Falls On Me

A/N: Thanks to all of those who reviewed the first chapter. I am glad to see that people are enjoying it.

Huge thanks to my beta lindajrjt. Can't say enough about her awesome.

MD

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"Sango!" From her place well outside of the fray Kagome watched as one of the dark hanyou's tentacles knocked her best friend off of her fire cat companion. As if the world had suddenly gone into slow motion she watched as Sango plummeted to the ground, landing with a bone cracking thud. Miroku ran to her, completely throwing his personal safety to the wind in favor of assuring the safety of his love. Within the blink of an eye Naraku darted a second tentacle out and slammed it through the demon slayer's chest, effectively killing her and the monk that held her like a life line.

As much as she wanted to let anger take over she knew she had to keep pure thoughts to keep the jewel pure. This evil was going to end and it was going to end right now. She notched and arrow back and concentrated to put as much purifying energy as she could into the arrow before shooting it.

It hit the target dead on, blowing Naraku's body to pieces. Just as quickly as he had broken apart he started to reform, his blood curdling laughter filling the battlefield. "My my, miko. Did I hit a sore spot? No use in getting angry, you are going to join your friends soon enough."

"Like hell she will!" Inuyasha bounded across from where he had just finished off the last of Naraku's minions. "Kagome, look out!"

She dashed to the side as a tentacle darted for her, throwing dirt into the air when it made contact with the dusty earth. As she lay on the ground she watched Inuyasha let loose futile attack after futile attack on the other hanyou, none of causing any noteworthy damage. He was tiring; Kagome could see it from where she was. Her knight in shining armor wasn't going to last very much longer. Quickly she was back on her feet firing arrows, careful not to hit Inuyasha.

Soon she was down to her last arrow and Inuyasha was battling with himself to stay on his feet. "It looks like I will be the victor on this glorious day. Any last words? I am not a cruel man."

"Why won't you die?" With one last little quick burst of energy Inuyasha attacked. Again Kagome watched in slow motion as one of Naraku's tentacles shot out and decapitated her long time love.

"Inuyasha!!" Kagome shot up in bed, sweating and panting. "No. No! Inuyasha!"

Sesshoumaru awoke with a start when he heard Kagome's anguished cries. He darted from the living room into his room and ran over to the bed to the hysterical girl. He scooped her up into his arms and tucked her frail form to his chest and let her sob into his shirt. Fear and sadness radiated off of her in waves and he knew that there was nothing that he could do to fix it. This small but powerful girl had gone through much more at her age than most people went through in a lifetime. It would take a lot of time but he was ready to help her heal as a last favor to his brother.

If his younger self would have seen him cradling the miko like a child, he would laugh and then ask why he wasn't ripping her throat out. Rin had changed him. It took centuries for him to actually admit to himself that humans weren't all that bad and that his father was at fault just as much as the human that managed to kill him.

He really had no other choice in the matter. Over the years as humans began to outnumber the demon population; there had been many demons that thought a rebellion was in order and they paid with their lives. The demons that had managed to work into the human population and live peacefully along side them lived and prospered.

Eventually Kagome's breathing began to even out and her sniffles ceased. Ever so gently so not to wake her he moved her from his lap and back onto the bed, covering her with the blanket. He tried to go back to his pallet in the living room but was stopped short when something snagged his wrist and pulled hard. The miko was looking up at him with wide eyes full of tears, her hand wrapped around his wrist in a death grip when she feared he was leaving her.

The tears rolled down her face and her lip quivered. "Please stay with me tonight," she whispered, adding a sniffle for good measure.

She let go of his wrist when he nodded, and scooted over to offer the large male enough space in the moderately small bed. For some reason in the back of her mind she always pictured Sesshoumaru having a large enough bed to fit his large form when he was completely transformed into a dog. He had always seemed the type to live in the lap of luxury, not in this small Tokyo apartment with a bed that barely fit the both of them.

When he was settled beside her she curled into him a bit, taking in the warmth and comfort that only the touch of another seemed to provide.

For the next few days he would stay home with her if at all possible. He had to call the caretakers at the shrine and ask that the small building where he found Kagome be left untouched until he finished his job of going through the artifacts that were there and organizing the next steps that would have to be taken. He would also have to make a few phone calls to find another professor to take over his few classes at Tokyo University. He had no clue how long this was going to take. So far Kagome had been mildly agreeable and hadn't fought him like he had expected her to do.

Being asleep for so long and then thrown into a world that isn't your own had to be a great shock. After all, here she was curled up on the bed of her once mortal enemy. Maybe even still mortal enemy. There was no way to tell how she was going to react once she woke up; and that was exactly why he was waiting for her to fall asleep enough for him to move. He didn't want to risk being purified when she realized exactly who she was clutching onto for dear life.

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The next morning Kagome awoke with a start. Looking around the room she tried to put the pieces of the last twelve hours together and figure out exactly why she was sitting in this spartan room of white wearing a set of vibrant blue silk pajamas that were at least two sizes too large for her.

She remembered waking up under the floorboards of a dusty old shrine, crying into Sesshoumaru's chest, trusting him enough to return to his home with him, showering, and then crying into his chest more after the memories of the battle assaulted her already weary mind. She felt like a weakling. She never cried this much when she was with Inuyasha, even though there were times he made her want to cry so many tears she wasn't sure she would ever be able to cry again.

The smell of breakfast foods and coffee pulled her from the bed leading her to the kitchen. There, in front of the strangest stove she had ever seen, stood Sesshoumaru. His hair, that now hung only to the middle of his back instead of down his thighs, was mussed like he had just awoken not too long ago himself. His sleep pants rode low on his hips and she noticed that he didn't have a shirt on.

"You have your arm back," she stated bluntly.

Sesshoumaru turned around. "You are just noticing that? I expected more out of the miko that was able to defeat Narku," he said with a touch of humor in his voice.

She shuffled into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "It has been a really strange few hours. It's not everyday I find myself in the wrong time rubbing elbows with demons."

"This is the second time that I count." He placed a plate of eggs and sausage cut like octopus in front of her, soon followed by a cup of juice. "It's not poisoned, if that is what you think," he commented when he saw her eyeing the food.

Cautiously she took a bite. "When did you get your arm back? It isn't another demon arm that you randomly found, is it?"

He sat in the seat across from her with a cup of coffee. "Not at all. This time is much more advanced than yours. Medical technology has advanced. You wouldn't believe me if I told you it was a prosthetic limb."

"I wouldn't. It has the same stripes. And there are no visible scars or lines."

He reached his arm out, waving it around a bit, and wiggled his fingers. "Medical technology is an amazing thing. This isn't my own arm yet I can feel and touch just as if it were."

Kagome eyed the limb. "Really?"

"Really," he replied, grinning at her. "Don't ask me how it was done. The idea of having my arm once more was thrilling enough for me not to care."

Silence hung over the two of them once more as they ate until Kagome broke it again. "Octopuses?"

"My 'great grandchildren' like it."

She nearly choked on one of the 'octopuses'. "Grandchildren?"

He waved his hand in the air, waving away the thought he was sure she had. "Rin's descendants. The children love it."

After years of helping raise children and grandchildren he had a lot of experience dealing with them. Being that they were human, and some of the little girls reminded him a lot of the little miko, he figured that they may have some of the same tastes. He never got too close to her while she was in the feudal era. Spying was one thing, but it was more spying to learn if they knew of Naraku's latest moves and to make sure his brother didn't do something stupid and get himself killed. He would be the one killing his brother, no one else. Sadly he missed his opportunity but he gave the boy a proper burial as a last show of respect.

"Thank you for breakfast, Sesshoumaru. It's nice to know you are a better chef than I am." She stood up and put her plate on the counter next to the sink and was about to turn on the water when she noticed that there wasn't any knobs to turn the water on. "Um... The shower was easy, but what happened to the knobs in here?"

The demon stood, walked over to her, and took the plate off of the counter. "Watch and learn." Once he moved the plate under the faucet it turned on automatically. "The temperature is set perfectly to be warm enough to clean and be comfortable yet not burn." The rinsed plate went to the dish washer.

"Why isn't the shower like that?"

"Because everyone likes to take showers at different temperatures. Imagine wanting to take a cold shower and only being able to take a warm one."

"That would be awful."

"Indeed." He dried his hands. "Now to start your education of the society we live in."

She cocked her head to the side. "Do you want to get rid of me that bad? Am I that horrible?"

Immediately he backpedaled. "Not at all. You have always struck me as an independent woman. Do you not wish to have your independence?"

"I'm sorry I snapped. I would love to learn, but everything has been so much as it is. My brain just wants to rest."

He grabbed her arm. "Let's go watch the news. It will give you an idea of the times we now live in."

She nodded and let herself be led into the living room. "Where is the TV?" The room was rather empty save for the mess of papers and books. There didn't seem to be any room for a TV.

Sesshoumaru laughed and led her to the couch, where he picked up a remote with more buttons on it than Kagome knew what to do with. He pushed a button and a twenty seven inch square in the blank wall across from the couch parted to reveal a flat screen television. A few more button pushes later and a morning news program was on the screen.

For an hour they sat and watched the news before everything became too overwhelming for her. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Hn?"

"Can I just go back to sleep?"

For someone who had been in a death like state for so long, how she could still want to sleep was beyond him. Instead of fighting her he let her leave the couch and go back to his bedroom.

Not even an hour later he was back in the room with her holding her as she cried into his chest.

-----

For the second time that day Kagome woke up feeling unusually warm. When she opened her eyes she noticed that she wasn't in bed alone. Sesshoumaru was protectively wrapped around her and for the first time in a long time she felt safe. As strange as it sounded, she felt safe being wrapped up in the arms of the powerful demon lord. Not once had he threatened to kill her, maim her, eat her soul, or cause her pain otherwise. He had been nothing but good to her since he pulled her from the floorboards. She cuddled back into his arms and relished in the warmth that he offered. Things were wonderful in Kagome land until a sharp buzzing from the front room. Not sure what it was she frantically shook Sesshoumaru. "Wake up," she yelled at him, wanting him to make the buzzing stop.

He cracked his eyes open slightly. "It's the doorbell," he mumbled.

"No one knows I am here! Go answer it!" She shook him harder, trying to get him out of bed. Instead he just rolled over and seemed to ignore her.

Not knowing what else to do she got out of bed herself and went for the door. A young girl that had a scary likeness to Rin stood on the other side with what looked like a school bag. "Hi pretty lady!" she said happily, adding a little wave. "Is Granpa Sess home?"

Kagome snickered a bit. 'Granpa Sess.' "He is taking a nap. Why don't you go sit on the couch while I go get him."

"Ok!" The little girl followed Kagome inside and happily skipped to the couch while Kagome walked back to the bedroom where the demon lord still slept happily. Not bothering to be stealth she jumped onto the bed.

"Get up now!" she screeched, reaching for a lock of his hair and giving it a nice yank.

Finally Sesshoumaru sat up, wide awake. "What?" he asked, rather irritated that he had been pulled from a fabulous dream involving the woman in front of him.

"There is a little girl here asking for her Granpa Sess." Kagome smiled at him. "Granpa Sess."

Sesshoumaru grumbled and got out of bed, grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt on the way out to the bathroom. "Please go make Sumire a snack while I dress."

Grumbling the entire time about not being a maid Kagome went into the kitchen and raided the cabinets for something to fix for the girl. After searching for a few minutes she found a box of cookies and set some out on a plate, then poured a glass of soymilk for her to drink with them. By the time she got back out to the living room Sesshoumaru was already on the couch with the girl, her school books spread about the table in front of them. "Perfect timing, Kagome. Sumire is working on her history homework, and I think that it would be good for you to sit and learn as well."

Laying the plate on the table in the girl's reach Kagome joined them on the couch. "What are you covering right now?"

"The great energy crisis of 2176."

Sesshoumaru almost grinned at the look on Kagome's face. "What year is it?" she asked in a whisper.

"2515, duh!" the little girl next to her blurted, looking at Kagome like she had grown another head. "Where have you been?"

"In a shrine, buried and forgotten." Kagome got up and retreated to the place in the apartment that she had already chosen as her safe haven.

Sesshoumaru watched her walk to the bedroom. Turning back to the girl he calmly closed her books. "Sumire, it may be best to postpone our tutoring sessions for a bit. I will call your father this evening and speak with him so we can work out a date to resume."

With Sumire out of the way he was able to go back to Kagome's safe haven and hopefully comfort her in some way. He had lost count of how many times he had smelled her tears since he had found her. It was a smell he used to enjoy when he was sacking human villages. The fear and anguish used to feed his violent urges and he welcomed it gladly. Now he never wanted to smell it again, especially when the miko was in question.

There she was curled up in the middle of his bed still wearing his pj's, sobbing into his pillow. Silently he moved into the room and lay next to her, bringing her small shaking form to his own and wrapping himself around her like he was trying to protect her from what ailed her. "What happened out there Kagome?" He felt her shake her head against his chest. "Please, Kagome," he pleaded. "I at least have the right to know what happened to my brother."

She shook her head again. "I'm not ready."

He left the subject drop and allowed her to wallow in her sorrow.

But tomorrow would be a new day. He couldn't allow her to do this to herself. Kagome was the most forgiving person that he had ever met; surely she could learn to accept her fate and the fate of her friends, know that they were living in a much better place if they hadn't been reincarnated, and she was now given a second chance at a normal life. Well, as normal of a life as she could have, being a the reincarnation of a miko from five hundred years in the past who fell down a well and was thrown five hundred years further into the past to fulfill her 'destiny', and then frozen for one thousand years only to be awoken by her one time enemy who happened to be the inuyoukai ruler of the Western Lands. Life for Kagome had never been normal after her fifteenth birthday, and it seemed that Kami-sama was dead set on keeping it that way.