Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

His Past, Her Present, Their Future

Chapter 40 - Reminiscence

He had the girl's full attention now, Ayumi forgotten. She turned to look at him, her face stained with tears as the man approached her. Something in her screamed familiarity, but she couldn't place it. She was afraid to.

His chin quivered, and Kagome quickly found herself tackled to the ground, and neither heard Ayumi's protests. Kagome was stunned but stared up as dark sunglasses were thrown off to reveal brilliant green eyes and a wide smile split the man's face. "Oh, Momma!"

Kagome blinked rapidly up at the seemingly innocuous man that had her in a vice grip on the ground, her mind trying to put all the pieces together. His appearance was rather every-day, but his eyes… looking into his eyes there was only one explanation. "Shi-Shippou?"

"Kagome!" he said with a cracking voice, and buried his face in her neck.

Kagome's sobs began anew, but this time it was not in sadness or pain. This was pure love, happiness radiating off of her in waves, Ayumi still standing dumbstruck on the sidelines. Thank goodness that this part of the village was so out of the way, because it would surely be thought strange to see a fully grown man holding a woman on the dirt ground as she wept.

"My baby, oh sweetheart," she cried. "Look at you! You're huge! Oh, I missed you, Shippou."

"How are you here? It hasn't been long enough!"

"I know, I never knew for sure how long it was in between, I just assumed. I guess I was wrong."

"Oh Momma, there's so much I have to tell you! You're a several times over great grandmother… you have to meet my pups! Oh jeez, this is going to be one hell of a party…"

Kagome laughed, only slightly hysterically now. "Gods, I'm a grandma! I've missed so much, tell me it all!"

"I can't Momma, as much as I want to. Can I come to your place tonight? I'll be happy to tell you everything. It's such a huge story…"

"That many years will do that."

"Yes… oh gods, you're back! Wait until I tell everyone! Oh, oh no. Sesshoumaru-papa…"

"He's alive, right?" Kagome said, finally pushing the fox youkai off of her and bolting upright, trying not to let her mind wander to the insane giggles threatening her to hear him call Sesshoumaru 'Papa'.

"Yes, Momma. Of course. But… I'm not sure how to get a hold of him…"

Kagome shook, but was deliriously happy at the confirmation of her love's life. Her grin split her face and she dug into her nearly forgotten purse, pulling out a pen and paper, "Here's my address, come tonight anytime. I doubt I'll be sleeping."

"Of course." He grabbed her and swooped her into his arms, crushing her against him. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, sweetheart," she said, a few more tears escaping her eyes.

"Gotta go for now, but I'll be there this evening."

Without another word, the fox took off running and just for a moment Kagome swore she saw a glimpse of auburn hair and a fluffy tail. Kagome brushed herself off and tried to scrub the tears from her face, but found they wouldn't stop. She laughed, the tears falling freely and danced in a little circle.

Ayumi didn't know what was going on, but she intended to get answers. For years she hadn't pushed, but this was just too much. She had been reeling so hard from hearing the man call her young friend 'Momma' that she had only absorbed part of their conversation. Like the part about the man going to Kagome's house that evening. In her friend's current state of mind, she didn't think it was such a good idea.

"K…Kagome?" Ayumi broke through.

Kagome stopped frozen in her tracks, gaping at the ground. Ayumi had been there the entire time. She tried frantically to come off with an explanation. Maybe playing it off? "Yes, Ayumi?" she said brightly, turning to face her friend.

The look on the girl's face told Kagome she would not be playing this off. "Kagome, what in the hell is going on? I'm sorry to push, but I have to know or I am going to take you to the doctor! That man looked at least our age, but he was calling you mother and you didn't scream bloody murder? What the hell is going on?"

Kagome sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes tightly. "Ayumi…this is a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere. I haven't in this long, have I?"

A small smile surfaced, though her eyes stayed tightly shut. "For the rest of today, promise me you will try to believe everything I tell you. I have proof at home, and when Shippou comes tonight, he will be able to prove more than a photo album ever could. But please, promise me you are not going to freak out and call the police or a mental institution?"

Ayumi was hesitant to enter into any agreement, but she trusted Kagome, no matter how off-kilter she was at the moment. "All right. Just tonight though, okay? I'm really worried."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and opened her eyes, the usual dark blue almost cerulean in her joy. "I'll explain everything when we get home, but for now…" She laughed merrily. "I've always wanted to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"You know my books, Ayumi?"

"Of course! I read them long before anyone else!"

"Yes. Well… they aren't fiction."

Ayumi forced a laugh. "That's funny, Kagome. Of course they are!"

"Ayumi, remember about trying to believe me? My books, down to nearly every detail… was my life. When I was missing all that school? Those were my adventures. Please, the busses are going to leave us, can we talk about this at home?"

Ayumi was pale as a sheet now, but nodded somewhat mechanically. Her mind didn't want to believe it… but Kagome said she had proof? And she had promised to not freak out and call anyone until the night was over…

So instead, she waited for her friend to mutter a few words to the ancient graves and followed dazedly after her, mind whirling endlessly.

Finally back in Kagome's apartment, Ayumi seemed to remember her voice. "Okay, you're going to have to start at the beginning…"

"Why? You know everything! Sure, not every single day, but you know every huge event of my life in those years, what is there to explain? The books are real, Ayumi."

"But, how?"

"At my mother's shrine, there is a well. That well was the portal between here and the Feudal Era. Just like in the story. InuYasha was real, Sango and Miroku were real, and Shippou…well, you saw him today."

"That man?"

"My baby grew up," she said softly, her eyes bright with repressed tears.

"This is a lot to try to understand, Kagome…"

"Yes, I know it is. But please, give me a chance?"

The next hours were spent in photo albums, with Kagome showing her friend all of the characters she had read about. Ayumi seemed to be slowly understanding, coming to terms with the idea of such a fantastic tale. Kagome passionately spoke about her friends, her family in its own way, and her love. Sesshoumaru. She spent many tears telling her how hard it had been to miss him, to not know if he had survived.

It was nearly sunset when the doorbell rang, and Kagome dashed across the living room to answer, grinning at the tousled dark head in front of her, two large and tempting-smelling pizzas in his arms. "I brought grub, hope you're hungry!"

Kagome blinked several times, "You brought two pizzas for only us?"

"I grew up around InuYasha, remember?"

This startled a laugh, her eyes sparkling like they hadn't in months. She hugged the youkai around the pizzas and led him in, motioning to her friend. "This is Ayumi, Shippou."

He looked only mildly disconcerted. "Hi!" he said jovially.

Kagome looked at him pensively, circling him like she was appraising him. "You're too skinny."

"Mo… err… Kagome…" he recovered sheepishly.

"She knows, don't correct yourself."

This made him choke. "Eh?"

Kagome smiled and trotted to her bookshelf, pulling out the four published books in her series and plopping them into his dumbstruck arms. "You know most of this, but you might have fun reliving it. I've been writing these for three years, several top-sellers, you know."

Her adopted son looked down at the books in his grasp incredulously. "You wrote these? I remember laughing with Kagura about how silly the idea sounded…"

Kagome scowled. "Hey, damnit! You know it's all true!"

A roguish grin split his still-boyish features. "How should I know? I'll have to read and see how close to the truth you made it. I better be the most amazing and powerful fighter… one look at me and Naraku went poof!"

"Oh, of course! My brilliant protector!"

Both burst into giggles, and Shippou set down the books and pulled her once more into his arms. "I missed you so much, Kagome. I can't count how many times I've just droned on to one of my kids or grandkids about you, our adventures…"

"Where is your tail?" Kagome fairly burst out, unable to wait anymore.

Shippou stopped and blinked, then giggled at her. "That is the most important thing to you?"

"Yes! Where is your tail, and are you dying your hair?"

"No Kagome-mama, it's an illusion spell. Fox youkai, remember?"

He stepped back, an Ayumi watched with bated breath. Kagome was really telling the truth unless this man was an insane as she was. His lips moved without sound and in a barely seen flash of light, stood the same man, but different. Pupils now slits, dark hair a bright auburn, a long twitching appendage protruding from his rear, and when he grinned towards her with a conspiratorial wink, fangs were obvious.

"Now that's better! Gods, do you know how good it feels to see a youkai after all this time? Until last night, I thought you were all gone!"

"Last night? Don't you mean this afternoon?" Shippou asked, his head canting to the side just a little.

"No, last night. I had InuYasha pop into my dreamtime for the first time since… well… you know."

"How is he?"

"Good," she grinned. "Bored and a little pissy that no one informed him about Sesshoumaru and me."

"You mean he didn't know?"

She giggled, "Nope, his father thought it would be funny to not tell him until he heard it from me… and sit him for his reaction."

"You can still 'sit' him in death?"

"You bet!"

Another round of laughter later, all three were on the couch munching pizza. Ayumi remained a silent observer; this wasn't her conversation but damned if she would leave now. Kagome sighed and turned to the illusionless fox youkai, her eyes smiling. "So, you have children? Who is your mate? When can I meet her? How many children and grandchildren?"

She would have kept going, but she saw the flash of pain that crossed his eyes, and he set down his slice of food silently, looking over her head at the ceiling. The look on his face was calm and straight, and reminded her a hell of a lot of Sesshoumaru. She shivered, but only at the difference in personality. "Shippou?"

"I have to start from the beginning. You're not going to like some of this…"

"It's all right," she cut in. "I don't care, I want to know."

"Well, you know I went to live with Sango and Miroku after you left the last time, right? I knew they wouldn't live forever, so I thought I should spend as much time as I could with them. You were gone for years, InuYasha was dead, and I liked the castle but I needed familiarity. So, I went to them and learned a lot. I was a lot closer to my first century than any of us thought, and it only took about seven years before I looked like I was in my late teens. I had gone out for a job, my first one by myself… and when I came back…

"I couldn't save them. The youkai were overrunning the walls, to this day we don't know why. I helped fight them off, but by the time the battle was over, Miroku was gone and Sango was close to it."

Kagome bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, her eyes stuck on the emerald ones of her son as he continued. "She said… she told me to tell you she missed you, and that we'd all be together again someday. She told me to be strong enough to reach you, so that I could keep you safe. She went peacefully, to be with Miroku."

Tears fall down all three people's cheeks now, though Ayumi didn't know why it affected her so deeply. She silently cried and watched the pair embrace. Kagome finally steadied herself and nodded, signaling him to go on with his story. He breathed deeply. "Well, after that I went back to Sesshoumaru. He was doing pretty shitty without you, but he didn't let it show. Rin and I could read it in his eyes, though. Gods know why, but he started telling us we could call him father. Rin did, but I just used Sesshoumaru-papa. It was the most hilarious thing when one of us would slip and say it in front of a servant or visiting noble…

"Well, by the time I got there, we were both grown up, and I can't tell you how it happened, but within a year Rin and I ended up mated."

Kagome choked on the soda she was drinking, setting the cup on the coffee table. "You and Rin?"

He grinned. "Yes. Sesshoumaru was wary to give her away, but we were in love and he's just a softie at heart."

Kagome snickered before sobering. "Go on, hun. I know there's more."

"Of course. Well, Sesshoumaru and I ended up going on a journey together. He had heard about an herb that supposedly extended life, and went out to find it. Sesshoumaru, of course, was thinking of you as well as Rin, and I was thinking of extending my mate's and mother's lives. It took us two years, but we found where it grew. It was a bitch to find."

"Rin is still alive, then?" Kagome rushed out excitedly, before seeing the pain once again in Shippou's eyes.

"I lost her about a century and a quarter ago. The herb worked… but after a while her body just failed her. There wasn't time to find the herb again, within a couple of months she had aged twenty years externally and even more inside. We had seven pups by then, two of which look just like her. They all know all about you, Kagome. Don't be sad for Rin, she lived a good, long life. A lot longer than she thought she would, and she was happy to spend it with Sesshoumaru and me."

Kagome sighed heavily and nodded. "I just got my hopes up that she would still be here. But I get to meet your children, right?"

"Of course! Actually, I have kinda ironic news on that note…"

"Yeah?"

"It's actually hilarious if you ask me… I can't wait to tell Sesshoumaru. He'll laugh… yeah, he does laugh sometimes. Rarely, but he does. But this… it's rich. Totally priceless."

"Spit it out already!"

A crooked smirk appeared and he looked her up and down, making her blink rapidly. "You're actually one of my descendants."

Kagome choked. "'Scuze me?"

"My second son, Ryoku, took a human mate, making their children quarter youkai. His oldest daughter was impregnated by a human, making their child an eighth. It went on like that, until your dad. Funny how this fate stuff works, huh?"

Kagome couldn't answer, just blinked stupidly at him. So… Rin and Shippou were her great-great-greatgreatgreat grandparents. Small world? She thought not. Shippou was right, fate was funny. Her laughter was immediate and boisterous, falling over into her ancestor/son. Her voice was hiccuping. "Hey, we should go on an American talk show. 'My mother is my great-great-granddaughter!'"

Ayumi coughed a little, calling the other two to finally blink in surprise and remember she was there. She blushed and smiled. "I'm sorry to interrupt you guys… but I think I need to go home and get some sleep. This is a lot to ingest…"

"Yes, it is," Kagome said. "Imagine living it. Call me tomorrow?"

"Of course, goodnight, Kagome. Nice to meet you, Shippou."

The fox grinned. "It's good to meet you too. Hope to talk again sometime."

As the girl left, Kagome collapsed against Shippou's shoulder. "I hope she realizes I'm not crazy now."

"Hmm, I wouldn't go that far, Momma," he giggled, pulling the younger woman close to him, sighing in content. "But I am so glad to have you here again. It's been so long. I've had so many adventures. Nothing compares to going against Naraku though. It may have been ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday."

Kagome laughed wryly. "For me it practically was. I can still close my eyes and see it. I walk through this city and want to laugh at the things people find exciting or wonderful. I wish everyday I could have just lived out my life there."

"You'll love Iwaku Isle then."

"Iwaku? I've never heard of it."

"Sesshoumaru bought a smallish southern island about a century ago, right before he left. It's a haven for youkai. You'd be one of the only humans ever to be allowed there other than Rin. It has a large city there of youkai, free to roam in their natural forms, or in their humanoid ones without illusions. It's very natural and an escape for all of us. I know you'd be allowed, since you are the Lady of the West."

Kagome smiled and sighed quietly. "I can't wait. Where is Sesshoumaru, Shippou? Why isn't he here? I know I'm not yet expected, but…"

"He had to, Kagome. The government is fully aware of us all and provide us with new birth certificates every fifty years or so, but if your life was eventful then you have to leave for a while. Sesshoumaru has never really had a problem with that, because he's so low-profile… but the last twenty years were good enough to him that he gained notice, so he had to get out for a bit."

"What did he do to get noticed?"

Shippou snickered. "Were you fully aware of that that book you have him contained?"

"Umm, history?"

"Did you read it?"

"No…" Kagome said slowly.

"Well, it highlighted an awful lot on stock-trading… and let's just say it gave us good hints on what to buy in on. We've all made quite a savings because of that book, but Sesshoumaru especially. We never really needed jobs anyway, but that gave us an extra boost."

"Wow. Well, I'm glad it worked out well for you guys. So you don't work?"

"Not really. I go back to school in every life to understand more that has been discovered, though. I specialize in biology and chemistry. I don't do much other than collecting 'relics' and working with museums. I am the main backer for the Demon Exterminator's village; that's why I was there today."

"Wow, I'm proud of you," Kagome said, trying to hide her wide yawn. It was nearly midnight by now, and leaning against the boy was very comforting on several levels.

"If you're tired, you should sleep, Kagome," he said softly, toying with her hair. "Now that I'm here, you won't get any peace from me. And don't worry, I'll set the chain of contact to get word to Sesshoumaru first thing tomorrow. Just sleep."

Kagome nodded blearily and vaguely felt herself being lifted before falling deeply in the darkness of sleep… except this time, the darkness wasn't dark at all… it was gold.