Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

Saligia

Seraphima

Sesshoumaru watched her converse with Bokuseno, his groundskeeper. He was a wise, patient man with deep fathomless eyes. Graying around the edges, he had an inherent ageless quality about him and being an immortal, it was a trait Sesshoumaru appreciated.

She laughed, the sound soft but a little strained. It brought a smile to Bokuseno's thin lips and as he showed her the various winter flora in the expansive garden, Sesshoumaru saw some light return to her eyes. He found he preferred it that way. For some reason, the sight of her tears and the sound of her broken heart hadn't sat well with him. Normally aloof and oftentimes impervious to such human reactions, Sesshoumaru found himself wanting to ease her hurt.

His Seraphima Solare—and yes, she was his—had been so acutely devastated by her loss. But it was the best way, he had assured himself. Erasing her existence all together from this mortal plane would brook no future complications. Yet, he hadn't been expecting such a strong reaction from her and that had been his error. Humans were overly emotional creatures after all. A strange sort of ordered chaos colored their lives.

But living such fleeting existences, how could they not be the way they were?

Hindsight was always twenty-twenty and he should have learned from experience. His departure from the skies hadn't been the most peaceful either. She bent down to pluck a small blue flower, twirling it in her fingers before inhaling its soft scent. A tentative smile touched her lips as she hurried to catch up with his groundskeeper.

It was her. It was him. It was their soul nexus, the very core of their beings that were now connected in the most elemental, basic of ways. Sesshoumaru had touched her soul. He'd delved into her life, sifted through her memories as he forced a connection in her dying moments. He knew how naturally alluring she was. The love she so freely gave. Hers was a pure, resilient soul and he was beginning to understand why the heavens had wanted her.

However, their connection was growing disturbingly fast and he'd have to be blind not to see it…to feel it. What made him grip the balustrade of his bedroom balcony and seriously question himself was the glaring fact that he didn't want to put an end to it. He wanted to nurture this link between them and that in itself should have snapped him from the clouds and back into his pit of ravenous fury. He wanted revenge. He wanted immortal blood on his hands. He didn't want her. He didn't want to want her because he would ultimately destroy her. The one who had always been meant for him and only him would suffocate and wither away. And he would have no one to blame but himself.

He found her curled up on one of the large settees in the library. Nestled beneath a quilt and surrounded by piles of books and scrolls collected over the years, she lightly dozed in the candlelight. Taken in by her peaceful features, by the calm beauty she exuded, he lightly trailed the back of his fingers along her cheek. There was little he desired, but in this moment, he wanted nothing else than to lay beside her and wrap his body around hers.

Her eyes fluttered open and she started at the sight of him, dropping the book in her lap. "Sesshoumaru…"

"You were not in your bedroom."

She shook her head. "I wanted to do a little bit of light reading."

He glanced at the piles, quirking a brow.

"Okay, so maybe not so light…" she confessed. "I find it hard to sleep most nights."

"Bokuseno knows of some remedies that may be of use."

"Oh…" Kagome lapsed into silence, biting her lower lip. "Sesshoumaru?"

Deciding to humor her, he took a seat, taking in her fresh scent and her radiant warmth.

"What is the Seraphima Solare?"

Her expression was earnest. Those blue eyes flecked with silver, beseeching. Bokuseno must've let it slip. "It is who you would've become had you died that night and ascended." My promised bride. My love and treasure. "You are heaven's light, needed to keep balance and peace between realms and within the Garden."

"You took me instead…"

"You belonged to me."

Kagome looked at him, unknowingly shifting closer to his body. His eyes had become far away, his face an unreadable mask in the dim candlelight. "I saw your memories," she whispered. "When you saved me…"

Sesshoumaru turned to her, toyed with a lock of rich black hair with an unreadable expression. She was much too honest for her own good. Too trusting towards someone like him. He supposed it had been inevitable that she would glimpse his life as he did hers. The trapping of a soul nexus even he could not avoid. His hand curved around her neck and caressed the delicate skin there, tracing absent patterns.

"I don't know you, but at the same time, I do…here…" she murmured, hand over her heart and leaning into his strong touch. "Sometimes I feel as if we were always meant to be together…that there's more than just this." Kagome smiled then, shaking her head. "But then I think I've simply grown attached because you saved me."

"What you're feeling...it is a natural consequence of our bond," Sesshoumaru revealed.

She crawled into his lap then, lured by his touches and burrowed into his deeply masculine warmth. And he allowed it. He allowed it because it felt natural and right and a part of him didn't want to let her go just yet. She seemed to appreciate it. Bokuseno had hinted she was lonely. That he shouldn't leave her to fend for herself because it wasn't right to treat such a lovely woman thusly. Silly old groundskeeper.

"What will happen now?" she asked, drawing back to look at him.

She made such an alluring sight then with her tousled hair and deep blue bedroom eyes. Mine. His hand trailed up her arm and along the smooth column of her neck before caressing the side of her face, tangling with her soft midnight locks. Sesshoumaru pulled her closer and brushed his thumb across her rose petal lips. Without another thought, he softly kissed her. Gentle. Cautious and feather light.

"We wait..." he murmured, touching his forehead to hers.

Later, as Kagome lay curled in his arms fast asleep, Sesshoumaru would question his selfishness and wonder if it was not too late to turn back time.

"We have to hurry!"

"Wait for me, Shippou!"

Spinning around as small wings flapped furiously, the young cherub grabbed Rin's hand and together they bolted to the golden obelisk that stood in the center of the Garden.

...

In the midst of an Exousia briefing, Touga and his archangels were interrupted by the abrupt arrival of two of his minor messengers. He arched a brow at their breathlessness, waiting patiently to hear what had them both in a panic. Unfortunately, his son lacked even a drop of the virtue in that thick head of his.

"We ain't got all day, Shipp."

The small cherub glared at Inuyasha before taking a deep breath. "We just saw a group of angels descend."

"A few were due to depart today. It's no surprise," Miroku chimed in.

"But they had armor and weapons!" Rin shouted before meekly hiding behind her close orange-haired friend as all eyes turned on her.

Shippou rolled his eyes. "They flew from the Tower."

The Arc Noblesse. Touga swept to his feet, his expression a sudden torrent of fury. So this was their response.

"They're going after Sesshoumaru, aren't they?" said Inuyasha, black wings rustling in agitation.

"Retribution. What he's done will not be overlooked. They probably have a kill order," Miroku stated, a note of dread edging his words.

"For both of them," Touga added. He knew the Noblesse wouldn't have swept this under the rug but he also hadn't anticipated a descent behind his back.

"I'm heading down." Inuyasha spun around, expecting to hear an objection from his father.

"Take Miroku and Kouga with you. I will deal with the Arc Noblesse."

Surprised, both Inuyasha and Miroku stuttered, slack jawed. When it came to descending to Earth, it was rare for the Arch General to be so willing.

But then again, this was Sesshoumaru and the Seraphima Solare. This was blood and family. Rules and protocol be damned.

to be continued…

-demimonde