Day 4 - White: Sacred / Death & Mourning / Purity & Truth

The residual pressure from their constant battles had finally come to a head, years after the jewel had been wished away. Kagome saw it in the way his golden eyes dulled to a brassy haze. His silver locks were ragged and unkempt and he looked so different than he normally did that it broke her heart. There was no way to help him through this, either. He needed to relieve the pressure that had been building for decades. He needed to allow himself to mourn.

He had softened quite a bit since knowing each other and she had calmed down from a fiery and spirited woman-child to a soft, warmly glowing fire. They complimented each other even more now, after being tempered in battle and the harsh life of living in the Sengoku period.

The timing had to be perfect. They had to reach the top of Mount Tateyama, the sacred mountain of Japan's three holy mountains and be on the summit the night of the full moon. It was imperative that they be there by that night to participate in the ceremony that his kind had practiced for millennia.

Shippo, though not a dog demon, was canine and was invited to accompany them tonight as well. Once they reached their destination, Kagome led him to a clear spot where they would be able to enjoy the view of the unblemished night sky. Kagome never tired of seeing the stars and tiny meteors blazing through the darkness, reminding her that she was nothing and yet significant enough to be alive. It was humbling, being a small part in the enormity of creation and being sentient and able to enjoy the significance of her insignificance.

Before she led them to the spot she had picked out for the evening, they had prepared a fire pit with wood they had found on their way up the mountain, which they would light once it got cooler and darker.

Once the fire pit was prepared, he sat where she led. Kagome pulled his hair behind his back and ran a comb through it that she had brought for this very occasion. Shippo made his way into his lap and settled in as clawed fingers ran through orange fur, grooming as he was being groomed.

"Why here? Why now?" His voice cracked in the silence of the night, saying what was otherwise not being said. The knots and tangles were finally smoothed out and she began to loosely braid it, much to her contentment.

"Jaken told me that for inuyoukai, tonight is the night of the Wailing Moon. It is the night of the new moon after the brightest moon of the year. It's symbolic of living and thriving under the light of the full moon, which in turn makes the nightless moon feel and look even darker than normal - like viewing death after experiencing and seeing so much life.

"Normally, the inuyoukai would be in packs and mourn together over loved ones they had lost during the year and have a feast in their honor until the sun came up in the morning, filling their lives and their spirits with warmth once again. Tonight, we are few, but we are well-loved."

His hair was braided now, a beautiful chain of silvery white down the center of his back. Kagome didn't know how to proceed from this point on or what the exact details of the practice was so she closed her eyes and listened to her heart. Right now, she felt it was important to make contact without being overwhelming so Kagome sat behind him, stretched her legs on either side of his body and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her head on his back. In response, Shippo was pulled tighter against his chest and Kagome stroked her little kit's hair, fingers occasionally tangling with his through Shippo's hair.

Shippo's tiny voice broke the silence and stillness of the early evening.

"We used to live in a village deep in the mountain forests. Our village took two days to walk in because everyone lived far apart - papa said it was because our noses were sensitive. Papa was a farmer, mama made knives. She was a fire vixen and worked with metal and blacksmiths in our village. Papa would let me help him on the farm and showed me how to find food in the wild. We cooked dinner every night so it would be ready when mama came home."

It was a sweet memory of his parents and when Shippo was silent for a long while, she thought perhaps that he had done this before. Taking a cue from his shared memory, Kagome followed suit.

"I can't remember much about my dad anymore." She swallowed hard and took comfort in the expanding and contracting back that she rested against. "I remember he had black, wavy hair and really enjoyed soccer. When certain songs would come on the radio, he would drop what he was doing and pull my mom into a dance, no matter where they were. She would get so embarrassed when he did it in public places but he always told her that he was not embarrassed to show the other men how to love their wife properly." Her laugh was laden with tears and she gave a shaky sigh before resting against his solid back again.

Shippo took another turn. "My papa taught me how to fish in the river with my bare hands. Mama taught me how to make a fishing spear and use it. In the beginning, I used it to help me not fall in the river. When I got older, I could use it to actually catch fish." Shippo giggled at the fond memories he had with his parents.

Back and forth they went until the sun fell below the mountain and darkness nearly set upon them. They started the fire before resuming their positions, this time with Kagome at his side, one arm woven through his and her head resting on his shoulder.

More stories were shared about more lost loved ones and once the light-hearted stories morphed into heartbreaking ones, the sniffling started.

"I don't even remember their scent anymore," Shippo wailed into the night. "I know they would love you guys, but I still feel bad sometimes for being so happy when I'm with you. I feel bad because I can't remember them-"

"Shippo." Powerful arms brought the kit up to a wide chest and the little one cried into his chest. The cries grew harder with every breath until Shippo let out the most heartbreaking howl Kagome had ever heard. He howled again and again until tears streamed down both their faces for all their losses.

Shippo's voice grew hoarse, the longer he carried on, and it broke Kagome's heart to hear the sorrow that filled and echoed across the stony mountain.

Then she heard it, an echoing howl, a more mature one coming from below, from the foot of the mountain. Shippo howled again and the other canine howled again, this time with more strength and volume.

Powerful youki flared to life and the howls got closer and louder until the top of the mountain shook from the demon landing. No one moved from their comfortable spots, not even when two, white, fur-covered legs braced on either side of them. A large, wet nose lowered and sniffed over them, making sure they were well before the giant inu head lifted to the sky and let out a sorrowful bay that shook the skies. The inuyoukai howled again, this time enhanced with youki and after his voice died down, smaller howls from far away carried to them on the light winds.

Sesshoumaru adjusted himself to sit with his two, black-haired humans and red-haired kit situated and protected between his forelegs. He growled something out and the kit sniffed again before crying against Inuyasha's chest.

"What's the matter, Shippo?" Kagome rubbed her hand over his back, trying to comfort him as he sobbed.

"Sesshoumaru-papa said that he will howl for Inuyasha-no, that's not…" Shippo pulled away from Inuyasha and looked up at Sesshoumaru as he growled again. "He said that he will be his brother's voice tonight and sing your sorrows to the moon."

No one had noticed when Inuyasha's hair had turned black or his eyes the warm brown of his mother's. Those brown eyes widened in surprise right before they filled with tears.

"Aww, shit." Inuyasha pulled Shippo closer to his neck and let the kit sob against his throat. Tears - stagnant, old, bitter, and pained - slid down his face in silent streams, soaking the kit's arm while Sesshoumaru and Shippo howled into the night until Inuyasha's heart was purged of those festering emotions he'd carried with him throughout his life.

Much later, in the dark of night, Sesshoumaru had laid down so his little family was protected from the cold where they nestled between his neck and legs. Inuyasha was dead asleep from the mourning that took place during the Wailing Moon, but Kagome was awake and reveling in the upheaval that had allowed healing to begin in her best friend's heart.

She lifted a hand to her mate's cheek, stroking the soft fur there.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru. Thank you for being his voice." Sesshoumaru let out a sigh, and after being mated to him for so long, she knew what he couldn't voice.

He is pack.