Title From Here to Eternity

Author landofthekwt

Rating M

Prompt Unsung Heroes

Word Count 1400

Genre Romance

Warning nudity, thoughts about sex

Summary Inuyasha protects Shiori on her journey to return her mother's ashes after the death of their spouses

A/N The genesis of this story was my 82 year old father-in-law has finding a girl friend a year after his wife of 59 years died. He keeps apologizing, but the survivors do not have die when their spouses do. They deserve the right to be happy.

Inuyasha woke with the morning sun. Today was the end of their adventure. When Shiori had approached him at Kohaku's funeral about safeguarding her while she traveled to return her mother's ashes to her home village, he had jumped at the chance.

It had been five years since Kagome died. Since then he had been merely existing. He was watching the world go by. Already there were three generations of their offspring in the village.

Growing up, marrying, settling down moving on.

All except him. He had watched with horror as the woman who was born for him became older and older. Eventually, all he could do was maintain a vigil by her bedside as she slowly faded.

At the funeral the family was there, the village was there, even the remnants of those who had taken down Naraku, but when the funeral was over he was left with an empty house.

Kagome was not there. More and more he found himself drawn to the shrine where the women he had loved had been buried. Sometime he wished that he could join them.

When Kohaku died he had gone to the funeral as the head of his family. He was expected to be there. What he had not expected was Shiori's proposition.

He had jumped at the chance to go with her. A familiar face that brought him back to the time when he and Kagome were young. Fighting Naraku. Raising children. Back to the days when he felt alive. He wanted to feel alive again.

He had made arrangements with his eldest Sakura to handle family matters. Just like Kagome she was the strong one. Shiori had simply left a note for her family to find.

The path from Kaedes' village to the caves of the demon was a short uneventful trip. They had found his mother's grave in Kamekura thanks to a tip from Sesshoumaru of all people. He wondered how Sesshoumaru knew where it was.

The countryside was so much different. When he had been this way before there had been war. Now there was peace. He had never thought to hide what he was in this era, but the Tokuagawa

had become intolerant He understood enrollment at the shrines and temples, and even the ouster

of the foreigners, but the explusion of the half breed children hit too close to home.

To gain entrance to the shrine where his mother was buried, they had to cover their heads. If it had been located in the main shrine instead of the main thoroughfare, they would have been detected. As it was, they had to run for their lives.

Now they were at the end of their journey. Today they would bury the bones of Shiori's mother that they had taken out of the ashes so long ago. Then they would return to their families as if their journey had never happened.

He looked over to where Shiori should be. Nothing there, but a sleeping cat. They had been so exhausted that they had flopped on the beach in the dark so that they could complete the burial in the morning.

A scream breaks the morning silence. Inuyasha and Kirara look up to see a woman with bat wings plummeting toward the sea. In an instant Kirara transformed and they were racing toward the rapidly plummeting woman

They reached her just as she hit the water. Kirara plunged in after her, but did not reach her until she reached the bottom. Inuyasha climbed off Kirara and secured her on Kirara's back. Together they ascended to the surface.

When they got to her to shore, Inuyasha discovered that she was no longer breathing. Remembering a technique that Kagome had shown him, he began to breathe life back into her

After a few minutes of pressing on her chest and holding her nose and her mouth she coughed twice and spit sea water in his face. He hovered over listening for her breathing to become regular when the oddest thing occurred

She reached out with both arms, pulled Inuyasha to her and kissed him. For a moment he was in shock as Shiori continued to press her lips to his fervently. It was only when she stuck her tongue

into his mouth which was agape with surprise.

It was then he realized what was happening. A nearly naked beautiful woman was writhing beneath trying desperately to make him respond. He might have if he did not notice the flying suit Kagome had sewn for Shiori some fifty years ago now in shreds.

It was the suit that Kagome had made for Shiori after they discovered she had wings. Even Kagome had thought they were trysting after Shiori came home dressed only in his haori.

He had saved Shiori's life using the lifesaving methods shown to him by Kagome From the swimming strokes to what Kagome had called CPR.

He had never looked at another woman since Kikyou died. How could kiss another woman? Kagome had been born for him. To kiss another like he was cheating on her.

A huge wave towered over them carrying them to the edge of the sand. Inuyasha held tightly to Shiori to make sure that she was not washed out to sea.

When the wave receded and he determined that she was still breathing, he pushed off a surprised Shiori and tossed her his haori. "Why Shiori. Kohaku is not two months dead."

Shioir shivered. The haori was still drying from its immersion in leaned against her. Her fur already dry. Shiori opened her mouth. "I am sorry. It was a silly fantasy. When I was searching for you with my mother, those ten years, I fantasized about us living happily ever after.

After the last year with Kohaku, I needed to get away from death and feel like I was living again"

Inuyasha nodded. He knew that feeling. Protecting Shiori on her journey to bury her mother's ashes gave him a reason to live again. He had eagerly taken her offer after winding up his affairs.

It seemed too soon to be with another woman in that way. Shiori was a pleasant companion whom he had known for nearly sixty years, but he had never thought of her in that way. In some ways she was still the little bat girl to him.

Inuyasha leaned over and kissed her on the forehead "I am sorry, but I am not ready. I like being with you, Shiori. We have been through so much together. For now isn't it enough just to be together. To enjoy each others company and see where that leads us."

Shiori sighed. Her dreams had been shattered when she discovered that after her ten-year search for Inuyasha he was already married. She had picked up the pieces and moved on. Her life with Kohaku had been good. She was able to find love with him and the children

Kohaku was dead. For the past year he had been breathing, but he was not really alive. When Inuyasha showed up for the funeral, she leaped at the chance for knew that the children would not understand. That was why she left a note.

"Shiori, why did you try to fly? From what I have heard you have not used your wings since you married Kohaku."

Shiori giggled " Maybe I just wanted some big strong man to save me. You were always my hero." She did not tell him about her fantasies about him saving her,stripping aside her tattered clothing and making mad passionate love to her. That might freak him out,. Better to take things slow. They just needed to get used to each other.

Inuyasha sputtered and blushed. Changing the subject quickly he said " Why don't we get you into some dry clothes. Then we can bury your mother and then we'll see."

"We'll see" Those words from Inuyasha were something for Shiori to cling to as she clung to him as they rode on Kirara's back to the top of the cliff. The feel of his body felt so good. Her body was separated from his only his firerat. For now she would wait, but she already knew what she wanted and hoped that she could convince him to want the same thing.