Disclaimer: No own. Hmm…the progress on finding the "Sesshy Be Real" scroll isn't going so well…damn!

His Past, Her Present, Their Future

Chapter 4 - Revelation

Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her incredulous gaze on her companion. "What?"

"Yes. I will assist you in your collection of the Shikon Shards."

"Why would you do that?" she said suspiciously, eyeing him critically.

"If not for you I would be dead. I owe you as much."

"No, no, no. We went through this when I saved Rin from that ogre outside the palace. I don't want you to be in my debt."

"Yes, but my honor is at stake. When you refused be to repay you for Rin, I simply found little ways to make up for it, but this is a much bigger thing. You restored my life, and for that, I will repay you."

She huffed and stomped her foot childishly. "Sesshou! I don't want anyone to be in my debt for anything! I did what was right, because you are my friend. And you wanting to help because of some damnable debt is hurting my honor."

"Then…" he paused, flicking his eyes over her face with the smallest of frowns on his face. "Let me help you as your friend."

Her anger evaporated immediately, her gaze softening on him. "You really want to help?"

"Yes, I do. If you're being forced out of this time, at least I can make sure you go safely."

She smiled brightly and it finally engulfed both her face and eyes as it hadn't in months. "I would like that very much. Perhaps you can retrieve Rin, since Shippou will likely be traveling with me, so they will have eachother?"

He nodded slightly. "When do you wish to depart?"

She seemed to think this over, her head tilting to one side. "How about in two weeks? My friends' wedding is coming up."

"Weeks?"

"Yes, remember? A week is seven days."

"Hn." He nodded a bit abruptly. She had taken it upon herself to slowly teach him ways of the future, and though he thirsted for knowledge, she could tell it still made him feel strange to be taught by a human woman.

"You will come back for me then?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll let you go, my lord; I don't wish to hold you here."

His eyebrow quirked at her address of him, and he sniffed. "What if this Sesshoumaru wishes to stay longer?"

One corner of her mouth pulled up in amusement. "Then this Kagome will not complain."

He shook his head slowly in amusement, his silken hair swaying. "Well, when we last spoke, you were explaining these 'cars' to me."

"Oh, yes! They are a form of transportation…"

Four days had passed since Sesshoumaru's impromptu visit, and Kagome was trying to decide what she would need to take along. Performing her miko duties had graced her with small items of payment, but her huge yellow backpack could not hold everything. She took a fine number of arrows, several quivers full, in order to ensure her usefulness. Years ago Sango had made her learn how to fight with a sword if worst came to worst, but that was a last resort. She was awful at it, usually just hacking blindly and hoping for the best. No, her arrows and miko abilities would have to do.

She also packed as many outfits as she had, including a beautiful fine kimono Sesshoumaru had given her during her stay with him. Who knew what would come up on the journey? She shrugged and folded them nicely before pushing them into her bag. What else? Her bathing supplies, surely. She had taken to using unscented ones, because InuYasha had always complained of the overpowering smell of flowers after her baths.

Her brush and hair accessories were a must. She usually left her hair flowing freely, but summer was coming up fast and she knew she would regret not having an elastic tie to pull her hair up with. She also grabbed most of the dwindling supply of Ramen and Pocky she had brought on her last trip from the future. She left a bit of both for Miroku and Sango, knowing that they enjoyed it as well.

She tilted her head as she looked over all her remaining items. Most weren't necessities, things like hair pieces and the cake-like makeup of the time. She passed these over with a small look of disgust on her face. No, she did not need that. But what else? Her eyes fell on a small doll that a little girl had once forced her to take; she was a sweet child. She snatched this up and decided to take to give to Rin, knowing that Sesshoumaru wasn't the kind of man to get a doll for a little girl, 'his' or not. She chuckled at the thought.

A bright light filled the room as the doormat was moved aside, and she turned to smile at Shippou, who bounded immediately to her shoulder. "Hey, Kagome! What are you doing?"

"I'm packing up for when Sesshoumaru comes to get me at the end of next week."

A shiver ran through the fox's body at this. "I dunno know how you befriended him, Kagome, but he gives me the creeps still."

"Hey! He's a good guy in there somewhere," she said with a chuckle. "He would never harm me, or you since he knows I love you." She poked him in the belly with a smile.

"I still feel like I'm gonna turn to stone when he looks at me! He's just so scary!"

She grinned. "You'll get used to him. At least you will if you're going to come with me?" she said with a hopeful, questioning lilt.

"What? You mean you want me to?"

"Of course I do! How could I ever imagine leaving you behind? Besides, Rin with be there, and someone has to be able to look after her. We all know smelly old Jaken can't do the job alone," She nuzzled his hair affectionately.

"Yes, I want to come!" She giggled as he puffed his chest in pride. "I won't let you down!"

"Of course you won't."

She continued packing up things for an hour before her bag was filled the brim. Various herbs, medicines, and bandages, both from her own era and her current one, filled the last of the space. Smiling with satisfaction she stood, waking up Shippou from his impromptu nap as she went to find Sango. Perhaps she would be up for a nice dip in the hot spring?

"Sango, do you think everything happens for a reason?" she asked her friend, tilting her head to the side a little sadly.

Dark brown eyes met hers and Sango smiled tightly. "Yes, actually I do. I think that no matter how terrible something might seem, no matter what grieves us, that eventually things will work out. That is, if we are strong enough to endure the trials."

"How can you be so sure though?"

"Because we are the proof, if there ever was any in this world. Look at us our group, Kagome. A brash and reckless hanyou, a cursed, perverted monk, a battle-worn slayer who lost her village, a girl from the future, and an orphaned fox youkai. We all had desperate and overwhelming odds thrown at us, but we persevered. If these terrible, life-changing things had never happened to us, we would never have fallen together as we did. I cannot change my past, and I miss my family very much, but look at all I've gained! I've found true love, the first real friends of my life, and I appreciate every day like it is my last. I came too close to death not to. Can you honestly say you wish this all had never happened?" she asked, dipping her head underwater to wet her hair.

Kagome took a deep, fortifying breath. "Never. I can't imagine my life without having come here. I can't imagine being like my silly, annoying friends in my time, with nothing more to think of than boys and gossip. If not for being here, I never would have fallen in love with InuYasha, never would have known what it was like to look evil in the eye and know that I would overcome it. I never would have known what true friendship was. But no matter what else happened, and how much I wouldn't change, I don't understand why we have to lose someone so... good. Why InuYasha? Why did he have to go? He didn't deserve a life so short."

Sango cocked her eyebrow as she used Kagome's shampoo on her hair. "Short? You call two hundred some-odd years short?"

"Fifty was stuck to a tree, you know," Kagome said, taking the bottle to give her own hair the same treatment. "And yes, for him it was short. Had he been able to live out his life, who knows how much longer he might have had? How many more things he might have experienced? Most of his life was so empty, without his parents or friends or… or anyone!"

"You're acting like he was struck down. He wanted this, Kagome. Misguided or not, his honor bound him to Kikyou. And as for his life… you're right. But you turned that all around for him. You gave him the peace of knowing a true friendship, of trust and family. With what you gave him, his life was complete. Grieve for your loss, Kagome, but don't grieve for him."

Blue eyes widened and her mouth snapped shut. Sango was right, of course. InuYasha did not want to be grieved for. It was only her grieving for what she no longer had. She blinked rapidly as realization sunk in and she leapt at her friend, mindful not to hit a soapy head against her face, and hugged her tightly. "Oh Sango, thank you so much. I never… I never thought of it like that."

Sango pushed her away with a laugh. "I know you hadn't, but I'm glad you see what I mean. Now, lets rinse off and get out of this water. I can't believe that all this contact with the water isn't terrible for our skin."

Kagome laughed at her friend, shaking her head. She refused to believe that frequent bathing would not cause wrinkles or other terrible effects on her. Such was the belief of the time, and such was the reason that demons like Sesshoumaru couldn't stand being near humans. The nose of canine youkai were famous for their acuity, though it only proved annoying for them in many situations. Being near any number of stinking, unbathed people was one of them.

They dried and dressed slowly; there was no reason to rush today. All they had planned was to make sure preparations for the wedding were in order and to perhaps play with hairstyles for the bride. They giggled together as they walked back towards Edo, and Kagome's shoulders finally felt light enough to allow her to walk with her head held high.