A/N: Just a quick little one shot that came to mind. No basis in any of my other universes. I love writing these SessxKag get together stories, they are so fun.
Enjoy!
Kagome sat dejectedly by the gaping mouth of the well staring down into the emptiness of it. No longer did she feel the pulse of its energy or the pull that granted her to pass through the threads of time, it had sealed and closed her off from her homeland.
With another great sigh she moved her gaze to watch the tall grass sway, the cicadas chirped in unison loudly adding to the heat of the summer day. The trees rustled their leaves in the breeze creating their own unique sound.
All around her she listened to the sounds of nature, so foreign still to a girl who had grown up in the wilds of a bustling modern city. She missed the drone of traffic, the hum of an airplane overhead, even the sound of emergency vehicles…those were her familiar tunes that lulled her to sleep at night.
It was an odd thing to grieve for something that had yet to be, none of these things existed yet. Her family, as she knew them, were not even a wistful thought in someone's head save for her own.
Moving her hand to her cheek she caught the tear that fell. So strange that she had cried so many times over Inuyasha and now that she had him, that she was here with her friends and love, she wanted nothing more than to go home.
It had been okay when she had had both, what was that saying about cake, it had made her unappreciative and selfish that she abused the amazing ability she had been granted to her own advantage. Now it was this or nothing, there was no going back. The decision had been made for her.
"Priestess." Slowly she moved her gaze to the left to see Sesshomaru standing some feet away. Eerily perfect as always, not a hair out of place except for the breeze that swayed the long locks slightly.
"Can I help you with something?" Swallowing down her grief she couldn't remember a time when he had addressed her so formally, she doubted he knew her given name.
"There is a matter that I wish to discuss with you." He began staying a distance away from her. "It is Rin. She is to remain in the human village with you."
"With…me?" Kagome blinked her eyes uncertainly, had she heard him right?
"This one will provide whatever it is you may need to care for her." Sesshomaru continued. "As the child is a vassal of mine as her caregiver you will automatically reap the benefits of the west."
Letting out a breath Kagome didn't even realize she was holding she stood clenching her fists.
"Sesshomaru, I'm going to be honest with you; I can barely take care of myself here. There's no way I can take care of a little girl." She huffed out. "Kaede's more than capable of taking her in."
"Rin does not want to stay with Kaede." He replied. "Rin chose you by name."
"Why me?"
"Over time apparently she has come to trust you. Do you not agree that it would be in her best interest to live amongst her own kind?"
"Well, yes of course." Kagome relented slightly but still held her ground. "But she'd be better off with someone else. I'm not an adult, I'm still a kid myself."
"The matter is not up for debate." Sesshomaru stated. "You will care for my ward."
"Hold on a minute!" Kagome shouted as Sesshomaru turned away from her to end the conversation. "No! You can't just tell me what to do! I'm not your servant! I have my own life!"
Glancing over his shoulder at her briefly he continued to walk away from her. Enraged Kagome screamed out falling to her knees in a heap weeping for what she wasn't exactly sure anymore.
"Rin don't you want to go live with Kaede?" Kagome offered. The little girl sat in a corner of Kades hut with her knees drawn up. She had her face buried in her knees as she wrapped her arms around them tightly.
She remained silent, in fact she hadn't spoken a single word since she had been ordered to stay in the village. "Come on Rin. Talk to me."
"Did…did I do something wrong Kagome?" Her voice was small and muffled.
"No. Why would you think that?"
"Because he left me! Lord Sesshomaru left me here with all of you people!" She snapped her head up. Tears streamed down her face. Around her eyes were red and blotchy, raw from the salt that continued to spill down her face.
"Rin you didn't do anything wrong." Scooting herself next to Rin she wrapped her arm around her shoulder tightly. "Sesshomaru wants you here to keep you safe and so that way you can learn how to be a human. He wants what's best for you."
"Please don't make me go away too." Rin sniffled out.
"Okay." Kagome said biting at her lower lip. "For now, you can stay with Inuyasha and I."
"Thank you Kagome."
"You're welcome Rin."
"I just don't understand why we have to deal with Sesshomarus brat!" Inuyasha huffed.
"Quiet Inuyasha! She can hear you ya' know!" Kagome admonished.
"So?" He retorted crossing his arms in front of him. "If Sesshomaru couldn't handle a kid then he shouldn't have taken her in, it's that simple."
"I don't think that he couldn't handle her, he wanted her to have a normal life. She wouldn't have that with him."
"Again, not our problem Kagome. You now what your problem is?" Rising from his sitting position on the floor he stood to his full height.
"Oh please, enlighten me." Kagome confronted clenching her teeth down hard together.
"You're too soft! Even after all of that stuff with Naraku and the sacred jewel you're just too much of a push over." He accosted.
"Push over?" Kagome pushed against his shoulders. "Push over?!" Yelling in his face she pushed him again harder. "Sit boy!"
Sending him careening to the ground by the pull of the subjugation beads he let out a yelp as his face collided with the dirt first followed by the rest of his body. "Let's go Rin." Kagome all but commanded holding her hand out to the little girl who readily accepted it.
"Kagome! Look, Lord Sesshomaru is here!" Rin screamed out running at break neck speed past her to the demon lord who stood on the edge of the village.
Straightening out her hakamas she pursed her lips and glared daggers at the demon as she approached him as well. "Kagome look! A present! Lord Sesshomaru brought us gifts."
Excitedly Rin undid the silky strands that tied the parcel together placing them side to unveil her treasure. "Ooooo!" Gushing at the fabric she held it up for Kagome to see. "Can you help me make a kimono! It's so pretty! Thank you my lord!"
"You are welcome Rin." His eyes had never left Kagomes as she stared at him stoically. Naturally he matched it. Holding out another smaller parcel Kagome only shook her head.
"I don't want anything from you." She stated.
"Whether you accept it or not is of little consequence to this one." Sesshomaru drawled out. "However, if I am not mistaken, it is considered rude not too."
"Fine." Kagome responded tersely all but ripping it from his hands.
"Open it! Open it!" Rin enthused jumping up and down clutching her material to her chest. With a sigh Kagome undid the wrapping and ran her hand down smooth leather.
It was a utility bag. Opening it she found a spot where different types of knives sat brand new and sharp ready for use. The bigger part of the bag had different compartments she could use for herbs or anything else may need.
Astounded by the thoughtfulness of it Kagome raised her gaze back to his. "Thank you Sesshomaru. This is…just what I need."
"You are welcome priestess."
A year passed then two. Both Kagome and Rin flourished under Kaedes tutorage learning nearly as much as the elder herself.
Kagome found she enjoyed having Rin around but not so much having to constantly explain the situation to Inuyasha.
"For god sake Inuyasha! She's a kid! I don't understand why you feel like you have to compete with her for my attention!"
"Because I do! It's never been just us Kagome! I want to start a family with you but can't because of Rin!"
"That's ridiculous. Of course we can have a kid, why would Rin living with us stop us from having one?"
"I don't want any kid of mine around Sesshomaru! That's why!"
"So there it is! It's not about me taking in Rin or even her at all! It's about Sesshomaru! After everything that you've been through with him you just can't get over it!"
"Get over it?" Inuyashas suddenly went red. "Get over it!? You have no idea what that bastard put me through my entire life! Now all of a sudden he's just okay with humans? Hanging around, giving you gifts…"
"It's because of Rin. He wants to make sure Rin is taken care of and make sure that I am able to care for her. There's nothing to it! That's it!"
"And there you are, standing here, constantly defending him!"
"I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to be trapped here in this god forsaken era! What was I supposed to do, huh? Just abandon her somewhere? When do I get say in what I want?" Kagome screamed spit flying from her mouth as she raged.
"Is that how you feel? Like you're trapped here?" Inuyasha asked his voice lowering a bit. "If I could fix this for you I would but I can't. Just tell Sesshomaru he has to figure something else out with Rin."
"I can't just leave her, I told her I wouldn't send her away." Kagome lamented hoarsely. "She didn't ask for any of this either…"
"I can't do this." Inuyasha confessed. "I can't share you with them. Maybe I'm the ass for it but, Kagome I can't."
"Okay." She whispered fighting back the angry tears that threatened to fall. "Fine. Rin and I we will um, we'll leave."
"No. I will." He said turning towards the door he stopped before glancing slightly over his shoulder. "Bye Kagome."
Sinking to her knees she felt her head pulse and thrum with an intense ache. Bringing her hands up to her temples she sobbed until her tears dried.
Pouring out some tea that she had prepared she kneeled across from Sesshomaru not engaging in the conversation Rin enthused about.
"Then Inuyasha just up and left my lord. No one knows where he is but he just vanished." Rin concluded. Clenching her hands into fists in her lap Kagome bit her lower lip.
Staring at the floor of her hut she barely registered when Sesshomaru all but commanded Rin to busy herself elsewhere.
"Rin talks too much." Sesshomaru said after some time had passed. Letting out a forced laugh that held no humor Kagome felt herself breathing again.
"Yes, yes she does."
By the time Rin had her coming of age ceremony at fourteen Kagome could tell that Sesshomaru was upset.
The girl no longer had eyes for just her protector but for seemingly a few suitors whom she didn't seem to mind hanging around from time to time.
"It's perfectly normal for a girl her age to not want to be around her caregivers." Kagome said. She sat with Sesshomaru beneath the sacred tree.
As Rin distanced herself from them the two had begun to strike up a companionship aside from just the shared caretaking of the girl.
"Trust me, I didn't want anything to do with my mother or grandfather when I was her age." Kagome mused. "Then, one day, she'll realize that you and I aren't completely incompetent and will want to be close to us again."
"Hn."
"I just can't believe that she's gotten so big. I'm worried about her you know, that she'll run off, get married, and have kids too young." Kagome continued. "I've told her she can marry if she likes but to wait to have children. It isn't good for young girls to have a baby, their bodies aren't ready for it yet."
"Speaking of such things priestess, do you intend to remain with out a mate?"
"Inuyasha is my mate, he's my husband." She said weakly lowering her gaze to the grass.
"You know as well as I that he may not return."
"He will come back. Inuyasha always comes back to me." Kagome glared at him with determination set in her eyes. She could have sworn she heard a sigh come from Sesshomaru but perhaps it had just been the wind.
"This is just perfect, thank you my lord." Rin smiled brightly as her fingers traced the white silky fabric that was to be the garment she was wedded in.
At sixteen Kagome had finally been able to give Rin her blessing to marry Kohaku. Generally as a rule she had imposed on the villagers to wait until fifteen to wed, for both the males and females, however with Rin it had been harder to accept.
She didn't want to let her go, they had become a little family over the years and now she was ready to move onto the next chapter of her life and leave Kagome behind.
Walking beside Sesshomaru someways from the village she felt the weight fall upon her.
"It will be lonely without Rin staying with me anymore." Kagome mentioned.
"Rin will be be provided for now by Kohaku. This one has spent a considerable amount of time with the boy and has deemed him a suitable mate for her." Sesshomaru answered. "There is little need for my continued presence or extended visits."
Kagome suddenly stopped dead in her tracks feeling her breath hitch.
"Sesshomaru? You'll still come around, right?" Bringing a hand to grasp the fabric of her top Sesshomaru paused taking her in.
She worried her bottom lip against blunt teeth teasing at it and biting slightly. The look of mild alarm on her face was enough for him to raise a brow.
"It's just that now with Rin moving out and I mean I'm busy with my work and duties but I don't really talk to anyone the way we talk." Giving him a small smirk and a shrug she sighed. "I'd miss you."
"This one was under the impression that you merely tolerated my presence for the sake of Rin." Sesshomaru answered softly as if he were sorting through his thoughts.
"At first, yeah. I was mad at you for making me take her." Kagome huffed placing her hands against her hips. "You have to understand something; I had gained everything I wanted and lost everything that I had. It was such an odd feeling. I didn't know which way was up, I was trying to sort through my emotions and you didn't help me any."
"You are not wrong. At the time I cared little if anything for your well being and simply thought of what was best for Rin." He replied. "You were the one she requested and you had demonstrated to this Sesshomaru your loyalty and protectiveness, especially for the little ones."
"You trusted me with her." Kagome stated reading between his long winded fancy words. "I am grateful now, for all of it. Rin has become the light of my life. Now, I guess in a way that's all over."
Closing the gap between them Sesshomaru stared at her with a softness she had never seen or experienced from another. Kagome felt her heart race as she gripped her top again tightly.
"It doesn't have to be." Sesshomaru crooned. "Nothing between has to change, it can remain the same, if you so wish it Kagome."
Tears fell down her face at the utterance of her name. His sincerity surrounded her, embraced her, and put her at ease.
"You…you said my name." She managed out as her throat felt as if it were closing. "Please, don't go. Don't leave me too."
Placing his forehead against hers he unfurled her hand from her twisted garment and placed it in his own squeezing tightly.
Kagome cried, rejoiced, and lamented over Rins wedding ceremony to Kohaku. She performed her duties as priestess to join them together and watched as they made their way to their own hut.
As a rule of thumb Kagome didn't allow herself to get drunk but as the night wore on she partook in the festivities. Feeling her inhibitions loosen considerably she leaned into strong arms when they picked her up carrying her home.
Waking suddenly Kagome felt the thunder storm in her head causing her stomach to ache.
"Damn it." She cursed bringing a hand to her temple. "How'd I get home?"
"I carried you." Sesshomarus voice sounded from a corner of the darkened hut.
"Oh, sorry."
"Don't be." He replied. "I felt it better that way before you began to make a fool of yourself."
"Well, thanks for saving my reputation." Kagome muttered with a small smirk.
"You are welcome."
"Hey, Sesshomaru, I hate to ask but could you get me some water please? I need to make a tea to get rid of this hangover."
"Hangover?"
"Yeah, I drank way too much. It made me sick."
Feeling herself doze back off Kagome awoke to the sounds of a crackling fire in her hearth and boiling water in her pot.
Sitting up slowly she stared at the flames as they licked the bottom of the pot. Catching Sesshomarus eye as he entered the hut she saw him holding a bundle of herbs.
"The slayer informed me that these are the proper herbs to make an infusion to help with your symptoms."
"You didn't have to do all that."
"A thank you will suffice." He replied with a small smirk.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome Kagome."
Sitting at the base of the sacred tree Kagome felt at odds. Rin had only been married a few months and was visibly pregnant even before she announced it.
Searching the sky for what she wasn't certain of Kagome felt an ache begin to seize in her chest. It wasn't the first time she had felt it and knew it wouldn't be the last.
"Why did Inuyasha have to be so damn stubborn?" Kagome wondered aloud. "Why couldn't he just accept Rin and move on with our lives?"
"Inuyasha is a fool." Sesshomaru stated. "I always knew he was but after he abandoned you, his mate, to fend for herself I knew him to be an insufferable one."
"He isn't coming back." Kagome whispered out. "You were right."
"For your sake, I wish I had been wrong."
"Why?" Kagome asked sniffling.
"Don't you know?" Sesshomaru questioned back. Kagome turned her head to look at him slowly shaking her head. "Nothing. It is nothing."
"Tell me." Kagome urged turning her body to him. "Come on Sesshomaru."
"There is no point." He replied. Edging closer to him Kagome took his hand in both of hers.
"Please, tell me."
"Begging does not suit you priestess."
"Oh! So we're going back to formalities again?" She prodded smirking at him. "You know you wanna tell me. Just say it already. Now I'm curious."
Leveling his gaze with hers Sesshomaru gripped her hands and placed them against his chest in between his armor. Her stomach dropped out to her feet seemingly as her heart thudded.
Focusing on her hands she felt Sesshomarus own heart beat under her palm. "Our hearts beat at the same rhythm." Kagome gasped out with her mouth slightly agape.
"Yes." Sesshomaru affirmed. "Funny, hm?"
"Strange." Kagome said softly.
"Indeed."
With the birth of Rin and Kohakus first child Kagome felt elated. There was nothing more special to hold their child to her as the small bundle wailed in her arms.
She felt like a proud mother herself at how amazingly well Rin had done and Sesshomaru spared no expense it seemed to lavish the newborn and parents with provisions and gifts they may need.
"I'm so happy I could just burst!" Kagome giggled out. "I can't remember the last time I felt this way. How silly that a woman my age feels like a school girl."
"Your age?" Sesshomaru asked as they walked side by side next to the river.
"Well yeah, I'm not getting any younger."
"How old are you?"
"You know it's rude to ask a lady her age." Kagome teased. "If you must know I am twenty four years old, almost twenty five. Where I'm from that's not old but here, I'm almost ancient."
"How long do humans live?"
"There's no set time limit. Some people live to be a hundred while others die sooner but even if we get that old our bodies become frail. They start aging and giving out on us." Kagome replied.
Sesshomaru stopped to stare out over the water to the tree line on the other side. "You okay?"
"I didn't realize how little time we had." Sesshomaru said bringing his attention to her.
"As in…us?" Kagome received a brief nod. "You're right. Compared to you, I don't have a lot of time left but I'm happy that you're here with me. I mean, look at us, carrying on like a married couple."
"Kagome, it is a selfish thing to ask however, would you give your life to me?"
"Give my life to you?"
"The remainder of it. If you would consider this Sesshomaru as a potential mate I will ensure you want for nothing and ask only for your companionship in return."
"You want to marry me?" Kagome stuttered out with fragility uncertain if she were understanding him correctly.
"Yes, by your customs and by mine."
"Yes. I do!" Kagome took a deep steadying breath. "Lord Sesshomaru, I accept your proposal." Taking his hands in hers she squeezed tightly feeling him tighten his own around hers.
Sesshomaru had a marital home built for Kagome that made her swoon. It was perfect for them, simple but with more than enough space.
Leading up to their wedding Kagome had imparted on him some practices that she wished to take part in such as not being seen by him before the wedding. In passing she had mentioned how it was customary for the groom to carry his new bride over the threshold of their home.
Still it was a surprise when he scooped her up into his arms and whisked her into their new home. Kagome laughed out wrapping her arms around his neck as he placed her inside.
"This is so beautiful." She gushed at the interior of her abode. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"You didn't have too." Sesshomaru replied running his fingers down her cheek. Leaning into his touch she pulled at his sleeves leading him towards the middle of their home.
"Care to show me where our sleeping room is?"
"Happily." Sesshomaru said moving his lips to hers and taking them as he once again picked her up to carry her into their bedroom.
Sitting beneath the sacred tree Sesshomaru opened his eyes awaking from the memories that he held close to him.
A familiar scent caught his attention, one from long ago. Standing he followed it to the graveyard where he had laid Kagome, Rin, Kohaku, and so many others to rest after they had passed on.
"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said standing behind his younger brother.
"I didn't realize how long I was gone for." He replied grief heavy in his voice. "Sesshomaru, was she happy? Did Kagome have a good life?"
"Oh yes." Sesshomaru walked to stand next to him. "Kagome and I had a wonderful life together. We raised Rin, enjoyed the children she had with Kohaku. We married, mated, and had our own pups. It was perfect until she died."
"What happened? I mean, how did she die?"
"Kagome was claimed by time, as all of the humans we knew were."
"I missed it." Inuyasha lamented.
Closing his eyes Sesshomaru saw Kagome in all the different stages of her life as he had known her. Young and strong, nurturing and virile.
Her black hair had given way to silver and her gait had slowed even causing her to stoop slightly in her later years but still in his heart she had always remained the same, his.
"Come Inuyasha. I will introduce you to some of our children that are still in the area." Sesshomaru offered clasping a hand against his shoulder companionably.
Relenting Inuyasha allowed his brother to take him away from the resting grounds.