I do not own Inuyasha!
Kagome knew the instant Yuki's life-force disappeared from among the living. She had finally fallen asleep with the dawn, too tired to think or to even keep her eyes open as the trials and disappointment of the last twenty four hours kept her awake with anxiousness.
Her slumber uneasy, rather, it was a light doze as she could still hear the children as they moved about. And in time the noises around her quieted and her consciousness slipped taking her deeper into an agitated sleep.
The visions that clouded her mind as they swirled inside her head were filled with the sound of death and the pungent smell of blood. The weeping of the anguished and the lifeless bodies that fell all around her was frightening but in spite of the fear she pressed on as she was looking for someone among them.
The cries of her daughter shrill, piercing the darkness with desperation as it echoed in the vastness of space, she saw her daughter's tears as they fell and pushed harder pumping and straining her limbs to reach her, but the more ground she covered, the distant the cries.
The dream sequence changed and she was in a maze, lost in the immense jigsaw puzzle that was its confines. The tall pines towered above her as she wound her way around the junctions trying to find her way to its core, where her daughter wept quietly, but not so much that she could not hear her.
The maze appeared to be an endless globe going round and round, the effects dizzying and nausea had begun to rise, she faltered and fell onto shaky knees that wobbled as she forced herself to stand. She took a few steps with nervous legs that quaked as she moved; and then she was anxious and running as a beam of light shot from the heavens and unto the ground.
The glow blinding caused her to shield her eyes with the back of her hand for a few moments, and then she forced herself to continue with eyes that could barely see.
"Mother hurry!" Yuki cried.
Kagome noted the impatience in her daughter's cries although wariness surrounded it.
"I am coming sweetheart," was the uneasy response uttered; as her mouth dried and heat lit her belly travelling to her throat where it burned the words as she repeated them.
She was terrified as the sensation of dread filled her up knowing that if she did not make it in time she would never see her daughter alive again.
With a few more turns and out of breath Kagome finally reached the center of the maze. A quick scan showed a beautiful woman child clad in a white sheath of a dress with a daisy flower crown around her head. She watched engrossed as the female's back was turned, and her hands rose slightly above her head as she sat into the light.
Is that Yuki? Kagome wondered as she approached closer.
"Mother," the beautiful voice called as the girl got up and stood.
Kagome hesitated because she could hardly believe that the image in front of her was Yuki.
"Come closer mother my time here is almost over."
Kagome smiled at her even though her heart had begun to ache. And as she came closer she knew in her heart that Yuki had died, and had only come to say farewell.
"Mother don't be sad everything happens for a reason." It was the only thing that she could think of at the moment to comfort her mother, as she could see the sadness in her blue eyes.
"I know daughter but I should have protected you."
Yuki gave her mother a wan smile and responded. "You've always protected me mother, but so much of father is in me that it often scares me. I tried to become what you wanted, but i'd always craved for more."
Kagome frowned unhappily knowing what Yuki referred to. One part of her was at peace, and the other, the demonic parts wanted to roam free, wanted blood and vengeance. She had tried to suppress Yuki's errant thoughts throughout the years with meditation, and her father had trained her body hard to withstand the powers of her mind.
Tears sprang into Yuki's eyes and for a moment she looked as she had as a child, while her mother put her arms around her and hugged her tight.
"I am so sorry mother," she cried shaking with the effort, "I didn't want to leave you and father, I was so scared, I couldn't do anything to protect myself."
Kagome rubbed soothing circles on her daughter's back as she too felt like crying, but the tears would not come just yet.
"Don't cry, I understand and I love you," Kagome said softly through the waiting tears and a broken heart, and then kissed her daughter's cheeks.
They stayed like that for a while, but soon enough Kagome felt extremely tired and sat with Yuki on her lap, still hugging her close as she had done so many times when she had been a child.
Then suddenly the atmosphere was drenched with a frosty chill, and Yuki eased away from her mother's embrace quickly when she felt the light dying inside, making her feel empty and cold, her time with her mother would shortly come to an end.
"Promise me something?" she asked staring deeply into her mother's sad eyes.
"Yes," she answered feeling the overwhelming sensations of loss and grief.
"Promise me that no matter what happens you will not blame father for my actions. My death has caused him great pain and I never wanted to hurt any of you."
With both hands she touched Yuki's wet face, trying without success this time to hold back the bitter tears that she did not want her eldest daughter to see.
The tears in her eyes made them appear glossy and fuller, and this time they were not tears of fear, but of sorrow and loss.
"I promise to be good to your father, I will be thinking of you every moment of my life. I love you my dear daughter with all my heart."
Yuki smiled and whispered her reply. "Thank you mother and I love you." She rested her head again unto her mother's shoulders, breathing in her lovely scent of wild flowers, something she would always remember.
Kagome felt the first stream of tears streaked down her face and shivered as mother and daughter held onto the last moments of their time together. The air around them became colder and colder while Yuki's body became lighter fading with the glow. A terrifying scream belted from her throat as Yuki disappeared completely from her arms; leaving both her heart and arms empty like a barren wasteland.
She woke up gasping and choking for air as she couldn't breathe, the weight on her heart was pressuring stopping the air from reaching her lungs. Another frightened scream tore from her mouth and tears washed from her eyes. The children came running startled by their mother's expression of profound grief.
Kagome was trembling when the children arrived in her bedroom, she couldn't stop shaking because she knew that her dreams were truths. Her daughter was dead and had come to her in a vision to tell her goodbye. She glanced at the children idly wondering if fate would cause her to lose all of them.
"Mother why you are shaking, are you ill?" Two of the children asked worried, she wasn't sure which two had spoken because she was in a daze, disoriented with her thoughts muddled.
"Yuki," she finally mumbled, and the children drew nearer.
sksksksksk
By this time Sesshomaru had regained control of his empire, the labourers were cleaning the streets and towns of the aftermath of war. There was destruction everywhere in the capital city, it would take at least half a year to rebuild and clean up the mess. The palace in the capital was a third destroyed, he'd seldom stayed there when he was lord, but it was a structure that had proven useful when he had guests from other territories and as such was at the top ot the repairs list.
Out of necessity he was able to shift his thoughts from his daughter and unto his surroundings, because if he allowed it the situation would swallow him up. He'd taken his daughter's body to his original home outside the city, had it cleaned and purified by a priestess. His brother and royal guards were sent to Edo for his mate and remaining children.
He couldn't accompany them, it was impossible for him to leave his daughter because he just could not find the will to move. Grief and guilt had been eating at his heart over the cold-hearted and cruel act by his mother in killing her granddaughter.
After Inuyasha had savagely beaten her, Tora had placed her back into suspended animation by freezing her again. As he'd contemplated her punishment he'd begrudgingly conceded to let Kagome mete out justice on his mother as she saw fit. Even now the memories haunted him constantly of the careless way his dam had destroyed Yuki's life.
The frightened, sad and teary eyes of his daughter as she struggled before she died would never leave him. He'd watched her die and could not have prevented it from happening; as long as he lived guilt would always pervade his thoughts whenever he thought of her. He pressed his lips tightly together for a moment as he thought of his mate. She would be devastated.
The royal guards and Inuyasha should be in Edo by now. He could only hope that Kagome would be alright. He knew that he should be the one to tell her, but he could not leave his daughter or his kingdom after having just reclaimed it. Soon enough they would be reunited at the palace, it should be a joyous occasion, he had finally wiped out his enemies, but a dark cloud hung over their heads because of the death of his child. Almost thirty years he'd waited, the victory should be sweet but the bitter circumstances killed sugary taste of triumph.
sksksksksk
The children were made aware of their mother's thoughts and were saddened; however, they were still optimistic that she could be wrong. The troubled black haired woman stood from an upstairs window looking beyond the trees out into the green of the environment, there seemed to be a disturbance as many birds were flying away from the area. Dust also rose in the air like ominous clouds.
The sounds of hooves were distant and yet distinct as she could hear them from afar. She continued to gaze off into the horizon as the trampling in the ground got louder and closer. Thinking on it no further she went to see if Akiyoshi was alright. He was still asleep and the fever had broken. He would be fine in another couple of days; she thought and left his side.
Kagome found the children downstairs huddled close together watching as the sounds and smell of horses came to a halt. She was relieved when she saw Inuyasha coming forward with three soldiers walking closely behind him, but when she saw his face clearly for the first time, her features changed as she could see that her fears were substantiated.
Kagome gave an almost animal groan when Inuyasha stopped in front of her and stuttered on his words, his dull gold eyes told her what his mouth was unable to say at the moment.
"No!" she cried as the blood drained from her face turning her as white as a ghost. She squeezed his hands as she fell onto the sofa, she could see through the tears and saw as the children held on tightly to each other.
"I am sorry Kagome, Yuki was killed...in battle by her grandmother," Inuyasha finally mumbled, "Sesshomaru sent me to get you and the children and return to the west."
Her lips had no reply. It was painful, her heart actually hurt as if it was being ripped from her chest and crushed. A squeal of pain escaped her lips causing Inuyasha to hold her hand more firmly. She couldn't be weak again in front of the children, and definitely not in front of her mate's guards, closing her eyes briefly she willed the pain and tears away.
They took only what they needed and left the premises in the keep of the caretaker and his wife. Akiyoshi was retrieved by two soldiers who placed him into one of the carriages. As the wheels rumbled over the uneven surface of the ground she wondered how she was going to do it all. Could she survive this, would doubts and blame destroy her and Sesshomaru's love?
Any other woman would be crying their eyes out in misery, but not Kagome, she had lived too long and had seen too many atrocities and it made her numb. Her daughter had died and she was unhappy, but the last two days of her life had been hell, one crisis after another had descended upon her with terrible repercussions. Something had to give because she felt as sure that she would go insane if it didn't.
She was carrying on as best as she could, without a word of complaint and only a look of sorrow in her eyes one that Inuyasha had never seen on Kagome. Something troubling was afoot; she was too cold and withdrawn. It was to be expected the change in her mood, he knew, but her daughter was brutally killed, and Kagome seemed to be shrinking into herself with grief.
They would reach the west tomorrow at noon; there Kagome would get the answers from her mate, and justice for her daughter as she would personally kill the wretched woman that had shattered her daughter's life. She reached over and wiped Akiyoshi's forehead as he was sweating a little, smiling for the first time in days as she thought about revenge.
sksksksks
Sesshomaru walked over to his daughter and touched her cold cheeks, looking down on her in sorrow and guilt, and then something cold slithered in his heart causing him to take a step back while pressing his hand over his chest.
"Kagome?"
His mate's name spilled from his lips as darkness descended upon him like an out of control virus consuming him, then it broke.
The sensation passed quickly and a hand wiped through his hair warily, all the while he wondered how is it that his mate's pure aura could have grown so dark? It was a troubling situation, because he was quite familiar with it.
He had the instincts of a hunter, he loved the chase but it was the kill that gave him a deep and primitive satisfaction. But to feel those sorts of emotions coming from his mate was quite astounding.
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