-1Kagome sat down and pulled the robe of the fire rat that had protected Inuyasha for so many years. She had made a habit of pulling it out and just holding it to her nose to smell the fading smell of Inuyasha. Stifling the bent up tears that she had been trying to hold in Kagome lay down on her side and cried her silent tears. Many years of emotion slowly and quietly flowed from the young woman.

The smell of salt hung in the air throughout the palace manor. Sesshomaru sighed she must be really hurt because even though I can smell her tears I do not hear the sobs. I will wait. She needs to heal. So I will not let any one near her so that she can cry with out anyone being nosy. With that last thought the Lord of the manor strode from his room and placed himself at her door as a silent guard warding away all who wanted to question the maiden about her tears.

Chapter 5

Love that Doesn't Die

Kagome's eyes fluttered open in the morning light. She started to sit up from her futon. Her tears had left her face streaked during the night and she knew that she needed to wash up before leaving her room. Too many people would ask her why her eyes were swollen and the paths that her tears had taken would be evident. The heart break she had went on for this long and it was starting to heal. She moved out into the crisp morning air as she grabbed a towel and her bathing supplies and went to her private spring.

The hot spring felt good as she eased her aching body into. She closed her eyes momentarily and rested her head on one of stones that were at the edge of the spring. Inuyasha she thought why did you make me kill you? I miss you so much. Do you remember what you asked me just a few nights before that last battle? How you wanted me to become your mate when it was done with? How we shared… Kagome's hand went to her lips as her thoughts drifted up with the steam. She slowly pulled herself out of the hot spring and started to dry off. Padding across the floor back into her room Kagome went over to her wardrobe and pulled the doors open. A knock came out the door.

"Hmmm, who is it?" Kagome questioned.

"M'lady, it is I," replied the female voice. "I was asked to come help you dress and bring you down to the dining hall."

"Please come in, I didn't want invite you in with out knowing if it was you, Ana, or if it was one of the guards or even Jaken," Kagome answered as she was giving the wardrobe more attention then the demoness as she entered her room.

"I understand it would not be pleasant to be indecent to those whose eyes should not see any undress to some one whose is not mated."

"That's the funniest thing that you said that, Ana, did you know that I was almost mated with Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered shutting her eyes as she tried to hold back the tears. "If he had not died I would probably mated to him and expecting by now." A sad sigh escaped Kagome as she tried to decide on which kimono to wear. "Would you help me Ana, this is so hard. They are all beautiful. I just do not know which one to wear."

Ana strode over to the wardrobe seeing the sadness in the girls eyes knew that she must have had strong feeling for the lost prince of the west and wanted to do something to please her. "This one, Lady Kagome, it was one Lady Izaiyo's favorites. She had the same kind eyes and dark jet black hair as you. I almost can see her in you and I can see why Prince Inuyasha was so taken with you." The demoness smiled.

"Thank you, Ana, can you tell me what you can remember of my lost friend and yes, lover? I miss him and I could use someone else talking about him as fondly as I remember him." Kagome asked as she slid her arms in a soft silk pink kimono before putting on the deep rose red kimono with soft white sakura petals delicately stitched on the outer kimono. Her obi was the same pink as her under kimono. Ana patted the pillows in front of her as she pulled out a brush.

"Let me see…. Oh, Prince Inuyasha must have been around three or four in human years. Inuyasha had already developed into being quite the troublemaker. Lady Izaiyo had started to follow him around the house just to keep him from destroying the castle. One day he managed to slip away from the Lady, and found himself in Lord Sesshomaru's room while the lord was out. We searched high and low and Lady Izaiyo was in tears when the young lord came home. He heard about the disappearance of his younger brother and since the master was dead it was Lord Sesshomaru's responsibility to find and discipline Prince Inuyasha. Well, he went in to change clothes and found the young prince had crawled out his hiding place and found a nice little spot in the middle of Lord Sesshomaru's king size futon. The sad part was no one not even Lord Sesshomaru had the heart to wake the sleeping child and move him. It was one of the few times that he even showed any form of kindness to his brother let alone be suckered into letting Inuyasha having his way. Lord Sesshomaru is a hard demon, but even his weakness for the darling little babes or pups can't hold a camera to that little boy we had watch until Lady Izaiyo died." Ana sniffed as she pulled Kagome's hair up and placed two combs with sakura blossoms to secure it. "All done, what do you think milady?"

Kagome looked in the mirror turning her head slightly to see the back from each side she nodded with approval. "I can see Inuyasha being a troublemaker. He hadn't quite out grown it when I met him. I thought him rude and obnoxious, but I was wrong. He was rude obnoxious but he was also kind, gentle, a good listener, loving, and even a little jealous in a good way. I do miss him, and we were not meant to be. He was ripped away from Kikyo and then met me her reincarnation to be ripped away again. I am sure I will find him again, but where? I thought we were supposed to be soul mates. I guessed wrong."

Ana listened to the girl understanding the affection the two had once had thought quietly, "Lady Kagome, what is your era like? I thought I heard from Rin once that you were from beyond the Bone Eater's well."

"Well, it's roughly five hundred years ahead of the time here. There have been many advances, and humans have over populated the earth. Any demons in my time have themselves very well hidden or can only be seen by people like me with spiritual powers. I once found a scroll with my family history. We own a shrine that has been in the family for nearly four hundred years and my family I found traces back to Lady Kaeda and Lady Kikyo. I researched reincarnation, as well, and to receive the powers of being a miko it had to come from a decedent. So Inuyasha had been blown away to find out that Kikyo was actually my distant great aunt was really funny. He really made a fuss over that." Kagome chuckled. "Not only was the girl who freed him from the sacred tree who was in love with and his best friend related his first love was really weird. He refused to talk to me for about ten days when he found out. I'm meant he already knew I was her reincarnation but her family sort of that was harsh."

Ana grinned at that last comment. "I can imagine." Turning to the door the demoness quipped, "Ready to go have some breakfast?"

Kagome just nodded in agreement and the two slipped out of the room. Ana walked with Kagome as the headed down the mass of hallways towards the dinning room laughing, and talking about the past er future.

"Ana, any news you can give me to what the fest of tears were about last night?" Lord Sesshomaru questioned as he was looking at some papers.

"My lord, I believe you would not be wrong in saying that they were brought on by Lady Kagome's fierce love for your deceased brother. He had asked her to mate with him after Naruko was gone. Of course, Naruko is gone but so Inuyasha and evidently by her hand. Is not that a similar story to that of the dead miko and Inuyasha? And if she is this other miko's reincarnation would it not be safe to say that Inuyasha would then be reincarnated as well? Most likely that in her time." Ana concluded.

"Ana, you are correct in your assumptions except maybe the last. The only way Inuyasha would be reincarnated as you say would have to be some one of his descent lasted until Kagome's time. Thank you for your information about her sadness." Sesshomaru tapped his chin thoughtfully, "So, if we take the assumptions as true then I will speak to Kagome. First, I need to research some things." With that Sesshomaru dismissed Ana and walked out of his study heading in the direction of the large library and records rooms across the manor.