling the vortex of energy formed at Rokus body not far from him, he plunged his sword into the ground and held on with every ounce of strength he possessed. For what felt like an eternity he held on, bracing himself against a tidal wave of power when, as suddenly as it had flashed into existence the energy dwindled to nothing. Letting go of the hilt of his sword Sesshomaru stumbled forward, falling to his knees in the effort.
Breathing through the receding pain, Sesshomaru slowly came back to himself enough to remember that he, would never succumb to fatigue and fought back to his feet stubbornly. His eyes adjusted to the darkness through his headache, his temples were pounding. Eyes searching for his companions he found that youkio too had been swept away from the temple grounds, and was ever out of reach in the expanse around him like his servant, jakken.
"Kagome?" he called to where he saw Kikyo collapsed on the ground.
Kikyo turned to him suddenly, she was sobbing, the smell of tears streamed down her cheeks. "She's gone."
The breath left him. Chest heaving, he began to take another step forward when strength left his limbs and he caught himself on the cold hard floor. He smelled that she was gone. How did this happen? He asked himself. Where is she?
All around him the setting melted away into a haze of green and brown. Phasing into focus he knew that he had been transported back to his forest above the village. He could smell the familiarity of it as a gentle caress even as his form lay prostrate on the earth below. Fittingly he had landed not far from a pile of bones, face in the dirt and was glad that no one was nearby to witness his indignity.
There was an eternity before he worked up the strength and willpower to pull himself from the ground. Backing away from the boneyard, he breathed in deeply, collecting himself from the brink of panic that threatened to overtake the small sense of self that he had left. " Violet," he called raggedly.
There was no sound.
"Violet!" he yelled voice breaking as he did.
Not far from where Sesshomaru sat slumped against a barely mature pine, a gateway opened up. Violet stepped through holding a swaddling cloth in her arms and she refused to look at him, though every sight and smell was being memorized by the taiyoukai. " I'm sorry. This was the only way to save them both." Violet looked at him with eyes steeped in regret.
"Where is she?" there was a catch in her voice that made his stomach seize with dread he had never before known. " is she alive?"
"Yes…. She's alive. But you can't see her right now." Violet answered slowly. He felt the lightheadedness of holding his breath and slowly allowed air into his deprived lungs. crawling forward he found the strength to stand and went to the godchild to receive the silver-haired demoness from her arms.
"She is a full demon?" he asked not understanding any of this. His eyes were glued to her face. She looked like Kagome, smelled like her and himself but she hardly appeared to be anything less than an infant well established in the world already. "This is all too fast. She is older than what she should be. What exactly did you do violet, this is no newborn?" he tried to remain calm looking down at the infant of nearly three months.
" No, she is not. I-i did what I could to save them both. The power was too strong and she was the conduit for the energy transfer. I had to separate them, in what you felt was only a moment I raised her in my realm with me where time is my own will."
"Why?" he asked suspiciously. He didn't like where all of this was going, everything had been perfect, not so long ago and now everything was all wrong.
Violet took a steadying breath. " I didn't know when she will be coming back. I lost her in time. But, she will be back, I was given assurance by the elder when I consulted him about Rokus banishment. He will bring her back when he finds her." she said.
Sesshomaru absorbed the information as calmly as he could. " the others were taken through time as well?" he guessed as he saw no hint of jakken or Yukio.
" yes well, they are a little closer then Kagome. If you like I shall endeavor for your encounters when they appear though I can't guarantee they will recognize you-"
Scoffing Sesshomaru turned from the Kami child and chuckled a horse breathless laugh that sounded more than a little crazy, even to himself. " don't bother." he began to walk toward the hut where his life had been anchored for nearly a decade. It was peaceful, the air sweet with the scent of fresh pine needles.
Approaching the door of the hut Sesshomaru stopped as the small form in his arms began to squirm, struggling to change positions from the awkward numb hold her father had been carrying her with. Strong claws latched into his arms, pulled herself up to his shoulder where she could look at him. The air of safety was all around him and with the instincts born to in pups, she reached out with her weak, feeble, energy to claim the strength that he possessed as her own. Protect me. The plea was clear and with every resistance that he had ever held clear in his mind, he was powerless to her.
Shaken at the raw possessiveness that consumed him them, he tightened his hold, as if never to let her go. Large tears welled in his eyes and for the first time since he was able to fend off his own father's blows he cried. Rolling down his cheeks to his strong chin, he saw them disappear on to the white material of his hoari before vanishing from sight. Sesshomaru watched his daughter look at him with his own golden gaze. She had her brow and the curve of her lips. These things were verdant as he memorized everything about her in those moments.
When he went into the small hut he looked around at the shelves, the alcove by the fireplace, the small kitchen. This was no place to raise an infant, this was no place to live, not anymore. The walls, he thought were pathetically flimsy and there were no visible barriers to ward off their enemies. Hus life had been too lax for far too long, he decided.
Clutching her tightly Sesshomaru attempted to rock her to sleep with Inuyasha's old blanket but she was restless, wanting to look around and even less convenient to be held constantly. He didn't know what to do but he needed to start a fire for the night and he couldn't do the task with a baby in his arms.
Finally, after remaining still for what felt like an eternity, she fell asleep enough for him to set her on the futon. He turned to the task with urgency and paranoia that each sound would set her to crying again. He was nearly ready to lite the fire when he heard the steady footsteps of the hanyou.
Inuyasha entered the hut expecting to see Kagome. He stopped when all he saw was his brother and began to back away slowly. His stomach was churning, in all his memories there was not one time that his brother was without Kagome if he had the choice. "Where is she?" he demanded momentarily forgetting the fear that had kept him alive thus far.
He did not yell, calmly he answered him. " I don't know. Sesshomaru read the changing emotions on the young half in the face. He had grown much over the years. The elder noticed the hint of his fathers frown on the boy's face as he spoke his next words.
" will she come back?" he asked. His hands were itching toward the shelf where Kagome placed her warm winter wrap and took hold of it in his claws.
"I don't know." was his only reply. Sesshomaru didn't know what to say, there was no speakable relationship between them save the fear that was natural to years of conditioning. He saw the look of it in his eyes before he ran, but the boy shook his head disbelievingly.
" ...you let her die there... I hate you!" he shouted with tears streaming. Inuyasha turned in his heel and fled from the mountain into the wilderness of the country below.
Sesshomaru looked out of the open door for the span of five long hard breaths before he walked quietly to it and closed it to keep the cold breeze from chilling the room.
Turning to the futon he went to look at the tiny in the body that lay still beneath Inuyasha's patched beloved blanket. Sighing a breath of relief that she hadn't been woken, he savored the moments of quiet before returning to his task of building a fire. When the sparks against dried kindling became tangible flame be set back to watch it grow. Picking up slowly Sesshomaru found himself shifting a few pieces before the fire was self-sustaining.
When he retreated to the other side of the hut it was to her side. He pulled the blanket from around her face where she had pulled it up for warmth. And watched her as she slept, the serenity that overcame her was so unlike anything he had ever known that he found himself unable to think of anything else but her comfort and safety.
Slowly her eyes opened. Looking up at him the child was eager to be held once more and reached to him with tiny claws outstretched. Without thinking he grabbed her to him and instinctually pulled her to his chest to cradle her close. Breathing in the scent of his child Sesshomaru planned for his mate's return. She would find him adequate as a father as she had indicated before. When she returned there would be nothing subpar about their daughter's condition. With renewed motivation, he readied for the time when she would come back to him.
" the first thing she will ask me is her name." he mused as he looked down at her demonic copy. Her brow wrinkled in a similar fashion as her mothers and Sesshomaru found himself elated at the similarity. "You are like her she was a light in my life. Your name is Himari," he said and sealed it forever as hers.
Decades of discipline barely prepared him for what Himari put him through. Feeding and changing her was easy compared to the endless needs he didn't know that infants required. Not long after his assumed role as a single parent, he hired an assistant from the village from among the medics staff. A competent youth showed his face at the entrance of his lair and with one conversation Sesshomaru made clear what would befall the lad should he slow any harm to come to his child.
Without question, the youth watched Himari as Sesshomaru hunted and warred with the neighboring demons. Conquering tribe after tribe, he began to collect the tributes he had previously ignored until he could build his fortified castle imagined by the stoic demon. With each victory, the villagers and demonic tribes sent gifts of gold and silver in hopes of gaining his loyalty. With a smirk he allowed their vying for false hope, the bottom line of every merger into his territory was that they would do as he said.
Looking down at the king of the fox tribe to the west he sneered coldly at the offering of their sacred relic. " you have to agree to do as you are commanded if it is from me. Do you understand? I am your leader and I have all final say agree to this and I will protect your village." the fox leader agreed without hesitation and let the jewels fall to his feet as he began to sob grateful tears.
" great and terrible leader. There is none other as strong as you." the fox king bowed low to him and he accepted the alliance willingly himself. Sesshomaru counted only six more tribes until he owned the entirety of the western territory. The in the tribe was among them.
Going back to the palace that sat atop the mountain that had once housed so many painful memories he received the anxious embrace of the now walking in a pup. Grabbing her to him with unbounded affection Sesshomaru felt at ease as her arms came round his neck. Breathing in the scent of his pup he was happy to carry her through the entryway. "Himari, I have missed you."
She squealed happily. " papa." it was the only word she had uttered thus far and he was entirely pleased with it. Nuzzling him under his chin and through his long silver mane she assessed his condition before burrowing in and hugging him tighter." papa." she growled.
"Were you worried about me? There will be none of that," he said almost amused and let go of the restraints holding back his full power. His energy filled every inch if the palace saturating the area in his sheer dominance even as he carried his daughter to his study. He sat in an almost regal chair that he had acquired from a human merchant and set her at the edge of his rest with hands under both arms. She kicked her feet, laughing and cooing acutely having the stoic lord so enamored that one would almost forget that he had only just washed the blood of an entire wolf tribe from his claws.
Himari adored her father, she trusted the deadly claws that held her back. There was no time that fear entered the small child until one day three years from her birth. Wandering the palace she felt the presence of her father and with eagerness befitting her ardor she ran to the gay to see him. His eyes were dead when she looked into them at his return. A darkness that she had never seen had overcome him and even her cheerful greeting and kisses could not make her father smile. she shrank back wondering if he would even greet her.
Sesshomaru could not look Himari in the eye as his latest failed attempt to find Kagome had ended unsuccessfully. One thing had come from his searching and that was the knowledge that his brother was alive. There was a tale of a red-clad hanyou refuge in the forest near the shrine where Kikyou worked. He guessed that it was him though Kikyou herself had not seen him.
Going along through the forest had brought him to an old friend, but not one that he had expected or thought of past their last goodbye. Jakken had gone back to his village without memory of his vow to him and had resumed his life as king of the kappa. That had ended soon after a failed attempt to retrieve their journey. " Lord Sesshomaru!" the kappa called from up the road. Sesshomaru bent to grab Himari with her outstretched arms and walked in quickly.
" Papa what is that?" she asked him.
"A nuisance Himari," he answered.
Fifteen years passed before Sesshomaru encountered his brother again. The woman who guarded the shrine complained to him of a terror in red and begged that he be dealt with. Sesshomaru left home early the next day, not sure what he would find when he came upon the gangly form of his kid brother. His bitter hard demeanor reminiscent of Sesshomaru's own youth and he could see the wear years out if his protection had on him.
" Inuyasha," he called to the youth who turned with a hard growl that was almost feral.
" leave me, alone brother," he growled hackles raised and aggressively challenging him as if his equal.
" do not challenge me Inuyasha, you will lose," he answered unwaveringly.
" you bastard. How dare you even talk to me after what happened. You let her die." Inuyasha balled his fists and with strength only a fraction if his brothers sprung to attack. Sesshomaru fought with the boy, scuffling with him gauging his strength and he found it all lacking.
" you need training pup." he hissed not the least hit concerned with the hate-filled Galer that shot daggers at him.
" I hate you!" he shouted and attacked once more. The fight continued through the forest over hills and through the river to the other side of the village. Sesshomaru held him leisurely in a choke hold with the pup gasping for breath.
"If you continue to terrorize my lands I will punish you brother. A year's worth of whipping will be adequate. " he threatened and dropped him to the dirt and returned to his palace.
He knew that in those years Inuyasha's hatred grew towards him. That he did nothing to encourage anything else was of no question. He preferred it that way, with the only other person that loved Kagome like he had far removed from his life. With the ever-growing demoness bending his heart at her beck and call he could afford no other weakness while he awaited the return of his love.
Himari began to mature before Sesshomaru was entirely ready and he, as it turned out, could no longer keep her existence a secret from the one person he dreaded most. It was not long after hilarious twenty-fifth birthday that he received a summons from the floating city of the black ink. He set it aside with a deep sigh and leaned his head on his folded arm in exasperation. " why me." he asked aloud.
" I don't know sir. But there is a priestess here to see you." a servant poked their head into the room and Sesshomaru stood ready for the distraction.
He hurried to the great hall where he received his subjects complaints when he stopped dead in his tracks there was an impossible resemblance with the woman in front of him and his lost love. Withheld breath, he sat in the large regal chair and beckoned her to approach the throne.
" My name is Ari, I am the keeper of a great relic called the Shikon jewel. You may have heard of it?" he began and he shook his head uninterested. This was not his time she smelled similar, perhaps kin but far from the lovely spirit that had tamed his raging heart.
"Name your purpose here." there was no patience in his voice and the young Miko had to swallow some feat in order to regain her confidence back.
"My mother told me that you are the ally of our shrine and to ask your aid when we needed it. My mother is dying, she is very old and my father and I fear for her daily, we want to know if whatever bargain that you had with my mother could be continued with me the next leader of the shrine."
Sesshomaru was bored by the time the woman finished speaking. He had dissected the behaviors of the woman to perfectly mirror Kikyou, Kagome's twin and Hiko the demon hunter. " Are you asking for the sake of your sister's village as well?"
The girl was shaken. " How did you know of my twin?" she was astounded as to how a powerful demon leader was acquainted with her mother and why he bothered to learn anything about her. he knew that she was mistaken about the source of his knowledge, she thought he worked an advanced network of informants. In reality, he knew everything that he needed to from her scent, which spoke volumes.
" there will be no change as to my 'bargain', not that a human such as yourself could return to me what I've lost. You shrines protection for what it is, is my responsibility." he was cold toward the girl, he knew he was, but the sore reminder of his lost lover made his chest clench in the most uncomfortable way. He didn't stay long in the presence of the priestess and as he began to retire towards his study once more he caught sight of a silver flash from the corner of his eye.
Whirling around with agility that he had honed since he was a pup, Sesshomaru took hold of the hand that grabbed him and quickly maneuvered the flying body through the air and with a flick of his wrist cinched in the perfect wrist lock. " you are getting sloppy Himari." he smirked and let go of her.
Shaking herself to readjust her clothes and hair, a completely undignified gesture he'd commented on several times before, but as always, his remark was only met with a large toothy grin and a pair of arms coming around him to escort him through the halls.
" father, I snuck up on you," she said proudly of the accomplishment.
"There is no place that you can be, that I do not know where you are," he said in his double meaning threat. She was used to it.
" oh your not saying that because of that silly human. I told you I wasn't trying to lead him on-"
He stopped her before she could continue. "Himari," he said her name to stop her from speaking any further into the matter. When he thought about the possibility of her mating and leaving there was a kind of rage inside of him that he could not explain. That puny human boy was hardly worth mentioning or killing. Smiling understandingly she leaned her head onto his shoulder and hummed softly as they entered his study. Taking her usual place across from him at his desk she noticed that there was something different about him, something off.
Without warning, Jakken walked into the study, praising her father's name as he did and she had to resist the urge to trip his, butt kissing self as he passed her with eyes only for her father. " how wonderful to be returning to the city of the clouds. Am I right my lord?" he squawked. Sesshomaru grabbed jakken by the back of the robe.
" what does he mean by that?" Himari asked her father who did not resist the urge to punt him back out the door.
Sesshomaru shut the door behind jakken turning back to her in a huff. Taking a few calming breaths he was surprised at the level of anger that he felt at the mention of his mother's city. " I have been summoned. As have you."
Himari didn't quite know what to make of this. News, she had never been summoned by anyone but her father, he was down the hall most nights. " by who?" she pressed.
" your grandmother. She wished to see you," he said disinterestedly. He let go of a deep breath and met her golden stair unapologetically.
Himari received the news of her grandmother with grace befitting his daughter nodding slowly she waited for a further explanation but when she received none there was no surprise. Used to a certain amount of quietness in her life Himari went back to the scroll she had been reading with only mild interest. He watched her eyes scan the page within her grasp and he stifled the smirk at how like him she was. Mirroring his concentration perfectly she was the embodiment of the years of effort and training he had placed into her. She mimicked his actions, thought pattern and speech patterns in her own way, but there were things of Kagome that were not easily hidden and often took him by surprise, when she slowly looked up at him realizing that once more he was staring at her in deep thought and put her scroll aside to give him her attention. " do you want to talk about anything father?" she asked him curiously.
Quirking a brow he snorted humorlessly. " why do you ask?" he said not answering her question but knowing that her senses were sharp.
"Frankly, father you are silent all of the time but there are times when it weighs heavier than normal. It's her, isn't it? You are thinking about mother." she pinned him with her observation.
Slowly Sesshomaru let the stoic mask slip and in a rare show of emotion let his lips pull into a frown and he nodded slowly in admission. " where could she have gone that she's taken twenty-five years to return. Father. She may never-"
"Do not say that. I have the word of the elder kami that she will return. It was them who lost her, and they shall return her to us." he was harsher than he meant to be but the young demoness was used to the defensiveness he held over his misplaced mate. There were so many things that confused her about her mother's disappearance but there was one constant, that her father knew that she would return, unharmed. He waited for her.
That night stretched into a hot dry night made to keep a dog demoness awake all night. With a faint flicker of candlelight, she sat up in her room going over the scrolls written by her mother concerning healing potion and the way of human biology when she heard a noise just outside the boundary of the palace. Curiosity was dangerous when your father was the most powerful demon of the western province, especially when you are his only heir, but this was forgotten by the maturing Himari who slipped from the comfort of her bed to pad lightly into the hall. Her intent was to find a window large enough to see the intruder but she forgot herself when she was a flash of lightning.
Sesshomaru knew the moment Himari had left her room and was following her not far behind when his senses were filled with a strange yet familiar smell. Cat. he armed himself, having only just returned from a battle with a formidable cat tribe. Going to the gateway faster than humorous young eyes could track he managed to surprise her when she bumped into his back when he appeared in front of her. " father-"
"Shh." he silenced her.
Out of the mist came the form of a single demon, his eyes reflecting in the moonlight and thunder clashed all around him. " Lord Sesshomaru?" he called. There was no doubt who it was when he finally walked into the light of the torches. " is this really the palace of the great dog lord Sesshomaru?" he asked again.
Standing with his arms folded, Sesshomaru hid the emotion that threatened to show on his stoic face. "Youkio," he answered.
Stepping forward he came face to face with the only demon that he'd ever truly liked and they remained in silence for a long time before Youkio sank into a bow with his bangs almost touching the ground. Then looking up at him he noticed Himari beside him and was confused. Leaning towards her to take in her scent, Youkios eyes widened.
" old friend, I have to congratulate you on the birth of your heir, may I pay my respects to your mate as well, her smile was the light of all of our lives." he mused.
Himari came to her father's side at the mention of her mother and put a comforting hand on the stoic demon's shoulder. " mother, was lost. She is not here yet." was her answer.
Youkio understood all to well as he had found himself displaced several years from the time of his disappearance. Time and distance have not affected his memory but there were things from that time that could not be salvaged, was now simply lost. His mate and children had all greeted him and after explanation accepted him back. "And what of Kikyou?" he asked.
" she was sent back to the shrine immediately and has been there since." Sesshomaru answered, Himari had no connection to a shrine, and so guessed that they must have meant a shaman that hated their travels and has gone home. Not thinking any more about it she considered the friendship between her father and this demon as an oddity, she had never seen her father greet anyone with half of the gladness that he'd seen Youkio with and thus gave her great respect for him right away. She didn't particularly like cats, but she didn't mind him.
Youkio was invited to stay as their guest and took advantage of that offer by staying for several weeks in what he referred to as a luxury vacation. " I like this new attitude of yours. This is a nice palace, when did you build it?" he asked.
" it was constructed twenty years ago, for the protection of my daughter and my village," he said knowing what he meant. Youkio laughed at the idea of his friend having such a soft heart towards his daughter but was unable to deny the effect her presence had on his life. She was courteous, kind and regal to a fault,
" Kagome is going to be proud of her," he observed.
"I expect nothing less." Sesshomaru answered he still felt a pang of hurt in his chest when he thought of her when he imagined her lost in the world like jakken and Youkio had appeared he wanted to drop everything and search for her but there had been no word from Violet or any indication of her reappearance anywhere. His network was expansive and all knew that he searched for the greatest healers in the province, if only just to look at their face for a moment before he turned them away. None of them were her.
"I've encountered Inuyasha. In the village not far from where the shrine is. They say that there is a jewel there of incredible power, enough to grant any wish." Youkio reported.
" hm, I have heard of this jewel, its keeper was here weeks ago to ask for my protection." he shrugged. Youkio shook his head.
"You Have seen her then, the similarity is eery, I was mistaken myself before she shot at me with a sacred arrow. She nearly pinned me when I escaped." he sighed relieved. Sesshomaru found it interesting and ribbed him for almost being caught by a human. " she is powerful. Aye maybe even approaching what her aunt could do."
Sesshomaru revealed in the appearance of his friend and stayed for long hours in his company before retiring to his chamber. There was no one there to greet him when he opened the door and he was used to it by now. Setting back on the futon and stretching out with his boots still on he closed his eyes and imagined Kagome as she had been when he'd last seen her. Everything about the last few weeks of their life together had been hell except when they had been together. Imagining her warm figure pressed to his side Sesshomaru could almost see her there next to him on the futon. Her eyes sleepy, adoring and waiting for him to take her into his arms once more.
"Sesshomaru, I've missed you," she said to him kissing a small line on his jaw.
"I have waited every waking moment for your return, when will you come back to my love," he asked wanting so badly to hear her answer.
"I don't know. Perhaps tomorrow. Or even right now." he came awake again to the sound of an intruder. Jumping out of bed and landing on his feet he shoved the door aside and paced the halls anxiously for the arrival of his latest guest.
" mother," he said coldly.
" Oh, Sesshomaru, is that how you greet your mother after all this time?" she sighed as she stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the dimly lit corridor.
"You are not welcome here," he said meaning every word.
"Oh won't you forget about what happened with that human girl, that was ages ago." she insisted.
" for you, I live with the consequences of your pride every day," he said and began to turn away from her coldly. Now that he was unconcerned about an invasion he was almost regretting getting out of bed at all after being so close to finally being able to hold her one last time before the dream ended.
"I want to see her."
" no," he growled.
" she is the first female heir in over six generations. In all rights, she should be an alpha female of her own pack by now-"
" if you have come here to meddle in my life, and force me into a traditionalist mentality you have made a trip for nothing. No one will take Himari from me. Ever." he meant it and with the aggressive stance of someone not willing to budge even an inch in leeway he held his ground.
" of course I do not have the power to force you into anything. My esteemed son had gained quite the reputation as a leader of the western province. Even the elder inu king bows to you as his leader.
He did not answer her through what she said was true. She did not stay long and though Sesshomaru knew that Himari stalked them from the other side of the hallway just out of sight he allowed his mother adequate time to both see and smell the scent of her grandchild. Without any more drama, she left them, satisfied to be humored at the very least with her rebellious sneaking in order to see what she was like. With pride, she went back to her city in the clouds, and there she made a place for her granddaughter, that was forever hers and would be opened to her should she ever be in need.
Watching his mother fly into the distance Sesshomaru began to wonder if this truly would be a time in his life that he would not only have to make peace with what happened but would have to forge on through it even when it was difficult.
For years on from that point he carefully stewarded the countryside. Attending to disaster control and relief aid to the villagers was the easier of the tasks he became responsible for. Nightly he began to patrol our borders. Daily he fought a new foe and built his strength into an indomitable force that nearly none of the demons of his age could stand against.
Too quickly he became aware of the evil heart that had consumed his brother and with effort, he tracked him down and tested him, again and again, to build his strength and battle back some of the craze that years of loneliness had caused him. This time was different though as he came upon his brother cooking on a fire near the water of a riverbank. He sensed his brother far before he appeared at the treeline and stood ready to fight.
"Sesshomaru!" he said without any title or respect.
" you are causing trouble, dishonoring our father's name with your actions." he scolded the youth of seventy. Time made no bridge between them and the hurt that they had both felt with kagome's loss.
" oh that's rich now you want to talk about dad, right? Tell me did he like your pompous ass of beat you like the bitch you are." he seethed. Sesshomaru jumped on his brother then, brawling like a pup fighting for his first boundary line when Inuyasha actually connected with a punch that stunned the elder demon only momentarily but it was enough to give him that little confidence that sent him into a barrage of punches that barely hit their mark. Sesshomaru separated himself from his brothers advancing strikes and marveled at his strength.
Pride and anger mingled inside of the stoic demon but he put that aside for the warning that was clear. " stay away from the Shikon jewel, taking it will only lead to your undoing." he said calmly.
" you don't want me to become a full demon! You want me to say weak! You bastard!" he was nearly screaming at him with fists balled just like when he had thrown temper tantrums when he was a pup. He turned and darted away before another move could be made by the elder brother and he watched his red form fade into the shadow of the night.
The news of Inuyasha's death soon after was of no surprise, the last shred of his old life snapped apart like a dried reed in those moments of contemplation and immediately he set off towards the bone eaters well. He watched them burn the priestess on the pyre where her wounds had overtaken her and a moment was spent in reflection as she was consumed by the flames, she that was so like his love, but so different at the same time.
It was not far from that little village that he came upon the pinned body of his brother displayed against the goshinboku in a death pose. reaching out and touching the neck of his younger brother to check his pulse he found that the dead sleep that had taken his brother was only at the earliest stages of death and he was suspended as such. Reaching for the arrow to remove it and rightly punish him for not listening to his warning he was surprised to find that the arrow was completely immune to his power and even burned him back when he tried again.
Taking a step back from it he looked at the spell with a newfound wonder at the strength of the priestess. " this will hold you until one of similar or greater magic removes it. And since the younger sibling of your beloved priestess barely retains any magic you will exist here, brother." he said not too sad about the turn of events. He never really liked the pup anyway.
" Sesshomaru." there was a voice behind him that he was not sure was real and froze in place until she spoke again. " Sesshomaru. I have found her." he turned and looked at the mature kami that stood not too far from the goshinboku. Her gateway opened at the base of a steep hill and she stepped out clothed in her trademark violet robes.
Taking a steadying breath, he prepared himself for her next words but could not prepare himself for what she had to say. "Where is she?" he asked softly.
" here." violet took him to the edge of a well that looked as if the rotting bodies of several demons had been left. He looked down into the wooden frame with little expectation and saw nothing there. " Sesshomaru she does not remember what happened to her during the war, or when she was transported, you will have to be patient with her but she wants to see you."
" then she remembers?" he asked and felt his breath catch when a light began at the bottom of the well. The manifestation of purifying magic became tangible at the bottom of the well with the glowing pink light that signified kagome's magic. It was a few moments before he could see her form appear at the bottom of the well and without a second thought jumped into the well.
It was dark where she was, very dark and smells of rotting flesh when she was caught around the waist by a pair of arms like iron bars. Gasping kagome fought against them grabbing at strong writs and sleeves when she felt lips feathering her neck in an all too familiar caress. Her memories came back to her slowly as she turned into his chest and buried her head in the warmth of Sesshomaru's affection. Hands tracing every inch of her face and wrapping in her hair he could do nothing else but pull her into a feverish kiss.
Raggedly he breathed against her mouth, kissing it again and again before he could pull himself back from her enough to assure himself that their mating mark was still there and latched his mouth to it hungrily.
"Sesshomaru." she breathed slowly.
As if just remembering that they were standing at the bottom of a well lined with the corpses of demons Sesshomaru gathered her to him and jumped from the well, landing lightly. When they landed on the soft grass of the clearing Sesshomaru did not let her feet touch the ground before he began to walk toward their palace.
" was I gone somewhere?" she asked him. Looking at him she noticed that there were a great many things different about her love. He stood fully armored with what looked like a nobleman's gear, his clothes were made of pure silk and everything about him seems to have grown by almost half. Even his previously wiry frame had filled out into a more muscular and broader physique.
"You have been gone a long while and there are a great many things that you are to be brought up to date with." he began.
Arriving late at the palace Kagome was more than a little overwhelmed to find that her secret mountain hut had turned into the epicenter of the entire province with a large palace in place of the wooden huts. One of them still stood as a storage chamber for all of his weapons and training equipment. Kagome was in shock as she was carried through the halls and into the great chambers of the lower floor. Sesshomaru was impatient, wanting to re-establish his comfortable routine with Kagome and excited to get to the meeting that would shape the next years of his life.
Himari was an adult youkai, adept in her training and cunning beyond what her father ever expected. In battle, she was next to only her father and had not been defeated in a decade when she came down the stairs at the sound of her father's heavy footfalls. " papa. The guards from the ocean tribe are here already what you want me to do about them?" she asked wrinkling her nose at an odd smell coming from the direction her father had walked in. there was something off about him, he was almost giddy and she could think of nothing that made her father that happy, ever.
Sesshomaru turned at Himaris voice, not bothering to set Kagome on her feet for the introduction. There was a possessiveness in the way that her father held that human woman that made Himari suspicious. And taking in her scent, she realized why. "Himari," he said her name needing them both beside him.
"Himari?" Kagome held her breath as she looked at the silver-haired inu demoness without understanding. she had called Sesshomaru father, she thought. The woman before her was a grown replica of everything that his mother ever wanted for him. She was strong, beautiful and as she grew closer, a look too familiar crossed her face and Kagome was left with the same feeling she got when her twin looked at her with helpless concern. "Sesshomaru, who is this?" she asked slowly.
Sesshomaru took her hand in his and reached for Himaris with the same affection. " she is our daughter." he said watching kagome's expression change from one kind of concern to from Himari to Sesshomaru she saw the resemblance undoubtedly and knew he spoke the truth.
"Why don't I remember her?" she asked her breath coming short. How long was I gone?" she asked starting to panic.
"Himari saw without a doubt the love that her father had for this woman and was inclined to trust his instincts. Slowly she began to speak to the quaking human woman. " I am seventy this year. Father has been waiting for your arrival for many decades, it is my honor to meet you, mother," she said the word though it sounded strange in her mouth.
Kagome looked up at the title with a small gasp. " I've missed everything!" she began to cry. Turning into Sesshomaru's chest she sobbed for the loss time wanting to have been there for the hard times that she didn't know that her love was even capable of handling. " your first steps, words, I've missed everything, I don't even know you." she cried harder than she expected to but could not stop once the tears fell. Helplessly Himari felt obligated to help her father calm her down and tried to make conversation as she patted her back gently.
"Father was wonderful. We have never been apart, mother. I have been taken care of." she said.
Wrinkling her brow she gave Sesshomaru a soggy look and tried to wipe her eyes. " you took care of her by yourself?" she asked sniffling. Looking back at the demoness she was struck with a swelling of pride in her chest that dried her tears.
"Yes," he answered. Leaning up to kiss him firmly she held him tightly as his arms slipped around her waist pulling her against his chest. Himari blinked a few times surprised by the open show of affection.
" this is so weird," she muttered and began to feel uncomfortable when they got carried away. "Father!" she gasped when they did not stop. Having never seen any sight such as the satisfaction of her mother's presence on her father Himari decided that it was time for her to take a nice long quiet walk around the gardens and left them where they stood. Going through the hallways to the back exit to the small patch of garden, she was content to sit there under a tree leaned back against it thinking about the woman that was her mother. Time had made no change to the woman's appearance, the painting of her he had in his father's study was her mirror even though seventy years had passed. Wondering about the strange circumstances of her birth had not been her priority in life but was quickly becoming a topic of interest as she connected the dots between several incidents and guests that arrived unexpectedly.
Laughing to herself she never imagined the stoic monster that every demon feared would be smitten by a human girl no more extraordinary than any run of the mill priestess as she could tell. " how things unfold." she mused.
Inside the palace, Sesshomaru was finishing his tour with a final surprise for the woman he loved. " Kagome, there was not one instance since you disappeared that I have not thought of you." uncovering her eye he showed her the workroom he had built for her and she marveled at the collection of scrolls and supplies that he was able to find for her.
" where did you get all of the money to do this?" she asked him.
" when it was obvious you were not coming back right away I began some safety measures to protect our daughter. The tributes from the villages began the construction, but the war after furnished everything and set a continuing income in order to maintain it all."
" you are accepting the tribute? I never knew you to care about anything like this." she smiled at how he had changed he was more mature, more responsible with a knack for decorating as she saw his stoic flare as a theme for the entire palace. The armor and grey walls with dramatic staircases and large rooms were as much a part of his character now as his death glare. Taking it all in Kagome didn't know where to begin with her life and for a few horrifying moments wondered if she would even fit into the world that he had built for himself.
As if guessing what she was thinking, Sesshomaru came up behind her and put his arms lovingly around her leaning his lips to her ear before taking the shell of it between his teeth and nibbling not too gently. " you belong here with me." he said huskily. It had been too long since she was within his grasp, this woman that had inspired so much hatred and love in a being bereft of emotions. There was no time that he had not been affected by her for better or worse and he knew that no one else would ever affect him this way.
Dragging her behind him to the hallway at the top of the third floor he found the last door at the end of the hallway and pushed open the door. Stumbling into the chamber Kagome felt the familiar sense of home when she saw many of her things adorning the shelves and tablespace within the large room. The bedroom was split into a quasi-study and a sleeping area with fireplace at the end of the room. Two large windows opened up to the sunset let in crimson light into the darkening space casting shadows over every surface and dancing across their faces as they turned once more to each other.
As if drawn together by an invisible string Sesshomaru was drawn closer to her, her scent filling him, intoxicating him as it had when he first realized his need of her. That possession of the power of time had been an illusion. The bitterness and rage an excuse for weakness. Gently he ran his claws through her raven hair, shaping her scalp and massaging it slowly as they kissed. Tongues battled, hands reached for one another in intimate need. She was bare before she felt the futon at her back, the startling chill of the air was covered by her mate's ready form. Nothing could prepare her for the stark desire and intimacy that he showed her, with unbounded love kagome received him and when the night turned into morning she still had not slept. Shifting into a more comfortable position he felt Sesshomaru's fang dragging over the skin of her breast before his lips closed around her, sucking gently through the wanted to devour her with the need he possessed. " you will never be away from me again." he promised.
Kagome frowned. " how can we be sure. After everything?" she asked and for the second time since reuniting he let an easy smile curve his lips, only for her.
"I have fulfilled my bargain with the kami, your life and protection are mine now to do with as I see fit," he said too arrogantly for Kagome to let slide.
" oh what do you suggest, Lord Sesshomaru?" she questioned him. He grunted at the title and moved to pin her lazily with his heavier body. Yawning he felt her discomfort and hear small grunting sounds as she struggled to breathe beneath his weight. He shifter to give her small relief but savored the annoyed look that began at her eyes.
"I suppose I will have to punish you for taking seventy years to come back to me," he grunted and began a procession of kisses that started at her sternum and divided her body perfectly down to her navel… gasping softly Kagome felt the prodding invasion and let herself feel the pleasure of her mates punishment.
Biting her lip at the small sucking that sent shivers through her like lightning shocks she felt at the edge of a great precipice when a voice too familiar sounded off on the other side of the chamber door. kagome gasped startled and aroused at once. Sesshomaru grabbed her hips pulling her tighter into his kiss when the voice sounded off again.
" what do you want jakken." he heaving Sesshomaru ripped himself away from his mate and stomped to the door not caring that he was still naked. Jakken sputtered his response when he looked into the unamused eyes of the demon lord.
" the wolf tribe to the north is invading the forest. The guard station there has been wiped out and the village leader has sent word that they are in great need," he reported and as he finished the door slammed in his face. Balling his fists and snarling when his back touched the hard surface of the door he saw Kagome with the blanket wrapped around her form waiting for him to tell her what was happening.
"I must go," he said to her softly. There was a concern in her eyes.
" you have never worried about a thing like this before?" she wondered what he would do. Sesshomaru knew what she meant and went to her to bring to standing in front of him. The blanket fell away and she shyly tried to pick it up again when he stopped her.
" it is my duty as a demon with the strength to look after those who cannot protect themselves. I did this to remember you, to honor you, and now I do it so that I can protect what we have here. You will never be taken from me again." he promised.
Watching him collect his armor and dress with the discipline of a warlord she saw that this wasn't an act or a ploy, he was serious about protecting the people of his land. She had never been so proud. When he went to reach for his sword she was there at his side helping him to fasten it to his hip. " I love you, so much."
"I do not deserve your love, I am a monster after all," he smirked. Part of him feared that she would disapprove of the calculated killing that had once more become a habit but she wasn't.
" you do. You are a good man Sesshomaru."
When she kissed him goodbye that day she watched him leave with an expectation of success and was not disappointed when Himari shared her belief. Talking with the quiet, oftentimes stoic demoness was a growing joy in her day to day as they got to know each other. Sharing a love for medicine Himari revealed her knowledge of kagome's writings and displayed her skill in a practiced pragmatic skill that impressed her mother to no end.
Commonality reached was the beginning of a close relationship between the two, with Sesshomaru gone on patrol, and diplomatic missions, more and more Kagome began to pick up her old professor and assumed the role of healer within the palace.
After almost a year, Kagome asked about Inuyasha, having assumed rightly that the brothers didn't speak she made known her desire to see him when Sesshomaru took her to the goshinboku. Looking at his form with a guilty frown she reached up and cupped his face, he was so cold. "Why?"
" it seems he had fallen in love with Kikyou's granddaughter, also named Kikyou, he tried to get close to her and was cursed when she discovered his want for the sacred jewel. He'd tried to steal it to become a full demon," he explained.
" what happened to her, to Kikyou?" she asked feeling sick.
Sesshomaru felt uneasy. " she died from her wounds."
Kagome looked at Inuyasha in silence before bowing her head and beginning to pray for her beloved foster son. " please, let Inuyasha find peace. I pray that Kikyou comes back to him." she said and sealed the prayer as a curse of her own before leaning to his still face and kissing him.
It was more than fifty years before Inuyasha was awoken from the cursed sleep. Sesshomaru felt the stirring of the bone eaters well as he patrolled his territory. And though it lay beyond he slipped into Inuyasha's forest with just enough time to see the oddly dressed human girl stumble through the forest. The resemblance was remarkable between the youth and his own mate but her smell, her mannerisms everything about her was foreign. She went to the three where Inuyasha was and inspected him as though she had never seen a half-demon before.
"How strange?" he said peering at his ears.
From his place high in the trees, he watched her hands itch towards his ears before clutching them and squealing happily. he shook his head at the antics of young women. About to turn to get back home he saw her reach for the arrow as the forest began to rumble beneath her. Sighing he realized he had loosed one of the centipede demons from the well and wondered if she would be eaten when Inuyasha came to life once more.
" Hey, wench. Are you going to just stand there screaming or are you going to vanquish it? Kikyou," he growled.
"Who is Kikyou? My name is Kagome." she put her hands on her hips.
"Ech… whatever release me so I can like it then," he said baiting her to comply. Sesshomaru watched with rekindled interest as Kagome reached for the arrow and it dissolved in her grasp.
He turned then even as the forest broke into a series of explosions and screaming. He went back to his palace, through the wide gate that shut firmly behind him. Himari was already in her study, looking over paperwork he had asked her to do for him. Kagome was in her workroom as well concocting a potion to heal the ailing half demon at the request of an elderly woman who had mated a light demon. Her son's digestion problems would be hopefully solved.
Standing at the door and watching her grind herbs with the mortar and pestle he sauntered right up to her work table and took the pestle from her hand. " I need that." she said nothing at his sudden appearance. " you will be happy to know that the pup is awake now." taking her into his arms he realized that as he settled into his mated warm embrace that the boys awakening would mean more headache, he had sensed the jewel with the girl and knew that if his idiot brother could mess this up, he would.
"You will watch over him won't you?" she asked as if reading his thoughts this time. " I'm sure whatever has happened means there is trouble."
"As a son of Inu no Taisho, there is no other life then filled with trouble. He unleashed us on to this world and it has fought to strip us of everything, he will have to become a lot stronger in order to protect what life he makes for himself." Sesshomaru said knowing already what t was like to lose everything.
"You will have to teach him, to be like you," she said snuggling into him.
"You mean for him to become what I am? What is that?"
"A hero," she said with a kiss.
AN; this is the final chapter of creating a monster. I would like to thank all of the amazing people who helped me to bring this story into reality. thank you to my dokuga fans as well as the group that encouraged and believed in me through these last two years. I appreciate every comment and read given to me by my faithful audience and I hope to continue to provide you with quality amusement in the future. thank you all again.
-ideramofinuyoukai, out.