Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted/licensed/trademarked materials mentioned in this fanfiction (from InuYasha to my references to Nine Inch Nails or Harry Potter). They are the properties of their respective copyright holders and I in no way am insinuating that I own them. (Consider it free advertising.) I only own the storyline and any new characters that may crop up.


Chapter Ten: Leaving it All Behind

Megami sat behind the wheel of the Suburban and sighed. She had been parked outside of Kagome's house for twenty minutes debating whether or not to approach the door and knock. Her drawing pad and pencils sat beside her on the passenger seat. They'll think I'm being silly … I am being silly! I have been sitting here for twenty minutes like a fool! We were over here until I had to take Tensuke home, and drop Father and Senkotsuke off at the airport to catch the Red Eye. But I feel lonely. I want company. It's almost midnight. I should be in bed. But I know that Sesshomaru is awake in there. I hear him typing away like Kagome says he does almost every night. He searches for Naraku, and rumors of the Shard. I should go knock. He'd let me in. But what if he laughs at me for feeling lonely? I just want someone to talk to. Would he really laugh at me for that? Why am I making this so complicated? I should just get out of this car, walk up to the door, and …

But someone beat her to the punch.

Tap, tap, tap!

Megami jumped and almost hit her head on the roof of the car. She looked to the window and saw Sesshomaru. He was wearing a white "wife beater," and a pair of black cargo sweat pants. His white hair flowed in the gentle breeze as a smirk played on his lips. Why does he have to look so damn scrumptious when he does that? Megami thought.

She rolled down the window, "Are you insane? Someone will see you!"

"Everyone on this block is asleep. Are you going to sit outside all night or are you going to come inside?"

"How did you know?"

"I am not deaf, Megami. I heard you pull up half an hour ago. I've been waiting for you to come inside."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now come inside."

She rolled up the window, grabbed her things, and got out of the Chevy, locking the doors in the process. Sesshomaru turned silently and began to ascend the steps to the house. Megami followed him in equal silence. Sesshomaru glanced back to her. "Where are your crayons?"

At first Megami thought she had been insulted. She hissed, "Excuse me?"

"Shippo always draws with crayons."

"Oh," she blushed slightly. "Well, I use pencils, colored pencils, and pen. Mainly whatever strikes my fancy."

"Do you want to draw?" he asked.

"I felt the itch," she shrugged.

Sesshomaru opened the door and allowed Megami in before stepping in behind her. "Were you feeling lonely?"

She mumbled, "A little."

He shut the door behind them. Megami barely heard him utter, "Me, too." Sesshomaru walked into the kitchen, "Would you like anything, Megami?"

"Water, please." She sat on the couch and laid her drawing utensils on the coffee table. Sesshomaru took two bottles of water from the fridge. He walked into the living room and handed one to Megami. "Thank you," she opened the bottle and drank.

He sat on the other side of the couch. "May I see your drawings?"

"Sure. Just don't be too critical," she grabbed the notebook and handed it to Sesshomaru. He opened it and flipped through pencil renderings of her brothers, her father in demon form dozing with a book in his lap, American teenagers sleeping in class, the Statue of Liberty, a river in the mountains, and finally Kagome reading in class. "Why do you draw people when they are distracted?" he asked as he turned to a still life of a plate of sushi and a steaming cup of tea.

"I ask my brothers to hold still when I see them in a good pose, but I really never got to know someone enough to ask them to stay still."

He looked through the sketches until he reached blank paper. "They're good. I like them."

"Thank you."

"May I be the first that you draw with consent?"

She smiled and tried to suppress a modest and flattered blush, "You're teasing me."

"No, I'm serious." He picked up her pencil box and handed it to her, "Draw me. I'll hold still for you. Just tell me how to pose."

Megami eyed him. Oh, if only I had the gall to tell him to pose nude … "Okay, lay back against the arm of the sofa, stretch your legs out, and put your left arm behind your head. Lay your right arm against you but rest your hand on your stomach, and look relaxed." She got off the couch and moved the arm chair to an optimal angle. Megami arranged herself in the chair as Sesshomaru followed her instructions and lounged on the sofa. "Now look at me." Their eyes met and again it was as if they saw each other free of all façades and emotional armor. Megami tore herself away from his gaze and began to draw him. The only sounds in the room were those of rhythmic breathing, a pencil scratching on paper, and the clock's soft echoing tick, tick, tick. Minutes ticked by as Megami drew without the pressure of her subject moving any second. She worked diligently and after an hour she reached into her pencil box for a few colored pencils. Megami added a few finishing touches and then stretched. "That was refreshing. Would you like to see?"

Megami stood and Sesshomaru sat up. She sat on the couch next to him and handed him the sketch pad. He looked at himself lying on the sofa. The drawing was done in pencil with color added only to his markings and his vivid golden eyes. "It's wonderful, Megami."

"Thanks," she said with a humble blush. Man, I tease Sango about turning into a tomato around my brother… I'm just as bad… Sesshomaru handed her the sketch book back and Megami turned to a fresh page. She leaned over to her pencil box and grabbed a freshly sharpened pencil. "Lord Sesshomaru," she said softly, "Would you humor me for a while?"

"What do you want?"

She leaned back and readied her pencil, "I want you to close your eyes and tell me about Rin."

"Why?" he asked with suspicion thick in his voice.

"You will see. I want to try something."

He took a deep breath to prepare himself for this. "She was young, only about ten. She had wild ebony black hair that she wore half up and to the side. Her smile spread across her whole face and it made her glow. And the flowers," he chuckled, "Jaken would always chastise her for stopping to pick flowers. She was so radiant. Even if I was in the blackest foulest mood, Rin could brighten my spirits. Her eyes were brown like rich fertile earth, and her skin was like the finest ivory." Sesshomaru stopped and heard Megami's pencil flying over the paper. "Megami?" he asked as he looked to her. She drew frantically, yet precisely, with her eyes closed.

"Ssh," she whispered, "Just keep thinking about Rin."

He closed his eyes again and concentrated on the little girl whom he loved dearly, trying to block out the pencil scratching. Finally the pencil slowed to a stop and Megami opened her eyes. Sesshomaru opened his eyes and saw Megami staring at the paper before her.

She passed it to him, "I hope I didn't botch it."

He took the notebook from her once more and looked at an accurate portrait of Rin smiling up at him. His breath left his body. How did she do that? This is Rin down to the very last eyelash! "Megami," he managed to whisper, "How?"

"Is it right?"

"It is perfect." He was awestruck and placed his hand over his mouth.

"Well there was one night that Father was telling me about Great-Grandfather Tensuke, and I could see him in my head. I could see him so vividly that I drew him. My grandmother came across it one day and wept. It looked just like him. I thought I'd try it out again."

"How is it that you can do this?"

"I think I get it from my mother. She was a seer, a medium, and could even speak with the dead. I think this is my gift from her." Megami laughed gently at herself, "Pretty silly, huh?"

Sesshomaru stared into the depths of Rin's eyes that Megami had captured so well, "I don't think so."


The engines of the privately owned jet hummed as Tensuke navigated their way across the Pacific Ocean. They had taken off from their stop in Honolulu to re-fuel only a short time ago. Megami and Shippo had fallen asleep. Sango was reclined in her seat reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with Kilala's pet carrier strapped in to the seat next to her. Kilala would sometimes mew mournfully and Sango would coo to her, "I'm sorry, Kilala. I know you've been cooped up at Kagome's house. When we get to Megami's home you can stretch your legs there." Kagome and Sesshomaru sat on opposite sides of the plane. Sesshomaru alternated between reading a book on Japanese mythology and lore and staring out his window as Kagome was doing. They would both stare out their windows at the sparkling sapphire sea, deep in their own thoughts.

Kagome absentmindedly rubbed her not-yet-showing pregnant belly, talking inwardly to her unborn child. I haven't had much time to think about you since all of this happened. InuYasha would be so happy … a son. I'll have to think of a very special name for you. She stopped rubbing her stomach and touched the vial that hung about her neck once again; the vial that contained the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls. Naraku, our most despised enemy. The bringer of sorrow who thrives on hate, malice, and fear; you will pay for what you have done to Sango, Shippo, Sesshomaru, me … and especially to my son. If it were not for him this child would have his father, and I would not have to raise him alone. I won't be completely alone but it won't be the same to the baby. It's not fair to my son! Having others won't make up for his father dying, but he must not live in the same fear and isolation that raised Megami. I don't want that for my child. She sighed. I'm getting too wound up over this right now. I need to remain focused. Kagome calmed herself. The next thing she knew she was napping contently just like Megami and Shippo.

Sesshomaru began to flip through his book again. He had found many interesting myths and legends from the Feudal Era within this tome. He began to scan through the latter end of the book and a word caught his eye. Crescent? What's this? He read the passage:

"Two stars bound by the crescent moon
Once combined, become three"

"Intriguing," he said under his breath as he continued to read the passage.

Although this is translated from many fragmented scrolls found from the late Feudal Era, this is the most accurate translation available. The "Prophecy of the Stars" is a more recent discovery in Feudal Era studies of theology and mythology. The first scroll found including excerpts of the myth were found in the Okinawa prefecture in 1929. Other documents recovered from the prefecture suggest that this prophecy may have been recited by a local medicine woman and Clairvoyant whom was popular in Okinawa. Carbon dating suggests that the first scroll dates to shortly after the end of the Sengoku Jidai.

Sesshomaru continued to read as the jet sped toward the North American continent.


After the usual hustle of fighting your way through an international airport, the group gathered their luggage from customs and exited the terminal. For most of them it was their first step on American soil. Megami stopped at the curb and looked around. "Where are they?" she growled under her breath. She looked to her left and saw a man standing beside a silver Chevy Avalanche with black flames accenting the hood and front fenders. The Oregon license plate read "GODDESS." Megami smiled, "There's my baby." She motioned for everyone to follow her. Upon closer inspection there was another man standing guard beside a car parked behind the Avalanche: a blue Toyota Hybrid. "Well Tensuke, it looks like we'll be parting ways again." Megami turned to hug her brother.

"I thought he was coming with us," Kagome said.

"No," Tensuke said after releasing his sister from a big hug, "I'll be heading to the coast to help Father and Senkotsuke. Senkotsuke should be heading your way within a week. We'll be searching the western side of Oregon while you guys handle the east side."

The siblings turned to the men guarding their vehicles and received their keys. Tensuke tossed his bags into the trunk and was off with a honk and a wave. They all waved as he left. Megami then walked to the back of her truck and popped the casing over the truck bed. "Luggage call!" Everyone set their bags into the bed of the truck and secured the lid. Soon, they were all piled into Megami's truck and she tore out of the airport lot. Seeming to be in her element, Megami quickly sped through traffic and hit the eastbound interstate out of Portland. "Ah, good ol' I-84. Next stop, the Blue Mountains."

The first hour of the drive was fairly devoid of speaking because of everyone adjusting to Megami's driving style. Kagome, Shippo, and Sango were in the back seats. Sango had released Kilala from her pet carrier and the two-tail curled up contently in her master's lap. To Megami's chagrin and optimism, Sesshomaru sat in front beside her. He was thoroughly entertained by all the buttons and gadgets on the console of the vehicle. (Who says that cats are the only curious animals?)

Kagome stared at the scenery lost in thought until she remembered something peculiar. "Megami?"

"Yes."

"When you revealed yourself to me and I recognized what you were, you asked me how I knew about demons."

"Yeah."

"Well why did you ask me that if you knew I carried the child of a demon?"

"To make a long story short Kagome, in our travels we have encountered a few young women who were impregnated by demons or half demons. Unfortunately, some of them did not know that the father was a demon. Usually we came to find out that those girls were duped by servants of Naraku. I wanted to make sure that you had not fallen victim to one of them. It usually destroyed those girls when the healthy, bouncing baby they waited nine months for was born with fangs or a tail … or worse."

"I see. That makes more sense now."

Sesshomaru joined the conversation, "How repulsive. Debasing oneself to an act more akin to rape than mating purely to propagate … it's repugnant."

"Well, that's the thing, Sesshomaru. We weren't sure if it is an intentional purpose to conceive or if they are simply doing it for sick pleasure. However with how often it happens, I'm thinking that some of them do so on purpose," Megami countered, "I saw it almost happen one night in a night club in New York. I could smell the guy's demonic blood and he tried to slip this pretty young woman a date rape drug. Luckily, Tensuke was working as a bartender then and he intervened."

"How horrible," Sango said.

"I know. My brother's have had a few love interests in their days, but would never take advantage of them. And as much as I know I could have simply turned on the charm and had my pick of human men without any secrets being revealed, I didn't want that."


The drive wore on and on. They stopped briefly after dark to stretch their legs and grab something to eat, but for the most part Megami wanted to get back to the compound.

"How much longer?" Shippo whined.

Megami stretched. "We're about an hour from Deadman Pass and from there it's about another half hour. Only an hour and a half more, kiddo."

An hour later everyone in the truck held on for dear life as she ascended what was known as Cabbage Hill that lead to Deadman Pass. The twists and turns were terrible but Megami went through them as fast as she could as if it was a game to her. She had a big grin plastered on her face while everyone wore expressions of slight terror (and that includes Sesshomaru). When she finally sped down the off ramp of the pass, Sesshomaru turned to her, "Must I ride in a vehicle with you again?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "But of course you do. Grandma and Grandpa can't drive. And believe me, you won't want to drive with Kintotsuke. He drives like an old woman!" Megami turned down a county road and followed it until it was no longer paved. "Hold on to something. This will get bumpy." After almost a mile of gravel road, Megami turned right down a dirt path that led seemingly nowhere. She turned on the vehicle's four wheel drive system.

"Megami? Where are we?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Heading to my home. Don't worry, I'm not lost."

Megami drove down wild paths and up steep hills until at long last they spotted lighted windows in the distance. "Good. They're awake," Megami said.

The truck rolled onto a paved driveway and she parked outside of a tall chain-link fence with a gate. Megami jumped out of the truck and began unloading bags and suitcases. The others followed suit and picked up their belongings. As they neared the gate, they heard several booming barks. Kilala's fur stood on end and she growled. Everyone tensed except Megami.

"Oh! It's just my sweet little Alex!" Megami said in a baby-ish voice. She opened the gate only to get tackled by a large, happy Doberman pinscher. The dog, overjoyed to see his master, licked Megami's face repeatedly. Megami, behaving like a silly child, giggled and hugged her pet. "I missed you, too, Alex. My poor baby!"

Kagome giggled and Sango smiled, but Shippo and Sesshomaru were at a loss for words. Megami got off the ground only to have Alex jump at her enthusiastically. "I can't play now, Alex. But there's someone behind me who's itching for exercise," Megami turned to Kilala. "It's okay, Sango. We're so far out she can roam around in full form."

Sango looked to Kilala, "Go play."

Kilala took on her full demon neko form and was soon romping about with Megami's dog. Everyone entered the gate and was soon greeted by an old dog demoness with Megami's eyes. "Oh! My precious Granddaughter is back! Come in, everyone! Come in! We've almost got dinner ready." Right after she said that, a small fireball came up from behind the house. The old dog demoness turned and shouted, "Quit playing with the barbecue-pit! You'll ruin supper!" With a warm smile, she led them all into the house. "Just leave your bags in the hallway for now. We'll get everyone settled after we eat." Everyone set their bags down in an orderly fashion and removed their shoes. Megami's grandmother urged them all to follow her into the living room, "We can all get to know each other in there. Oh," she turned and pinched her grandchild's cheek, "I'm so happy you have friends, my dear!" Megami rolled her eyes slightly.

I guess Grandmothers are the same all over … Kagome thought.

Once in the living room, Megami's grandmother excused herself to get Megami a washcloth for her sutra. "Grab two, Grandma, please."

Sesshomaru looked to Megami critically, "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Of course not. She would have told Kintotsuke, he'd have met us at the airport, and harassed you the whole way here," Megami softened her tone, "She'll be so happy to see you. She and Grandpa told me so many stories about you, your father, and your brother."

Grandmother returned shortly with two hot, soapy washcloths. "Here you are," she handed one to Megami and Sesshomaru accepted the other with a polite bow.

Megami assumed her demon form with a sigh. "Oh, I'll be able to lounge in comfort and not worry about being seen."

Sesshomaru removed his sutra, allowing his demonic features to be shown with pride. When he faced Megami's grandmother, she gave a sudden cry. The old demoness went weak at the knees with shock.

"Oh! Thank Kami!" She knelt down and wept frantically, "Oh, my Lord! We thought you were dead! Lord Sesshomaru!" The old woman cried and screeched repeatedly.

"Grandma!" Megami said through gritted teeth. "Grandma, get up! You're embarrassing me!"

But, Grandma went right on ahead, "My lord, I am Yamashita Amane, daughter of Tensuke the Great." Megami went on begging her grandmother to get up or at least stop shouting. Kagome and Sango laughed. Sesshomaru shook his head ever so slightly.

He reached down and took Yamashita's hand, "The daughter of Tensuke does not need to bow before this Sesshomaru. Please stand up."

The group heard a sliding glass door open behind them. "What's all the ruckus?" a wheezy, familiar voice asked. The six people standing in the living room turned to see who had spoke.

Megami shouted, "Grandpa!"

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow in disbelief and whispered, "Totosai?"