To Endure

The year was 2020, it had been twenty years since the Bone eater’s well closed, Tokyo had changed so much, the sky line was amazing, the pollution worse, but the Higurashi Shrine was the same, save the care taker. Once a family lived there, but over time one by one they fell, first the father, then the eldest daughter, the grandfather and last the mother, leaving just the youngest to take care of the place. After his sister vanished, his soul cried out, powers he never thought he’d have escalated, and grew, like his older sister he could see spirits and auras. That day he’d realized his sister was gone forever, that she’d never come back up the well again. He’d ended up a priest, and it turned out he liked it very much, his bride of only a few years had already started a family with him, if nothing else he was humble.



The care taker was twenty eight and looked just like his father had, except that he had his mother’s hair color and brown eyes. Going into the family house at the sound of his daughter’s cry, he failed to notice the young woman coming up the stairs. She was tall, and had ‘legs that reached the sky’ her black high school uniform was form fitting, showing off her hour glass figure. As she climbed the mountain of stairs, her hip length onyx hair billowed behind her caught lightly on the wind, while a soft endearing light played in her icy sky blue eyes. She walked to the Goshinboku the aged tree of life, looking at it for a long time before sitting at its base, she leaned back and rested. The young woman heard the door open, and felt the spiritual power flare to life upon sensing her demonic aura. She smiled looking at the man that he’d become.



“Miss. Is there something I can help you with?” he asked politely. How much you sound like father, she thought. She stood and locked gazes with her little brother. The young woman’s aura shifted, blurred between reality and not, he could see demonic markings, hidden from human eyes. They were pale blue, and upon her brow was the seal of the South, Souta had seen and even made a few concealment spells and charms but this woman hid little, save her shimmering silver hair, dancing on the wind longer then the onyx tress of her guise seemed to fall at. She was beautiful, and yet she looked just like someone he hadn’t seen in forever, someone who wouldn’t be alive, and if she were it shouldn’t be like this.



“Hello Souta.” came Kagome‘s voice. Souta couldn’t believe it, this girl looked like his sister, sounded like her but held a demonic aura, he hadn’t seen Kagome in twenty years but she looked the same. She smiled brilliantly at him she held back a giggle.



“Kagome?” he asked sheepishly. The demon looked at him a genuine smile flashing pearly white fangs his way.



“Gods you got big, I feel so small now.” she said pouting while walking over to him. “I still remember when you were just a little guy asked me and Inuyasha about love, and kissing that little Hitomi!” she exclaimed blushing at the thought. Souta couldn’t help but notice the confidence in this creature had that the humanoid Kagome never did, twenty years seemed to give her everything. Looking at her he noticed the subtle differences, icy blue eyes instead of muddy blue ones that looked deeper then the ocean, even down to the way she carried herself there were difference, but some how, deep down she felt the same, her aura was warm and accepting.



“Actually, Hitomi’s my wife now, and I’m not so little anymore, I run this place, and watch our daughter during the day while she’s at work.” he answer pulling a free arm behind his back and grinning wildly at her, he couldn’t help himself part of him, the spiritual side, wanted to eradicate this demon, but a larger part told him, ‘this is our sister reborn, and she remembers us‘. Smiling at the man her brother had become, Kagome asked.



“Is it alright if I get some tea? Momma used to have the most wonderful tea’s.” She said, causing her brother to frown before telling her the truth.



“She’s gone Kagome, its just me and Hitomi here now, after you never came back they both died.” Answered Souta, bothered that his sister had missed so much of their lives, where was she for twenty years, and how did she return so much the same and yet so different.



“I know.” Kagome answered calmly. “I’ve already met up with them again. After all, it may have only been twenty years for you, its been about…” she paused and put a finger to her chin to think. “About five hundred and twenty some odd years for me, I’m not sure if that’s exact but I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to come back to the ones I love, which included you little brother.” she said with a grin.



“Hey. Your only what eighteen?”



“Something like that.” she answered while sticking her tongue out at him.



“Ah well, then I’m your older brother, I’m twenty eight now.” he said sticking his tongue out as well, it felt childish but so right, he wanted to remember the good times, and this was doing just that.



“Oh my, Souta you are getting so old.” she said jokingly and feigning sadness, which only got a laugh from her brother. Making their way to the house, Kagome went right to the tea, and began humming like their mother had so many times before. The house had changed little in her absence, it smelled different, there were many more pictures, but many less breakable things about, having a baby around had forced most family artifacts to be pushed back into storage. They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on life, Kagome always stiring questions away from certain truths, eventually even showing Kagome her ‘niece’. But soon they realized that night was coming and Hitomi would be coming home soon. The pair went out to sit beneath the Goshinboku, a comfortable silence surrounding them, when Souta finally spoke up.



“So you’re a demon now, and if that’s true then I know this visit wasn’t just about catching up.” She wanted very much to tell him everything about their family, but had left it at, ‘Midoriko, the soul that made the shikon jewel, she was and is the sister of my soul. And because she is free of her prison, and my job completed I could not be reborn as a human, but I could be reborn like this.’ Kagome nodded to her brothers assertions, he would know in time, especially when his soul’s job was done as well, he would know all. Picking up a yellow backpack that had many school things in it she pulled out a piece of folded parchment and handed it to her brother. There was a single name on the letter, ‘Sesshomaru.’ “I see.” he said a bit saddened and yet not with the same satisfaction.



It was the first serious moment between the pair. “Kagome what happened back then? Why now did you come back, really?” She smiled bitterly looking out at Tokyo, as the sun set, he reminded her so much of Miroku, with a sigh she replied.



“I fell in love so much so that I couldn’t let go, and now I’ve come back to be with him again. We’ve both been waiting, and I think its only fair. “She said looking into the sky knowing both Destiny and Fate could hear and see her. “In all my lives, this, the last, and the first, I’ve never been a selfish person, demon, anything. I’ve never taken for myself, I’ve given until it hurt, given until I died. Just this once I want to be happy, I want to take what I feel should be mine. I know he loves me too. I know its hard to understand, I know you loved Inuyasha like a brother, and for a time I loved him with my everything…” she trailed off, falling silent. Silence again fell between them. “But, it was young love, and it was never truly returned.” she said sounding a bit bitter. “Over time I found another, a true love, and had Destiny and Fate not pulled us apart I would still by his side. And so I give this to you. Know brother that I was never a fool, this land, this shrine sits on western lands. He watches over it to this day, and I’m very sure your already aware of that. Please give this to him for me.” she said.



Looking down at the letter in his hand the wind picked up, he turned to Kagome only to find her gone, a small smile on his face. Hitomi came up the shrine stairs a moment later, smiling and waving at her husband, walking over to his wife, he kissed her with a new vigor, sometimes life could be cruel and love a fleeting fancy, in that moment he knew true love existed. Walking hand and hand into the house, Souta made dinner, while Hitomi caught up with her daughter, Kagome, named for her aunt who’d vanished twenty years before. The evening passed without complaint and when Hitomi disappeared upstairs to lay their child to rest, Souta picked up the phone and dialed a number he’d only used once in his life. A cold voice picked up the other side.



“Speak.” the man said.



“I have something for you Taishou-sama. I think it’d be best if you came personally to get it, I’m sure the one that gave it to me would like that.” Souta said feeling a bit uneasy talking to this man. A Low growl caught his attention.



“I do not make it a personal habit to show up when requested.” the man nearly barked out.



“If what I’ve been told is true, then this will be worth the visit.” Answered Souta.



“It had better be.” finished the man, then hanging up the phone. Souta felt a small chill run up his spine, Hitome came moments later.



“Who was that?” she asked happily.



“Our benefactor, I’ve had a visit today from one who wished to see him. “ he answered honestly. He’d never known it until he himself took over the shrine, that a demon was the benefactor of their humble shrine. They were the gate keepers to an ancient time portal and a demon controlled them, he’d been angry and felt defeated then. Souta met the demon for himself the day they buried his mother. Taller then almost any being he’d ever seen, long silver hair that cascaded down his back to his knees, amber glowing eyes, Inuyasha’s older brother, Lord Sesshomaru. Sipping the tea his wife handed to him, he read the look of worry on her face. “Don’t worry, everything will be okay, but you go to bed, I’ll be up until he leaves.”



“He’s coming tonight?” she asked.



“I’ve never known him to wait. If everything my mother told me is right about where he lives, he’ll be here in twenty minutes or so.” she looked a bit better but still worried. Sighing in defeat, Hitomi stood and left her husband sitting on the porch, Souta in turn walked over to Goshinboku, and sat beneath its branches, shaded from the full moons glow, he sat and meditated. It felt like hours had passed when he felt a powerful aura pull near by, he didn’t need to look to see it was Sesshomaru. Hearing the fast car come to a stop, the engine turn off, and fast footsteps, Souta tried to stay calm. Golden eyes fell on the human figure beneath the gods tree, knowing it was the priest of this place, the brother of his lover, he walked to him and stopped taking the site of the human in.



Sesshomaru hadn’t seen the young man in some time, since his mothers death, it looked as thought he’d turned out to be a strong human, not nearly as strong spiritually as his sister before him, but Sesshomaru never compared apples to oranges. Silence fell over the pair, both stubborn males waiting for the other to speak, it was overly predictable that Souta would buckle first. Pulling the letter from its sitting placed on the cool ground beside him, he handed the letter to its proper owner. Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed as he saw the handwriting, it was familiar, and yet completely foreign, but what caught him off guard was the scent wrapped around the letter, it smelled of her. In five hundred twenty years he’d never forgotten that scent.



“Who gave this to you?” the demon lord demanded.



“You should know.” answered the priest as he stood, and stretched.



“Do well to remember who you speak to.” the cold voice said back, causing Souta to smile a bit, and look at the demon directly in the eyes, not in a challenging way, but in a knowing way.



“I’ll never understand what she see’s in bossy individuals. Take care of her, she’s gone a long way to be with you. Goodnight Lord Sesshomaru.” Said Souta dismissing himself to a low threatening growl from his benefactor. The words the priest spoke said volumes to Sesshomaru, letting the rude behavior pass this once, the dog demon, lord of all western Japan, opened the letter that bore only his name.



My dearest Sesshomaru,



I would like to say that if you kill the man that gave this to you I will surely be pissed. He was once my baby brother, and I would hate to start our reunion off on such a sore note. By now I’m hoping that you have realized who it is that sent such a letter to you, I’ve come a long way to be back with you, and I won’t wait a day longer. Meet me atop Tokyo Tower, I’ll be waiting.



Love,



Kagome. xoxoxo



Sniffing the letter he could hardly believe it, a life lived alone, while watching others love, longing for the one that set his soul at peace, and now, somehow she was back in his life again. Looking back at the shrine he wondered just what this meant for him, for his future. Smiling at the thought he left the shrine, one pair of human eyes watched the stoic demon take off, souta smiled and laid down to sleep. Above in the heavens her grandfather watched annoyed but okay none-the-less, his daughter and son-in-law having already gone back to help their child reclaim love, “A demon in the family.” he muttered.



Taking off at demonic speed, Sesshomaru was in his car and gone before Souta had made it to his room to kiss his wife. “Is everything okay?” Hitomi asked. Souta nodded with a loving smile, and kissed his wife tenderly. Sesshomaru drove as though demons from hell were chasing him, weaving thru traffic as it suited him, no cop would even dare to try and pull out after him as he passed. Tokyo Tower came into site fast, atop it somewhere was the love of his love, his soul mate, and soon to be mate, Kagome, or possibly a trap, the cynical side of his brain supplied. He wanted to believe this letter, that this was his Kagome, losing himself in thought on the situation he hardly realized he was just parking his car at the base of the tower. It was late at night, and entry would be blocked, using demonic speed and abilities in public was against demonic law, but dressed in black, only his silver hair would be visible, and after a moment even that would not be seen by the human eye.



Pulling his trench coat back and allowing his hair to fall underneath he leapt high up the tower, and in three bounds made it to the highest landing. The wind was hard, blowing as though on an ocean cliff side, pulling his hair free it danced on the wind. Looking around at first he saw nothing but the large pale moon, he’d return to the shrine and kill the priest and his family if this was some sort of joke, but then he saw her. Standing on the other side looking away from him, to the pale moon that seemed so much larger and paler was a female. Her hair like his own a shimmering tress of snowy white, cast so bright in the pale moonlit it almost hurt to look at, it almost looked to be glowing, stepping towards her she turned slowly, a beautiful smile on her face, while piercing icy blue eyes locked with angry gold.



“Who are you?” he asked not holding back his annoyance. She smiled, and his heart skipped a beat, allowing her aura to flare out, it embraced his own like a lost lover would. Sesshomaru stopped walking and just looked at her, she did resemble his Kagome, though taller, and more shapely, this female was obviously a demon. She didn’t say a word, just turned her body to him, and began to come over to where he stood. Keeping a watchful eye on her he couldn’t help but notice the confidence she held, finally stopping right in front of him she said.



“Its been a long time.” her voice was like an angel, or possibly a ghost from long ago. She smiled at him as he tried to figure out what was going on. And so she began to tell him the truth. “Long ago, long before this country was even an island, I existed, second born of Shinosamu God of Wrath and Chaos, son of Amaterasu Goddess of life and light; A great evil befell this land and my lady’s people, both demon and human were beseeched, a heavenly warrior was sent to slay the evil, her name was Midoriko. But in saving the people she became trapped, imprisoned. The first born of Shinosamu, Midoriko,… my sister was welded into a weapon for greedy hands. I was sent to free her, but I failed as a human, they are far more soiled and easily tainted then the gods had realized and so I was reborn again, five hundred years from the distraction of the hanyou, alone in a world so I could learn to be pure enough to break and reassemble the jewel, allowing me to deconstruct it to save her.” She paused and looked at him, trying to ensure he understood.



“Go on.” he said, some of the cold coming from his voice. She nodded.



“It took far longer then I would have thought, and in being reborn again I forgot who and what I was. To me I was only Kagome Higurashi, Shikon miko, it was only in the last battle when the jewel was in my person that I remembered my task, but still not who I was. After freeing Midoriko, she pulled my soul home, where I met my father and grandmother, and learned the truth.” she finished and turned to look at the moon.



“And now, how is it you’re a demon and not a human?” he voiced, even less annoyance then before. A bitter smile came to her face.



“I was never meant to fall in love or hold it then, not as a human. As a human I was meant only to come back and save her, falling in love with you was sweet icing on a bitter cake. Destiny and Fate’s idea of a joke.” she answered glowing at the sky.



“So you never loved me?” he asked.



“No, I loved you, I loved you with everything I was, and even in death I pined for you, watched and waited until I could come back. But as a human, it would never happen, the task set for this soul of mine was completed as a human, the only way I could come back was to be born again as something else, and only after my human forms soul was returned could I be born again. For you it has been five hundred and twenty years of living life without love returned. For me it has been five hundred and twenty years of knowing that I love you, watching you, protecting you, but never once was I able to hold you, or to let you know that you are loved beyond any other in my heart.”



“You still love me?” he asked, his voice obviously shocked and yet slightly broken.



“Such a silly question, I gave up the heavens to be with you. Of coarse I do.” she said with a grin, as she began to run to him. Her silver hair cascaded down her back and played happily in the wind, throwing her arms around his neck they were locked in a passionate kiss that neither broke, until it was either pass out of breath. His hands roamed her body, which in turned spiked the air with her heavenly aroma of desire. She felt so right in his arms, the missing part of him that had been gone for five hundred years was suddenly back in full and blooming. Cupping her face on both sides, his thumbs beneath her jaw bone, he trailed kisses down her neck and over her exposed collar bones, as the air grew thicker with the scent of her own arousal. A clawed digit broke him from going farther. “Where as I might like spontaneity, I prefer the comforts of a bed for my first time again.” she said with a smirk.



The look in Sesshomaru’s eyes said it all, he hadn’t thought that far out, that if she had a new body, she would be a virgin again, the sudden idea of slick untouched tight folds nearly had his eyes tinted crimson. All had not gone unnoticed by the demoness either, licking his cheek like a pup might, she whispered, “Follow me.” And ran to the edge of the tower’s surface where she leapt off the side. The wind whipped through her hair the whole fall down, she looked so graceful and utterly peaceful, but her soon to be mate was ready to die, seeing her dive off like that, he had already forgotten she was like him a demon, not a mere mortal. Landing in a tight crotched position Kagome stool and stretched waiting for her lord and mate to be to follow suit, landing next to her Sesshomaru grabbed her by the arm roughly and growled a bit annoyed at her sudden bout of flight.



Kagome looked at him for a moment and again licked his cheek, pull her arm out slowly she grabbed his hand, and led the way back to his car, the black luxury sports car that was far to fast for even cops to pull over. Reaching in his pocket for the key, and grinning when she found not only the keys but something she’d be playing with later she unlocked the door, and told him to get in, shooting the door behind him and leaning over to say, “My car’s down there.” she pointed. “ The little red similar version of this, I’m not leaving my car here, my dad would kill me, follow me and we’ll have fun tonight.” stalking away to go to her car, Sesshomaru couldn’t help but watch the sway of her hips and hair as she almost danced on air to get to the auto. Sighing, he’d registered her words, ‘dad would kill me’, he thought, what would her father be like, did he know the demon? So many questions he had but they could wait, he really didn’t care if her father liked him or not of it he knew the demon, Kagome was his, in the last life and in this one. Watching as her red car pulled out it was almost a mirror image of his own, it seemed they seemed to have the same tastes this go around.