Devotion

It truly was a pretty view.

From the top floor of the building, the view of the city was truly amazing, especially once the sun went down and the artificial light created by human effort fought for dominance against the natural shine from the stars that sprinkled the night sky. And Kagome had gained a deep love for heights during her teenage years, she'd mentioned it to him before. No doubt, this was also a part of the reason why he decided to move all of them from the old-fashioned estate they'd been living at to one of their skyscrapers. Her off-handed comment about how she'd gotten bored with the view of the gardens probably played a part too. So many of his decisions were influenced by her. So many were not.

But this was such a pretty view.

Her gaze refused to move from the city landscape, completely ignoring the sketch that looked nothing like the sight in front of her. Glancing at the world from within her gilded cage, one of her hands abandoned the expensive color she'd picked at random to rest on the flawless glass of her window.

Really, Kagome should hate him, shouldn't she?

Sano Manjiro gave her anything and everything she asked for, fulfilling her every desire, always attentive to her needs even if she didn't say it out loud. Kind gestures and soft words filled her days because he loved her. He'd loved her almost from the moment they met, developed from his incessant curiosity and impulsivity. Back then, the former time-traveling priestess didn't really fit anywhere, she'd done her best to adapt back into modern life, but she couldn't return to who she'd been; instead all that was left was a shrine-raised girl who refused to back down from a fight and felt comfortable surrounded by delinquents. It wasn't that she went looking for trouble, but she refused to back down from the jerks that lived on the outskirts of her neighborhood after facing down literal demons. Of course, Kagome refused to ignore her interest in the gang leader or her friendship with the rest of Toman. In a way, her meeting with Mikey breathed back life into her, and those moments were so bright and filled her with so much joy that the priestess didn't even try to push down her growing feelings. Even as things derailed, she couldn't hate him… not even when he became intent on isolating her from the world, allowing only the members of her non-human pack and a decreasing number of his closest associates to even see her.

At some point…she must've lost her mind.

This was truly beyond insanity, and Kagome was well aware of it.

From the very start, the priestess had been aware that there was a darkness residing within the blond, one that, at times, threatened to consume him. More than once, Mikey told her how being around her let him feel calm, refreshed, but that was nothing but a momentary relief from those violent urges, and as time went on and things began to slip from their fingers, her presence wasn't enough anymore. Those moments when violence swallowed him whole began to spread, and their path began to stray from the light. There wasn't anything she could've done to stop their descent…no, that wasn't quite it. It wasn't really that there wasn't anything she could've done. It was more like she hadn't wanted to do a single thing about it.

Because something about his darkness called her too.

Time had messed with them both, mangling and twisting their fates, and for better or worse, neither did a thing to stop their impulses. It was odd, worse than strange, but even as violence began to permeate their lives and his possessiveness grew, she didn't couldn't bring herself to feel angry at him.

The sound of the lock for her room opening broke her from her reverie.

Slender fingers abandoned the glass window and went back to her colored pencils, not really bothering to look back at the door. With Mikey gone for a business meeting, only three people had access to her floor, and only one had asked for her time today. Mitsuya only ever dabbled in fashion design when it was for her anymore, but his talent was even better than when they'd been teens. Maybe she should ask Manjiro about going out to see some fabrics. Lacking was the last word she could use to describe her wardrobe, the thing was filled to the brim with dresses her lover gifted her, but opulence was something she'd gotten used to, and while she made sure to send her discarded clothing to charities and the like, Kagome still grew tired of them after only a handful of uses. If she was being honest, most of the pieces she kept for a long while were all products of the bits of time Mitsuya managed to get for his ever-fading hobby.

"Kagome-san?" A voice that shouldn't be here called out to her.

Paper crumpled as it slipped from her grasp. Azure eyes widened as she turned from her seat, shocked gaze landing on a vaguely familiar face looking at her with firm resolution. It had been years since the last time she'd seen him, but even if they'd both grown, Kagome never forgot an aura she'd come to learn, regardless of whether she cared about the person or not. That's why she was sure that the person standing there, right in front of the hastily closed door, was Akitoki Hojo.

"W…what are you…?"

"It's ok. The cameras are on a loop." He spoke softly, like someone trying to coax a wounded animal. "I don't know if you remember me, but…"

"Hojo-kun," she cut him off. "What are you doing here?"

No one was supposed to even be on this floor, let alone have access to her room. Most people here really didn't need to worry too much about protection, but they still made sure the place was as secure as possible, all for her sake. Guards were posted on the main entrances, they kept close registers about each, and every single worker who helped maintain the building, not to mention the multiple key cards needed to reach her room.

"I…know things never worked out between us, but I always felt guilty. I wished there was something I could've done." The young man shook his head trying to put his feelings into words. Earnest words, filled with genuine emotions. "Everyone always knew you were the kind of person to give anyone a chance. Of course, you wouldn't want to push people away, even if they were dangerous, but not everyone deserves such kindness. We should've tried harder to pull you to safety, we knew those delinquents could hurt you."

"Hurt me? Toman?" Her voice wavered slightly, even as the young woman moved to sit on her bed.

"I've spoken to your family," Hojo said. "Kagome-san, when was the last time you went to the shrine?"

"It's been…a while."

Mama was an open-minded person. At the beginning, she hadn't minded the bunch of delinquents hanging around her teenage daughter. After spending time hopping through the well, the priestess' intuition became sharper, and reading others became easy, so of course, when Kagome claimed they were all trustworthy, if a little rough around the edges the woman simply smiled and trusted her judgment. But the more things unraveled, the more cautious her mother became; until said caution became outward warnings. And, of course, Mikey noticed the change in behavior. She hadn't even bothered to pick up her things before moving out, they simply bought everything a 17 year old girl could need, they had the money by then anyway.

After that, all contact with her blood-related family was heavily monitored.

"Please, I know it might be upsetting, but think about it, Kagome-san. He was the one who asked you to move out. And the reason you eventually dropped your studies, wasn't it because he insisted on it?" Right, after high school, Mikey lost interest in continuing with his schooling, there was no point. Toman was already a big name, and his time was better spent with the ever-growing group. But he wasn't pleased with the idea of the girl continuing on her own, so she just…didn't. "This…this is just him controlling you."

"Hojo-kun, I…don't know how you got here or why you are here, but you really should leave." Her right hand left her lap as she turned, going under the pillows beside her.

"I'm here to get you out." He was sincere; this man she hadn't spoken to in years was genuinely worried about her safety. "I know it might sound scary, but it's going to be alright. The cameras are on a loop, and I have a master key. I can get you out of here."

"Hojo-kun, there isn't any need for this, really." Dexterous fingers brushed against a hard, metallic surface.

"He won't be able to find you. Trust me, I'm not here alone; the police is…"

"Police?" The word came out, harsher than she might've wished. "The police won't prosecute him any more than they'll go against the Mikazuki clan."

Corruption wasn't a new concept, and for the kind of group Toman had become, it was an essential part of their operations. It hadn't even taken that much effort to bag the right politicians since they counted with the support of other, better-established yakuza groups. Cover-ups were surprisingly easy to orchestrate, and in cases where that wouldn't be enough, somebody was always ready to take the fall to keep the high-ranking executives from being caught. Everything always worked in Toman's favor. No exceptions.

"…trust me, I was disappointed too. To think they'd refuse to help those who need it." Akitoki Hojo shook his head in annoyance; determination remained strong inside his gaze. "But someone came to find me a while ago, he's been building up a case, and he thinks there's a good chance to win, he has some contacts, and your kidnapping accusations would be all that was needed to finally nail him. That's why he's been contacting people who knew you, trying to get a feel for it, you know, so all you need to do is come with me, and…"

Contacting people who knew her…

Did this unnamed person also go to her family?

Out of respect for her mother's open dislike of him, Mikey pulled out of the area surrounding the shrine; no member of the group was allowed to get close, but that only applied to Toman. Leaving the Higurashi shrine with no protection would've been beyond foolish. Her name was well known, and it wouldn't take a genius to follow the thread that Mikey's lover, Higurashi Kagome was the only daughter of the family that owned the Higurashi shrine. Instead, the Mikazuki clan, the Crescent Moon clan kept a somewhat distant eye on the grounds and her family.

No.

Whoever this detective was, they probably never physically went to her home. Shippo was very careful with the people assigned to anything that was even tangentially related to her; and she knew the fox was under direct orders to notify both Sesshoumaru and herself if anything odd happened in the shrine grounds. Demons were not easy to fool. This person was far more careful than she'd thought if they'd been cautious enough to not show up where the Western Lord's retainers could find him. Which meant…if what Hojo said was true, then there was a very real chance Toman and Mikey could actually get caught. Her fingers trembled as she forced herself to take a calming breath and pay attention to the words her former classmate kept saying.

"Witness protection may not sound ideal, but I'm sure you could get to be with your family again."

"Hojo-kun, I'm…really sorry about this." Her whispered words were enough to stop him. She could see the desperation beginning to shine in his eyes, but before he could interrupt, Kagome continued. There was a familiar aura waiting just outside the door to her room. "I think there's been a terrible misunderstanding here."

"W-what do you mean? It might be hard to accept, and this might sound scary, but we can keep you safe, I'm here because detective Fukuzawa thought it might be easier for you to listen to someone who knew you, but I can contact him if you'd like, so you can confirm this is safe."

"Oh, but you see, Kagome is perfectly safe just where she is." The click of a gun getting ready to fire sounded unnaturally loud on the expensive suite. "And I'd really like you to get away from her right now. She's fond of the room and it would be a hassle to get your brain off the floor."

Slowly, Hojo's hands went up, turning but not really moving away. His face had paled, it was as if all his blood had drained and what little was left was focused on keeping his heart pumping.

"H-how, the cameras…"

"Are still on a loop, and heads will roll when we figure out who failed to notice this shit." Mitsuya's usually kind words were razor-sharp.

"I'm really sorry, Hojo-kun, but as I said, you made a mistake." Despite the tension in the room, the priestess remained calm. At last, she placed both hands back in her lap, her right hand holding the control panel that allowed her to send an instant signal to the executives charged with her safety. Truly, she'd completely lost her mind. "You really should've left when I first told you," she said with a sigh before turning to her assigned bodyguard for the day. "It looks like Hojo-kun is convinced he could've had Mikey prosecuted.

"But Hojo-kun, you made a mistake…you thought you were coming to save the princes who's been caged in a tower because of a malicious dragon, but you see, the princess could've left the tower anytime she wanted." Kagome wasn't sure what she looked like, smiling softly as she stood and walked back to the window in an attempt to gain the distance her former classmate seemed unwilling to give her. "I won't deny this place may as well be a pretty, golden little cage made all for me. However, you missed something crucial. The cage's doors are open wide, and even if they weren't, I have the key. Because the Mikazuki don't care for Mikey, or Kisaki or anyone else within Toman…the person the Crescent Moon clan is loyal to…is me."

"I…I don't…understand"

"Why else would such a massive, powerful clan like them agree to back us up from the very beginning? Kagome is the connection between our groups." Mitsuya added, annoyed but slightly less tense now that she was out of reach.

"Most of the higher members of the Mikazuki clan can come and go to this place as they want, though they usually give us a warning they'll be dropping by. My communication with them isn't monitored either.

"So you see, if I wanted to get away from here, all I'd need is a single call, one insignificant text, and Sesshoumaru would have me out of here by the end of the day." He might groan at the loss of a reliable business partner, but he knew several of his high-ranking demons would rise up against him if he were to abandon her. Plus, the priestess was sure the Inu lord was fond of her in his own stoic way. "Sure, Mikey might try to find me anyway, but it would amount to nothing. There's only so much a human can do."

In human terms, Sano Manjiro was undefeated; there probably wasn't anyone that could compare. His strength alone placed him on the peak of what any human could hope to accomplish. Hell, he could probably handle a handful of demons in a fair fight, but youkais were not well known for being fair, and those she called pack were between the strongest beings on this planet. There was no way anyone could get to her if she was within Sesshoumaru's estate.

That's why Mikey had sent her there the one-time things had gotten out of hand, when even looking out a window was considered dangerous.

All it would take was one word from her, and the Mikazuki clan would bring destruction to anyone she pointed them at. Shippo made sure to mention it to her of that from time to time. A reminder that she had an out ready whenever she wanted it, but the thing was, Kagome neither wanted nor needed an out. Unlike her human family that insisted on bringing the young woman back into the light, no member of the Crescent Moon had any problems with having her or Toman take part on the underground side of this world. Human morals didn't exactly mesh with their nature; violence was common and accepted to a certain degree, it wasn't unusual for a fight to end with dismemberment or death. Sure, some tried to talk things out, but there was never a guarantee things wouldn't end in bloodshed.

It was a fact she'd accepted for a long time now.

"Kagome-san…what did he do to you?" Despair seemed to cling to the man.

"Nothing she hasn't thoroughly enjoyed, right Me-chan?"

The smile that came to her lips at the sound of his voice was one that couldn't be stopped. Turning around, she could see her lover lounging on her open door frame, the one person she distrusted most at his back as usual. His glare at the man just a few paces from her made it clear he was far from amused, and yet, the black abyss of his eyes softened as Manjiro glanced her way, carefully scanning her form, looking for injuries. One of the few habits that remained from the time they met.

Looking at him now, with his slicked back hair and cold facade…it was hard to believe this was the same person as the ever cheerful blond who'd found delight in the simplest things when they met.

"Not that a stranger has any right to ask or even be in this building, for that matter." Oh, he was definitely not happy. Mitsuya was right, heads would roll before the week was over. "Come, Kagome."

To others in the room, that may have sounded like an order. But Kagome could feel his aura brushing against hers in a silent request. Almost like a supplication. And the priestess didn't hesitate to comply, crossing the room, placing herself forever out of reach from the man who'd decided to resurface from her forgotten past. It was her who wrapped her arms around Mikey, basking in his presence and letting her head fall against his chest to listen to the rhythm of his heartbeat. This, being here within his hold, was the place she loved the most.

"Now, that's a bit cruel," the young woman laughed. "This is Akitoki Hojo. You met him a couple of times back when we were still at school."

"I did?"

"Mhm," she shivered slightly as his left hand moved to the low of her back, a possessive grip that promised the kind of pleasure that left her exhausted and unwilling to move until she could take a nap. "I don't think you ever liked him, now that I think about it, especially whenever he brought herbal remedies."

"Oh! Now I remember, you're that pathetic guy who never seemed to understand Me-chan was barely able to tolerate you. Did you ever notice she groaned whenever you showed up?"

"You…you're the culprit here," She'd give it to Hojo; it seemed he'd grown braver with the years, pity he'd also grown more foolish since the man grew bolder despite her lover leaving her side to walk in his direction. "You don't even notice how much harm you've…!"

Kagome didn't flinch at the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Only an idiot would've been surprised to see Mikey's patience had snapped or that Hojo was just the same as any other regular human and was completely unable to withstand the punch that brought him to his knees. A loud crack betrayed the fact that the young man would find it difficult to talk after this.

"Me-chan likes this room, so I'll assume that's why you haven't pulled the trigger yet, Mitsuya. We just moved here; it would be a waste to have to leave just because it got messy." The dark abyss of his eyes seemed to freeze his childhood friend. "What I want to know…is how he managed to get a foot on this floor."

"We have a rat." Her declaration saved their friend from having to answer.

"A rat?'

"I didn't manage to get too much out of him since I didn't want him to notice, but it seems like somebody on the inside made a copy of a master key and placed the cameras on a loop." From the ground, she could see Hojo stare in disbelief and despair. "More importantly, Kisaki, it would seem like there's a detective Fukuzawa who believes he can prosecute us…keeping them out of our way was part of your job, wasn't it? Now that I think about it, you vetted everyone working here, right?"

All of a sudden, it was as if the man's suit had tightened a couple of sizes, no doubt because of the sliver of blood lust she could feel coming from Mikey.

"You are right, of course, I'll contact the Mikazuki clan to see who else was involved with this operation, and I'll sweep through the list of everyone with access here." Kisaki tried to reclaim control, false bravado failing to hide how deeply the man disliked her. "We'll have our rat drowned soon enough, and I'll tighten our security measures around Kagome-san."

"I'll call Sesshoumaru-niisama myself, there's something else I wanted to talk about anyways. Also, there's no need to go through all that trouble. Just apply a couple of filters and pass me the list. I want to see the rat myself." What she was doing was nothing if not blatant disrespect, but then again, Kagome had never been one to keep her emotions hidden.

Besides, she was the best when it came to figuring people out, and she didn't even need to make things messy. That's why she tended to accompany Mikey whenever he was meeting business associates. The only reason she'd stayed behind was because the man they were dealing with right now was a pig, and her lover didn't want her to have to withstand the disgusting excuse for a human being's aura, Oh, she had no doubt many fell into the same trap Hojo had and thought of her as nothing but the boss' arm candy, an innocent girl he'd taken from the law-abiding part of the world back when they'd been only teens, but she was very much involved in the business.

And that was something Kisaki hated.

The tanned man had always done his best to manipulate both Mikey and Toman, he'd dismissed her presence at his side as something that would be forgotten or easily disposed of. It was only when it was too late, and she'd managed to reconnect with the rest of her pack, that he noticed the massive oversight he'd made. Because no one held more influence over the leader he so coveted than her. And with the protection and backing of one of the most powerful yakuza groups in Japan, there was no way he could get rid of her without facing deadly repercussions, if he managed to touch her in the first place. Arrogant and cocky, the man tried to tie her and Mikey's hands without realizing the string went both ways, and it would only take a slight push from either of them to have the wanna-be puppet master plummet to his end. The only reason he gained so much power was because her lover didn't care enough to punish him while the other man was still useful.

If he thought he could get away with it, the priestess had no doubt Kisaki would love to take her life with his own two hands.

"I understand you want to talk to the clan yourself, but there's no need to bother with the rat, I…"

"Kisaki." Mikey's word cut the air like a blade. He delivered a torturing kick to the intruder's stomach before sitting on the corner of their bed. "Kagome's ability to read people is more than enough for her to handle the rat if that's what she wants to do." A silent nod was enough of an answer for everyone. "Also, Mitsuya, get this thing to Haruchiyo. Tell him I want to be informed of everything he spits as soon as he's done with it."

At that, Kagome frowned, pouting a bit as she went to sit by his side, leaning into him, one of her hands playfully caressing his thigh. "You were gone for most of the day today; do you really want to spend the night away as well?"

"That's…" His voice faltered, and the priestess could see the desire present in his gaze. "I want the report first thing in the morning."

Not bothering to stop her joy from showing on her face, Kagome didn't resist as a strong grip on her chin had her looking into the pitch-black eyes of the man she'd fallen hopelessly in love with as he claimed her lips. Oh, this was partly because he wanted Hojo, who was attempting to get up on his knees, to see him claim her, but truly the young woman couldn't find it in her to care.

Not even when Mitsuya forcefully dragged her former classmate from the floor, pointing his gun at Hojo's temple, a clear threat after Mikey dismissed his executives with a careless order.

She could see from the corner of her eye the terror and despair that had swallowed all of Hojo's aura. It was sickly and almost enough to make her pull away, but this wasn't the first time she felt such a thing coming from those whose deaths were rapidly approaching, and it wouldn't be the last. When she said she was sorry, it hadn't entirely been a lie. Once upon a time, she'd had a crush on him, and as annoying as his insistence was, the young woman knew he was a good man, kind and law-abiding. Even as her attraction fizzled out when she fell down the well, she'd liked him well enough as a person. It had been so long since his name crossed her mind; it felt like he'd vanished into a void along with the rest of her past. Such a pity he couldn't remain buried and forgotten with everyone else.

Those she knew from that part of her life always seemed to ask the same questions, over and again.

Why did she stay with someone like Mikey? He was a criminal, dangerous. Why did she allow him to control parts of her life? Why not run away, look for protection?

Why, why, why…

Honestly, Kagome couldn't understand how they never seemed willing to accept her answer. It was such an easy and obvious answer too.

Higurashi Kagome was in love with Sano Manjiro. She loved him, and she loved Toman all the same. No matter how much they changed and morphed into twisted and depraved versions of what they'd been. Her love was real, everlasting…unconditional.

It was almost funny. People loved to talk about how love was such a positive emotion, a force of good, and how there should never be conditions for it, but once it went out of the firm mold they made for it, they were all in a rush to deny such an emotion could be applied for her relationship. They argued she'd been changed, twisted into something else when truly, this was the way she'd always been. The young priestess had always loved unconditionally. That's why she could come to trust and adore those who tried to harm her during their first encounters.

The pack that had been formed around her was composed of youkais who just couldn't understand what was so bad about harming others. Kouga only stopped attacking human villages and feeding the inhabitants to his wolves because he wanted to court her and figured banning the practice would be a good way to start his show how genuine his efforts were. Sesshoumaru never gave anyone a second chance, and while he grew slightly more tolerant of humans, those who didn't understand they had to get out of his way became nothing more than broken corpses in his wake. Shippo was less likely to jump into a fight, partly because kitsunes thrived more in trickery, but he still held one of the top positions in Sesshoumaru's clan, and he wouldn't hesitate to deliver the final blow on his enemies.

Miroku and Sango seemed to think she was helping reform the youkais that became part of their entourage, never noticing that not one of them ever truly repented or agonized about the many human lives they'd taken. In a way, what Kagome had done was surround herself with murderers.

Maybe it was because she'd held the Shikon inside her body for so long. It would only be fair that if she could keep it pure, then it could taint her morality. In the end, the priestess didn't think it mattered all that much. Her sense of right and wrong was warped and twisted; it was just that no one had noticed until she refused to denounce Mikey and Toman when they stopped being a simple biker gang to turn into a legitimate crime syndicate.

Her thoughts were interrupted as soon as the sound of the door locking reached her ears. Mikey didn't waste a second to push her down to the king-sized mattress, climbing on top of her. Dark eyes piercing into her as if looking for reassurance e of her love, her never-ending devotion. And Kagome could only smile, reaching out to feel the soft skin of his cheek against her palm.

She almost jumped as she felt something shift.

The threads that made the fabric of the world seemed to be moving somewhat, rearranging themselves in ways that she couldn't yet comprehend, but before her lover could ask what was wrong, the priestess had already guided him to her, silencing his question as she pressed herself against him.

It had been so long since the last time she felt something like time magic.

After spending a year jumping to and from different eras something left a mark within her; time had played with her, and the signs remained in her soul like a bleeding scar. When she met Mikey for the first time, she'd felt the same thing from him, even if it took her a bit to realize what it was. But what she felt just now wasn't exactly that. It was like someone else was traveling back, trying to change the now. A completely different feeling.

Not like it mattered.

The sound of ripping fabric mixed with her soft pants while her hands were busy with the zipper on her lover's pants. Neither of them ever had the ability to traverse through time on their own, and there was nothing they could really do in the now, and truly, it didn't matter who or what they tried to do in the then because one thing would never change.

Their paths were connected, inextricably tied to the point of madness, and no matter how anyone tried to change the past, Kagome knew she'd always end up back in his arms.

A/N: Chronologically, this would take in the very first timeline, before the first time leap. I've been playing around this idea for a while because I'd like to write something longer for it, but I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with the story since ven tho I really enjoyed the story I'm not super happy with the way they solved things in the manga. That said, this ended up being way longer than I thought I might as well publish as it's own thing instead.

Thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.