A/N: READ THIS PLEASE. Thanks. Okay, first off, I'm deeply sad that I have to end this story with the next update (which will be an epilogue). This is the last chapter and I've become deeply attached to this story – it's been going on for over a year after all. On the other hand, I'm glad that it's done, because I can move on to other things that have been stewing in my mind for a year or more. My next fic will be Inuyasha/Kagome – an AU based on the fairytale "Thousandfurs", about a princess who has to hide from her father as a scullery maid in a neighboring kingdom. Naturally, there's a prince and there are dances and there's love. It shouldn't be nearly as long as this one and I hope that even those of you who are rabid Sesshoumaru/Kagome fans will read it, since I really think it's quite a nice plot. It will begin soon enough, but expect a few weeks' break between the finish of this and the start of the next fic, since I'll be visiting Canada and moving back to Austin in a bit.
Secondly, I am considering a SHORT sequel to this fic. By short, I mean like five chapters. I'm not making any promises, but I will take readers' opinions into account. If I do not do it, I hope that you will all understand and not hate me forever.
Thirdly, I had to make up names for Kagome's mother and grandfather. Understand that I'm not claiming these names to be their "true" names – I pretty much pulled them out of a hat.
Lastly, I am so INCREDIBLY grateful to everyone who has ever reviewed this story, whether it was one time or every chapter. I adore you all and you make my days a bit happier. I'm glad you like my writing so much and again, I hope you stick with me as I move onto other stories. And now, the penultimate chapter of The Broken Miko…
The Broken Miko
Chapter 29: The Well
The messenger stood silently, waiting for the scrolls that Sesshoumaru and Makoto signed in turn. The dog demon dripped red wax on them and pressed his stamp into the drying liquid, leaving his family's crest. "Take a copy to the Eastern Lord and one to the Southern Lord. Wait for their replies. They should have them ready if they are wise."
Makoto chuckled under his breath. "Those two? Responsible? It's unlikely."
The taiyoukai growled his agreement and dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand. "It would be much more convenient to crush them."
"Now, now, my boy, we both know that we don't have those resources. None of us have a god on our side anymore, so I think it's best to leave things as they are." He stared out the window at Sesshoumaru's back, looking at the deep blue sky of the approaching sunset. "They say that they were under Amatsu's control anyway."
"Lies," snapped the taiyoukai.
The celestial shrugged, his eyes locking with his younger companion's. "Of course they were lying, but we have no proof to the contrary. Despite Lady Kagome's healing of Japan, you still have thousands of demons dead, as do I, and as do the other two lords. We cannot pretend that we came out of the ordeal unscathed."
Sesshoumaru scowled down at his paperwork, but nodded. After the battle, Lord Kuma and Lord Kin had shown up on his doorstep with simpering smiles, trying to beg off their betrayals. They had been tricked, they said. When a god appears and announces that the West and North had become corrupt, what were they supposed to believe?
Only the need for peace had stopped the taiyoukai from ripping out the two lords' throats. That, and Makoto's subtle reminder that without a god, Kuma and Kin were little better than idiots on thrones that their fathers gave them. No one would fear the South or East any longer.
Still, Sesshoumaru wasn't about to invite the two over for tea any time soon. At least the South and East lords realized that their counsel would no longer be welcome. They were no longer allies, only neighbors, and both Sesshoumaru and Makoto had warned them that any further attacks would earn them extermination.
"Has the girl woken up yet?" asked the celestial, interrupting Sesshoumaru's thoughts.
The tip of Sesshoumaru's tail swished back and forth on the floor in irritation. "No."
Makoto frowned. "It's been four days. The goddess didn't mention anything about this."
The taiyoukai remained silent, his brush whispering across a parchment. He had filled the last four days with speeches to his court, inspecting his troops and city, and speaking with Kamlyn and his mother, but he could not shake the doubt from his mind. What if Kagome never woke up? She was still lying, pale and with shallow breaths, in his bed downstairs. Each night, he slept in a chair by the fire for a few fitful hours, finally waking up to see that her condition had not changed.
Amaterasu be damned, he thought savagely. Japan would have recovered as she had left things as they were. Kagome did not need to sacrifice her life for earth and the blood of a few demons.
The old celestial gazed at Sesshoumaru, easily guessing the content of his mind. "She would have done it, you know," he said, leaning back against the cushion. "Even if the goddess told her that it would kill her, Kagome would have restored the land and the lives of the soldiers. She's 'predictably human' like that."
The taiyoukai glowered at him, irritated that Makoto could so effortlessly know what was concerning him. "The girl will be fine," he replied.
"Of course," the Northern lord agreed as he stood up. "Even so, I think you should go and visit her. You've barely spent more than three hours in that room since she passed out. Are you avoiding her? Surely you can't be afraid of a little hanyou who is asleep?"
Sesshoumaru swiftly got to his feet. "How dare you insinuate— "
"You're going then?" interrupted Makoto. "Good." He stretched and glanced out the window again. "My, my, we've been at this paperwork all day. Do you think they still have dinner set out?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, the celestial turned and walked out of the study.
The taiyoukai glared at the closed door, clenching his fist around the calligraphy brush that he still held. The ink dripped onto the floor for long minutes, until he finally threw it down on his desk and marched out of the circular room and down to the third floor. It was empty. He had reinstated the ban upon common youkai coming into the East wing, so no guards remained.
Drawing out a large, ancient key, he unlocked his apartments. It ground into the lock, protesting its disuse over the years. The bolt slid back into its casing and he pushed open the doors, walking into a cloud of mandarin scent. Kagome's constant presence had blanketed the apartments in her aroma.
He opened the double doors to his bedroom and arched an eyebrow.
"Good evening," Kagome said pleasantly, sitting underneath the covers with her hands folded across her lap. "I don't mean to be rude, Sesshoumaru, but I'm really hungry."
"How long have you been awake?" he asked, ignoring her complaint.
She shrugged. "An hour? Maybe more? You locked me in and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I've just been sitting here. You need a bookshelf in this room."
The taiyoukai sat on the edge of the bed farthest from his mate. "Are you unharmed?"
"You asked me that already."
He arched an eyebrow. "I have not."
She laughed, pushing back the covers and crawling over the mattress to his side. Sitting on her heels, Kagome took a lock of his hair and began to twirl it through her fingers. "Yes, you did. Right after Inuyasha died, remember?"
Sesshoumaru didn't really remember, but it didn't sound out of the realm of possibility, so he nodded. "Then you remember your time as a goddess?"
Kagome dropped the rope of hair that she was braiding sloppily. It immediately unraveled. "Yes."
He turned his head and looked at her directly for the first time. She appeared suddenly sullen and his heart clenched a bit. "You… enjoyed it then?" he asked. "You will seek to become a goddess once again?" It was the question he had spent four days pondering. How could she live a normal, mortal life with him when she had touched divinity?
The hanyou gasped and clutched at his empty sleeve. "No!" she insisted. "That's not it at all. In fact, I was just thinking how horrible it had been."
"Liar," he muttered, trying to stand.
She pulled him back down with surprising strength and glared at him. "Look at you! I never thought I would see you, of all people, being moody and depressed." She sighed and embraced him around the shoulders, glad that he wasn't wearing his armor. "I didn't like it and that's the truth."
"Why? You had the power of life and death."
Kagome shrugged, letting her head rest beneath his chin. "It was nice at first. I was still me, but it was like I had this extremely powerful friend with me, helping me set things right. But once Inuyasha died, I kind of got pushed to the background. The power in me was taking over, doing what it had to do. I don't resent that, but I lost touch. Little things like Kagura's injury didn't bother me. I didn't notice how green I was making the grass or how I had saved peoples' family members. It was just about 'restoring Japan'."
"You gave Rin immortal life," he pointed out.
"I told you. It was your reward. It was just a little part of a bigger picture. I cared, but it wasn't really about Rin. It was about completing my mission." She sighed, ruffling his hair. "I still knew you as my mate and that I loved you, but I forgot why."
Sesshoumaru growled deep in his chest. His hand tightened into a fist, drawing blood as his claws dug into his palm.
"Don't do that," Kagome murmured, uncurling his fingers with her own. "I remember now." She got up to fetch a clean cloth and bent over him, blotting the red liquid.
He stared down at the rivulets of blood on his pale skin. Both gods had forced her to forget her own mate. He felt that he had every right to be irritated, but didn't say so. "I love you, Kagome," he said instead.
The hanyou's head jerked up, wincing as her neck muscles protested. "You said it."
"I did."
She blinked slowly. "Why?"
"Why do I love you or why did I say it?" he asked, taking the cloth from her stilled hands and squeezing it within his palm to stem the blood flow. He had cut himself quite deeply.
Kagome flattened her ears against her head, sat down again and frowned. "How about both?"
"I said it because it is true. I do not know why I feel that way. I do not examine my emotions as carefully as some do," he said, carefully avoiding any insult to humans or half-demons. "I suppose I love you for the same reasons you love this Sesshoumaru."
She arched an eyebrow and leaned back on her hands. "You love me because I'm an emotionally closed-off jerk who despite all the intelligence in the world, insists upon being stubborn and rather bloodthirsty?"
"Yes."
Kagome laughed and drew him into a tight embrace that he hesitantly returned. When they pulled apart, she was sniffling and her eyes were glistening with tears. "I'm happy," she explained when she noticed his skeptical look.
"I see that," he replied. "Do not expect proclamations of my feelings often, Kagome."
She rubbed at her nose and nodded. "I know. About once every thousand years, I'm guessing? That's fine with me." Kagome smirked at him. "Actions speak louder than words anyway, or so they say."
Sesshoumaru growled and grabbed her, making her shriek with laughter. He looked down to where his only arm was wrapped around her waist. "You could have restored my arm as well," he said with an arched brow.
The hanyou brushed her hands over his shoulders. "I suppose. It wasn't in the plan, so it didn't happen." She smiled. "Besides, I like it when you use your tail instead."
"I could have done that with both of my arms just as easily."
She pulled him close, dropping kisses on his brow and temples. "Well, I'll just have to make it up to you, won't I?" she murmured with a wink.
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Kagome's hands fidgeted with the hem of her kimono as she sat beside the table. The cranes embroidered on the edges seemed to wiggle with nervousness along with her. "When are they getting here?" she asked, looking towards the door for at least the fourth time in as many minutes.
"Soon," her mate replied.
Just as Sesshoumaru was about to bind Kagome's hands to the table to stop her nervous tic, the door slid open. The pair stood up as Kaori and Kamlyn entered the room. They bowed to each other and, pleasantries exchanged, stood staring at one another. Finally, Kagome cracked a smile. "The water for the tea is… um, hot. Let's sit and enjoy, hmm?"
Kaori, resplendent in a midnight blue kimono, sat down delicately at the low table, keeping her sleeves away from the chinaware. She was not as pale as Kagome had seen her on the battlefield and there was a stern, observant glint in her eyes that had not been there before. Beside her, Kamlyn appeared unsettled, with his long, black hair flowing down across his shoulders and his rust colored eyes flickering over the room's interior. Stripes graced his cheekbones as his mother bore a familiar crescent moon upon her brow.
Sesshoumaru had told her that, although Kamlyn was still technically a half-demon, he would appear to be full-blooded. In the four days that she had been unconscious, the taiyoukai had gleaned from his brother and mother what Kagome had already known. Kamlyn was graced with enough godly power to make him appear as a demon, but not enough to surpass that point. Sesshoumaru had described his new brother as stubborn and tiring. Kagome, naturally, took this to mean that Kamlyn had had the courage to disagree with his elder brother and had succeeded in annoying him, as all good younger brothers do. Unlike this first introduction to Kaori, Kagome had rather looked forward to meeting her new brother-in-law.
As soon as she noticed that she had served her elders in silence, it began to unnerve her. The hanyou took her own cup and sat back on her heels, but did not drink. The questions she had anticipated from the moment her new relatives had stepped inside the room were not long in coming.
"My son tells me that you are pregnant with the heir to the Western Lands," said Kaori, fixing her dark brown, almost black, eyes upon Kagome.
At least she acknowledges Sesshoumaru as her son, the hanyou thought, irritated already. "Yes, my lady," she replied dutifully with a bow of her head. "I hope that your grandchild will continue this territory's great history." She peeked out of the corner of her eye at Sesshoumaru, who from the calm way he was sipping his tea, she guessed was inwardly applauding her answer.
"Hmm. I have also heard a rather fanciful tale of your origins. Are you truly from another time and place that we have never seen? Or was that simply a joke on an old woman?"
Kagome scrunched her nose, surprised that they had reached this topic with only the second question. She wanted to say that Kaori was hardly an old woman. She didn't look a day over twenty-five actually, but Kagome thought that that would be a bit too much of brown-nosing and Kaori didn't seem like the type to put up with that. "I believe that Sesshoumaru-sama is incapable of being so deceitful, my lady," she said instead. "I am truly from place five hundred years in the future. An enchanted well kept the passage between times open for me and until many months ago, I traveled back and forth quite frequently."
Kaori pursed her lips. "Yes, Sesshoumaru told me as much. Tell me, do you plan to take the heir to the West to this time of yours?"
"Of course," Kagome replied, without thinking. She flinched a bit and tried to recover. "My lady, my mother and family would like to meet the child."
"Is it dangerous?"
The hanyou looked up, a fire unintentionally flaring in her eyes. "My children will not be in danger in any time or place as long as I am alive, my lady. I am sure that my lord would say the same."
The elder demoness nodded, the first sign that she had approved of anything Kagome had to say. "And you have two other children?" she asked. "They are not yours, but you keep them?"
"I do not abandon my children," Kagome said, trying to emphasize her previous point, but as soon as she said it, the hanyou realized how it had sounded. Kaori's eyes were now narrowed and angry. "I did not mean… my lady, I surely do not fault you for events beyond your control… No mother would ever leave a child… by their own will, I mean. That's all I meant to say." She was flushing uncontrollably now and Sesshoumaru had stopped drinking his tea. The cup was hovering three inches from his mouth as he gazed at her in incredulity.
She stood up, placing her cup upon the table with more force than necessary. "I believe that concludes my interview with your new mate, my son," Kaori explained tersely, not even looking at Kagome any longer.
Recovering from his astonishment gracefully, Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, followed by Kagome and Kamlyn. "Of course, my lady," he replied, bowing from the waist. He was stiff in his movements and Kagome knew that she would be receiving the colder end of personality for quite a long time. "It was a pleasure to see you this afternoon." He looked at Kagome, demanding with his eyes that she make some last ditch attempt to smooth things over.
The hanyou bowed deeply to her mother-in-law. "It was indeed a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady," she said, her eyes on the practically untouched tea on the table below her. Losing her head completely, she went on, "That is, when I'm not a goddess and you're not soulless." Mentally smacking herself, Kagome stood straight and kept her eyes from what was sure to be a passionately angry Sesshoumaru.
Laughter, however, broke through the thick gloom of the space and Kagome looked up to see Kaori chuckling behind her hand. "That was quite brave," she said approvingly, once her laugh had subsided a bit.
"Huh?" asked Kagome, leaving all semblance of manners at the door.
"You took charge of this room," Kaori said. "You reminded me of who was the host and who was the guest. I am no longer Lady of the Western Lands and you took me out of that place. Your earlier comment was rather clumsy, but you should not let a guest's rudeness ruin your afternoon. Very commendable."
Kagome blinked a few times. First, she was being interrogated and now congratulated? She considered the possibility that she hadn't put the soul back in correctly, but decided to take the change of personality at face value. She bowed again. "Thank you, my lady."
The former Lady of the West sat back down at the table, waiting patiently as the other three settled themselves once again. "When I was first brought to the city, when I met Inutaisho, I made some horrible errors in judgement," she said. "Sesshoumaru's grandmother was so domineering that I thought she would throw me right out of the gates, but she kept me and congratulated my own mother for raising a daughter that could do more than giggle at poor jokes and simper after handsome males. She told me to keep the same in mind for when I saw my own son's mates. I didn't have any say in Sesshoumaru's choice, obviously, but I do think that I approve of you, my dear girl."
The hanyou smiled genuinely and bobbed her head in thanks. "I look forward to proving myself time and again to you, my lady."
Kaori gave the soft smile of an elder female in return. "Of course. Now, tell us about this home of yours."
Kamlyn, silent until now, lifted his head from his tea and nodded. "We have not been sure if we should believe what my brother says. I had thought that someone so famous for his impassive nature could have such a whimsical imagination."
Next to her, Sesshoumaru seemed to blanch slightly as his name was connected to the word 'whimsical'. Kagome held back a smirk and leaned over the table. "It depends. What has he been telling you?"
"I have simply repeated to them what you have told me yourself about dishonorable men, cures for diseases and large buildings made entirely of metal," said Sesshoumaru softly, glaring at his younger brother.
Kamlyn laughed a bit and smirked at his new sister. "He mentioned something about flying metal birds too."
The hanyou instantly recalled trying to explain the concept of airplanes to Washi and Rin during one of their lessons. They hadn't grasped the idea at all, but it appeared that Sesshoumaru had been listening and had a clearer picture of it. "It's true actually," she said, making Kamlyn widen his eyes in amazement. "They're called airplanes and they're made of metal and fly while people sit inside of them to get from one place to another."
"When did these contraptions come to our world?" asked Kaori, now slightly awe-struck and not as prim as she had been a few minutes before.
"Well, they were invented by humans. Two brothers actually." She watched as Kamlyn's mouth opened to ask another question and raised her hand to stop him. "Don't ask me how they work, because I never really figured it out myself. In four hundred years, you'll see it yourself."
They continued to chat about the future for quite a bit, wearing out Kagome quite quickly. She had felt quite stupid as she was asked to explain electricity, computers and polyester. It had stretched her mental capacities for the day. Kaori noticed immediately and switched topics to center around her sons, asking them a barrage of questions about the future of the West, referring to Kagome only as to not exclude her from the conversation.
"Mother, I am the younger son," protested Kamlyn, in response to Kaori's fifth question about his plans to begin his own family. "I have plenty of time to find a suitable female and impregnate her, as Sesshoumaru so adeptly managed to do." He grinned as Kaori's attention shifted back to the taiyoukai.
He quickly realized that this had been an incorrect tactic as his mother looked at Sesshoumaru with glowing appreciation. "That's precisely what I mean, Kamlyn. You should find someone that makes you happy, although a bit of power wouldn't hurt, and mate with her."
The younger son rolled his eyes, but gave a vague grunt of agreement.
Kaori stood up and looked at the taiyoukai. "It's getting late. I have just remembered that Makoto-sama is leaving tomorrow. We need to oversee the feast preparations. It's almost time. I don't know if I trust Jaken for this. I can't believe that little toad is still around."
"Feast?" asked Kagome, shaking herself out of her reverie. She had zoned out of the last twenty minutes of conversation. "No one told me that Lord Makoto was leaving us. Or anything about a feast." She now understood why Kaori was dressed so well compared to her rather casual kimono.
Something that almost passed as guilt shaded Sesshoumaru's eyes for a moment. "I apologize. I had forgotten. Makoto needs to return to his territory. You repaired the land, Kagome, but there are many political issues that we must all work out still. You should change into something more befitting of the occasion." He nodded towards his brother. "I am sure Kamlyn will accompany you to the East wing while I attend to the feast preparations."
Kagome sighed in resignation and got up. "Sure. Have fun then," she said, waving at the backs of her mate and mother-in-law. She looked over at Kamlyn. "I suppose we should go?"
Her brother-in-law bowed and let her pass through the door first, quickly falling into step with her. "Actually, sister, I am happy that we have this occasion to speak. I have something to ask you, if I may."
"Go for it," she replied with a smile.
"You are friends with Kagura, the wind sorceress, aren't you?"
Kagome nodded with a strong feeling as to where this was going. "I've known her for years, although she only recently became a friend. Why?"
"I have had the opportunity to meet her several times in the last few days. She is intriguing to say the least. Is she inclined to… take up a relationship?" he asked. He wasn't accustomed to being delicate, considering his long incarceration with his father, but he understood that, when talking with females, they took unkindly to crude words.
Instead giving a guarded answer, as he expected, Kagome laughed. "Kagura is always inclined, as you put it. Keeping her inclined is a different matter altogether," she replied, amazed at her friend's ability to ensnare such a valuable male in such a short span of time. Then again, what else could she expect from the red-eyed vixen?
Kamlyn grinned. "So she would be a challenge then?"
"Yes," Kagome said with a smile. "I hope you like challenges?"
"Very much so," chuckled Kamlyn.
Kagome wagged a finger in his face. "Just be good to her. I don't want to hear any sob stories from one of my best friends that my mate's brother did her wrong."
The dark hanyou held up a hand to his heart. "If that sorceress looked upon me with even half of the love you display to my brother, then I would be insane to hurt her in any way."
She recalled what Nami had said about mates' souls knowing on sight if they were meant for each other. What takes one brother four years, takes another two months and yet another two days. She smiled at the thought. "I'm sure you wouldn't do anything of the kind. I'm sure that, out of all the males in this city, you have quite a good chance, being my lord's brother." She didn't mention that Kagura had first taken a liking to Sesshoumaru.
"I was given a title," said Kamlyn. "I am to be my brother's councilor on human affairs."
Kagome frowned. "I've never heard of that office. When did this happen?"
He grinned. "We were talking about it not ten minutes ago, neesan. Sesshoumaru said that he needed someone to deal with the fact that we live side by side with humans every day, especially since he knows that humans will one day far outnumber us. He would have given the job to you, I believe, but you are already going to be busy with the heir. There will also be an ambassador from the North, your friend Keitaro, so he can stay here with his mate, Nami."
The female hanyou blushed a bit. "I guess I didn't hear all that."
"No, I thought you didn't," he replied, his smile spreading. "I could tell you weren't following the conversation. It's alright, neither was my mother."
"Anything else I missed?" she asked apprehensively, hoping that they hadn't discussed anything too important.
Kamlyn shook his head. "Boring stuff. I wouldn't worry about it. No offense meant, neesan, but your mate can be quite dull sometimes."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "I long for dull days now. There's been too much excitement around here for my taste." She looked at him. "Of course, after being nearly blown up by a bomb carried by Kaori and sent by you, even battle was a bit tame."
Her brother-in-law's laughing eyes sobered quickly. "When did you figure it out?" he murmured after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"When I realized that you were on our side, I also realized that you tried to kill me that day," she answered. The hanyou didn't seem particularly perturbed by it, but her eyes were studying Kamlyn carefully. "You almost succeeded. Tetsusaiga saved me and the children."
His eyes closed. "The children… I had not meant to send my mother to kill anyone but you, neesan. If I had known then about you and the two little ones what I know now…" he trailed off.
"You would have done the same thing," finished Kagome, with a satisfied little nod. "Or at least you should have. It was a good plan. Kill me, stop the triumvirate from forming and therefore, stop Amatsu in his tracks. It might not have worked, but it was a good idea. I don't blame you for wanting to stop an evil god from killing millions at the price of one hanyou. I suspect that Kaori was rather easy to persuade, since she had no soul and you were her son. Sesshoumaru was the original target, of course?"
Kamlyn nodded. "Will you tell my brother about this?"
The hanyou shook her head. "There's no need, although I'm sure he's probably figured it out by now. But if he hasn't brought it up, it doesn't disturb him. He probably sees the logic in the plan as well and he can't fault you for it."
"Thank you, neesan."
Kagome smiled and patted her brother-in-law's arm. "No problem. Try not to do it again though," she added with mock severity.
Kamlyn only chuckled.
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They stood in the sunlight, shifting their weight as the good-byes fell silent. The ones who were being left behind looked rather glum, despite the beautiful day, the first in months. Patches of snow still dotted the ground, brown with the dirt coming from beneath them.
"Come on, guys, cheer up!" said Kagome, rather exasperated. "We've put this off for ages. I really need to go and do this. It's not like we won't be back."
Kagura finally smiled and stretched her arms out to hug her sister once more. "Fine, but you promised that you would be back as soon as you could. Don't forget."
"How could we forget you?" the hanyou asked, looking over the witch's shoulder to see Kamlyn, Kaori and the wolves standing quietly. Others had offered to come, but Kagome didn't want to make a big scene of it. The wolves had only come because the well was close to their cave, where they were awaiting the completion of a new home.
The sorceress pulled back, letting her hand brush Kagome's very pregnant stomach. It was well-disguised by a loose kimono, but after five months of putting up with her morning sickness, mood swings and odd cravings, the residents of Sesshoumaru's castle knew quite well that Kagome was getting closer to her delivery time. "Two months, right?" asked Kagura for the hundredth time.
"Yes," reaffirmed Kagome. "I just need some good, quality time with my family. And access to modern medicine. The way this one's been kicking, I have a feeling I'm in for a fight. We'll be back as soon as I recover." She looked back at Sesshoumaru, standing by the well with Rin and Washi, and smiled. "I don't think he could bear to leave the West for much longer than that anyway."
"Well, it took us long enough to clean up the political fiasco that Kin and Kuma created for us by going back on their alliances with the West," spat Kamlyn, crossing his arms. He had been quickly promoted to chief councilor, when Sesshoumaru had found that strategic planning was apparently an innate gift of at least two of the three brothers.
Sesshoumaru frowned. "If I return to a city in ruins…" he trailed off.
Kaori sighed at her son's overprotective behavior. "Don't worry! Divine intervention excluded, everything is set for your absence. You can always come across to this time for a night or two, if you're really worried," she said, with a wink towards Kagome. The females knew that, despite Sesshoumaru's outward cool behavior, he was getting increasingly jittery about impending fatherhood. He wouldn't leave Kagome in a strange world, even her own world, for more than a few minutes if he could help it.
The elder demoness jerked her thumb towards the wind witch and her younger son. "The ones we should be worried about are these two."
"Mother…"
"I'm just saying that's it's not natural!" huffed Kaori. "Living in the same quarters, not being mates. Get over and done with it already!"
Kamlyn rolled his eyes. He and Kagura had gotten used to their unusual arrangement quite quickly and although neither of them had 'perused other options', as they put it, since he had gotten his promotion, they hadn't officially mated either. And that was just fine with them for the moment. Kaori had tried to get Kagome on her side, but since the hanyou had gotten pregnant without being mated, she had felt that it would be rather hypocritical to push another couple into anything.
"Time to go!" announced Kagome, heading off what was quickly going to become one of her mother-in-law's tirades about the indecency of young demons.
There was yet another round of hugs for everyone, except Sesshoumaru of course, who only bowed to his mother. Kagome looked down into the well and then at her mate. "Maybe I should go down last, in case you need me to pass through it."
"I doubt that."
"Humor me," she replied, getting a shrug and the quick descent of her mate and two children down the ladder. A pink light poured from the well before they set their feet on the dirt at the bottom and they were gone. With a sigh of relief, Kagome waved a quick goodbye and followed, afraid to leave them in the twenty-first century for more than two seconds alone.
The trip was shorter than she had remembered and soon enough, she was packed into a tiny well with three other people and their baggage, as minimal as it was. It was dark and uncomfortable in her pregnant state, so Sesshoumaru jumped out with her first, leaving her at the top while he went back to get the children.
Kagome looked around the small, dank well house for the first time in a year. Tears began to puddle in her eyes and when she felt her mate's hand at the small of her back, she threw herself against his furred tail and let them flow. "I never thought I'd be back," she said, muffled by the mass of fuzz surrounding her head.
"Let us leave the tears until you have seen your family," he suggested, gently nudging her to the doors.
Washi took her hand and squeezed it as Kagome used the other to push open the rickety wooden sliding door. Smells assaulted her as the sun poured in. Oil and gasoline, smells of hour old breakfast and of fresh showers. Sota, her mother and her grandfather. Even Buyo. It was all still here.
She stepped out, her demon eyes quickly adjusting to the brighter light. She tugged at the bandana covering her ears and hair, worn so that she would not give her mother too much to take in at one time. Sesshoumaru had refused to wear anything of the sort though, so it made the effort rather pointless. Washi couldn't hide his wings without discomfort either, so she looked rather homely amongst a small group of very graceful creatures.
"Why do you hesitate?" asked Sesshoumaru. "Go into the house." He was trying not to be judgmental upon the small house or the offending smells coming from the land surrounding the shrine. It was his mate's home after all.
"It's a lot to explain. The demon thing… the baby… you." She paused and frowned. "Um, maybe I shouldn't do it in that order."
The taiyoukai gave her a severe look, telling her wordlessly to stop hesitating and get on with it. Kagome sighed and walked up to her childhood home, sliding open the door and dropping her yellow backpack, now a bit more tattered and dirty, at her feet. She could smell the dish soap her mother was using in the kitchen. Stale tears came to her nose as well and Kagome's stomach dropped as she remembered that dishes used to be her own chore. "Wait here," she instructed the children and her mate softly. She wandered down the hall, tripping slightly on a new mat her mother had placed down.
"Sota," called her mother, clearly still recovering from her bout of crying, "you have to hurry. School starts in an hour!"
Kagome rounded the corner and looked at her mom's rigid back for a moment, making sure she had put down the plate she was cleaning before clearing her throat.
Her mother's head whipped around and her soapy hands came out of the water as she screamed. "Kagome!" she cried out. "Oh Kami!" She rushed forward and grabbed her daughter, pulling her close to her chest, not even noticing the large bump on Kagome's front as she cried in happiness. "I knew you would come back," she kept saying over and over.
Sota and Grandpa appeared at the door, yelling in joy when they saw Kagome clutched desperately by her mother. "Sis! Sis!" cried her brother, finally prying her away from his mom and embracing Kagome.
He jerked back after a few contented moments. "Whoa. What did you do?" he asked, pointing at her rounded belly.
Grandpa, who had thrown his arms around his granddaughter as soon as Sota had vacated the place, looked down and his eyes widened. "This will be interesting," he murmured.
Her mother eyed her carefully and then turned back to the stove. She suddenly appeared very, very nervous. "I'll start some tea and Kagome can explain what's happened over the past year. I'm sure there's a lot we don't know," she said, filling the teakettle with water. Her hands were shaking slightly and she sighed as she placed the kettle on the counter. "Grandpa, could you get some of that American whiskey you have? I think I might need a bit." She watched as her father slipped out.
"Please, Mom," said Kagome. "I know it looks like I just ran off and got knocked up, but it's not like that. Well, not exactly."
"Oh, I know, dear," murmured her mother, settling herself down to wait for the tea to boil, "but I think this might not be the story I want to hear from my daughter after a year away."
Kagome sat down on the opposite side of the table, having a bit more difficulty given her condition. "It's not that fun in certain spots, I admit, Mom. But I just want you to know right now that I'm happy about how it's turned out."
"Is it Inuyasha's?" her mother asked patiently, nodding towards her daughter's stomach.
The hanyou bit her lip, tugging down on the bandana again. "Um, we'll get to that bit soon enough."
Her mother's eyes flickered up to the head covering, but just as she was about to question why her daughter was suddenly covering her hair, there was a shriek in the hallway. "Demons! Demons!" her grandfather cried out. "Take that, youkai! And that!"
Kagome's eyes widened, but she couldn't get up very easily. Instead, her mother scrambled to her feet and opened the door again to see a very irritated taiyoukai picking pieces of paper out of his hair. Beside him, Rin and Washi were doing the same. Grandpa seemed to have lost his wind and was panting against the wall. "Um, sorry. I should have warned you about that," said the hanyou, beckoning for her mate and children to come into the kitchen. "Sit down. You should all be here I guess."
Sesshoumaru threw one last angry look at the old man and sat down beside his mate, while the children wedged themselves in between. As soon as Kagome's mother had calmed down her father, they came in and sat in their usual places. Sota watched all of this excitement, trying to suppress a smirk.
Rather red in the face from embarrassment or the exertion of calming down Grandpa, Kagome's mother poured the now boiling water and added tea packets. "I ran out of the good kind," she explained, passing a cup to Kagome.
"It's okay, Mama." She glanced between her mate and mother, noticing the wariness they held towards each other. "Um, I suppose I should make introductions. This is Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin and Washi. Guys, this is my mother Hisano, my brother Sota and my grandfather Hiroshi." She watched as they all bent their head forward in greeting.
"Lord Sesshoumaru?" asked Sota as soon as he straightened up. "Are you Inuyasha's brother?"
The taiyoukai gave an irritated look at Kagome, but she held up her hands. "Hey, I never mentioned it. I'm guessing that Inuyasha did, right?"
Sota nodded. "Yeah, he said his big brother was a real pain in the ass."
"Sota!" scolded his mother. "Don't speak like that."
He rolled his eyes. "Inuyasha does all the time. Where is he anyway? Why did he send his brother with you instead, sis? I guess they made up?"
Kagome grimaced. "In a way, I suppose you could say Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru got over their differences, yeah. Listen, it's kind of a long story."
"We have all day, Kagome," murmured her mother. "Sota will even stay home from school." She smiled softly as her son made a whoop of joy.
The hanyou looked down at her tea, rubbing the edge of the cup with her clawed finger, which she had filed down for the day, and began her story. It took three hours of almost solid oration from the hanyou, interrupted only occasionally by questions and gasps from her family. Her mother was the best audience member, crying, laughing and keeping quiet when it was due. They all took the death of Inuyasha rather hard, but were quite happy for Kagome when she spoke about her new mate. Naturally, the hanyou edited a few details, like the exact date of her baby's conception and her actions as the monster under Amatsu, killing anyone who displeased her.
When she finally finished, she drained another full cup of tea and looked around at her three stunned family members. "That's pretty much it," she said, trying to prompt them into speech. "We had to clean up a lot of territorial mess of course. That's why we didn't come back immediately after the battle."
Sota spoke first. "You really can use Tetsusaiga then? That's so cool!"
Kagome grinned. "Thanks, little brother. I'd teach you if I could, but Mom would kill me. It wouldn't work for you anyway. You don't have demon blood."
"So, that's why your hair is covered?" asked Hisano.
"Oh!" Kagome's hands flew to her head, where the bandana was still secured. "I'd forgotten about that. Here, I'll take it off." She loosed the cloth, letting her little triangle ears spring free and her crimson and black hair spill down her back. "I'm still human once a month at night," she said, watching as they stared at her twitching ears.
Her mother suddenly squealed in delight and crossed over to her daughter, playing with her ears as soon as she could get her hands on them. "Oh, they're so cute! Do you think your child will have them?"
Kagome rolled her eyes, happy that her mother was taking this so well but also finally understanding why Inuyasha hated this. "Not unless he or she knows what's good for it. Mom, stop that. It tickles like mad." She flattened them against her head and tried to ignore the disappointed pout on her mom's face. "So I don't look like a freak to you?"
Hisano stooped and hugged her daughter tightly. "Never. You're my Kagome and you always will be, regardless of how you look." She pulled back a bit and looked at the hanyou. "I don't want you to leave again."
"I'm staying until after the baby is born and then I'll visit lots. But remember, the well will one day close. Then, you'll see me as a five hundred year old demon on your doorstep," Kagome warned. She had omitted the part about her grandfather's death marking the occasion, but decided that no one should know too much about their own future.
"Five hundred and twenty," corrected her mother as she sat back down. "Your child will be five hundred."
"Right." She looked at Sesshoumaru with a smile. "Then you might be able to meet all of those other people I told you about. Like Kagura and Makoto and Kaori."
Hisano nodded. "It's a shame I can't see your castle though, Lord Sesshoumaru. It sounds beautiful."
The taiyoukai inclined his head in appreciation. "Yes. I believe that I will research my city's fate while I am here in your time. Perhaps it still stands, although I doubt it."
"I definitely would have noticed that one lying about," pointed out Kagome. "Besides, you shouldn't look it up. It's bad enough that I know about what's coming in historical matters."
"You agreed to use that knowledge to our advantage," countered the taiyoukai.
Kagome nodded, a lock of hair falling out of place. "And I still do, but I think there should be a line. Specifically looking for history of particular places and people would be crossing that line."
Before Sesshoumaru could respond, there was a loud knock on the door, gaining all of their attention. Hisano stood up. "That's strange. We don't get many visitors these days. They usually go directly to the shrine." She left the kitchen.
Kagome shrugged as she and her mate exchanged a glance. "I don't know. It's a guy, but that's all I can tell. I don't know anyone's scent in this time, besides my mother, brother and grandfather now."
A male voice filled the corridor and Sota rolled his eyes. "Sis, I'd put that bandana back on if I were you."
The hanyou had just tucked the last strand of red hair underneath the cloth when the door opened again and Hisano led in a young man of about twenty years. Kagome sucked in a breath as she turned to see the visitor. "Hojo?"
"Higurashi-san!" he cried, stepping forward. "I can't believe you're back! We all thought you were gone forever. I'd been hoping, of course, but you never know about those things. Guns, landmines, tanks…"
Kagome shot her mother a confused look and Hisano shrugged. "I told everyone that you joined the army."
Hojo looked back at forth between mother and daughter as they began to giggle. "What? Weren't you in the army, Higurashi-san? If you weren't, where have you been?"
Steadying herself against the table, the hanyou slowly got to her feet and crossed her arms over her swelling stomach. "Definitely not the army, Hojo-kun. Sorry that my mother had to lie, but she didn't know where I had gone until about three hours ago. Did you really think that I had joined the army?" she asked, beginning to giggle again.
The boy, staring dumbly at her pregnant form, shrugged halfheartedly. "Well… I mean, I told you that day that I was thinking of going to America for awhile. You just seemed really distant. I thought that you were… um, sad about me leaving," he said, seeming to just notice Sesshoumaru in the middle of his sentence. The youkai was looking at him with utter disgust. "Uh, hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Hojo. Kagome and I went to school together. We dated a bit."
A rumbling growl filled the air and Kagome scowled at her mate. "Down, boy," she muttered before turning back to her 'former fling'. "Hojo, you know how I was sick a lot?"
"Um, yeah?"
Kagome sighed and decided to cut about two hours and fifty-nine minutes from the version she had given her family. "I wasn't sick. I was traveling back and forth between this time and the Feudal Era. I fell in love with the elder brother of the person I traveled with and now, I'm a demon like him." She pulled the bandana from her head again and smiled at the awe-struck human boy. "Oh, and I'm pregnant with a dog demon child."
Hojo fainted dead away. No one really moved to make sure he was okay and Kagome turned back to her mother. "He pestered you constantly about my whereabouts, didn't he?"
Hisano smiled and nodded. "He's a sweet boy, Kagome, but if you had ended up with him, I think I would have gone insane."
The taiyoukai looked up at his mate and smirked. "I believe your mother and I will get along quite well, Kagome," he said.
The hanyou grinned, happier than she had been since a time long forgotten. "Let's unpack."
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A/N: There you go! Stay tuned for the epilogue, which is already in the works! And thanks to all the following, lovely people:
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