A wave of nostalgia hit Inuyasha the moment he inhaled the familiar scent of dust and old age as he sat perched on the side of the well. Moonlight seeped in through the window and doorframe of the storehouse illuminating the Higurashi relics and treasures passed down through generations. How many times have I made this journey? He smirked, silently thinking about how at one point he never thought he would be back in this room again. His smirk quickly disappeared as he physically shook his thoughts from his head, remembering why he was back in Kagome's world. Quietly closing the doors behind him, he peered up towards the house across the courtyard and sighed at the sight of a dark house. In any other circumstance he would wait until morning, but Myoga made it very clear there wasn't time.

"Meow! Meow!" Greeted Buyo rubbing his head all over Inuyasha's leg as he stood in the foyer. "Shh," Inuyasha hissed as he crouched down to greet his old friend.

"I- Inu…yasha?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha scoffed at the sight of Sota holding a pan high above his head.

"Oh… uh…" Sota looked between the pan and Inuyasha, finally lowering it. "I heard noises."

"Why are you even awake, anyway?" Inuyasha remembered how Kagome used to whine about needing a good night of sleep before going to conquer one of her tests.

"It's summer break," Sota shrugged while peering around Inuyasha and only half paying attention to him. "Where's sis?" he asked cheerfully with a huge smile plastered on his face.

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, about that. Can you wake your mom up?"

Inuyasha's tone made his stomach churn. Hoping to get a better look behind Inuyasha he gripped his arm and tried pushing him out of the way, assuming Kagome was hiding behind him and they were playing a prank on him. Despite his best efforts he wasn't able to move Inuyasha even a millimeter.

With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha removed Sota's hand from his arm as the boy kept pleading for an answer. "Sota, please get your mom," he asked empathetically.

After leaving the newborn and toddler stage with both of her kids, Kagome's mom had finally stopped being a light sleeper. That all changed once Kagome began her trips to the Feudal Era. Every little noise would wake her up, hoping that it was her daughter coming back safe and sound for a visit. When she awoke to voices coming from downstairs she immediately got up and wrapped herself with a housecoat while making her way down the steps. "Inuyasha. Kagome," she said warmly while yawning, fully expecting them to be downstairs. Instead she was met with the sight of Sota looking as though he was going to be sick and Inuyasha looking worried; a look she never saw on him before.

"Something's wrong with sis and he won't tell me!" Sota cried while banging his fists on Inuyasha's chest.

Despite the pit in her stomach she tried her hardest to soothe her son. "Sota, shh, we don't want to wake Grandpa. I'm sure everything is just fine." There wasn't a single time she could think of where Inuyasha came here without Kagome or without her already being here. "Why don't you go start some tea while Inuyasha and I talk a bit, okay?"

"Okay," Sota answered with balled fists and tears clinging to the corners of his eyes.

"How serious is it?" she whispered.

Not wanting to upset Sota any more than he already was, all Inuyasha could offer their mom was a solemn nod.

She sighed, "Okay, follow me."

Inuyasha looked to the night sky but forgot how the stars seemingly disappeared in this era. It wasn't until this very moment, sitting on a bench next to the sacred tree with Kagome's mother, that he realized how much comfort the night sky actually brought him. A cool summer breeze made the sacred tree sing as it's leaves and branches brushed up against each other.

Kagome's mom was the first one to break the silence. "I've missed both of you. I wasn't sure if I would see either of you again."

"Yeah. I was surprised the well still worked," he mumbled while avoiding eye contact.

"Inuyasha." She placed her hand gently on his arm hoping to get his attention. When he looked at her she saw the guilt and sadness illuminating from his eyes. "What's happened to Kagome?"

He didn't know where to begin. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the exact spot he was sealed to the sacred tree all those years ago. If Kagome hadn't come and rescued him, would he still be there? Who would have been the one to fully eliminate him while he was in his deep slumber? The guilt he felt for not protecting her was soul crushing, especially now when facing her mother. Sesshomaru was one of the most powerful demons alive, he didn't think he had to worry about her safety. "She needs medicine," was all he could muster out.

"Oh, okay," her body instantly relaxed and she let out a sigh of relief. "What kind of medicine? Cold? Topical ointment?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "This is all second hand information, but the message that she relayed was that she needed medicine from a doctor, not the store."

"Okay…" she tapped her finger on her chin. "Is it her throat? Cough? Bacterial infection?"

It was only natural for her to worry about her daughter, but he had hoped she wouldn't ask questions so he didn't have to explain. In an attempt to calm his nerves he subconsciously began bouncing his leg. "It's more serious than that," his eyes cast down to the ground as he wondered how much he should really tell her. "She has infected wounds, an infection in her lungs and chest… she's worried. That's why I'm here."

"Oh Kagome," her heart caught in her throat and she felt like the air was sucked out of her; she wished more than anything she could hug her daughter right now. Fear and panic began to set in as she pictured her injured and sick in Feudal Japan. "Why not just bring her back home?"

Inuyasha's natural reaction was to stand up and yell about all the questions— less questions and more action. Kagome's mom had always been so kind and welcoming to him, so instead he took a deep breath and answered her questions. "As of a little bit ago, she's in hiding with my brother's top general because she escaped from some Lord I don't know much about. I was told about her condition and came straight here to get the medication to bring back to my brothers castle for when she returns."

"Why-" she cut herself off. She didn't want Inuyasha to feel blamed for this, but she couldn't help but wonder how this had happened. "Were you two separated? How was she kidnapped?"

"She's… my brother is the Lord of the West, so I think he has to make a formal announcement if there was an engagement…" he trailed off and looked back to the tree.

"What?" she gasped and thew her hand to her mouth. When Inuyasha turned back to her, she could see the lingering pain on his face. Her face softened and she gently touched Inuyasha's arm again. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. I just don't understand."

A heavy sigh escaped Inuyasha's chest. "Look. I'll always love and care for Kagome, but when she came back to my world things were.. different. I constantly had this heavy feeling that she had a higher purpose than me." His head dropped. "My brother and I don't exactly see eye to eye and I don't know why he didn't rescue her sooner, but I promise she's in good hands."

"Oh Inuyasha," she sighed and gave his hand a slight squeeze. "Sota has a few doses of the medicine Kagome needs left, but it wouldn't be enough to cure her. I can call the doctor in the morning to try to get another round, but-"

"Inuyasha, my boy!" Grandpa shuffled across the courtyard cutting his daughter off mid sentence. "Let me guess, Kagome is already fast asleep in her bed?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, hello Grandpa!" She greeted her father with a cheery smile. "No, Inuyasha is here because Kagome is sick and needs some medicine. Why don't you go back to bed? It's a little chilly out here tonight."

"Nonsense!" He cried while bundling his overcoat a little closer to his body. "Sick you say? Are you giving us some news now, Inuyasha?"

"Wha-" Inuyasha couldn't even finish his sentence.

Grandpa began nudging Inuyasha's arm with a big smile on his face. "Oh I'm going to be a Great Grandpa, aren't I! That's why you've finally returned!"

Kagome's mom flinched at the tightened grip on her hand, which Inuyasha mumbled an apology for. "No, quit it. She's probably going to be the future Lady of the West, old man." His face was beet red.

Confused, Grandpa scratched his head. "You? A Lord? I don't remember hearing of a half demon ever being a Lord."

"It's not me," Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "The Lord of the West is my older brother. Sesshomaru."

The smile quickly faded from Grandpa's face and his tone became serious, "Inuyasha, tell me that you're joking."

"Why would I lie?" Inuyasha answered in his signature cocky tone.

Grandpa's eyes shifted between Inuyasha and his daughter so quickly he was becoming dizzy. "No, no," he mumbled in a daze while swaying. "This can't be!"

"Grandpa, what is it?" She quickly aided her father to the bench next to Inuyasha. "Sota! She called. "Please bring Grandpa some tea as soon as it's done."

"Legend has it," Grandpa began before taking a sip of the warm chamomile tea steaming between his hands, "That hundreds of years ago the lands of Japan had a brief period of peace after years of war, battle, and loss. Seemingly out of nowhere alliances were broken and tensions rose. There was a period of uncertainty, a cold war if you will, before a great war broke out. During this war a powerful priestess was also on the battle field. She was a kind soul who would stop at nothing to protect humans and demons alike. However…" Grandpa's lip quivered and his voice began to shake. "She lost her life on the battle field because her husband, a Lord, underestimated his enemy."

Everyone sat in a stunned silence while Grandpa tried to muffle his crying. "I suppose there's a chance the priestess in the story isn't our precious Kagome," he tried to reason, but even he couldn't convince himself.

"I've heard enough," Inuyasha rose to his feet towering over everyone. "Let's get Kagome the medicine she needs and I'll handle the rest."

Sesshomaru studied the portrait of his father that hung close to the window in his office while the sun slowly rose over the land. Would you have gone and rescued Izayoi if you were in the same predicament? He already knew the answer to his question; of course his father would have gone to Izayoi. His father gave his life the night Inuyasha was born rescuing her while also taking the human who loved her with him.

Have you someone to protect? One of the last sentences his father ever spoke to him swirled through his mind more often lately along with his response back. I, Sesshomaru, have no need of such. Replaying the last words him and his father ever exchanged made him realize that even after all these years, he was still the same young demon who stood before his father searching for supreme conquest. Despite having love, money, power, and family, his father willingly gave it all up without hesitation for the women he loved. Sesshomaru looked around at his office documents and scrolls all neatly stacked in their proper places, and with one fell swoop sent them crashing and fluttering to the ground. Was the West worth it? His nails cracked and split as he dug them into his wooden desk, irate with himself for how he handled this situation and vowed not to make the same mistake twice.

Stretching his neck to the left, then to the right, he took a deep breath in fully expanding his diaphragm and closed his eyes as he slowly released. With his feet planted firmly in place and his hands clasped in front, he began searching in the darkness as he did every morning.

"Move," Inuyasha demanded while pushing the imp out of his way despite his protests. "Just tell me where he is and I'll get going."

"Such- such disrespect!" Jaken sputtered. "No no no!" he wailed while shaking the staff of two heads when Inuyasha disappeared down the hallway towards the office. Jaken quickly ran past Inuyasha and stood in front of him, instructing the staff of two heads to release it's fiery blast.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Are you done?" he asked while using Jaken as a stepping stool with the robe of the fire rat shielding his face from the flames.

As soon as Inuyasha opened the doors to the office, Jaken turned and scurried back to where he came from; he didn't want to stick around to find out his punishment.

"Yo," Inuyasha leaned informally in the doorway with his foot resting on the frame. There was nothing he hated more than having to be formal to his brother.

Just as Sesshomaru had finally started to see specks of a pink aura, almost certainly Kagome's, his concentration was broken and the aura was lost. Angrily, his eyes opened slowly and the courtyard outside had a slight tinge of red to it. "What?" he asked harshly, stopping himself from releasing another near death fury on his hanyou brother.

"Here," he threw the small orange container in his brothers direction. Sesshomaru caught it despite his back being turned to him. "Kagome's going to need this. Her mother sent a lot of other things too," he gently placed the bag on the floor, "But this will hopefully prevent her from dying."

Sesshomaru's eyes shifted to the left until he could just barely see his brother in his peripheral, but still didn't speak.

"You're welcome," Inuyasha spoke for him.

"For what? Interfering?"

"Well don't you have some nerve," Inuyasha scoffed. "What the hell have you been doing anyway? Did I pull you away from your staring out the window time? While Kagome is out there in the world on her own basically dying?"

Sesshomaru clenched the orange bottle in his hand nearly shattering it. "She is not alone."

"Unbelievable," he laughed, "You couldn't even be bothered to go get her yourself."

"Enough," Sesshomaru roared, and in a blink was in front of Inuyasha gripping his throat. "You would not, and will not, understand the responsibility of upholding a legacy as powerful as our fathers."

"You… are… going… to… kill…"

"You?" Sesshomaru squeezed Inuyasha's neck even harder.

"Her."

"What did you say?" He reduced the pressure he was applying to his brothers neck.

"You are going to get her killed," Inuyasha said with heavy gasps while still trying to remove Sesshomaru's hand. "It's a story that has survived hundreds of years into her time. A priest, her grandfather, warned me." With the continued lack of pressure being applied to his neck, Inuyasha took that as a sign that Sesshomaru wanted him to continue. "You're going to underestimate an enemy and by doing that, you are going to lose her."

"Ridiculous." Sesshomaru glanced down to his Tenseiga that was resting comfortably in its sheath.

"Master, Master!" The imps footsteps were quickly approaching the office. "Lady Kagome," he stopped and leaned against the staff of two heads as he tried to catch his breath. "Lady Kagome and Ginto have returned!"

Sesshomaru immediately released his grip around Inuyasha's neck and let him drop to the floor as he flew towards her scent just outside the castle grounds. The sight before him was portrait worthy; Ginto carried Kagome on his back as her limbs dangled while she slept with the rising sun silhouetting their arrival. "She's home, my Lord," Ginto flashed a huge smile and turned so Sesshomaru could carry her the rest of the way.

Kagome groaned as Sesshomaru gingerly removed her from Ginto's back. Despite receiving sporadic updates on her condition he was still surprised and disturbed to see the state she was in; her usual sweet aroma was replaced by sickness and infection. Cradling her in his arms he listened as she wheezed with each rise and fall of her chest. Someone will pay he vowed.

"Sess-" Kagome wanted so desperately to open her eyes and see Sesshomaru for the first time in what felt like forever, but her eyes kept rolling back behind her eyelids.

"Sh," Sesshomaru lightly traced a finger from her temple down to her jawline, eliciting the faintest smile from Kagome. "You are home."

Author's Note:

Hi Friends!

First off, you all are seriously the sweetest! Your comments always brighten my day 3

Finallyyyy Sesshomaru and Kagome are reunited! I kind of have to chuckle because I never planned for them to be separated for so long, it just sort of happened. The next chapter should be all cute and cuddly and I pinky promise no kidnapping.

Rumor has it that some vital stuff isn't working on the site? I see that my story tracker hasn't worked in months. Hopefully the email notifications are working, but in case they're not I guess it's a good time to revisit my posting schedule! The goal is always for me to post once a month, but life happens a lot around here and that's not always possible for me. I am still only going to post on a Friday or Saturday, again the goal being Friday. Usually if I post on a Saturday it's because I'm up late still editing and changing things! cough like now cough.

I hope you're all doing well and making sure to take time to do some self care for yourself, no matter how small.

Until next time!