Chapter Thirty-four – Learning to Live

Kagome did not recall how she had managed to get into the house – though later when she pondered that, she came to the conclusion that Sesshoumaru must have carried her. She would, however, always remember the moment she found herself in her mother's arms. All the dams burst right at that moment, and she had collapsed, hopelessly clinging to her mother as the tears freely flowed down her cheeks and the endless sobs racked her body. Her mother held her, her gentle hands soothingly petting her hair. She murmured sweet words of consolation into her daughter's unhearing ear.

In the end, she could not tell how long she had cried until her body had finally relented to the exhaustion. Sesshoumaru carried his mate to her room after her sobs had finally ceased. Even in her slight sleep, there was a frown on her face and tears glistening in the corners of her closed eyes. He carefully tucked his beloved in, and then returned downstairs, to confront her worried family.

He apologised that he had kept her away from them for so long, but as he began to tell the tale, understanding started to spark in the humans' eyes. His smooth baritone voice cracked when he reached the part of his and his mate's sacrifice, and Kagome's mother wordlessly reached out, grasping his large, clawed hand in hers. Sesshoumaru allowed the gesture, as it was oddly warm and comforting.

After all the explanations, Sesshoumaru excused himself. He retreated into Kagome's room and sat down on the edge of her bed. He gazed out of the window, taking comfort in his beloved's scent and her steady, even breaths. His mind was still in turmoil, the heart in his chest trembling. There were too many conflicting emotions whirling inside of him to keep track of them all. There was guilt and relief, elation and disappointment, sadness and uncertainty. He could not say how long he just sat there, trying to sort through his emotions and thoughts, patiently coaxing his mind into some semblance of an order.

It was hours later when he was finally woken from his musings by the small hand that wormed into the wide sleeve of his kimono to caress the back on his hand.

Sesshoumaru turned his head and saw the sleepy blue eyes of his mate. She sat up in her bed and silently scooted closer to her husband, seeking solace and support.

"I feel horrible," she confessed into the dark room, her voice hoarse and broken from her crying.

"I know," Sesshoumaru said, pulling the woman into his arms. She sighed and eased against him, winding her arms around his comfortingly large form.

"You had no choice," he murmured into her hair.

"Yes I did, and I made it," Kagome argued. "I still think it was the right one to make, for all our sakes. And I do not regret it. I'm just…"

"… heartbroken." Sesshoumaru finished for her. He knew. He shared her pain and sadness.

"Yes," Kagome rasped in agreement. "That."

They did not speak after that. Words were unnecessary. Words could not properly depict the heaviness and the desolation, the sorrow and the agony. Leaning into each other, they both revelled in the silent support and understanding. The love they felt for each other gave them strength.

It gave them hope.

They could get through this.

-cCc-

It had been only at that precise moment when she felt her mother's arms embrace her when Kagome could feel the finality of it all settle in. As long as she had been in the Feudal era, there had always been the possibility of turning around and going back – but now, after jumping into the well and travelling 500 years to the future, it was over. The well was closed. Her decision could not be undone, she could not return with her tail tucked between her legs.

Now it was time to face the consequences and trying to live with them.

Trying to live with herself.

Kagome was depressed for weeks. Her appetite was gone, and she would only eat after much coaxing from her mother or Sesshoumaru. She spent entire days just curled up in her bed, staring at the walls of her room or crying her eyes out. On those days, Sesshoumaru would always sit at the edge of her bed and occasionally run his claws through her matted raven locks.

Sometimes she would voice her thoughts. They were often as dark as her mood was.

"He will come to hate me," she said one afternoon with utter conviction.

"Maybe he will, maybe he will not," Sesshoumaru said simply. "You did what you thought was best for him. Only a mother could have made such a choice."

"Don't call me that. I have no right to be called that."

Sesshoumaru swallowed the sigh that had threatened to leave his lips. There was no talking sense to his mate when she was so deeply sunk into her depression. Instead he pulled her close to him, allowing her to take comfort in his presence. Just like he took comfort in having her in his arms.

He understood the reasons. He was overwhelmed by the implications of her choice and grateful and delighted by the sheer depth of her love for him… He had even accepted her decision. He respected it; and he respected her.

But understanding and respect did not beget acceptance.

His instincts were screaming at him how his family, his pack, was incomplete. The strong sense of responsibility that had been drilled into him as a pup was in a vast discord with the situation.

And more than anything, he bore a guilty conscience for there was a part of him that was relieved, a part that was elated at having escaped the life he had always hated.

Yet, there was this chilling fear. He remembered only too well how his mother had trained him into a lord. He had never had a proper childhood. As soon as he could walk he had been learning every day, to be noble, to be better, to be perfect. To be worthy of the title of a prince and heir. He did not want the same for his son. He wanted Yoshimaru to be happy, to be free to play in the gardens or with the servants' children. If they had stayed, Sesshoumaru could have been there to ensure that his son would not be robbed of his freedom as early as he had been.

When he and Kagome had left, he could tell his mother had changed. The way she had spoken to Kagome, the way she had hugged them both goodbye… Just the fact that she had actually let them leave like that showed she was not the same demoness who had relentlessly trained him to be the perfect prince.

He could only hope that his mother had changed enough.

Now, there was nothing he could do but support his mate in getting over her heartbreak, to steel himself and try to get over his sense of loss…

And above all, to pray that his son would be given a better life. Yoshimaru deserved that.

-cCc-

The one to end Kagome's depression was her mother. The older woman had at first allowed her daughter and her husband some space, understanding well the need to take the time to come to terms with their grief. She was no stranger to mourning, having lost both her husband and her mother. But when the dark mood had been persisting for weeks, Mrs. Higurashi decided it was time to bring it to a stop. It had gone on long enough, and it was about the time for her daughter to have her own life back.

One rainy afternoon in October, Mrs. Higurashi sat her daughter down at the kitchen table and placed a mug of steaming black tea in front of her.

She eyed at the sullen young woman critically. Then, determined, she started her lecture.

"I would do anything I can to ensure your happiness. You must understand that feeling, as you are now a mother yourself."

Kagome was silent, but after a moment she nodded slightly.

The look in Mrs. Higurashi's brown eyes softened.

"For three years now, I have worried for you and prayed for you. For three years I have watched you disappear from this world to go to another, and each time my heart has cried. Each time, I have thought that maybe this time will be the one when you won't be returning to us at all."

"Mama…" Kagome started, guilt wrenching her guts.

"And not only because I thought your travels in the past to be dangerous. I know you had Inuyasha there to protect you, and I trusted that boy to do just that. I was more frightened because I knew you were happy with your life. I wondered if one day you would feel happier over there. If you found something that would want to make you stay there."

"I'm sorry, mama, I didn't know you would worry so much. You never said – "

"I never said anything, dear, because had you wanted to stay there, I would have let you. Understand this. However much I would worry, no matter how much pain I would feel… I would be content with your choice to leave your family, if you found true happiness somewhere else. Because I love you so much and more than anything, I want you to be happy."

Kagome bit her lip, and her eyes were starting to mist over.

Her mother laughed warmly and shook her head.

"No more tears, my child," she spoke softly but firmly. "From now on I want you to smile."

And she did. Albeit watery and sad, the smile appeared on Kagome's lips. Mrs. Higurashi nodded in approval. Then, the young woman rose from her seat and circled around the table. She bent to give her mother a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered softly.

Mrs. Higurashi soothingly stroked her daughter's back.

"It will be alright," the middle-aged woman promised assuredly. "Don't be too hard on yourself. You are young. It didn't happen on your own terms. There is no shame in admitting that you were not ready for the responsibility yet. Not when you made your decision believing it was for the best of your son. If you believe you were not ready yet, if you believe your son would not have grown to be happy had you and Sesshoumaru stayed, then you made the right decision."

Kagome slowly nodded, and a sigh escaped her lips.

"I know, mama. I did what I believe was right. And I do not regret it. It's just… hard. A part of me feels guilty for running away."

"Honey, letting go of the child for the sake of his happiness was a responsible choice to make. I am proud of you, Kagome, for being so strong. It takes courage to admit to yourself and everyone else that you are overwhelmed and unprepared. It takes all your willpower to hand your baby to someone else. The moment I took you to my arms, Kagome, I loved you from all of my heart as only a mother could." Mrs. Higurashi touched her daughter's cheek. "I don't know if I had been able to give you up that moment, even if I had known it would have been better for you not to be with me."

"It broke my heart," Kagome murmured.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded sagely.

"Parenthood is about letting go," she said, squeezing Kagome's shoulder. "At first they depend on us for everything. Then they learn to walk, begin to explore the world. Little by little, they learn to fend for themselves, and they begin to need you less and less. That is the way of the world."

"I still need you, mama," Kagome insisted.

"Perhaps," the woman replied with a smile, "but you need Sesshoumaru more than me now, don't you?"

A sheepish smile made the teenager's lips twitch.

"You just turned 18, and yet already you are a woman grown," Mrs. Higurashi said softly, stroking her daughter's hair briefly. "You have your whole life ahead of you still. Face it with a smile."

-cCc-

At the end of October, Kagome and Sesshoumaru got married. They did not have any ceremony, not even a small one with only her family in attendance. After all, they were already united for life with stronger bonds than any marriage ceremony would allow. Besides, there had been plenty of festivities the last time. They loved each other and they were both devoted to one another, and they did not need any sort of a show or ritual to prove it. That's why they simply went to drop the necessary documents to the city hall, so that Sesshoumaru's name would be added to the Higurashi family registry as Kagome's husband. With the necessary paperwork taken care of, their marriage would be legal to the whole of human society, ceremony or not. Truly, they wouldn't have had to get married at all, but Sesshoumaru had insisted. Kagome had found it endearing and romantic, that he wanted their relationship recognised in human terms as well.

So that even in her world, they belonged to each other.

-cCc-

Kagome had not been in her own time since late February when she had had her finals. She had been able to pass her second year, but since her third and final year in high school had begun 1st of April and it was now early November, she would have to re-do the whole year. Since the final year's grades would have most impact on her future academic career, and so far she had been barely scraping by high school, her mother hired her a tutor. While Kagome studied and tried to catch up with the basics she should already know by heart, Sesshoumaru helped around the shrine. There were plenty of things for him to do, since the buildings were old they were in a constant need of repair. Furthermore, the only men in the house for the longest of time had been a child and an old man. There was a lot Sesshoumaru could contribute by giving a hand. He did not find these mundane tasks demeaning, after all he was helping his mate's family, one who had from the very beginning welcomed him and opened their home to him. They accepted him, and he respected them. It was the least he could do, after all, he could not provide for his mate the way he should be. It bothered him at times, but in these modern days one could not get a decent job without sufficient education, and although his education had been top notch, it also was badly outdate and there was no record of it. Technically, he did not exist. He used his spare time studying, like Kagome did. He was slowly working his way through Souta's old text books. History, mathematics, modern Japanese language, English – he was learning all while trying to adapt into this time. For English, he had a tutor, a foreigner. Hearing the language spoken made it easier to reproduce the foreign sounds. It was frustrating how simply reading the word on paper he could not tell how it would sound when spoken aloud.

Still, adjusting into the life in the 21st century was surprisingly easy in the end, especially when he had the acceptance and support of his mate and her family. Although he did not appreciate living in the city, the noise, the smells, the crowds, the ground lost under concrete, the modern times were not that difficult for him after he had got used to the advances. Although the world as Sesshoumaru knew it had changed radically, there were still some things that remained the same, even though five centuries had passed. The Heian period had ended 800 years ago, and still in the modern day schools they taught Murasaki's Hikaru Genji no Monogatari in literature class. In the middle of urban Tokyo with its skyscrapers and fluorescent lights, stood the little Higurashi shrine and the ancient Goshinboku. People would still be wed according to the Shinto rites. On formal occasions and on certain holidays, people would still wear kimonos. Even in these times of peace, there were youngsters who practised kendo and archery, arts the root of which lay in the Kamakura period's military clans' martial pursuits. And, despite all the cultural and technological changes, the humans were still the same for the most part.

-cCc-

In March, Kagome watched as all her classmates, Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Hojo included, graduated from high school. She met her friends afterwards, at a cosy café. Ayumi and Yuka had invited her. Eri appeared slightly hostile towards her – apparently she still hadn't fully forgiven the stunt Kagome had pulled a year ago with Sesshoumaru.

"It's been ages since we last saw you," Ayumi breathed as she hugged Kagome tightly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I was terribly sick all summer, but I started getting better in the autumn. Since winter began, I've been feeling great."

"We were worried when we didn't see you in the entrance ceremony last April. It must have been horrible for you." Yuka sympathised.

"It was pretty tough," Kagome agreed. "But I have to say, ever since winter, I've felt better than I have in a long time. I hope that I won't be getting sick ever again!"

"You've been sick enough for a lifetime," Yuka agreed.

"How is Sesshoumaru?" Ayumi asked, her gentle eyes glowing knowingly.

Kagome blushed slightly.

"Ummm, all's good," she said, with a hesitant glance towards Eri's direction. "He was very supportive and stayed by my side even when I was sick. Along the way I fell for him without even realising it."

"That's great!" Ayumi chirped.

"From convenience to love, that's good progress," Yuka remarked. "When's the wedding?" she asked slyly.

Eri scowled darkly at the thought, while Kagome blushed again.

"Well… Erm, actually, we already got married."

"Ehhh?" Ayumi gasped

"What?" Eri hissed.

"You didn't invite us for the wedding?" Yuka wondered.

"We didn't have much of a wedding," Kagome said, half-truthfully. "We didn't want a big fuss. It was all very private, just the paperwork and our families."

Ayumi sprang up from her seat and circled around the table to hug Kagome.

"I'm so happy for you!" she cried. "Congratulations!"

Kagome felt oddly grateful to Ayumi for her simple, affectionate gesture. She was glad that her friends were supportive and accepted her relationship with Sesshoumaru – well, more or less at least, she thought to herself, glancing at Eri whose expression was a conflicting mixture of disagreement and resignation.

-cCc-

In April, Kagome finally began her senior year, her "health" having robbed her of a whole year in school. She had trouble fitting into the class, and not just because she was one year older than everyone else. The gap was wider than that. Even though Kagome still was a teenager, like her mother had told her she was already a woman grown. Everything she had experienced 500 years in the past had left a mark. She might have been only 18 but she felt much older. She knew with astounding clarity what was the most important thing in her life. And that had nothing to do with getting into the college or university of her choice – as most of her new classmates seemed to think. No, Kagome would have no career in academics, and she was not even all that interested in giving it a try. She could always find a job somewhere, and if she didn't, she could stay at home. Take over the shrine one day. Jii-chan would like that.

Though a small voice in her heart told her, that staying at the family shrine was not what she wanted for her and Sesshoumaru. During the many travels in the past, she had learned to be independent. She had had to fend for herself, and though there had been times she had badly wanted her mother, to feel her love and warmth, she had learned she could survive even on her own. It felt wrong that now she had returned to her own time she should be so dependent on her family.

To her, Sesshoumaru what was mattered the most. Her family. The precious bonds of Love.

Still, she felt a bit uncertain about the future. About a month after the school year had begun, she came home, sighing and shoulders slumping.

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru asked attentively, looking up from the 4th grade history book he had been studying.

Kagome slumped on the couch next to him and leaned to rest her head against his shoulder.

"We got this form today at school. About our plans for the future, mainly what kind of vocations we are considering and what universities we want to apply to after graduating high school."

"And this distresses you?"

"I have no idea what to write down there. I mean, it's not like I can simply put 'I am mated to a powerful daiyoukai, so my future is already taken care of, thank you very much.'"

Sesshoumaru chuckled, but Kagome was still frowning.

"I don't think I want to go to any school," she confessed a little hesitantly.

"Then do not." was her mate's simple answer.

She pursed her lips.

"My teachers would have a collective fit at that."

He nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"Then let them."

"I'm serious, Sesshoumaru," she insisted, starting to grow frustrated.

"So am I."

"What are we going to do after I graduate? I have no clue. You can't get a proper job as you don't have any of the necessary documents like graduation diplomas or ID, for kami's sake. And I… Well, I don't really have any big aspirations career-wise. I just… want a family. With you."

"You are worrying too much, my mate, once again."

"Don't belittle this now, Sesshoumaru! We can't stay at my mama's forever!"

Sesshoumaru's arms snaked around the miko's waist and he picked her up, depositing her in his lap so that he could face her.

"Kagome," he spoke in that frustratingly calm voice of his, "you will not graduate for another year. There is plenty of time to consider our options. We will figure something out. Now cease your fretting."

She glared daggers at him. He was right, as infuriating as it was for her to admit it. She sighed and relaxed in his hold.

"Alright." she breathed out. "I hate it when you're right," she grumbled under her breath.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes shone with smugness.

"This Sesshoumaru rather enjoys it," he said slyly, with a hint of a smirk ghosting on his lips.

-cCc-

During that year, they were learning to live. Kagome dutifully sat through her classes, and Sesshoumaru continued to study under his own fashion, by perusing Kagome's and Souta's old school books and every now and again attending conversational classes in English that were held by a foreigner.

Slowly their lives and their future started to take a tentative shape when the days passed, turning into weeks and then again to months.

One evening, several months after Sesshoumaru had coaxed away Kagome's fears for the future, they were enjoying each other's company. Kagome was sitting on her bed, leaning against Sesshoumaru's shoulder while he was idly toying with his mate's ebony locks.

"I think I'd like teaching," she said suddenly, staring at her cream wall.

"I think such a profession would suit you, Kagome," Sesshoumaru replied.

She smiled at him.

"Of course I wouldn't be able to teach at schools or anything, for that I'd need to go to a university. But I could give classes, you know!"

"In what exactly?" he questioned, curious.

Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"In tea ceremony," she replied. "There is still much interest to the traditional arts but not that many opportunities to learn them. I was taught by Izumi, and if your mother deemed my skills to be good enough for me to perform in the presence of the other ruling houses, I think that means I'm good enough to pass on what I know."

"I think it sounds like a good idea," Sesshoumaru said softly. "You would do well in teaching."

"Of course I don't know if it would get us that much income," she said, frowning. "I'd like to move, you know. I want to have a house, just for us. And I don't think I want to stay in Tokyo. It would be better for you to live away from the city."

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly.

"I agree with your assessment. It would please me to live a bit closer to nature."

"Maybe you could teach too!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed, excited.

Sesshoumaru quirked his brow.

"Elaborate, please."
"You could keep a dojo," Kagome said, smiling. "Would you like that?"

Sesshoumaru blinked, and considered his mate's words. Teaching youngsters in the old arts, in the way of the sword?

"It sounds acceptable," he said slowly, still dwelling on the idea.

"I'm glad you were right, Sesshoumaru." Kagome said quietly as she laced her hand with his. "There is still half a year left till I graduate. I think we'll be fine."

"That is what I told you," Sesshoumaru reminded her while teasingly tugging a strand of her hair.

Finally, only two months before the graduation, a proper plan was finally formed as to what Sesshoumaru and Kagome could do after Kagome had finished her studies. Surprisingly, the proposition came from her grandfather.

"When I was a young man, my father sent me to study at another shrine, in Nikkou," the old man told them one afternoon.

"I didn't know that," Kagome wondered.

"I was there for a few years, and I became good friends with a local man around my age. He was, just as me, learning the ropes of a family business, so we had a lot in common. Even after I returned here, we kept in touch."

"Oh! Is he the one who has always sent you those letters?" Kagome asked, remembering that his grandfather always got letters three or four times a year, for as long as she could remember.

"Yes, indeed. A while back he confided in me that he is getting old and would want to retire, but that none of his children are willing to continue the family business."

"What is this family business exactly?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"A ryoukan," grandfather replied. "My friend says there is an interested buyer, a representative of this huge chain of various kinds of hotels, but my friend is not willing to sell the property that has been in his family for centuries to such a party that is only after money. He would want to pass his ryoukan to people who would appreciate its history."

"I can understand that," Sesshoumaru said.

"Me too." Kagome sighed. "I would hate to see someone like that trying to buy our shrine."

Grandfather Higurashi smiled slightly then.

"I was thinking that maybe you youngsters would want to help out with my friend's dilemma."

Kagome frowned.

"Help him? How?"

"Make him an offer."

"Buy the ryoukan?" Sesshoumaru asked with a raised brow.

"Become an innkeeper?" Kagome mused to herself. She had never considered such an option, but for some reason, the idea held appeal to her. "I think that sounds nice." she glanced at Sesshoumaru. "And in Nikkou, too. It's revered for its nature, the autumn foliage draw a number of tourists every year."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"It does, indeed, sound appealing."

Kagome bit her lip.

"But we don't have the kind of money to buy a whole inn," she protested, feeling the bitter disappointment at the back of her throat.

"Your mother and I have been saving up some money for you," grandfather said gently. "We started when you were just a child. It was supposed to be for your tuition fees for the university. And when you come at age you can receive your share of the money your father left you in his will."

"And I suppose we could take a loan too, if necessary," Kagome muttered. The more she thought about it, the more it all started to feel right. She was starting to grow really excited.

"It's great, grandfather!" she exclaimed with a wide smile. "Thank you!"

The old man smiled back and patted his granddaughter's shoulder.

"I should be the one thanking you. I'm sure my friend will be grateful to you. I'll go now to write him, and tell that my granddaughter would be interested in buying the ryoukan."

-cCc-

The same evening, Kagome was brushing her hair ready to go to bed, but her mind was buzzing. The thought of keeping a ryoukan still filled her with excitement, and she felt like she had found a place for her, a new purpose and direction to her life.

That made her reflect the aching hole in her heart where a precious piece was missing, reminding her of the sacrifice she had had to make in order to get where she was now, feeling strong, confident, and above all, content with her life.

Sighing, she set down her hair brush and turned to look at her husband.

"If we had stayed… do you think we could have been happy?"

He did not need to ask what she meant, and pondered her question only for a moment.

"I would have been happy to have you by my side. I would have been happy to have a family. But I would not have been happy with living that life. Submitting to strict routine, imprisoned within the castle walls, shouldering the responsibility of the lands and all the lives living upon them, subjected under the weight of everyone's presumptions and expectations, having to constantly appear in front of the full court, sacrificing my privacy…"

He fell silent, and his hands clenched into fists.

"I always hated that life and I always will. And I would have hated watching you and my pups being forced to endure those same maddening conditions. And I would have started to hate myself for being the sole cause of imprisoning you to that miserable fate."

Her hand found his, and squeezed it comfortingly. She gazed into his eyes, the sapphire depths appearing both vulnerable and loving at the same time.

"I don't think I could have adjusted," she said softly. "Humans are supposed to be really adaptive, and I guess in time I would have grown used to it – but I still would not have accepted it all. I would not have called the castle my home. I would forever have felt like an outsider."

His arm wound around her shoulders. She leaned into the touch, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

"It was too much, too soon. The chain, the court, the mating, the pregnancy. It was too much of a culture shock, the difference of five centuries, the demons, the court life, the politics, the expectations, the routine."

"I know," he said in a low voice.

"I don't think we would have been happy. Happy to be together, yes. Happy to have a family. But other than that, we would have been entirely displeased with the way our lives would have turned out on the whole."

His hand had started to rub soothing circles on her back, easing away her tension.

"I don't think he would have been happy either. Having unhappy parents resenting their fates, regretful, discontent, bitter."

"You believed him to have a better life without such miserable parents."

She nodded. The tears she had been trying to hold in were now glistening in her eyes.

"I just wanted him to be happy. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted to be happy."

Sesshoumaru chuckled deeply.

"As per your very nature, my beloved, you wished for everyone to be happy."

Her lips twitched into a small smile.

"I suppose that's true, she conceded. "But it was him I thought more than anyone else."

Hearing Kagome confess that made Sesshoumaru love her more, it made him respect her more.

"I just hope he'll understand it, too. That he won't think that I only thought of myself and you, that I only saw him as a sacrifice I needed to make in order to gain freedom. It wasn't like that. Not for me."

Sesshoumaru gently wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb, and bent down to press a light kiss on her brow.

"Fret not, my love," he told her, promise in his eyes, "if he does not understand, we will make him."

Kagome sighed and wringed her hands.

"Even if we could meet him, I'm not sure if we should. We left him behind, and we have no right to ask him to allow us into his life. We have no right to beg for his understanding or forgiveness."

Sesshoumaru sighed.

"You are right, in part at least. But I also think you are being too hard on yourself once again. You have made your choice, dearest. You have learned to live with it. It is time for you to stop punishing yourself. After all you have been through, you deserve to be happy."

"I guess so." Kagome replied hesitantly.

"You are impossible," Sesshoumaru murmured as he buried his nose in her hair.

Kagome closed her eyes and pressed close to his warmth. She took a deep breath and let go.

She wound her arms around him and decided to be happy and enjoy this moment; enjoy the way his strong hands slipped to rest on the small of her back, cherish the feeling of completion as his lips found hers and accept the overwhelming surge of love that shook her little heart.