Boats and Birds.

Boats and Birds.
By Erin Night.
___________________

"If you be my star
I'll be your sky
you can hide underneath me and come out at night
when I turn jet black and you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine"

I closed my eyes and took in the sweet scent of her hair. It was fruity and light, like strawberries and water. The wind had mussed it only a little, and I smiled as I slid my legs to lay down beside her.

My Kagome smiled sweetly at me as I laid one arm protectively across her middle. "How long will things be this wonderful?" she wanted to know; her voice had a slight, pretty ring to it, and it nearly distracted me from the subject at hand. Laying my cheek gently against the soft, bare skin of her shoulder, I sighed so quietly that she didn't even hear me.

It hadn't been very long since our marriage became final, and the time we'd spent together was... perfect. There just wasn't any other word for it; it was absolutely perfect.

SHE was perfect.

"But you can skyrocket away from me
and never come back if you find another galaxy
far from here with more room to fly
just leave me your stardust to remember you by"

We didn't talk about her mortality very often. I always tried to steer her away from that discussion; she didn't need to worry over things like that.

The truth was, I didn't know how long she would stay this way this time. No one had ever been mated to a hanyou before, so we really had no way of knowing that this was what would happen. I figured that it would be like a full demon mating a human, that she would have my lifespan. I thought that she would be safe and happy in my arms... forever.

But it wasn't that way at all. We'd only been mated together for a few weeks when the village was attacked again; she was the target, the human woman mated to the hanyou. I couldn't protect her the entire time, so I watched, horrified, as they ran her through repeatedly with their swords, raking their long claws against her skin over and over and over again. Her blood bathed me as I slew them and carried her away, and, as she lay, bleeding and crying in my arms, I FELT her die. Grieving, I ran, ran as far away from that horrible place, just wanting to escape her death.

I returned barely a week later when I felt something change.

Something in the air... or maybe it was ABOUT the air... She was up and about, walking around and doing chores as if nothing had happened. As soon as I came up the steps and into the small hut we shared, her brown eyes became wide. She embraced me, crying out excitedly, and I held her.

I think it comforted me more than it did her.

"If you be my boat
I'll be your sea
a depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity
ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze
I live to make you free
I live to make you free"

It didn't take too long to figure out what was happening. Kagome didn't age anymore; it was several more years until anyone tried to take their frustrations over me out on her. Another, much smaller band of demons this time; her wounds weren't nearly as fatal as before, but I wished to test my theory.

So I left again. This time, it was barely a day before I felt that tug, the invisible pull that led me right back to my Kagome. It was a very strange sensation, as if I could FEEL her. I could feel her heartbeat even halfway across the world. I could smell her sweet scent on the wind; it was very, very faint, but it seemed to have followed me all the way across the world.

I returned, and she was as good as new. Wounds which should have taken weeks to heal were gone, and her skin was as smooth and soft as before. It was like she had never been touched by claws or swords.

Myoga said that it must be a sort of defensive mechanism, so that Kagome was still safe whenever I wasn't around to protect her.
I wore a smile by day, but I was horrified on the inside. The only way for her to be REALLY safe, TRULY safe, was for me to leave her.

But I couldn't; every time I did, even for a short while, I missed her terribly, both physically and emotionally.

It was as though she followed me without even moving.

"But you can set sail to the west if you want to
and past the horizon till I can't even see you
far from here where the beaches are wide
just leave me your wake to remember you by"

The birth of our first-born, Migoto, was one of the hardest moments of my entire life. There she was, my little Migoto, in my sweet
Kagome's normally strong, capable arms...

Suddenly, I smelled blood. It was a thick, heavy scent, and it put a metallic taste in my mouth. That was new in and of itself. The small hut was almost instantly filled with the scent of Kagome's blood, and I remember stumbling backward, gagging on the scent. Sango took the baby as I attempted to recover, and Kaede and Miroku crowded around Kagome in an instant.

"She's bleeding too quickly!"

"She's dying!"

That caught my attention. I snapped back, shaking my head a little in anger. "You've GOT to be kidding me," I muttered under my breath as I scooped Migoto out of Sango's arms and ran with her.

We were a long way away from the village, sitting high up in a tree. I looked at her... and looked at her. And I smiled, playing with the soft, black fuzz on her head. I sighed contentedly as I watched her yawn and stretch and blink her big, milk chocolate eyes up at me. She smiled and cooed for a little while; we slept up in that same tree. The next morning, she woke up with only me, and she immediately started to cry.

I knew that she was crying for Kagome.

Our Kagome.

I hadn't felt the tug as of yet, but I returned anyway. Migoto was going to be one of my top priorities now; I knew that I could bring her back and leave again, if it meant her happiness and her mother's safety. Kagome still wasn't any better; the bleeding had stopped, but she was still weak from the birthing process. I handed Migoto to her, kissed her goodbye, and left again.

The ache threatened to tear me in two. It wasn't so bad when I had my Migoto with me, but now... They were both leagues away.

It hit me that I was alone.

"If you be my star
I'll be your sky
you can hide underneath me and come out at night
when I turn jet black and you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine"

I returned just a few weeks later, when the tug alerted me to the fact that all was well at home and that Kagome was good as new. She was nursing Migoto when I walked in the door. Her smile brightened my world more than she could ever know.

Months have passed. Years have passed. Centuries have passed.

Although the ache can sometimes still seem unbearable, the hope I hold to see that smile again when I return to my Kagome is all I need to continue on.

We moved and changed with the times. Sesshomaru and I started businesses, invested in ideas; we've made good names for ourselves, and we've managed to keep our mates happy - Sesshomaru finally found some sense and mated Rin before she became too much older than Kagome had been when we married. They've even had a couple of pups.

We've had a few more pups as well. Migoto's all grown up; she looks just like Kagome, even to this day, centuries later, but her personality resembles my own. She has my cockiness and temper. Keisuke, our oldest son, is like me as well; he looks exactly like me, only with Kagome's black hair. Our next daughter, Aya, is much younger than the other two, but she has already reached maturity. She's a real sweetheart, like her Mom; she has Kagome's face and my silver hair and golden eyes. Our youngest so far, Jade, is a spunky little girl right about now; she's got my silver hair and Kagome's pretty brown eyes. She's sweet and caring like Kagome, but she's got my temper just like Migoto and Keisuke do.

It's easier to keep our Kagome safe and healthy here in the modern era. I don't have to leave as often, and we can live together, peacefully, happily...

Perfectly.

"But you can skyrocket away from me
and never come back if you find another galaxy
far from here with more room to fly
just leave me your stardust to remember you by
stardust to remember you by"