Whew – another one done – practically no humour now – the story is almost at an end now – lemon in next chapter, so skip if you want.
Chapter 37 – Fated to come together
"What is wrong Kagome?" Inutaisho asked her coming to sit beside her on the hillside as she watched the stars with Yamazaki and Shippou who was presently curled up on her lap. Once she had come back Shippou had had no trouble in claiming Kagome as his mother again and Rin, who was a good friend of his, like a sister to him had decided to do the same. It was as if she had come back to the world she left, not a new one in some ways. Sango and Miroku were like family and their children were seeing her as a kindly aunt.
She was well into this new future sand did not miss the alternate one with the jewel shards and Naraku in at all. Yet it was still a lot to take in that all of her memories no longer existed, she and Inuyasha never existed, all of those adventures never happened. She missed that fact, but for some reason, the thoughts did not make her unhappy. She missed those memories that she could share with no one else, and she had so many questions with no answer. Consequently she spent more and more time with her silent fox companion.
"Surely you do not miss the 'other'?" He asked her, he too had had dreams like everyone else and had come to the conclusion that even without him being alive, a downside in itself, was indeed, horrific. He put an arm around her amiably, unsettled at how depressed she seemed to be and hopeless at how to make her feel better. "Please tell me why you are upset, we cannot help you if we do not know what is wrong."
"I'm not upset Touga sama, that really is not it. I am happy that this future is the one that is the one that has come to pass; it really is a lot better this way. I lived through the other one, to me the 'other' is still fresh memories as is my past with you, and to me it is still real. It is such a lot to take in that to everyone else it cannot be shared. It is so hard to think that so much adventure, almost two years of my life is nothing but a bunch of dreams now. I know it sounds as though I am downplaying the intensity of such dreams, but that is all they are."
"I understand Kagome, it is alright, and time is really all you need isn't it? Here, I have something to show you, you'll like it, promise." He reached into his sleeve and brought out a brown and crinkled piece of paper – it was... could it be... surely not... after all this time... it was impossible, nobody was that OCD. Her mother kept every single receipt she ever received from any shop, but this was something else entirely. Surely it was so old it could not still be read, yet the fact he still had it though was kind of sweet.
"Is that my letter Touga sama?" Kagome asked, amused and amazed that it was still in his possession after all this time. "I am surprised you still have it after – what is it now – 200 years there about, you cannot still read the words surely?" It was in poor condition now, but it was just a singular piece of paper and not something designed to last, h must have gone to great lengths to preserve it. Every day she was seeing a new side of this Taiyoukai, even now in the feudal era, he was still throwing her off centre, just like she said in the letter.
"It does not matter whether I can still read it or not now," he told her, folding up the piece of paper and putting in back into his sleeve for safekeeping. "Yamazaki and Hiro will be able to tell you why," he went on, turning to the now smirking fox on the other side of her. "He is embarrassed to tell you himself," he told her, holding her blue orbs with his sparkling green ones. "He read your letter so many times a day, often sacrificing work he had to do leaving Sesshoumaru to finish it for him to read it again. He had memorized every character now, he can recite it to you perfectly, he just holds onto his for sentimentality sake."
Kagome looked at the Inutaisho; she was seeing yet another side of his character – that was two now in less than 10 minutes, how many sides could this complicated Taiyoukai have? He memorised her letter? Given it was the only thing she had ever given him apart from a piece of her mind and a good shouting at. She understood keeping things for sentimentality sake; she still had everything her father had ever given her.
"I was thinking I might go home, my other home," Kagome said with a hint of hurt in her voice. "I've been thinking over these past couple of days and I do not have anything to live for in this future. Nobody needs me anymore, I don't need to find the shards to kill Naraku anymore because Sesshoumaru killed him years ago, he told me. I've been thinking about all my friends, my pack, we are all pack, a huge one, so there is no feuding, and I've realized everyone has the happy ending they've always wanted.
Inuyasha has Kikyou now like he always wanted, so he does not need me now anymore, even as a travelling companion because we are not travelling anymore. Keade is a powerful miko of the village and has another apprentice so her life is set up too. Sango and Miroku finally got married without the wind tunnel tearing them apart so only one cursed hand to deal with, which she deals with quite nicely with her weapon. Kohaku is not being controlled, or dead, in fact the whole slayer village and profession is still going on.
Then we come to the demons in my life. Kouga has his pack back because Naraku was never formed, so Kagura was never made to kill them. He has Ayame too, she is not his mate yet, but Kouga is not as dense as he used to be and so one day maybe she'll get the happy ending she wanted. Sesshoumaru has Rin now; it is a father and daughter relationship at the moment, but one day it will probably escalate into something more. Yamazaki has his son and Shippou has his father which is what I've always wanted for him. Hiro has been catching the eye of a certain human female I've heard, and he blushes every time she looks his way.
We are all pack now, everyone has each other and I'm just a third wheel, not needed. I am not really needed at home either, I cut ties with them some time ago, but I belong there more than here. Why am I even here Touga? If mistress centipede didn't cut the jewel out of me then why am I down here in the first place?"
"Maybe Kagome, you are meant to be down in this time for another reason besides the collection of jewel shards. Collecting fragments is an unfortunate fate that befell you, not your destiny; you were meant to come down here regardless. Have you not had a dream of your new memory of why you came down here, for Inuyasha has."
"He has? Why am I here then, and how?"
"The well started to work at a certain time, and you fell down when chasing a cat named Buyo. He fell down the well too actually, and found happiness here. He mated Kirara, so his lifetime was lengthened to hers and he became a half fire neko too, he became even bigger than he was before and can transform too. He was not there to help you back because he and the kittens got injured in a fight and he was in the slayer village being tended to. He defended them valiantly against a demon until Inuyasha got to him."
"Wow, I never saw that one coming."
"Kagome, do you truly believe you are not needed here. We all need you Kagome, you are our pack mate, we did not wait for you for 204 years for you to leave us again, and we all need you for always. Shippou needs you as his mother and would be heartbroken if you left him with just his silent father as his family, although he has all of us. Hiro needs you as his closest friend as does Sesshoumaru and Yamazaki; the three of them know you best. Kouga needs you nearby as his pack and as an alpha he loathes to be away from you. Sango and Miroku love you as their sister and Keade as a daughter, you cannot abandon them. Besides, not all of us have a happy ending if you leave, we are all pack yes, but who would I have?"
"What do you mean?"
"My mate committed infidelity, and that is why I paid less attention to her and more and more attention to you. When you left I was heartbroken and only lived again when I met Izayoi, but I only loved her because she resembled you. I have told you why that was an unhappy marriage even after I took your advice and Killed Ryuukotsusie many moons prior. I was left all alone reciting your letter until the time you returned to us."
"I am not sure what you are saying."
Yamazaki stood and lifted his sleeping son off of her lap. "Get over your pride and embarrassment old man," he told the Lord of the West with a slight smirk. "It isn't a disgrace, if you think of it that way then obviously you do not mean it." With those few words he departed leaving them alone with Kagome confused over Inutaisho's words.
"I have never said something like this before. I have never even felt anything akin to this before or to this sort of intensity, it is strange a new but welcome sort of strange feeling. I have never thought this away about anyone else before Kagome, you need to realize that, you are the one I love Kagome, you. I have held deep affection for my first mate and Izayoi, but you I think are the first one I've truly, truly loved. Think back to the letter once more Kagome, I was wondering whether – if we could start over Kagome, if you could meet me for the first time again. I want to court you Kagome, properly, and then you could become my mate."
That was another thing she did not see coming. He had been a jerk to her before, but she really did feel great feelings for him, and he was the first person to make such a confession and it was then she realized how much she needed to hear someone say that to her. Maybe it was gratitude or perhaps it was fate. Who can say what teaches the heart to soar? All she knew was in that she'd fallen deeply in love with the Lord of the Western lands.
She did not what came over her, but she needed him closer to her, always closer to her. She reached up and threw her arms around his neck in a hug and he crashed his lips to hers in a needy and love filled kiss like she had never shared with another before.
From behind the bushes a hundred paces away Sesshoumaru had his hand over Rin's eyes while Yamazaki had clasped one hand over her mouth to stop her crying out as she was prone to do. Inuyasha was smirking nearby as what had happened. He was the youngest of the family and had found love before anyone else; finally his father was going to be happy. Sango and Miroku were smirking at the scene while Kouga dished out money to Totosai, he had lost the bet as he had thought Kagome would turn him down point blank.
They were going to be together with the pack and the stars as witnesses to the union of two very extraordinary individuals fated to come together.