Chapter 56: Good-Bye, Kaori

Kaori closed her eyes as Sesshomaru stroked her hair romantically. The fireflies had come out now and Kaori felt them tickle her skin as she relaxed in Sesshomaru's arms.

"So, you'll be leave-"

"I'm not leaving you, Sesshomaru. I'll always be here with you. In your heart," Kaori interrupted, not opening her eyes once.

"Yes, I know..." Sesshomaru trailed off, still stroking her hair. It was silent for a while. "Well at least I know a lot more about humans now than before."

"Yes, and same here about demons," Kaori said, opening her eyes and looking up at Sesshomaru. She saw his eyes were watery and she sighed. She really wished he wouldn't cry.

"And I've never noticed, but we've changed so much since we first met. Six or seven years together and we changed so much," he pointed out, stroking her cheek now.

"Yes," Kaori agreed. "We've matured and loved and even had a child to inherit our ways."

"Kaori," Sesshomaru said after a short pause, "you had said to Naraku that you were pregnant. Was that true?"

Kaori laughed. "No, actually. I just didn't want him taking me, especially with my entire family and friends watching."

Sesshomaru smiled. It eased him, but only slightly, that he wouldn't be losing two lives that night. "So, only one child of ours," he said more to himself than to Kaori.

"At least we have one, not any at all," Kaori pointed out. She looked to the full moon above them. "I think it's about time."

Sesshomaru's breath was caught in his throat. The time he would dread.

"Well, think of it like this," Kaori told him with a comforting and innocent smile, "at least I'm not dying in vain, or alone, or without telling you everything. I'm going to be dying in your arms to save the world with telling you everything."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and nodded only briefly. "And with me knowing that you love me entirely and that you know I love you entirely, and that you don't have anything to settle or revenge to get or anything like that."

"Yes, Sesshomaru. Let's think of the positives," Kaori told him, looking back to the sky. "I love you Sesshomaru."

"I love you too, Kaori. And though this will kill me very much, I will never forget you, Kaori. You... You will always be in my heart and on my mind," Sesshomaru said, choking up.

"Please, Sesshomaru. I don't want my last image of you crying," Kaori said, her eyes closing again. "I want you to be my brave demon, who protected me through everything and loved me with your entire heart. I want you to be that soldier of mine, from a little child to now."

Sesshomaru swallowed his pain and grief and sadness to fulfill Kaori's wishes. Her last wishes.

"Now, may we? I want you to do it with me," she told him, her hands on her necklace. Sesshomaru nodded and placed his hands over hers.

Just before Kaori's unclasped it, she paused. "Sesshomaru, please burn my body with these jewels. I don't want Joo-yun to go through the suffering I sort have had to go through. Please, just do that one last thing for me," she pleaded. He smiled just the slightest and nodded, stroking her soft cheek one last time.

"I promise, Kaori. I promise you this," he told her. "Now, please. Continue."

Kaori stared into his eyes as she unclasped it. A pain hit her torso, but she refused to wince or cringe to ruin her last moments with Sesshomaru. But it was too much and she leaned back into him as he tightly held her close to him.

"Sesshomaru," Kaori finally forced out, "I love you."

Sesshomaru could hear her breath getting slower and slower, and he knew her last moments were coming near.

"I... I love you too, Kaori. I love you so much!" He cried as her eyes closed for the last time and her breathing stopped. He continued to stroke her cheek as she was still alive and just laying in his arms for rest. He just wanted her to be there still, in his arms, breathing and laughing and smiling and joking. That's all he wanted. But that wouldn't happen. Her black pearl was in his tightly clenched hand. He would burn her body, as she wished. And he would put up a shrine and a memorial for her. She deserved nothing less of that. One in both of the times, for friends from both times to pay their respects and remember Kaori. That's what Sesshomaru knew he had to give to Kaori. He knew it, and he would do it.

He kept her in his arms as tears dropped onto her skin and he sobbed almost silently. He knew she was now happy. She was now at peace.