You and Me After All
Chapter 16: Depart
They flew against the winds and amongst the clouds. The sky was the bright blue of the summer, and bluer still in the horizon. Sesshōmaru did not ride the dragon with her. Instead, he rode a fluff of cloud beside her — keeping a good distance away.
Kagome was grateful for these small reprieves. It was difficult enough to be in his close proximity. She would not have been able to sit in front of him, his arms around her as he held Ah-Un's reins. She balked even at the thought of it.
"Where are we going?" She asked him, when they had flown in silence for what seemed like hours.
"To my home," he finally spoke, sparing her the briefest of glances. "Far away from here."
She bit back her impatience. "Yes, you've already said that before. But where is it, exactly?"
He hesitated, his golden eyes swiftly flickering back and forth between her and the open skies beyond.
"This may be difficult for you to believe," he finally said. "I live in a realm very different from here."
And somewhere, in a realm very different from here, two inuyōkai — one male and one female — received a special message.
The male looked at the female, surprise clearly etched in his golden eyes, as he held up the small piece of parchment for her eyes to inspect.
"He's coming home at last," he told her.
And then, even more awed, he added: "With his bride."