"When you do this you realize that I will have no ties to you any longer."
She nodded, knowing that it would have to be this way anyway. He turned from her, and seemed to pause before turning back. "Whatever decision you have made I will respect it."
"I know."
He nodded once, and then turned again, walking off. He stopped, and waited. "I will return for some answers when an appropriate time has passed."
"Okay."
Once more, he was gone from her life. Kagome sighed and slumped against the tree next to her. This was going to be hard.
She and Sesshomaru had thought over this in her room, the wish. It would have to be done this way or there would be no going back. And she had promised that it would be taken care of the right way, for the sake of everyone.
Lowering her gaze to her belly she rested a hand against her abdomen. They hadn't known. Neither of them had really thought about the possibility. She supposed that was rather blind of them, but they were in an unusual situation. Who could blame them?
Standing, she ran a hand through her hair and turned to watch the sunset.
The others, after waiting for her to recover from her fainting spell, had hugged her immensely before handing her the last fragments of the shikon. In her hand it had fused together again, awaiting her response.
She had looked up, they all looked so happy but so worn out. So she had made a decision. They would wait until morning before the wish, so that all could be present to hear the outcome with a full night's rest, Naraku free.
Grudgingly, they had agreed, and so here she stood, watching the sunset and thinking over the wording they had practiced. It was such a simple wish, but what would the others think?
Shaking her head she sighed and began to walk to Kaede's. She needed to sleep. Tomorrow would be a trying day.
center/center
Sesshomaru stood, watching the sunset with a somber expression. He wasn't sure how it had come to be but that woman had his child.
His child.
Something stirred within him, calling out to come to him.
He didn't even know her. Sure, she was pretty as far as humans went, especially when she was quiet or angry. And she was powerful in spirit, a fiery little creature, most likely blindingly passionate. But… how?
She was human. That went against everything for him.
Somehow, though, when he thought it over; in another time and another place it wouldn't be so far fetched. He couldn't imagine courting her, in any lifetime, but maybe just a clashing of two individuals with fire in their hearts. Where the darkness meets the light, between waking and slumber; he had heard of such things.
Usually they lasted for quite some time, no doubt it would, but they were often among individuals who had near nothing in common.
He sighed. So the real question was, how had she done it?
Now that he knew it was possible for it to happen, could it be real? Had she somehow cast a spell about herself to make herself appear pregnant?
He wouldn't put it past her, she was human. They did those sorts of things.
Right?
center/center
InuYasha sat atop Kaede's hut and watched the sunset. He had been thinking a lot over the possibilities presented during the battle.
If Kagome were pregnant, he wasn't mad. How could he be? He loved her, even if their love never did seem to get that far. There wasn't much they could do about that.
What bothered him was the idea of it being Sesshomaru. How had she done it? What had changed in that cold bastard to where she would allow it? She had said that he had taught her to defend herself, but she had not been here long enough to learn those things without their knowing where she was.
It had to have been when she went through the well. Could she have met him over there?
He supposed it was possible.
Then he thought of the wish. Kagome knew what he wanted, but he also knew that it would most likely not happen. She wasn't that type of person.
She wanted him to be happy as he was.
Strangely enough, he didn't seem to find that hard to do. He was content with himself.
He just hoped that Kagome knew what she was going to say. Any wrong word could screw things up so bad.
With a sigh he closed his eyes and then shook his head. No.
He would trust her judgment.
center/center
The morning came early, it seemed, or at least for Kagome it did. She rushed out of the hut, racing to get to a clear area.
This was horrible. How could women love this!
She groaned and looked around, then walked to the clearing with the well. This was where they had agreed on for her to make the wish.
She sat, in the same spot she and Sesshomaru had been in that time to be, and she sighed. She missed his presence. He would calm her just by being there before. Now he was gone. Turned into a younger, more inhibited version of himself.
One by one they came to the clearing. InuYasha sat to her right, Miroku and Sango to her left, Shippo and Kohaku before her. She smiled at them all and glanced around, hoping for something.
Then she saw them, golden eyes in the trees, waiting. She smiled and nodded. "I promised." She whispered. She knew he didn't really understand but he seemed to know, somehow.
Looking at the jewel in her hands she sighed.
It was time.
She raised it above her head within her fingertips and closed her eyes. "I, Kagome Higurashi, miko do request the power to grant a wish for the further safekeeping of the shikon no tama."
The jewel pulsed to life and lit with a pure energy that tingled upon her fingers. She smiled slightly and then went over the wish that she had rehearsed. Get it right, Kagome. You promised.
"I, Kagome Higurashi, miko hereby wish that time go back, unraveled and changed, where the man known as Onigumo is born as a full demon and the miko, Kikyo, never receives the shikon jewel."
A spark happened and the jewel burst, remaining within the span of her hands, before it flew within her body, knocking her over.
The others looked at her, shocked, and InuYasha tried to say something but the magic had already taken effect. Everything blurred and Kagome felt herself falling, then she landed on her hands and knees within a puddle in a darkened room.
Tears began to fall from her eyes. It had worked.
She sloshed about in the water, it was cold in here. She guessed there was about two feet of water in here already. It would probably be full by nightfall.
Her hand traced down to her abdomen, lying on her belly softly. There would be no baby now. There would be no Sesshomaru like the man she had mysteriously fallen in love with.
That had been their agreed upon wish. She would lose him for the sake of a pure wish to save his future.
Suddenly she heard a sound. "Sota?" She hoped it was him. The door was opening and sure enough, there stood her brother.
"Jeeze Kagome, you'd think you would have remembered to climb out." She blinked and then felt for the ladder, still secured against the well side. They remembered her! She was home!
She raced up the ladder, rushing over to Sota and gripping him in a hug. "Hey! Aww, come on sis!" But he hugged her back, just as fiercely. "I missed you too."
She was home, finally home for real! She smiled down at Sota before tapping him on the shoulder. "Race you inside!" Then she took off in a run, laughing the entire way as he cried out how unfair she was being for cheating like that.
Looking about the living room Kagome squealed in delight. Nothing had really changed much since she had been gone. Then her mother entered from the kitchen and rushed over to her, gripping her in a hug and kissing her on the head. "My baby is home!"
"Yes, momma. I'm home now. Home for good."
