A/N: Here we go!
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33.
She should not have been surprised really, this was around the time Inuyasha had been born.
She had at the beginning of her second journey thought of taking Shippo with her and going to look for any sign of Inuyasha or his family; but the fact was she knew very little about his mother or his childhood, let alone where either of them had lived before or after Inuyasha's birth.
And she knew better than to try the Western Lands, where Sesshōmaru by now was ruling with little interest or care of his half-brother. From what lessons of the 'Western Lord' Koyuki and Takamaru had instructed her on, he was busy fixing the mess in his court thanks to the fight between the Dragon Lord Ryukotsusei and the Inu no Taisho and the 'incident' afterwards; which she assumed was the death of the Inu Taisho. Even if Sesshōmaru had a shred of care for his half-brother, he would not have been able to check up on him anytime soon.
But even in her shocked mind, a little voice pointed out that something was no right about this. Considering what she knew about Inuyasha's childhood, he and his mother had been regulated to living with humans, and any interest from a yokai court had been none-existent. 'So why all of a sudden, would yokai have an interest in him enough to kidnap him?'
A soft whine interrupted her doubts. She mentally kicked herself. 'Theorize later Kagome! Inuyasha is here and in trouble!'
She bent before him slowly, making sure she did not tower over him. Even at such a young age his inu instincts would stamp her as a threat when cornered.
Smiling reassuringly she called gently to the frightened hanyou with her hand outstretched, "It's alright Inu-chan, I will not hurt you." Inuyasha slowly stopped trembling, sniffing cutely at her hand from a distance. Kagome remained still, as patient as a saint thanks in no small part to the older version of Inuyasha.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the small hanyou drew closer to her. She continued to smile gently, murmuring lowly so that the sound of her voice did not startle him.
It all came together when Inuyasha finally nudged her hand, taking in her scent. Slowly moving her hand, she began to smooth along his hair. She smiled when the adorable vision of the puppy before her sent her 'mother instincts' on high.
Slowly moving closer, she encircled him in her arms and gently lifted him up in a hug. Inuyasha curled closer, quickly falling asleep in her arms.
Watching the younger form of the hanyou she had traveled with doze in her arms, Kagome swore with all her being that Inuyasha would have the life he deserved. She would be dammed if she allowed him to be denied a happy childhood.
No matter the consequences.
34.
When she returned to the manor, Kagome was not surprised to see Koyuki and Takamaru waiting for her; both holding yari (1) and determined faces. At the sight of her unharmed though, they smiled and lowered their yari. When their gazes landed on Inuyasha, burning questions entered their brown eyes.
"Inside you two. I will explain everything once in my study. Everything." Both cranes shared a quick look before nodding and quickly entering the manor.
Once inside and trading her zori for indoor wear, Kagome walked calmly to her study in the back of the manor, Inuyasha still dozing in her arms. Around her she could hear the faint sounds of the mostly invisible house-spirits working, preparing refreshments, keeping the fire in the children's room burning, and no doubt preparing tomorrow's activities with an extra child in mind.
Reaching her study Kagome waited for the shoji to slide open before entering. Unmindful of the closing screen she walked with purpose to her low desk, carved with simple yet elegant designs of cranes. Sitting gently as to not jostle the child, Kagome positioned Inuyasha to rest in her lap. She smiled when he snuggled closer into her cloths, taking in her scent of fresh summer rain to memory.
Once sure Inuyasha would be comfortable Kagome turned her full attention to the two yokai sitting in front of her desk, who were watching her tender care of the hanyou with interest.
Taking a deep breath, Kagome began her tale. Of the world she grew up in. Being dragged down the well. Meeting Kaede and Mistress Centipede. Inuyasha. Shippo. Miroku. Sango and Kirara. Sesshōmaru. The Shikon no Tama. Midoriko. Naraku. His incarnations and allies. Koga. Kohaku. Kikyo.
All the major battles winding down to the final battle against Naraku and the wish that would have returned her home, had Shippo not disrupted the magic.
Waking in this era with the knowledge there was no going back.
By the end of the story Kagome's legs had fallen asleep but she didn't care. What she did care about was the silent forms of her two most trusted friends before her.
After some time Takamaru dryly gulped before speaking breathlessly. "My mate and I…we knew that both of you had gone through hardship and suffering…we knew that you had made some sort of sacrifice but…..we never could have imagined this…." He lowered his head, his expression clear and mystified.
Koyuki stood and walked over to Kagome. She kneeled before her, gazing with soulful brown eyes.
She hugged them gently. "Oh my dear Kagome-sama…"
Kagome closed her eyes and let the warm embrace consume her, a relieved tear falling.
35.
Takamaru suddenly tensed and paled.
"Kagome-sama." Kagome gave him a questioning look at his sudden distress. "When you spoke of Lord Sesshōmaru-sama, why did you refer to him as the Western Lord?" Now it was Kagome's turn to be baffled.
"Because that was what he was during the feudal era. By the time I arrived, he was already known far and wide as the Western Lord."
"But why would he be given that title at such a young age when his Lord father would still be in his prime?" The creeping fear in his voice was beginning to frighten Kagome, but she answered anyway.
"Because the Inu no Taisho died the day Inuyasha was born. He succumbed to his wounds from the fight with Ryukotsusei, and sacrificed himself to give Inuyasha and his mother Izayoi the chance to escape from her human captors. I myself never even of knew him until Myoga-jiji, Inuyasha's cowardly retainer, told stories of his past exploits and took us to his tomb. Without their father to rule, Sesshōmaru took the reins and became the Western Lord…Why?" she asked, dread filling her as her mind began to race at the implications of Takamaru's questions.
Both cranes shared a look before speaking slowly, "Kagome-sama, the Inu no Taisho did indeed fight the Dragon Lord Ryukotsusei, but he never succumbed to his wounds. He still lives."
Everything Kagome ever knew and believed of the world suddenly shattered.
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A/N: Dundundun! And que the gasping! Poor Kagome, she is now going to have to reevaluate everything about what she knows of this situation.
(1) yari were the precurser of naginata, basically they were the the Japanese version of the spear.
Next Chapter: we take a break to look into things going on in the West