Blood, bodies, discarded weapons, and hideous beasts blanketed the ruined battlefield. A Great War had broken out, a small army of valiant and brave heroes pitted against a horde of feral demons lead by an evil demon-once-man by the name of Naraku. Though his combatants came in lesser numbers than his own battalion, with their strength and powers combined Naraku ultimately perished, though he did not leave without taking his own last retaliation.

With her heart fluttering all too fast and yet too slow at the same time, the priestess who lead the attack against the darkness lies battered and broken, her life blood pooling under her and darkening the grass she rested on. Lodged in her chest was a tentacle that took up nearly her entire ribcage in width. It twitched, its own dark purple blood seeping out of the wound where it had been cut from its body trickling down to mix with the priestess'. Above her she could barely see the outlines of her loved ones, Inuyasha her best friend, Sango her sister, Miroku her mentor and friend, Shippo her adoptive son, and Sesshomaru, whose lap her head rested in. She didn't know technically what he was to her, their relationship was too new to put any label on. Their forms were gradually darkening, blotted out by black and white stars and a creeping blackness emerging from the edges of her vision.

She could hear their wails of horror and grief, calling out to her to just hang on, damnit, but even her hearing felt fuzzy and muffled like she was under water. She tried smiling at them, her hands squeezing in a slight comfort to Inuyasha and Shippo who held onto her as if to anchor her to the living world. Tears mixed with the blood and sweat she was drenched in.

This was it? This is what she earned for saving the world, vanquishing Naraku and restoring the jewel? Not to be selfish, but she thought her reward would be... well, not a painful death. That wasn't how heroes were supposed to end. The completed Shikon Jewel weighed heavily against her collarbones, reminding her that her duty wasn't quite done. She coughed and mustered up the rest of her waning strength to speak.

"I wish... I wish the Shikon Jewel never existed, so nobody would have to suffer under its influence. So everything Naraku has done never happens."

Her friends gasped. Kagome's wish echoed amongst the survivors. Kagome smiled and took her last breath, her last sight being of her loved ones crowded around her.

"Kagome..."

"Kagome..."

"Wake up, priestess."

With a start Kagome lurched up, her hands clawing at her chest as she heaved in heavy gulps of air. A twinkling laugh had her warily looking up at the sound. A priestess with long straight ebony hair garbed in a traditional Priestess' robe modified with armor stood above her. Kagome gasped at the mark on her forehead, four pink diamonds set in the shape of a cross.

"Midoriko!" She cried. Midoriko laughed softly and offered the young woman a hand, helping her to stand. Kagome took in her surroundings. Her and Midoriko floated in a black void, pink light illuminating the two priestesses. Kagome realized that they must be in the jewel. But how, she wished it away?

Midoriko gave her a knowing smile. "You wished away the jewel, yet here we stand together inside of it. The Gods allowed me to stop time for but a second so we may yet speak." She explained. Kagome nodded, not quite understanding.

"The Gods?" She asked. Midoriko smiled.

"Yes. Amaterasu, specifically has had an interest in our lives. We are after all, her priestesses. She has granted me the opportunity to reward your efforts against the Jewel and Naraku." Kagome shook her head.

"But... I'm dead." There was no way to reward her now, unless Sesshoumaru used Tensaiga on her. Even that wasn't guaranteed to bring her back to the living.

"That is true. But the gift bestowed upon you is a choice. Send your soul onto the afterlife, to be reincarnated once again when the Gods deem it time, or aid the Goddesses of another world?" The older priestess said, giving the younger girl time to soak in what she said.

"Another...World? How is that possible?" Kagome questioned.

Midoriko laughed heartily. "You are surprised that our world isn't the only one in existence? After everything you've been through, I expected you to have suspected at least." Kagome pouted, an embarrassed blush flushing her face. Midoriko laid her hand on Kagomes head, and with a flash they were peering down at a land Kagome didn't recognize.

A vast world sprawled before her, a large bustling kingdom, a forest teeming with children and bright twinkling orbs, tall Rocky Mountains and a glistening ocean. The scene changed to reveal three ethereal women encased in lights of blue, green, and orange.

"These women are this worlds Goddesses. Farore goddess of Courage, Nayru goddess of Wisdom, and Din goddess of Power. Together the three created the land known as Hyrule, the three of them each balancing the scales of life and order. However, they've come upon a harrowing prophecy. A great evil will take over the world, destroying it." She waved her hand and the image rippled to reveal a large man with flaming red hair. Kagome watched on in horror as the man slaughtered everything in his way. The image changed to the kingdom they'd seen earlier, now desolate and dark, the buildings ruined and falling in, and the dead walking the streets, latching onto feed on any living creature that was unfortunate enough to encounter them.

The forest, once guarded by a great and mighty tree was was ransacked, exposed to monsters that had been let in due to the death of said tree. The mountains and ocean faced similar fates, their inhabitants struggling to survive. Kagome covered her mouth with a hand, tears falling from her eyes. How horrible, to witnesses such a beautiful land torn to the ground and polluted by such evil. Midoriko snapped and the image fizzled away, leaving them once again to float in the jewel.

"So you see Kagome, the death and ruin that will befall this land if left unattended by its destined heroes. Luckily the boy destined to save it will soon be born, but there is no guarantee he can do it alone. Have you made your decision? The choice is yours, if you decide you are done adventuring and saving the world, your peaceful afterlife awaits you." Midoriko questioned, her eyes softening as she looked down at the young girl.

Kagome wiped the tears from her face, contemplating.

"What will happen to my friends? Will they need me?" She asked. The thought of leaving them behind brought a quiver to her voice and a fresh set of tears. Midoriko called forth another vision.

"Your wish was pure, therefore it was granted. The jewel was wished from existence, resulting in the events caused by it and Naraku to be reversed in time and altered."

Kagome watched on as Inuyasha bantered with Kikyo and Kaede who was once again a young girl. Her wish had altered time itself, rewinding 50 years to before the events with Naraku and the Jewel were to take place. She watched as the vision flicked through each of her friends in different phases of their lives. Somehow Miroku and Sango still found each other, just without the traumatizing events, leading them to live long and happy lives with many children and Kohaku at their sides. Shippo, though his parents still met an untimely demise, had flourished into one of the strongest fox demons in Japan, starting and leading his own academy for his fellow orphans.

Sesshoumaru, the fierce lord of the West, lived on to find Rin who he raised as his own, the girl teaching him how to live and care for others beyond himself. His lands flourished, and so did his rapidly growing family. Rin and her husband would grace him with a multitude of human grandchildren, and Sesshoumaru lived to protect them.

Inuyasha and Kikyo found peace and happiness together, Inuyasha being welcomed to the village and promoted to be its resident guardian. Seeing the children with little puppy ears and Kikyo's dark hair, Kagome couldn't hold back her sob, but this time it was of happiness. She smiled through her tears, unable to believe that she had done it. Years of death and killing and fighting paid off in the end. Her friends didn't remember her, but they got to live on and never be exposed to the horror brought forth by the Jewel. That's all she wanted, that's what she died for.

"They don't remember their quest to complete the Jewel, and though they don't remember you they know in their hearts that someone is missing. They don't know it, but they are always remembering you. You fought a long and terrible battle, and in the end you sacrificed yourself for these people, for this world. The Gods have deemed you deserving of a choice. Now Kagome, what will you decide?" Midoriko spoke, her words somber. The death of the young girl burdened her greatly, especially as she knew the cause of her death began with Midoriko herself. She created the Jewel, and in turn had a hand in all of the death and destruction Naraku bestowed. Kagome was the one who reversed it all with her purity and selflessness. Midoriko and the world owed this small gesture to her.

Kagome weighed her options. She lived her life in Japan, fulfilled her destiny, and is at peace with the outcome of her wish. There was no guarantee that she would be reincarnated at the same time as all her loved ones, and the world she knew might not ever need her. But there was another world that did need her. It would feel wrong and selfish to deny its call for help. She nodded as she came upon her decision.

"I've decided. But I have a question first." She said. Midoriko nodded, granting her the time to speak. "Will I remember this? My life, my friends. Will I remember anything?" She asked. Midorkio sighed, unknowing herself.

"That I do not know. It isn't up to me, though I wish it were. Amaterasu is offering your soul to the three Goddesses as an aid, and they get to decide your fate. You will be reborn into a new world, a soul that doesn't belong in a land destined to be saved by you. There is a possibility you will regain your memory, whether it be in small flashes from time to time, or a complete restoration at the finishing of your quest or, never at all. All you can do is serve as faithfully to those goddesses as you did here to Amaterasu." She explained. Kagome nodded, taking in the information. It wouldn't have changed her mind regardless, but it was nice to know there was a slim chance that she would eventually remember this life.

"Alright Midoriko, I'm ready. I choose to help the goddesses free their world. I can't just ignore them." She said determinedly, a smile on her face. Midoriko chuckled, she knew Kagome would make the right choice. She approached the younger girl and embraced her.

"Then take this gift bestowed upon you by the Gods. Kagome Higurashi, Priestess of time and purity. May the goddesses keep you safe." Midoriko whispered in her ear.

She placed a kiss on her forehead and in an instant the young girl was gone and with her, the Jewel Midoriko was trapped in vanished as well. She too was given an option, and Midoriko was ready to embrace the afterlife.

...on the anniversary of Kagome's death and the Final Battle...

Sesshoumaru couldn't explain the tugging he felt on his soul, pulling him away from his castle to travel just a few miles away but try as he might to resist his soul would not rest until he did. The tugging brought him to an empty field, a place he swore he'd never been to but he couldn't understand the wave of familiarity and despair that washed over him. He surveyed the land cautiously, his eyes narrowing as they caught onto something standing in the distance. In the middle of the field an out of place Wisteria tree swayed in the wind, its floral scent calling out to him.

Sesshoumaru had a strange attachment to Wisteria, the tree and its flowers had brought him comfort and peace in the last fifty or so years, though he couldn't remember why. He just assumed the light scent and the inoffensive lavender color had a soothing effect on him much like an herbal tea. This tree was different however, and as he approached it a feeling of homesickness, grief, and love weighed onto him. From his position the tree was unassuming and normal, despite its odd appearance in the middle of a field when typically they grew in water areas. Its strong trunk spread out into long branches, littered with chains of purple flowers and green leaves.

He placed his hand onto the bark feeling its texture though he didn't know what made him reach out to it. The tree seemed to hum at his touch and a new scent wafted around him. This scent was undeniably familiar and as he searched for its source his gaze caught onto something hanging off of a lower branch. A white ribbon floated weightlessly in the breeze and Sesshoumaru grasped it and brought it to his nose to sniff it.

Wisteria, Vanilla... And a strange smell of spirituality.

Visions of a young familiar woman using the ribbon to tie her long black hair back with a giggle at his expression clouded his mind. She'd stolen it from him, he'd been using it to tie his own hair back before she playfully took it from him. She liked his hair down, and he decided to stop putting it back.

With a start Sesshoumaru fell to his knees, gripping his head. In a barrage of painful flashes images crashed into his mind and unable to fight it off, he fell unconscious. Night fell as the Demon Lord slumbered, and as the moon fell and the sun rose, he finally awoke.

His golden eyes flooded with tears that trailed soundlessly down his face. He grit his teeth and lowered his head, lifting to his knees to brace himself against the tree.

Kagome

He remembered everything. The woman he'd fallen in love with but never got the chance to tell her. His heart broke as he remembered the woman's body resting in his lap, as he was forced to watch as the light left her eyes. This tree had grown in the very spot she'd died. He roared in anger, his howls echoing amongst the field. He couldn't save her, he never even had the chance to try to revive her with Tensaiga before the world disappeared in a flash and he was fifty years younger, oblivious to the tragedy he had just lived through. The sacrifice his love had made.

He couldn't help but be angry at himself. He couldn't move fast enough to shield Kagome from the tentacle that flew at her to lodge itself in her chest, hacked away in a split second as Sesshoumaru caught her body before it could hit the ground. He remembered now. How could he have forgotten? Forgotten her? He remembered the panic as she wished away the events that had taken place. He knew then that her wish was reversing time to before they'd met, and he so desperately tried to cling on to her as his reality was ripped away in a blinding flash of pink spiritual light. Did anyone else remember? Remember the sacrifice the Shikon Priestess had made to ensure her loved ones happiness?

He shook his head. He knew the others would never remember, how he himself was able to remember was a miracle. He gazed up at the wisteria tree that shielded him from the outside world. Somehow Kagome was able to send him one last message, in the form of this tree. He wondered if she meant for his memory to be restored, but immediately he knew she hadn't. She expected her sacrifice to forever go forgotten, she wouldn't have wanted her loved ones to remember the pain and suffering.

A small smile graced his features as he rested his head back against the tree, the ribbon clutched tightly against his chest. He would rest here for a while, remembering her. Plans to build something in her honor began taking place in his mind. He would build a home here, where he could keep watch over the tree. Rin would surely watch over the castle for him with the help of Jaken. Yes, this felt right. The hole in his heart that'd he'd carried for so long, where it always felt as if something was missing and terribly wrong felt lighter, no longer hollow but filled with the love and loss of the priestess.

He took the ribbon and wrapped it around his wrist, securing it tightly. She would always be with him in some way, and he would live the rest of his long life in her honor.

Yeah kinda weird to post an Inuyasha X LOZ crossover at this day and age but I got a hyperfixation all of a sudden. If I do continue this story please know that it's not going to follow the strict lore and storylines of either anime/game. I'm going to take creative freedom for certain things. If you like it, please consider writing a review! The more reviews I get the more likely I am to work on it lmao. Hope you enjoy!