Incomplete
- Chapter Forty-Two -
Kagome's head was the first to pop up over the splintered rim of the Bone Eater's Well. With a soft grunt of effort she pulled herself out of the cavernous darkness and safely to the other side. A large yellow backpack, stuffed well beyond capacity, followed her and landed with a pronounced 'thud' atop the grass next to her feet. Sesshomaru came next, exiting the well in a single graceful leap.
"Show off," she chided, playfully scowling at him. He brushed her comment off and quickly surveyed their surroundings looking rather too pleased with himself for her liking.
While he was busy searching out potential threats to her safety, she took some time to absorb the beautiful day they'd found themselves in. It'd been raining in Tokyo, a grey grizzly sort of day, but here the weather was clear and filled with warm sunshine.
Pulling in a deep breath, she took in the view of the mountains in the distance and slowly let it out again.
I'm home.
She hadn't been sure before, but she was certain of it now. For the first time in her life, she knew she was exactly where she belonged. Her place was here, in the feudal era, with Sesshomaru and the others. While neither of them was prepared to test the well again so soon, if it came down to it and the Bone Eater's Well was now closed to her forever, it was an ending she knew they could both live with. She'd said her "Goodbyes" to her family knowing they might be her last and hadn't looked back. Returning with Sesshomaru was the only thing that'd felt right and she knew in her heart that she'd never regret her choice.
Sighing airily, she bent to gather her knapsack for the short trek to Kaede's village and noticed that somehow in the brief moments since emerging from the well, it'd managed to go missing. It hadn't gone far though. Hanging loosely from the deadly claws of a certain taiyoukai was her trusty yellow knapsack.
"Shall we?" he questioned dryly.
Righting herself she eyed him with a dubious expression, finding herself torn between shock and surprise. He was already a few paces ahead of her before she had the good sense to follow. He kept his eyes on the horizon line but something about his look told her he was enjoying her momentary bout of speechlessness far more than he should. She quickly fell in step beside him and focused on the soft shuffle of their feet atop the hard-packed dirt road.
The past months had been a trying time for them both, but in the end there'd been acceptance and forgiveness. They'd survived assassination, abduction, attempted murder, a miscarriage and self-sabotage. Despite of all of that, their relationship had only grown stronger. She felt closer to him now than ever before and hoped the feeling was mutual.
He seemed more attentive to her needs now. And the way he'd handled her family, particularly Gramps's persistent attempts to purify him, had been nothing short of heroic. Some of the violence had left him, but his strength was still there humming just beneath the surface. It was present in every movement and every carefully thought out word that left his lips. He would never truly know how much comfort that strength had brought her when she'd needed it most.
oOo
For the moment, at least, the village was quiet. They walked down the main road in the direction of the old miko's hut without encountering a soul. They had nearly reached the door when Rin came around the side of a neighbouring hut.
"Kagome! Lord Sesshomaru! I'm so glad you're back!" She ran for them and grabbed Kagome in an exuberant hug.
"Rin, I trust you are well?"
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru! I'm glad to see you're feeling better too, Kagome."
Kagome smiled and gave a nod, "Me too! Where is everyone?"
"Fighting a demon in the next village. It was eating all of their crops and was headed here next!"
"Should we go help them?" Kagome asked with a concerned glance at Sesshomaru. He tilted his head to listen more carefully. The battle was finished, the demon defeated.
"There is no need," he informed her.
Rin invited them inside Kaede's hut and offered them some stew from the pot bubbling away on the hearth. Though Sesshomaru maintained he did not eat human food, Kagome readily accepted and had nearly finished her bowl by the time Inuyasha, Kaede, Sango, and Miroku arrived. As soon as Inuyasha's eyes locked with hers the words died on his lips. The others followed suit and the hut was suddenly eerily quiet. Kagome set down her empty bowl of soup and offered the group a pleasant smile.
"Hey guys! I heard you killed a demon? Way to go!"
"It is good to see you well, child," Kaede offered with a kind look.
"It's great to have you back," Sango chimed in.
"Indeed," Miroku added. "We were worried when you did not return from the other side of the well for several weeks that something truly terrible had happened."
Kagome felt her cheeks flush at their warm welcome and thanked them for worrying about her. Though in truth, she could scarcely focus on the conversation in front of her. Her mind only seemed able to focus on one thing, the expression on Inuyasha's face and how he hadn't said a word since walking through the door. He knew with a glance what had happened to her, and she knew she wouldn't need to explain it. But she could see how it gutted him, how it left him feeling powerless. The others fell silent, the entire hut now fixated on the look passing between the two of them, filled with the magnitude of every unspoken word left between them.
After another tense moment passed, he gently cleared his throat and stepped closer to the hearth where she sat. "Hey," he said softly.
"Hey," she answered.
"You okay?" His eyes cut to Sesshomaru and then just as quickly returned to her.
She lifted her shoulders in a light shrug and answered as honestly as she could, "Getting there."
"So are you stayin', or...?" His eyes slid over to Sesshomaru once more, and he could scarcely disguise the contempt in his gaze. The Killing Perfection was all too eager to return the gesture.
Kagome sighed impatiently at the both of them. "We can't stay," she explained to the others gently. "But I wanted the chance to see you all before we left."
"That is very thoughtful of ye, Kagome," Kaede replied, and Miroku and Sango nodded in agreement.
"Can we stay for dessert?" Rin chimed in with an eager grin. Kagome lifted her brows in question and Kaede gave an amused chuckle.
"We have fresh mochi tonight. Inuyasha and Miroku spent most of the afternoon pounding it for us."
The monk gave a pitiful look and massaged a phantom pain in his shoulder from the labour.
"Come off it," Inuyasha scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "I was the one doing all the pounding. You just moved the mochi around."
Kagome laughed in spite herself, relieved to have this moment with her friends again. It was just like old times, except with the addition of a few more familiar faces.
"I would love to stay for dessert," Kagome confessed and directed a warm smile at Rin. The girl cheered and clapped her hands with excitement, "Oh good, because I've been thinking about eating those mochis ALL DAY!"
oOo
Dinner melted into dessert and before she knew it they had spent hours lingering around the hearth exchanging stories. By the time twilight fell Rin had fallen asleep and Sesshomaru was well past ready to leave. He picked up the small girl, carrying her effortlessly in the crook of his arm, and indicated it was time to leave. With an understanding nod Kagome reluctantly gathered her things together and said her last round of good-byes. When she got to Inuyasha she hesitated then pulled him into a quick hug.
"Take care of yourself, okay?"
It sounded like a good-bye. Maybe it was. Inuyasha offered her a pained look as she pulled away and muttered softly, "Yeah, sure. You too."
After a moment's reflection she reached into her shirt pocket and withdrew the subjugation beads. Things may have changed between them, but if there was any chance he could still visit her family on the other side of the well, she felt it was only right he should have it. She slipped the necklace over his head and his fingers went at once to caress the smooth, heavy beads.
"Kagome… Are you sure you want me to have this?"
He looked like he wanted to say more, but catching sight of the annoyed glare Sesshomaru was sending his way he swallowed down whatever words he'd been hoping to say and took a step backwards.
"There's somethin' I wanna give to you, too." Inuyasha moved to the spot in the corner where his futon was neatly folded and returned with Tetsusaiga in his hand.
Sesshomaru lifted a brow in silent question.
"Here," he said with finality, holding the sheathed demon sword out to her. "It's no good to me now. I want you to give it to him. He can use it to protect you. Who knows, maybe the barrier will let him in now that he actually cares about someone other than himself."
Kagome stared at the old sword and sheath dumbstruck. Inuyasha had spent practically every waking moment since he'd received Tetsusaiga protecting it from Sesshomaru, and now he was just giving it away?
"Are you sure about this?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Just make sure you tell him that if he doesn't use it right I'll kick his ass and take it back." This last comment he directed over her shoulder at Sesshomaru who saw fit, even in that moment, to glare menacingly at his human half-brother.
Glad to see remnants of her old friend peeking through, Kagome offered him a tentative smile and thanked him sincerely for entrusting Tetsusaiga to them. He blushed and muttered something unintelligible in response before returning to his seat next to the fire. Good-byes had never been easy for him, even less so now that he had human emotions to contend with.
Not wanting to linger, Kagome waved one last good-bye to her second family and gave a deep bow to Kaede for all she had done for them both.
Once they were outside, the cool night air hit like an ocean wave and she exhaled in relief.
"Thank you for that," she said sincerely and directed a grateful smile in Sesshomaru's direction. He inclined his head in understanding before his eyes settled on Tetsusaiga. He made no move to take it from her, even when she held it out to him.
"Do you think the barrier will let you in?"
Sesshomaru considered the sword and contemplated the probability that the barrier would grant him access. The odds were low and he had no desire to have his palm singed beyond recognition, but his curiosity was enough to overpower all rational thought. The Tetsusaiga was finally within reach! Had he come so far only to be denied once more?
He shifted Rin's weight and stretched out his hand, allowing it to hover cautiously above Tetsusaiga's handle. He silently asked his father's fang to grant him permission, and in response it pulsed with a brilliant golden light. Moving carefully, Sesshomaru wrapped his claws around Tetsusaiga's handle and slowly drew the sword from its sheath. The fang expanded in front of their eyes, growing to its full size. When no wave of energy emerged to throw him back or singe his flesh, they both exhaled the breath they had been holding.
Rotating the sword left, then right, Sesshomaru's amber eyes admired and examined the blade in detail, something he had never been able to do before. Turning it towards himself he saw his own eyes reflected in the polished metal and for a second thought he saw a bit of his father there as well.
The Great Dog Demon had been a powerful and honourable ruler, a true force to be reckoned with. His father had walked the path of supreme conquest and it had gotten him killed. He, too, had walked that path and found it unfulfilling. Perhaps it was time to try a different one.
Returning Tetsusaiga to its sheath, he carefully slipped it into the sash at his waist.
"I hope he does not expect a thank you," he muttered, eyeing the old miko's small wooden hut where Inuyasha remained.
Realizing that that was as close to gratitude as he was going to get, Kagome smiled and took his arm.
"Let's go home!" she pleaded, eager to sleep in her own bed with her mate by her side.
At her words, Sesshomaru created a small cloud at their feet. It lifted them up and carried them on the wind toward the Western Lands. In that moment, with the Tetsusaiga at his hip, his lands in view, and his mate safely at his side, the Lord of the West realized with a certain sense of satisfaction that his journey down this new path had only just begun.