Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the few characters that I have invented to make my story possible. If there are any questions about the story refer to the end of chapter 15 or leave a signed review and I will answer it.
Sleep is the enemy! I lay down for just a moment to rest my eyes because my head hurts and I was down for the count! So let this be the lesson: Don't sleep, sleep when your dead! Ok now on with the show!!!
Ch.24 Making the Pieces Fit
Kagome then fell to her knees before the sacred god tree and cried her heart out. She cried for quite a while until she heard footsteps approaching her.
She then wiped her face and got ready to explain to her grandfather what had happened to have caused her to allow him to finally seal the well as he had wanted to do since she was dragged down it the first time.
Kagome looked up to meet her grandfathers' eyes. He then knelt at her side and placed a hand on her back in an attempt to sooth her.
She wiped at her tear stained face a waiting the questions she was sure were going to come next.
'What happened?', 'Are you done there now? Did you finish?', 'What happened to Inuyasha?', or 'Are your friends ok?'
Kagome went over the possible questions in her mind. A lot had happened in the time she was gone. Yes, she had completed the jewel and killed the hanu Naraku. She had completed all of what she needed to do and was now done with that time. Inuyasha and all her friends were happy now and beginning their new lives free of Naraku. Kagome could stop being the miko and go back to being normal Kagome Higurashi and start her own life in her own time. She could forget about the past.
'I need to forget him…but…I don't know if I really want to or even can.'
"Kagome dear…." Her grandfather began as she came back to reality still looking towards him. She then saw the pain and sadness that was flowing through his eyes and she felt guilty. She had caused this, but she would put on a smile and be strong because she knew in time she would be better and it would make everyone worry less, "What happened?"
The first question, but she couldn't just say 'a lot'. Kagome wiped her eyes again, "I helped Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru regain his lands, castle, and title. We also defeated Naraku and completed the jewel."
"But, why are you so sad? What has made you this upset child?"
Kagome paused to think of what she should tell him. Then she decided the truth would be best.
"I fell in love with him but…he didn't return it or ask for me to stay with him. He allowed me to leave and he told me it was my duty to do so to protect the jewel here in the future."
"You fell for this Sesshomaru?"
She nodded.
"Tell me of this Lord Sesshomaru then and why you love him."
Kagome hadn't expected this question but she smiled ever so slightly as she thought of her reasons. It didn't hurt too much to just think of those few moments that were special to her, nor did it hurt to talk about it. She then began to tell her grandfather what had happened from their beginning together and how he had come for her aid.
~*~*~*~
"Damn! Damn! Damn!!!"
The yell came from the bottom of the well followed by a 'thump' as Inuyasha landed head first. He quickly sat up rubbing his head and quite happy that he wasn't human because a fall like that would have killed him.
Sango rushed to the lip of the well, "Why didn't it let you go?!" She yelled down to him.
Kikyou then came into view, "She must have sealed it from the other side as well."
The two women then turned to look at Sesshomaru. He simply stood there in what appeared to be shock. Then as it hit him his eyes began to bleed red slightly.
"Why? Why would she seal it?!?!" he growled deeply.
Inuyasha jumped back up to the surface now and moved forwards to stand between his brother and his friends.
Miroku then spoke up, "Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Kagome was deeply distressed and perhaps she felt that in case we unsealed the well or in time the seal broke it would be best to seal her end as well."
Sesshomaru then fell to his knee kneeling and began to punch the ground only stopping when a decent sized crater was formed.
"So then how am I to see her? How am I to tell her? How am I to give her this?" He said pulling out the vial filled with the potion that Jaken had risked his life for.
Inuyasha began to slowly move towards his brother now feeling his intense emotions filling up and surrounding the area around them. Inuyasha was beginning to worry for Sesshomaru's sanity as his anger, sadness, and frustration began to blanket and weigh down on him.
"Sesshomaru, she will come back! Kagome isn't likely to have left to never come back again. We can try the well again too, maybe it was the way I jumped in."
Sesshomaru looked up towards his brother causing Inuyasha to freeze. The look on his brothers face was heart wrenching. Sesshomaru looked like a man that had watched everything fall apart before him and now with all the pieces of what had been surrounding him be couldn't put them back together again.
~*~*~*~
Kagome's Grandfather nodded as she finished telling him of her goodbye with Sesshomaru and he looked her in the eye.
"Kagome, you are my granddaughter and I love you, but I know you are stronger than that and all this! Lord Sesshomaru sounds like a good man and like he feels the same and just doesn't know how to show it to you or tell you. You must go back Kagome. You need to tell him how you feel and if he still won't tell you to stay ten you can come back and I will seal the well forever."
She was shocked by her grandfather's words and it took her a moment to collect herself and respond, "But, what if…"
"No, you will go Kagome and if he turns you away then he is not anything like the great demon lord you have described and he does not deserve you."
"But what if he accepts me? I…he would want me to be there with him."
Her grandfather smiled, "and I will be happy for you both as will mother and brother. We just want you to be happy child. Just be sure to bring me my great grand children to visit."
She smiled, some hope returning to her, "If he accepts me then of course we will."
Her grandfather smiled, "I know you will. Now you should go, I will unseal the well and you will be able to go."
She then stood and hugged him, "Thank you."
He hugged her back, "I didn't do anything that you would have figured out eventually."
~*~*~*~
Inuyasha was now close enough to his brother to the point actually that if Sesshomaru did lose it Inuyasha's life would be over in seconds.
"Sesshomaru I promise everything will be just fine. At the very worst you will just have to wait five hundred years to see her again."
Sesshomaru looked up towards his brother again, "I rather spend all that time with her than wait."
"But at least it is possible to search again, she isn't gone forever."
Sesshomaru looked back down to the ground, "I thought that losing my lands, home, and castle were the worst things that occurred but now I see that that was far easier to handle than her being gone simply because of my pride."
Everyone looked on sad for the further decline of the great Lord Sesshomaru. They didn't know really how to comfort him or tell him things would get better even if that was what they believed.
Then suddenly he stopped. Everyone noticing him freeze like a statue and hearing nothing else coming from him did the same and then Inuyasha heard and smelled…, "Kagome…"
No one moved. They didn't even look over the edge of the well for fear that they were wrong and that she wouldn't be there. Then they listened as she climbed and soon the great yellow bag came lunged over the lip of the well and it was decided. Kagome had come back.
Inuyasha then moved to help her out and she accepted relieved for the help. Once at the top she looked around and it didn't take long for her eyes to land on Sesshomaru. Everyone watched on in silence then when they realized that the two were now meeting again face to face.
"Kagome…" Her name barely escaped his lips before she raised a hand to stop him.
"Lord Sesshomaru…I have been by your side these last few weeks and we have been through a lot together. Because of my almost constant contact with you though I have, I like to believe, grown to know you better now."
Sesshomaru nodded, "As I have also grown to know you better Kagome."
She blushed at his tone when he said her name but she continued, "So I am here now to give you your last chance to convince me to stay here in this time with you and everyone else. I am willing to do this because I love you Sesshomaru-sama and am willing to sacrifice everything just to be here at your side."
She then stood there patiently watching him and waiting for his next move.
Sesshomaru then pulled out the vial and held it in his hand, "You asked me several times over the last week 'what had happened to Jaken'. Well soon after you left he came crashing in to the gardens with this vial and told me he had been on his own long and dangerous journey to make it so that you could be with me Kagome. I love you and I would take you either human of demon to be my mate but we have this chance and choice now in this vial. It has the power to transform you into an Inu-demoness and make you my intended mate."
Kagome was smiling now tears rolling down her cheeks, "You love me? And you want me to be your mate?"
Sesshomaru smiled at her slightly and nodded his head. Kagome then began to fall but he quickly ran to her side and caught her in his arms before taking her down to the floor to sit in his lap, "I was a fool to not tell you before but I will not have you walk away from me ever again love, I will never let you go, I am yours as long as you want me if you will be mine."
Kagome nodded her head and looked into his eyes before slowly closing hers and kissing him. He was a bit surprised but he too then gave in to the kiss and returned it fully. Sighs were heard as where the in audible grumblings of Inuyasha which served to remind them that they still had an audience.
Kagome blushed as she moved back a bit and Sesshomaru growled lightly in protest that the kiss had ended already.
"So then, do I simply drink the potion?" Kagome asked touching the glass vial.
Sesshomaru swirled the vial mixing the contents again, "Yes, but are you sure you want to do this?"
She smiled, "Yes, I want to live with you as long as possible and be at your side the same amount of time. I want our children to be accepted and not ridiculed and I want to be your strength not a weakness."
"You never were a weakness love, not to me or anyone else ever."
She smiled and kissed his check, "This is what I want." She then reached for the vial and he uncapped it and handed it to her.
Seconds later the vial was empty and lay on the floor as Kagome's body and skin increases in temperature in Sesshomaru's arms and she began to whimper slightly in pain.
"Kagome, what's wrong?" Sango asked moving slightly towards the two.
Kagome's skin then began to glow blue and she began to cry out in pain, but Sesshomaru held her to himself and tried to sooth her with his words.
Then a bright flash of light filled the area and when it cleared everyone was rubbing their eyes and began to look around to see a much different Kagome now being held in Sesshomaru's arm and she was asleep now from the ordeal that she went through moments before.
Her kimono looked way too small for her now and her hair seemed much longer than before. Also she now held two magenta stripes on each cheek and her eye lids as Sesshomaru did. He could tell from holding her too that some of her other features had also developed more and her scent had changed now to a cinnamon spice scent mixed with orchids. Also from his proximity he could tell that her hair was now two toned Black and blue.
She was beautiful before to him but he had to admit that the changes had only seemed to accentuate that beauty even more.
He now stood with her in his arms and turned to her friends, "I do not know how long she will need rest but when she has recovered we will have the appropriate banquet to acknowledge her as my mate and you are invited. I will send Jaken when the time comes."
Everyone nodded in understanding and Sesshomaru was about to leave when Inuyasha stopped him, "Take care of her. She may not be human anymore but she is still easily broken and I don't know if you will be able to put the pieces together again."
Sesshomaru nodded at his brother before looking to his love, "She makes the pieces fit despite the damage done, and I will not hurt her again because she is what holds me together now."
And with that he was gone into his orb with his soon to be mate in his arms.
~*~*~*~
A/N: Ok so there is one more chapter and I will be posting it on Friday (Late night possibly) next week and then there is also the epilogue and I want to take my time with that so it comes out nice so it may take an extra week or it may not. I just want to say thank you all for reading this story it wouldn't have been possible without the wonderful people that review and make me believe that the story was worth finishing. Please continue to read and review and I will see you next week.
-Vamp