Kagome awoke in a white room. Something was on her face and something else was beeping nearby. The murmur of her mother's voice, along with another, male, voice caused her to look around. She was in a hospital.
Kagome removed the oxygen mask and sat up. "Mama?"
The hushed voices stopped and Kagome's mother appeared, ducking through the doorway. The doctor followed.
Kagome noticed that her mother's eyes were red and her cheeks were wet and knew that something bad had happened. The last thing she remembered was…
'I came home and then… I went inside and I… I guess I passed out.'
"Mama, what's wrong?"
The older woman teared up again and turned away. The doctor stepped forward. "Kagome-san, you have highly developed cancer. We believe it started in your heart, but it has spread. As it is now, it is inoperable. We're actually not sure how it could have spread so fast, without you noticing it. With this kind of development, it should have been noticed years ago."
"Oh." Kagome was stunned. She was only eighteen and she had cancer? "Am I going to die?"
The doctor shifted uncomfortably. "We're going to try treatment, some chemotherapy, but at this point…" he glanced at her mother. "At this point, I think the best thing we can do is make you comfortable and monitor your condition."
"Will I be able to go home?"
"We'd like to keep you a couple days to get you started on treatment, but as for after, we'll play that by ear. Now, I'll let you have some time with your mother." The doctor left and Kagome's mother rushed to her side and collapsed by the bed.
"It's okay Mama, it's okay." Kagome was surprised that she was able to remain so calm. She supposed it had something to do with facing down death every day in the Feudal era. "Mama, it'll all be okay."
"K-Kagome, you're dying."
"I know Mama."
Her daughter's tone surprised Kyoko. It shocked her out of her tears and she noticed that Kagome was perfectly calm.
"How can you be so calm?"
Kagome shrugged. "Everyone dies Mama. I had two memorial tablets when I came home, do you have them? They were two of my best friends. They were still alive when they gave the tablets to me. I –" Kagome faltered, but regained her voice. "I don't want to die. I want to go to college and grow up and get married. I want to have children, Mama, but I won't get to. It's scary. But I know that my friends are waiting and I know that I've had more happiness in the past few years than some people ever get."
Kyoko hugged her daughter. "You are so strong," she sobbed. "I'm so proud to have you as my daughter."
Kagome nodded. "Where are Sota and Gramps?"
"They're in the waiting room, should I go get them?"
"Yes, please."
Left alone for a few minutes, Kagome felt tears start to well up, but banished them. She had to accept her fate and help her family to accept it as well.
"Kagome?"
She smiled at her little brother. "Hey Sota, what's up?"
"Are you really going to die?"
Kagome opened her arms to hold her little brother. "Yes Sota. But it will be okay, everything will be okay."
The family spent the next few hours with Kagome and she learned that she had been in the hospital all night and that it was already noon of the next day. She told her family to go home and pulled the curtains over the window. When she was finally alone, she cried.
She was too young. She had hardly even finished high school. She had just emerged from her fist love. She had never gotten to see the world outside of Japan. The doctors had told her she only had a short while to live. Soon she would be cremated, ashes all that would be left of her insignificant life.
She rubbed at her eyes, wiping tears away as more fell. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
The male nurse slipped into the patient's room. Earlier he had noticed the piece of jewelry on her finger, a silver ring with a blue crescent stone. The painkillers the girl was on would keep her asleep deeply enough for him to exam it.
He lifted her hand gently. The stone flashed red as her touched it and a scent of dog musk washed from it. The nurse placed the cancer patient's hand back onto the bed and crept from the room. He then locked himself in the break room and dialed a number on his cell phone.
"Sakura-sama? Yes, I have a member of Sesshomaru-sama's clan at the Tokyo General Hospital, Oncology Center. Can you please inform him? ... Ah yes, this is Takamura Renji… She has very advanced cancer; I don't believe she will live long… Her name? Higurashi Kagome."
Kagome awoke to dim daylight slipping through the shades on the windows. She felt kind of numb, a bit out of it. And she seemed to be hallucinating.
"Heya Sessho-shomaru. Why ya wearin' a suit like that?"
Sesshomaru pushed off from the wall. He walked to her bedside and pushed a button. "Hello Kagome. It's been quite a while." He pulled over a chair and sat in it. "How're you feeling?"
The fog of sleep with a mixture of painkillers was starting to clear. "Are you real?"
"Quite."
A male nurse came in and bowed. "You paged?"
"Find Kagome something to eat."
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama." He left and Kagome looked from his retreating back to Sesshomaru.
"He is a youkai under my protection. He recognized the ring I gave you and made a call. I came as quickly as possible."
"So you know? That I'm dying?"
"Yes." Sesshomaru paused. "Do you want me to stop it?"
Kagome squeezed her eyes shut. "I… I can't think about that clearly right now. I – I haven't even accepted it yet. I don't know if something I say now is something I mean or just something I'm feeling at the moment."
"Think about it. I still possess Tenseiga."
Kagome smiled. "Let's not talk about it right now. How has your life been in the past 500 years? What about everyone else? Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha? Did he ever find Kikyo? And how about Shippo and Rin?"
"Your human friends married and had many children. I believe you are a descendent of theirs. After you left, they built a shrine around the well and became its guardians. Inuyasha eventually found Kikyo. They did not remain together. I am not sure what happened to her. Inuyasha wandered for a while before settling down and finding a mate. He died in the second world war."
"Oh no… What about his mate? Did they have any children?"
"She was only able to have a single child. She died shortly after him. The boy came under my care."
"And Rin and Shippo?"
"Rin married into the emperor's family. I still care for her descendents. Shippo is working for me. He is currently in Europe, but I sent word for him to return."
"Thank you. But you never told me about you."
"I am a business man and was a military strategist in World War II. I still hold my castle but my lands have been split. I left my job as a military strategist when I met a woman."
"A woman, Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome was grinning. "What happened? What's her name?"
"We have been mated for nearly seventy years. Her name is Takaya Elizabeth. We have two pups, a male and a female."
"Wow. Congratulations. How did all those women that were pressuring you in the Sengoku Jidai take it? It sounds like she's foreign."
"She is English. It does not matter what those women thought. What you told me five-hundred years ago was true."
Kagome scrunched her eyebrows, trying to remember what he was talking about. "Let them come. You just ignore them until you find the right woman. Those other women don't matter and whoever is pressuring you doesn't matter. You are the Lord of the Western Lands and you can choose whoever and whenever you want. You'll know when you find the right woman. Knowing you, she'll have to be a strong, intelligent woman. You'd get too irritated with any other. Don't worry about it. When the time comes, you'll know."
She laughed. "You knew?"
"At once."
"Where is she now?"
"The waiting room. She has heard much about you."
"And your pups? What about them? How old are they? What are their names?"
Sesshomaru sighed. "I will bring them in if you would like to meet them." Renji, the male nurse, came back in with applesauce and pasta for Kagome. Sesshomaru took the tray placed it over Kagome's lap, raising her bed after he did so. She hadn't even realized she was still horizontal. "I will be back momentarily."
Kagome tried a bit of the spaghetti. It was good. Renji was waiting in the corner. "Did you make this? I've never had hospital food that was good."
The man nodded, flushing a bit. "Anyone related to Sesshomaru-sama warrants decent food. He helped yokai blend in when humans grew more numerous and dangerous. He is well-respected among us."
"Nurse-san… how long do I have to live?"
"I do not know Kagome-sama. Honestly… at the stage you're in, the fact that you are sentient is shocking… You should be unconscious and unable to function. Something has messed up the process of your cancer. It should have been detected before now; something could have been done. And if you have been around people with yokai blood, especially inu yokai, it should have been detected, even if they were only half- or quarter-demons."
The sauce was thick and red, Kagome noticed, staring at her food and thinking hard about the past. "How long do you think I've had it?"
"I'm not sure. It should have been detected at least a year ago, if not earlier. If your case were normal, I'd say you had days, maybe weeks to live."
Renji stepped out of the room as Sesshomaru entered with a red-headed woman carrying a small girl. A young boy followed them. He was around ten or twelve years old.
Elizabeth's beautiful red hair was pulled back into a sensible ponytail and the only makeup she wore was brown eyeliner to accent her bottle-green eyes. Her green skirt was knee-length and she wore a black v-neck shirt and black flats to go with it.
She set the toddler down and stepped up to the bed. "Hello, I'm Elizabeth. You must be Kagome. This little girl is Saya." The toddler peered up at Kagome. "Say hello to Aunt Kagome, Saya."
"Ohayu."
Kagome chuckled at the little girl's mispronunciation. "Hi there Saya-chan. How old are you?"
"I'm trwee."
The little girl was just too cute! "And who are you kiddo?" she asked the boy.
"I'm Inuyasha."
Kagome quirked an eyebrow at Sesshomaru. He shrugged back. "That's a good name. I'm sure you've heard lots about your uncle. He was a strong man and honorable."
"Daddy… I mean Father," the boy said, trying to seem mature to the miko in front of him, "says he was stuck to a tree once."
"Yep, for fifty years! I had to pull the arrow out of his chest to release him."
Little Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yep! And then we had to battle an evil centipede demon…" Kagome told the little boy a little about his namesake's adventures before she looked at Sesshomaru.
"You said Inuyasha had a son…?"
Sesshomaru nodded. "He will be here shortly. He wants to meet you."
"Okay." Kagome smiled at Elizabeth. "So… what kind of demon are you?"
"Oh, I'm a bit of a mix… I'm a wolf-dog. It doesn't make too much difference when it comes right down to it. Wolves have plenty of power," did Sesshomaru just roll his eyes? "but dogs are a tiny bit more evolved." Elizabeth had a beautiful smile. "You should have seen the first time I met Sesshomaru. He was with the Japanese military and I was a British woman during World War II. And beyond that, he was so arrogant! He looked down on a mutt like me. So I went up to him and I slapped him. And I said, 'Well if you don't like what you see, don't look! And we don't serve Japanese soldiers here!' I was working at a bar at that time. He was in Britain for negotiations or some such thing. He came back a week later in a suit rather than a uniform and asked me on a date! And I told him, 'You know we're gonna end up with little wolf-dog pups, don't you?' He just smirked at me. 'I know not to let a good woman pass me by over something like that.' It was so romantic."
Inuyasha was sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Yuck."
Kagome ruffled his hair. "You listen here, alright? Someday you won't think that's yucky at all. You'll find a woman that you think the same thing about and then you'll regret not listening to your smooth-talking dady." She felt a sharp pain in her chest and clutched at it, leaning back with her eyes clenched shut. It throbbed and hurt more for a moment. When she opened her eyes back up, panting raggedly, only Sesshomaru was left in the room.
"You are in pain."
"It'll be fine."
"You should rest."
"I want to meet Inuyasha's son."
Sesshomaru snorted. "The boy can wait. He needs to learn patience as much as his father did."
The miko smiled. "It's nice to see you found the right person, Sesshomaru. There were times I was worried you never would. The women in Japan just weren't right for you back then." She paused and laughed. "Then again, I guess they never were, since you ended up marrying a British woman."
"Hn."
"She has a lot of fire in her. And she loves you very much. I'm glad she came."
"She has wanted to meet you for decades. When she heard you were dying, she had the suitcases packed and ready to go before I had even hung up the phone."
"All the same, I'm happy she's here."
Sesshomaru nodded and sat in a chair beside the bed.
"I'm really scared, Sesshomaru. I'm terrified of dying. But honestly… I don't want to change anything. The past few years have been so amazing that I can't help but be grateful for them, even if they did lead up to… this," she said, motioning around her. "I think the jewel kept me feeling well while I had it, so it could be completed, but maybe all those toxins and miasma finally took their toll."
"If you wish it, I still have the jewel. It could restore you to health."
Kagome was silent. It was so tempting… She could go on to college, find a good man, marry, have children... "No." She looked out the crack in the curtains. "I think I've fulfilled the purpose of my life. I've had a grand adventure and made wonderful friends. There's nothing left that could compare to that happiness."
"Ready for your next grand adventure?"
Kagome grinned. "I guess that is the best way to describe it, isn't it? They tell me I haven't got much time. They say they could try chemo but it would be best to just make me comfortable. And you know, at least I'll be surrounded by people I love. Yes, they will hurt and they will grieve. But they will have also given me the best gift. Knowing that they still care is all I really want."
There was a hesitant knock at the door. Sesshomaru and Kagome both looked as a young man poked his head in.
"You may come in Shigure."
He entered, closing the door behind him and dropped the illusion he had over his demon form. His hair was thick and long, slicker than his father's had been, but the same shade of silvery-white. He had the same ears perched atop his head. But his eyes were completely different.
Rather than the rich gold Inuyasha's had been, Shigure's were deep blue. Kagome felt her heart clench as she saw him and knew it had nothing to do with her disease.
"Hello," she said, smiling awkwardly. "I'm Kagome."
Shigure bowed. "I've heard a lot about you, Kagome-san. My father used to speak of you all the time when I was a child. He would tell Mother and I about your adventures." Shigure stepped closer. "Is it true that you are…?"
"Yes, it is."
The young man frowned. "Is there nothing you can do?" he asked, turning to his uncle.
"She has rejected my offers of health."
"Oh."
"I wish we could have met before this Shigure-san."
"So do I."
Sesshomaru glanced between the two of them and his heart felt for them. He could tell they were each having a moment like the one he had when Elizabeth had slapped him at that first meeting. "I will be in the hall. I need to make a phone call."
Shigure took his uncle's seat as he left. "Dad thought about you a lot. He wanted to see you again one day. He said you were his best friend and the first person to accept him as a hanyo. I'm hanyo too you know," he said, twitching his ears and smiling. Kagome giggled.
"Do you mind if I touch them?" The boy nodded his consent and she began to stroke them gently. "That was what first attracted me to your dad, you know. He was pinned to the Goshinboku and he looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping. But I couldn't resist his cute ears!"
Shigure laughed. "You molested my dad's ears while he was sleeping? How'd he take that?"
Kagome grinned. "I think he was more distracted by the fact that Mistress Centipede was trying to kill us."
The two spoke for a while longer, sharing bits of their lives. Shigure was attending college in Tokyo and wanted to be a lawyer. He didn't have a girlfriend and didn't plan on getting one any time soon, but he did have a fluffy black cat named Cherry. Kagome giggled at that.
"How'd she get that name?"
Shigure smiled. "Her name was gonna be Chelsea, but I got back from school one day and I must have left this cherry pie my mom baked out on the counter, 'cause she was absolutely COVERED in cherry filling. I think she must have jumped up onto the counter and into the pie on accident. She was so shocked, she tried to jump back down, but dragged the pie with her and it dumped the filling all over her."
Kagome laughed at the thought of a fluffy black kitten covered in cherry filling. "Wow." She looked around. "What time is it? It seems like Sesshomaru has been gone for a while."
Shigure looked at his watch and cursed. "Man, I'm gonna be late for work." He stood and grimaced. "I wish I could just stay here…"
"Me too," Kagome said softly.
"I suppose I could call in…"
"No, you shouldn't do that. I'm not gonna die over night. I promise." She smiled at him.
"Okay… You better not or else I'll follow you into the underworld and beat you up." He winked.
"See you tomorrow?"
"Definitely." Shigure paused for a moment, then leaned down and pecked a kiss onto her lips. When he left, both their cheeks were red.
A few minutes after he left, Sesshomaru re-entered the room. The sat in silence for a while.
"I haven't felt like that in ages. When I was traveling in the Sengoku Jidai, I never got to feel young. Or…" She glanced at Sesshomaru.
"In love, Kagome. That is what you feel."
She sighed. "Yeah. That."
Soon after, Sesshomaru left to allow Kagome to rest. When he returned the next day, he had a red-headed man with him.
"Shippo-chan?"
"Hiya Kagome-chan. What kinda mess did you get into this time?"
Kagome laughed. "The fatal kind I guess."
Kagome's high school friends visited over the next week as well, but they seemed to feel awkward. They weren't used to death like her yokai friends were. It was too unnatural for them to see someone their own age sitting in a hospital on borrowed time.
Each day, Kagome's pain got a little worse and she would have times when she would be unable to talk or move or even breathe properly. Shigure would hold her hand tightly at those moments, eyes worried. As soon as the pain was gone, Kagome would smile reassuringly and continue their conversation.
Her family also came. Sota was trying to be strong for his mother and grandfather, but Kagome knew he was hurting too. She tried to make him happier by telling him tales of when she and Inuyasha had ventured into the realms of death for shards and for Inuyasha's sword. Every story she told seemed to make him feel better.
"I bet you'll be a caretaker for all those bones Kagome! The flying bird bones, you know? I bet they have to have somewhere to stay and someone to feed them."
"I dunno Sota. I think I'll be reincarnated as a fish!"
"Ewww Kagome! Why would you want to be a fish!"
After a week, the hospital allowed her to go home, muttering to her mother to make her comfortable and that she probably only had a few more weeks.
Despite her growing affections for Shigure, it was Sesshomaru's calm, stable presence that comforted her the most.
"I'm starting to believe I'll be reincarnated," she confided in him. "Maybe this life is over with, but I'm absolutely sure there's more to do before I'm ready to follow you around and haunt you," she teased.
"As if you could, miko. You'd probably get pulled into some trouble in the afterlife and have to run off on some quest again."
Kagome smiled. "True. Maybe it's just Nirvana then. Maybe I'll let go of the troubles of this plane and exist in endless peace."
The dog demon snorted.
Kagome began to sleep longer and longer and felt more and more pain. She was eventually forced to take more painkillers to remain halfway lucid. In her dreams, she was back in the Sengoku Jidai with her friends, helping villagers harvest food or build huts. It was peaceful and fun.
During the day, there was always someone with her, most often Shigure or Sesshomaru. Shigure would steal light kisses and his face became more and more grave as Kagome lost weight and gained dark shadows under her eyes. There were times he could tell she was fighting to remain conscious for just a bit longer. He knew her time was approaching fast. He took his uncle aside two weeks after she had been released from the hospital.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" he pleaded.
Sesshomaru shook his head. "I wish there was, but it is her choice."
Shigure bowed his head, one hand gripping his uncle's sleeve near the shoulder. "Please uncle. She thinks more of you than anyone. Can't you convince her to take the jewel back or let you revive her or something?"
Sesshomaru patted the young man on the shoulder. "There is nothing. She has always been willful and she has resigned herself."
But as he watched her sleep fitfully, he wondered if there was something he could do. After so many years spent with Tenseiga, he could sense the death goblins around her, waiting patiently. He knew she would die the next day unless something was done. For the first time in many years, Sesshomaru pressed his forehead into his palms and silently mourned and thought.
Kagome awoke without pain. She was able to sit up and walk to the bathroom by herself. When she got there, she immediately knew why she felt better.
"Sesshomaru, why is this around my neck?" she asked, pointing to the Shikon no Tama.
"Kagome, you are going to die today," he told her.
"I know," she said quietly. "Inuyasha came to me in a dream last night. He told me I was going to die today."
"Then accept the jewel for a day and enjoy yourself."
Kagome paused before her face lit up into a smile. "Thank you."
She showered and dressed herself in a blue and white sundress and went downstairs to see her family.
"Kagome! What are you doing out of bed?" Her mother looked concerned.
"Don't worry Mama. Sesshomaru gave me something to help me feel better for the day. I thought maybe I would go on a picnic."
Kyoko looked to the demon lord for confirmation. He gave the slightest nod of his head. "Let me make you something to take then dear."
Her mother threw a quick lunch together and put it in a picnic basket. "Come back before dark, please."
Kagome kissed her mother on the cheek and she and Sesshomaru began to walk.
"I already called Shippo and Shigure. They will meet us there."
"Where are we going anyways? You suggested a picnic, but you never really said where we'd have it."
"I have an estate near here. It is quite peaceful and beautiful."
"Oh, okay."
A car picked them up at the bottom of the shrine steps and drove them to the countryside. About an hour outside of Tokyo, the turned up a long drive and finally stopped at a beautiful two-story house. It wasn't huge, but the landscaping and brick exterior made it feel whimsical. Shippo, Shigure and Elizabeth were all out front waiting. Kagome smiled and waved to them.
"It's amazing how much better I feel with this gem around my neck," she commented to her old friend before they got out of the car. "It's like I'm healthy again."
The five of them went to the back of the house where there was a field of wild flowers at the edge of a forest. Elizabeth had remembered to grab a large blanket and she and Shigure spread it out together. Then they all sat. Elizabeth leaned against her husband. Kagome sat to Sesshomaru's other side and Shigure sat beside her. Shippo was between Shigure and Elizabeth.
They enjoyed the drinks and food Kyoko had prepared a little bit at a time. Elizabeth told Kagome about Inuyasha's adventures at school and how much he was talking about his "Aunt Kagome."
"You really made an impression. All he talks about now is you and his Uncle Inuyasha! He loved all those stories you told him. I think I'll put him to work telling Saya bedtime stories now."
Kagome laughed. "We did some pretty amazing stuff."
Shippo prodded Shigure with his foot. "I told you how they rescued me from Hiten and Manten when you were younger. You remember?"
"Yeah. Dad always used to say he should have left you to them so he wouldn't have had to deal with an "annoying little fox" for the next four-hundred years."
Shippo grinned. "I used to get him "sit"-ed all the time, on purpose."
Shigure cocked his head. "Sit-ed?"
"Yeah! Inuyasha had this subjugation necklace that Kagome used whenever he was being a jerk. All she had to do was say "sit" and he'd go plummeting face-first into the ground. She even used it in the final battle against Naraku!"
Shigure chuckled and looked at Kagome. "How'd you get that on him?"
"Kaede did it actually. Your Inuyasha was trying to kill me to get the Shikon no Tama, so Kaede did this chant and the beads appeared. She told me to choose a word of subjugation and that was the first thing I could think of."
Shigure shook his head and reached into the collar of his shirt. "Are these the subjugation beads?"
"Yeah! That's them." Kagome smiled, half fondly, half mournfully.
"He never took them off. They brought them back to us after his plane was shot down. Mom told me I should have them."
Shippo snorted. "He hated that thing for the longest time. But Kagome, tell him about how you used them in the final battle!"
She laughed. He was still the same little fox cub they had rescued what seemed like forever ago. "Sesshomaru and I were walking back to the village where Tokyo is now. We'd been talking. He'd actually asked me to be his mate!"
"He told me about that!" Elizabeth said, laughing. "Said you turned him down without even thinking about it. He also said he got some good advice from you that day."
"Yep. So, we were on our way back, when he stopped. I guess he'd smelled Naraku or something. Miroku had already put up a barrier around the village with everyone inside. I got there and added my energy to his to keep the barrier up. Naraku arrived with some lesser demons and his offspring. Sesshomaru told him to use the Kaze no Kizu on the lesser ones and then go after Naraku. Inuyasha listened for once and Sesshomaru took out Kanna and Kagura, two of Naraku's offspring, while Sango and Inuyasha took care of the lesser demons.
"At that point, Naraku tried to get away, but Sesshomaru stopped him. I saw that he had the Shikon no Tama, so we knew it was the real Naraku. Then he tried to absorb Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. They both broke out and started attacking Naraku again with Sango's help. I was watching from inside the barrier since I had the rest of the shards and I finally saw where the shards were. Inuyasha was right in the way though –"
"As usual," Shippo added.
"So I yelled "Sit!" as loud as I could and shot my arrow as soon as he was out of the way. I think that's the only time he didn't complain about being sat," she told them, sniggering. "Naraku was only stunned, so Sesshomaru started tearing him apart and threw his portion of the jewel to me. I left the barrier and purified Naraku the rest of the way and we won."
"Wow. Dad never told it in that much detail."
"It's only been a few months for me. It had been hundreds of years for him," she told Shigure. "Plus, he was Inuyasha. I'm surprised he told you stories at all, unless it was to brag."
The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily. Kagome eventually laid her head in Shigure's lap and he stroked her hair and wove flowers into it.
"You are beautiful," he whispered. The other yokai pretended not to hear. They turned away as he leaned down as pressed his lips against hers. They ignored the smell of salt as the couple shed a few tears for what was being lost.
"I'm dying today."
They could not ignore that.
Shigure froze and Elizabeth and Shippo stared at her, stunned. "Today?"
Kagome closed her eyes and enjoyed the sun on her skin. "Yes. That's why Sesshomaru gave me the jewel to wear today. I wanted to have a nice last day with all of you."
She felt Shigure grab her hand and clutch it tightly. She couldn't bring herself to regret meeting him. It was only a short amount of time, but for her it was worth every second. She only hoped it was the same for him.
She sat up. "Sesshomaru, how about we go for a walk in the woods? For old time's sake?"
He nodded and helped her to her feet.
They waited until they were out of hearing range before either spoke.
"Will he be okay?" she asked.
"He is strong. He will survive and he will grow. And perhaps someday he will love another. I… have my suspicions."
Kagome looked at him.
"Do you remember the question you asked me before the final battle?"
"Yes."
"I think you will be reincarnated. And he will find you."
"How do you know?"
"For all that his manners are better, he is his father's son," Kagome thought she might have seen Sesshomaru's mouth twitch in the semblance of a smile, "And his uncle's nephew. If he wants you, he will find you. And he will wait until you have grown and then he will court you."
"Do you think he really wants me that much?"
"You remember what else we spoke of before the battle. You said, 'You'll know when you find the right woman.' And I did. Shigure did too. He will search for you. And I have no doubt he will find you." Sesshomaru was silent as he and Kagome both thought with the birds chirping around them. "I feel… that there is a certain amount of serendipity between you. You traveled with his father for years, yet neither of you felt strongly enough for the other for anything to come of it. Then you befriend me when at the time I was… unfriendable. Without one or the other, you would never have met Shigure. So I truly believe he will find you."
Kagome's spirits lifted and she turned her face upwards. Spots of sun trickled through the leaves of the trees and hit her face. "Thank you Sesshomaru. If not for you, I don't know how I would be right now. Telling you about the stars was probably the best idea I ever had."
Sesshomaru felt a certain amount of warmth spread through him. "And listening to you enabled me to make the best decisions I ever made. For that, I am glad I listened."
The two walked back to the meadow of wildflowers. Kagome smiled warmly at Shigure as the sunset's warm colors glinted off his silver hair. She sat beside him and ran her fingers through it before kissing him gently.
"It's time for me to go home now," she said.
They rode back together in Elizabeth's SUV, the atmosphere quiet and contemplative. Once at the shrine, Shigure carried Kagome up the stairs slowly, as if trying to prolong his time with her. Eventually they reached the top. Kyoko was waiting at the door to the house, smiling sadly. IT seemed that she had realized what the picnic and Kagome's temporary possession of the jewel meant. She knew her daughter would die that evening.
"I made you favorite udon, Kagome. There's enough for everyone, so why don't we eat dinner together?"
They all agreed. Kagome enjoyed every bite of her tasty dinner, savoring what she knew to be her last meal. When it was done, she watched Sota and Shippo play a video game against each other. She giggled as Shippo let her little brother win. The fox winked at her. Eventually though, it was Sota's bedtime.
"Give me a hug little brother."
"Awww, Kagome…" He seemed to realize everyone was acting solemn and rushed into her arms after the words had already escaped his mouth. "I'm sorry Kagome. I love you."
"I love you too Sota. Now go to bed. And make sure you do well in school, okay?"
The boy reluctantly went upstairs. Everyone else played a game of cards as they waited for him to fall asleep.
"I think it's time for me to go to bed too," Kagome said, standing. It was the moment everyone had been dreading.
Elizabeth hugged her. "It's been an honor, Kagome. Truly." The demoness backed away and sat down on the couch, making it clear, she would not be going upstairs.
"Thank you. Tell Inuyasha and Saya their Aunt Kagome loves them very much."
Gramps hugged her too, tears held back by sheer determination. He couldn't seem to speak, but Kagome knew what he wanted to say. "I love you too, Gramps."
Shigure took her hand and they made their way up the stairs, Sesshomaru, Kyoko and Shippo trailing behind. Kagome brushed her teeth and hair, changed and used the facilities then went to her room where everyone was waiting for her. She took a deep breath before entering. The Shikon no Tama was clutched in her hand. The pain was already setting in. Her mother was already crying.
Kagome patted the bed for Shigure to sit then laid her head in his lap as she had done earlier in the day. He could tell she was hurting. Her breathe was labored and, to the demons, smelled of blood and illness. Kyoko glanced towards the painkillers on her daughter's desk, but Kagome shook her head weakly.
"It's okay Mama."
Kyoko took her daughter's hand as the young woman's heart struggled to continue beating. Shippo watched as the woman he had practically considered a mother started to fade away.
Despite the outpouring of love Kagome was surrounded by – motherly love, a child's love and the love of a man – it was Sesshomaru she kept her eyes locked on. His gaze was steady. It was saying goodbye in the way an older brother's might as he watched his sister walk into college or walk down the aisle to her husband. It was a firm, commanding gaze saying, "Goodbye and fare well. We shall meet again." And to Kagome, it was the best comfort she had.
For her, the icy taiyokai was a rock. Thought he was called "the killing perfection," it was his gaze and his words that Kagome trusted the most. With her last bit of energy, she smiled and closed her eyes. And with that, Higurashi Kagome was no more.
The Shikon no Tama glowed and slipped from her hand and is went limp. And somewhere, in a hospital's maternity ward, a newborn baby girl began to cry, strange dreams of yokai already implanted in her mind.
probably, probably we
learn as we live
and then we
forget as we live
things with a beginning
will end someday
if you can go to the next
putting everything
if this world, the winners and losers
if it will split into two
I want to be the loser
I want to be a loser always
probably, probably we
are beautiful so much, we are sad
as time passes, we
get contaminated so much, we are sad
for the things that must be protected
I sacrifice something again today
those going to the next
all of that
if this world, the winners and losers
if it will split into two
I want to be the loser
I want to be a loser always
what can I tell you?
only being such a small self
I won't tell you more now
because the words are so
weak against time
A.N. The lyrics above are the English lyrics to one of the theme songs of Inuyasha, the song this fanfiction was named after: "No More Words."
I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. After finishing this story, I feel kind of peaceful. To me, this story is about life. I feel like it has helped me with accepting loss as well thought… this story needed to be written.
I would appreciate any comments you have. Thank you for your patience.