Prompt: DDN February 2022 - Ancient

Inspiration: "Amnesia" by 5 Seconds of Summer

Summary: Even those unaffected by time get into arguments now and again.

Eternal

Time stopped moving since she'd returned. Sure, people continued to go about their business, Souta got taller, the shrine began to flourish with the use of her real powers, but for Kagome, nothing was the same.

She was lost in an eternal cycle of waking up in the wrong time, grasping for the few seconds between sleep and conscious thought where things were the way they had been.

The way they were supposed to be.

And that cycle continued for several years—allowing the world to pass her by, unwilling to make connections. Unwilling to take notice of those around her.

Until him.

Potential

Their meeting had been accidental.

Mama had hurt her back cleaning out the well house, so Kagome had offered to go down to the drug store to buy her some painkillers. Normally, she would've waited until after dinner, but there was potential for a thunderstorm later, and Kagome's powers were always a little wonky when lightning was involved.

As it was, it began to rain on her way back, and Kagome tried to avoid the downpour by slipping down side streets. She darted across the road in front of the shrine steps, eyes widening as a car rounded the corner at the last second, screeching to a halt in front of her.

Lasting

She'd expected a tirade, a list of reasons as to why she was stupid enough to run out into traffic.

What she hadn't expected was a spectre of her past to climb out of the driver's seat, his image flickering between human and other, uncharacteristic shock lining his face.

Sesshoumaru.

She knew him instantly, the ripple of his power long-lasting.

A horn blared, jolting them both back to reality, and Kagome jumped onto the curb, eyes not leaving his as she silently pleaded him to follow her.

He'd almost abandoned his car in the middle of the street to acquiesce.

Worn

She refused to let him wear the glamour anytime they were together.

Which happened a lot.

He always answered.

Always agreed.

Kagome asked him about it once—why, even in the middle of the night, he never said no to her.

His expression was telling. His confession more so.

Stoic features gave way to heated secrets, worn down by her playful teasing.

She hadn't believed him at first. Hadn't believed he'd been searching for her. Hadn't believed he felt anything more than annoyance for her.

The way his hands caressed her face had told her otherwise.

And Kagome had thrown caution to the wind, latching onto the connection and allowing time to start moving again.

Ageless

They'd been married for a year.

It wasn't perfect, far from it, but there was comfort and stability.

But most of all, there was love.

At least on her end.

Kagome never expected him to say it, but she expected to feel it. It was supposed to be one of those ageless emotions that persevered over everything else.

Right?

She knew he was happy; the softening of his eyes and the relief in his shoulders when he removed the glamour were telling.

But Kagome was greedy.

And it caused her to lash out. Which is was why she was sitting in their living room, alone, on what was supposed to be their first anniversary.

Fade

Tears streamed down her face, each drop fading away into the carpet as she stared at the photo album in her hands.

She'd asked him to be home on time. It was important. Having secretly taken the day off work herself, she'd spent the last several hours preparing what should've been a romantic dinner.

But as time ticked by and there was still no sign of him, Kagome had slowly grown more agitated.

As had her texts.

So when Sesshoumaru had finally walked through the door, she'd come apart at the seams, all of her insecurities flaring up and attacking, clouding the real reason for her displeasure.

Endure

She could still hear the door slamming as he'd stormed out, leaving her alone.

Again.

Although her heart couldn't tell the difference, her mind knew none of the others had left her on purpose; they'd been stolen away by time.

Not Sesshoumaru.

He'd endured. He'd stayed.

By choice.

And now he'd left by the same means.

The tears began to flow again, and she buried her face in her hands.

Even after all she'd been through, all she'd given up, was she not meant for happiness? Was the guardian of the Shikon doomed to a life of severed connections and broken hearts?

Relic

Stupid relic.

Born of demon and human conflict, the bitterness had festered until it consumed everything in its path.

Those involved were still feeling the effects centuries after the fact.

Sighing, Kagome got to her feet, her body protesting almost as much as her heart.

He was gone. There was no point in—

A knob turned; the door opened.

"You came back."

Sesshoumaru gave her a startled look. "Did you think I would not?"

Clearly she was no better at hiding her emotions now than she had as a teen, golden eyes widening before she was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug.

Her heart broke all over again.

Timeless

"After all these centuries of waiting, did you really think I would abandon you?"

"Everyone else did." Her words were muffled, tone watery as she clung to him.

"That was not their fault, miko."

"I know. I know."

Expensive silk gave way to timeless features, soft lips chasing away tears and uncertainties as claws stroked her cheeks.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

She thought back—back to fights for survival, passing glancing, and moments of protection.

Back to a time she'd tried to forget.

"No."

"Then know this: I will never leave your side. Especially not for something as mundane as a lover's spat."

Immortal

Kagome stared up at the immortal daiyoukai, wanting to laugh at the absurdity of her disquiet.

"I love you," fell from her lips instead.

Golden eyes softened, and he kissed her forehead, then each cheek, slowly making his way across each part of her face. By the time he reached her mouth, Kagome was pulling him down, the need for physical reassurance outweighing everything else.

He held her close, pulling her body flush against his own before he buried his face in her hair.

Similar words of affection were barely audible, a whisper that floated by her ear and settled deep within her heart.

Human

Kagome pulled back, staring up at him in shock. "Y-You've never—I didn't know—"

"I am a creature of action, miko. I had thought it was enough." He kissed her again. "I apologize for not speaking up sooner, I did not realize how much humans—how much you needed to hear the words outright."

Tears overflowed anew, but the light had returned to her eyes, and she smiled, alternating between kisses and her own apologies.

"Is dinner salvageable?"

She bit her lip, then shook her head.

"I will make it up to you tomorrow."

"But you have to work."

"I do not."

Twilight had long since passed, but the sun shone out of her face, the brilliance of her smile making him fall for her once again.