AN: Thank you so much to everyone who commented and read this. I really appreciate all your support ^^ Hope you enjoy this last chapter. Please subscribe to me on Ao3 or any of my other accounts if you'd like to read more of my sesskag fics. I've got more in the works so stay tuned! Happy New Year!

Chapter Ten

The Church Grim

The long tunnel had eventually narrowed, murky cave walls lowering and pressing in close. Soon the path opened out into a large barren space, filled only with stalagmites. Kagome's fingers brushed her neck.

They'd reached a dead end.

Kaede glanced at her, brows drawing together. She put a hand on her shoulder, "it is alright, child."

"No," Kagome muttered, hurrying forward. "No, this is wrong. The marks are still pulling me, there has to be something here."

The elder miko sighed and followed with a subdued, doubtful air. Kagome glanced across the empty space, inching around the thin structures that rose from the ground.

"Maybe there's a puzzle to work out, you know, like in a treasure hunt." She babbled, "Sesshoumaru did hide the sword after all. Perhaps there's a secret lever to pull or a trap door-"

Kagome yelped when her foot plunged through the floor. She tugged, grasping her leg and pulling, finding it stuck. Puzzled eyes met Kaedes before cracks spilled out from the indent.

There was a brief pause. And then the floor caved in beneath their feet.

Kagome let out a scream, feeling herself fall through the air. Squeezing her eyes shut, she threw her arms up to cover her face. Dark hair rose to lash in the breeze that rushed up to claim them.

After a moment, her body collided with the ground. Kagome grunted with pain, helpless as she tumbled and rolled down a slight incline before coming to a stop. Debris scattered around her, some sharper rocks grazing her skin while they clattered to the floor.

Trembling, Kagome lowered her arms. Her ribs protested. Kagome coughed and reached her hand down- only to pull it away, hissing breath between her teeth.

"K-kaede," she wheezed. Sitting up on her knees, she reached over to grab the torch that miraculously hadn't broken from the fall. "Kaede are you okay?"

Shining the light around the new clearing they'd found themselves in, she found Kaede struggling to rise. Kagome quickly got to her shaking feet and jogged over. She stepped over the old miko's broken bow.

"I am fine, do not worry," Kaede murmured.

Kneeling down, Kagome touched her shoulder, worriedly glancing her over. Some cracks were visible on her neck, spilling out over the chipped skin. "You're definitely not fine!" She protested.

Kaede raised her head, the eyepatch loose on her face. Kagome spied a hollow hole in the spot where her right eye should have been.

"C-child," Kaede said thinly, staring straight ahead.

"I know, it's alright. You wait here and rest while I-"

"No, foolish girl, avert ye gaze," Kaede grabbed hold of Kagome's chin and turned it to face what was in the old woman's eyeline.

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat.

Ruined, crumbled buildings were scattered around the cave, which stretched vast and wide. Some thin patches of light peeped in through cracks in the distant ceiling high above them. The light highlighted various mounds of the rubble, showcasing the devastation. They were ancient, traditional Japanese houses. Not just homes, but beautiful ruined palaces- the roof tiles worn but various walls intricately carved. She could imagine what they'd looked like in their former splendour.

Kagome rose, walking towards them hesitantly. As she passed them by, the ashen, scorched quality of the rubble stood out to her more and more, until Kagome noticed a few pieces of charred wood from what could have been an arch.

There had been a fire here, once.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Kagome knelt down, squinting. Faded colour caught her eye from under some debris. Reaching down, she pulled out the cracked stone, wiping off the dust and grime.

A worn blue crescent moon lay under it.

"This was the House of the West," Kagome said softly.

Kaede drew herself up to stand, patting her aching back. She heard something muffled in the distance, and turned.

"Kagome…"

The younger miko ignored her, venturing further. The amount of crumbled buildings was so vast, she couldn't take them all in. Climbing up an incline of broken rocks with rusted railings jutting out of them, her eyes widened. Kagome stilled, looking at a mound of rubble up ahead.

At the top of the broken foundation, a single sword with a blue hilt could be seen, embedded in the earth.

"Kaede! I think I've found it!" She called, turning to see if the older woman had heard.

Kaede ignored her. She had raised her arms- reiki fanning into the air and pouring out as a large rippling shield. The wavering pink light stretched out, forming a barrier between them and the space above where they'd fallen from.

Her brows knit. "What's wrong?"

Kagome received her answer. A large white form sank its teeth into the pink light. Bright sparks rained down. Kaede gasped and forced him back, digging her heel in.

"Kaede!" Kagome cried out in alarm. She stepped down, moving to help.

"Nay child, please hurry!" Kaede shouted.

Kagome hesitated just once before panic and desperation caused her to yank herself up, hurrying towards the sword. She dropped her pack, seeing no need for it- but kept hold of her bow and arrows.

Pink energy rippled and hissed as enraged claws slammed against the barrier. Kaede's body began to dip back, strength waning. Though she pushed her energy out through her palms with all her might- bright sparks flying into the air- she knew she couldn't hold him much longer.

Kagome grit her teeth and burst into a run, stumbling over debris.

A dam of reiki burst. Youki assaulted their senses as a white figure plunged through the barrier.

Transforming mid-air, Sesshoumaru bent low, claws flexing wide. "Now I will put an end to your interference," he uttered.

The old woman stumbled back, body lurching as he brought his arm down in a wide arch.

Her body was cleaved in two.

Kagome turned back to see the two halves split down the middle fall apart. Kaede released a breath of relief, her pieces crumbling into dust.

"Kaede!" The miko cried, jolting when a red-hued stare snapped to her. Sesshoumaru took one step closer, letting Rin drop down from his back. The little girl ran over to the fallen miko, trembling.

Sesshoumaru took yet another step. He seemed to willfully ignore the charred remains of his stronghold. "Come down from there, Kagome."

She hesitated to shake her head or do much of anything. The bow and arrows suddenly felt heavy in her hands.

"You fell. Are you injured?" He asked, intent concern palpable in his gaze when it swept over her form.

Don't. How can you look at me like that after…

She looked at Kaede's crumpled form.

Kagome matched his step forward with one back. "I'm fine," she said carefully, touching her rib.

The demon stopped, mild confusion passing over his face. "I do not understand..." he followed her gaze. "Ah. If it displeases you, it is a simple task to fix her."

She inched towards the sword once more- and his eyes snapped back to her, widening minutely. He jolted as though she'd slapped him, understanding dawning on his face. Strong shoulders tensed, silver hair falling forward as winter frosted his gaze. "You intend to betray this one?" He asked, feather light.

"No, I'm not betraying you, Sesshoumaru!" She yelled, shaking her head. "I-I'm on your side."

He took another step and she darted back, drawing her bow now and levelling an arrow at him. The demon lord paused, raising a brow as though to call her out on her contradiction.

Tears pricked her eyes. "Please don't come any closer. You have to let them go, Sesshoumaru." She mumbled in a rush, panicking when he took another step. The arrow was let loose, flying into the ground at his feet.

His eyes narrowed, claws flexing, stretching wide. "You dare to lecture me on letting go?"

Kagome bit back her hurt. Now wasn't the time for it. "You're right…we are the same. I suppressed my grief using pills and you surrounded yourself with dolls, playing House. In the end, we just deluded ourselves, embracing dead things. But all they've ever done is stopped us from moving forward." She took a breath, "let them go. Let…Rin go."

He snarled, gaze bleeding red. Thin lips stretched back, fangs lengthening. A rumble built from his chest and hissed out like a thunderclap. "Miko, you will cease this now. This one will not ask a second time. We are returning home."

Sesshoumaru leaped into the air, just as Kagome gasped and let another arrow fly. It zipped through the air- embedding itself in his shoulder.

"Stop it! Get back!" She yelled, stumbling backwards but not daring to dash for the sword. There was no way she'd make it.

Notching another arrow, she aimed as he landed on level ground with her, not too far away. Hot tears now obscured her vision. She hadn't wanted to hurt him.

The white silk of his clothing turned red, matching the rest of his attire. Blood on snow.

"Death could not take her from me. You stand no chance," Sesshoumaru uttered, lifting his hand in one fluid motion. A whip of yellow light flew out, and he lashed his wrist.

The light snapped toward her. Kagome grit her teeth, darting aside- only to be yanked back by her foot. Her body flew up into the air- before being tossed down. Her chin met the ground, landing with a grunt as the whip around her ankle tugged. The ground dragged sharp under her stomach as her body scuffed along it toward the demon. Kagome coughed and twisted, grabbing hold of the light and forcing reiki to spill out along his energy.

Sesshoumaru snarled, letting go. Burns littered along the skin of his left hand.

The miko crawled along the ground, ribs blazing. Ignoring the arrow protruding from his shoulder, Sesshoumaru followed.

Kagome grasped her bow and arrow, drawing it up just as he halted mere inches away. The tip aimed directly at his heart. The two locked eyes and she was unable to see even a sliver of humanity within the red hues.

Sesshoumaru exhaled, voice coloured by instinct. "Yield," he uttered, hand reaching down. She felt his palm meet her neck, fingers wrapping around it loosely. A warning.

"This is the only way to make you see that she's already gone. She was taken from you a long time ago." Kagome murmured, staring at him beseechingly. "Deep down you know that."

The glowing, inhuman gaze stared back. White lashes lowered slightly, the pad of his thumb dragging over flushed skin. Her rapid pulsed jumped. Kagome's expression gentled.

Sesshoumaru jolted, back snapping straight when he sensed something. His attention landed on the sword not too far away.

"…Rin."

The little girl stood behind it, reaching up on her tip toes. Her small hands wrapped around the hilt.

Sesshoumaru let go of Kagome immediately, stepping toward her. "Rin, what are you doing?"

"I-I'm sorry. Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin murmured. She shifted to look at him. "You did what you thought was best. I understand. But it…it hurts every day."

Sesshoumaru stared at her, wide-eyed. He couldn't move suddenly, limbs heavy. No…this was not fear. It couldn't be. The Lord of the West did not feel fear. Fight or Flight was the way of the demon, and he always fought, tooth and nail.

But now he Froze.

"I'm so tired of not feeling. All this time, I carried on for you. I loved being your daughter, truly. But I don't want this anymore, you know that. None of us do," Rin's dulled brown eyes held him captive.

"Not even you."

He felt his throat close. All the powers he possessed; flight, poison, strength- enough to bring his enemies to his knees- were rendered useless by this child. "That is not true, Rin, please-" he could barely hear himself. A lord did not beg. "I will do anything to-"

She just shook her head sadly.

"Goodbye, father."

Sesshoumaru's heart shuddered. "Rin, NO!" He snarled, lurching forward.

With a yank, the sword was pulled free.

Immediately, energy lashed out from the sword, whipping back their clothing. Kagome pushed her hair back from her eyes in time to see Sesshoumaru blur in the air, gathering Rin close to him in one arm. He slammed the sword back down into the earth in a fit of desperation- but the blade shattered upon impact.

Static pulses of energy spread out through the chamber. Kagome felt their waves echo through the land. No doubt they'd spread through the entire village, shaking it to its core. Somewhere, the barrier over the village rippled and vanished.

She turned back to Sesshoumaru, who had been brought to his knees, holding the little girl.

Cracks had spilled out across her face, spreading further still over her body as the clay began to chip. Pieces caved inwards, revealing an inner glow within her body that began to fragment into the air.

Sesshoumaru stared down at her, aghast. Gold eyes were wide, face ashen as he bent over her still form.

"Do not go," he uttered thinly through clenched teeth. "I forbid it. Do not leave- Rin."

Her chapped lids peeled open, dulled brown focusing on him. For the first time in centuries, she gave a small, genuine smile. The light came back to her eyes.

"Sorry, father. I have to disobey this time. But…" she breathed out, stands of hair becoming brittle, dispersing into dust. "Don't be angry or upset…I'm so…" her body crumbled faster and faster, lights scattering up from the crevasses in her body into the air.

"I'm so happy," she grinned a gap-toothed smile.

Her body crumpled into nothingness within his arms. The lights escaped up beyond his reach, disappearing as they fled.

Kagome pressed a hand to her mouth, hugging her arms close to herself. She made a noise, looking away. Despite how hard she'd fought, it didn't feel like a victory.

Please be at peace, Rin.

Within the village, she could picture the rest of the dolls crumbling silently away. She hoped Sango and Miroku felt at ease as they departed along with all the other souls that had been denied rest for so long.

Sesshoumaru remained still for some time. Not a sound escaped the demon. He then slowly, numbly gathered her shaking remains to him closer, only to realise it was his own arm causing them to tremble. Her empty clothes felt much too light. He tried to scoop what was left of the dust up into the middle of the cloth, but it kept escaping through the gaps in his fingers.

Kagome swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. She then released a breath and began to slowly approach.

Reaching out tentatively, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"…It's alright."

The muscles under her palm tensed. Gradually, achingly slow, they relaxed. Sesshoumaru lowered the empty clothing to the floor. A shaking hand raised, and the demon observed the remains caked onto his fingers.

"I caused her great pain," he uttered thinly, realising the truth of the words as he spoke them aloud.

Kagome's brows drew together. His head remained bowed, skin pale. Carefully, she knelt by his side. "She forgave you," Kagome murmured.

The lord stared ahead of himself sightlessly. It were as though his own spirit had left his body, trying to follow Rin's into the afterlife. He sat empty and alone, surrounded by the remains of everything he'd once protected. A loyal dog in a graveyard, awaiting a friend who would never return.

"We should get back and patch up your wound," Kagome tried to force lightness into her tone. She looked at the dark patch on his shoulder, wincing.

Her hands latched onto his arm, tugging slightly to get him to stand, but the demon didn't budge.

"That's enough," Sesshoumaru pulled his arm down slowly, voice far away. "You may leave me here, miko."

She drew in a sharp breath. "What?"

Dust coated claws reached up, yanking the arrow in his shoulder free. Kagome gasped as he let the piece fall to the floor, blood spreading out onto his clothing.

"Sesshoumaru! You shouldn't have pulled it out yet! You'll lose too much blood-" she pressed her hand over the wound and tried desperately to keep pressure on it.

Sesshoumaru ripped her hand away.

"Stop it!" She snapped, grabbing hold of his face and turning it toward her. Faded, dulled gold looked through her. Kagome stopped and fell silent.

His lips parted to exhale shakily. "There is no cause for alarm. My wounds will heal quickly," he said, tone even. "Your duties are at an end, miko. You saved the village from the monster, did you not? Now it is time you leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, you dumbass!" She protested stubbornly.

"Look at this," he hissed suddenly, grabbing the front of her shirt to tug her closer. He lifted Rin's empty clothing up, shaking the dust from it. "This is what I do to the ones I cherish! Do not be so foolish as to die a slow death with me!" Teeth clenched so hard some split in his mouth, causing blood to coat his gums.

Kagome stared at him, some of her own light leaving her eyes. "You said I wasn't alone," she murmured quietly. "You said you'd continue to be here. T-that you'd never be parted from me again."

She grabbed his hand and parted her clothing enough to press his palm against the space over her heart. "This one is real, flesh and blood. Just as you are, remember?" Her heart pounded In her chest, the very fabric of her being pulling apart at the seams.

"Or…am I alone again?" Kagome asked in a faint whisper.

When nothing but silence answered, a surge of pain shot through her at the rejection. Kagome's heart sank like a heavy stone in her chest. She didn't know what to do. Without him, the future suddenly looked uncertain. Kagome didn't think she was brave enough to face the remainder of her grief alone. She swallowed hard and then lowered his hand, letting go. Shifting, she numbly moved to stand.

"No."

Arms wrapped around her waist, tugging her down. She felt his breath on the crook of her shoulder before something wet landed on her skin. "No, you foolish girl. Not if you don't wish to be," he thinly rumbled, holding her so tight her bones protested.

His silver hair tickled her cheek. More light sensations, like small raindrops, landed on her skin. Kagome buried her face in his hair and embraced the demon.

"Never." The words were spoken clear and strong, despite the emotion clogging her throat.

They sat in the ruins for a long time, longer than either cared to keep track of. Each soaked in the other's presence, basking in the warmth.

"Come on," Kagome was the first to break the heavy silence, propping herself under his arm and helping him to rise. He stood on unsteady feet- the formerly powerful figure of her nightmares a mere shadow in the dim light.

The two slowly left the child's clothing, Kagome's gaze drawn to the pile of empty, torn clothes of Kaede as they passed by. Her lips pressed together sadly, and she looked away, resting her head against the steady thrum of Sesshoumaru's heart in his chest.

They'd returned to his home in silence, which felt all the more oppressive once they were inside. Rin's presence could be felt all around the house, from the paintings to the small lilac chair, the potted flowers- the book she'd been in the middle of reading laying forgotten on the table.

Kagome stood with Sesshoumaru in the living room, glancing up at him. The Daiyoukai didn't move.

Setting her shoulders, she continued to lead him on, grunting with effort when they padded up the stairs and she supported his side.

Running the bath water, Kagome dimly noted they'd switched roles. She stripped him of his clothes, mindful of his injury.

The demon lord sat in the tub, resting one arm on his knee, lost deep in thought. Kagome went about the process of cleaning his wound, but as he'd said- the skin was already stitching itself together.

When the water turned lukewarm, and he still hadn't responded, Kagome reached out. She swept damp hair behind an elven ear, stroking her fingers down the shell of it.

Slit pupils focused on her with dawning awareness. Despite his age, his uncertainty reminded her of a young teen.

"Do you want to talk about it, or be distracted?" She asked in hushed tones.

His lips parted, knuckles brushing up her arm. Steel fingers wrapped around it and tugged her in, guiding her mouth to his. He pressed long, lingering kisses against her full lips, inhaling her scent.

"Distracted," he muttered.

Kagome obliged.

A week later found them still within the house. Kagome was starting to feel a creeping sensation down her spine. There was an instinctual need to start the process of trying to make Sesshoumaru leave the village.

Because if she didn't, the very real danger that he'd never go loomed over them.

One night, when they were sitting downstairs comfortably reading together on the couch, Kagome took the plunge.

"Sesshoumaru, don't you…think it's time we started to clean things up?"

"The state of the house is displeasing to you?"

"No…I mean like- maybe we should think about leaving here. The village." She turned to face him, "I know I said I wanted to be with you- but that doesn't mean we have to stay in a ghost town. We're starting to run low on human food as it is, and I am not chowing on rabbit, thank you."

His fingers curled into a loose fist, before unfurling as he exhaled. "This one does not know how to live as a man in your society," he admitted.

Kagome smiled encouragingly. "We can do it. I have some money leftover from the inheritance when my-" she cut herself off. Clearing her throat, she smiled. "Let's leave. Rin wouldn't have wanted you to stay here, and we can bring as much of her things with us as you like."

Sesshoumaru mulled this over, looking at one of the many paintings of flowers Rin had created, hanging on the wall.

"There's another reason I want to go," she mumbled hesitantly.

He noticed, shifting his ageless attention onto her. "What is it?"

"You still have the workshop," she murmured. "I-I don't know why, but sometimes…"

Kagome stopped again, drawing her knees tighter to herself. Selfish desires threatened to loosen her tongue, and she worried if she spoke them aloud, he'd lose respect for her. She'd already lost respect for herself for thinking them.

Sesshoumaru's warm, calloused palm shook her out of her reverie. "You can tell this one," he muttered, stroking his hand down her thigh.

Her lips parted, gaze fixed on her toes. "Sometimes I- think about what would happen if I drove to Tokyo and brought back my families ashes. If you fixed Tenseiga and brought them back to life."

Tears stung her lashes. "I-I can see their clay bodies in my dreams. And I don't always feel horrified. I daydream, sometimes- of asking you to do it. And I hate myself for it because you would. You'd do it for me- and it's awful! It's selfish and terrible after all the suffering I've seen in this place and it would hurt you too-"

"Shhh, that's enough," he cut in, hearing the tone of her voice turn thin. Distress and hysteria fanned into her scent. He lifted the miko onto his lap, curling around her. No judgement clouded his expression. Her pain plunged deep, like a bottomless well. Despite her open nature, Kagome only lifted out buckets filled with inches of water from the well to spill.

"P-please get rid of it, I don't want to become that person. Promise me you'll never bring them back," she trembled. Bringing them back would be easier than moving on. But easy would create a cycle of new pain.

"I swear. It will be destroyed tomorrow."

He bent down and kissed her cheeks. "Do you want to talk about it further, or be distracted?"

Shaking blue eyes stared up at him, her hands curling in his silks with a strength that belied her slender form. "Distracted."

She'd awoken sometime in the night to feel something like an earthquake. It shook the foundations of the house. The very walls trembled violently. Kagome turned to the space beside her- finding the bed empty. The tremors eventually settled, and Kagome quickly dashed from the covers, searching the house.

It was only when she felt his youki brush against her did she realise he was outside. Hurrying out, Kagome ran, heedless of her bare feet- to where he stood. Sesshoumaru was unmoving, overlooking the village grimly. Or at least, what remained of the village. The humble houses had been reduced to waste and rubble, debris from the broken structures jutting out in broken heaps. Kagome's breathing hitched.

"What happened?"

Hearing something, she noticed Sesshoumaru slide an ornate looking sword into a white scabbard. Lean muscles relaxed, the breeze teasing at silver locks.

"Nothing of importance. I was just removing evidence."

"That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" Kagome asked softly, checking his expression.

His gaze stayed fixed ahead, no signs of mourning on his face. And yet Kagome could feel a sadness rippling underneath, lurking.

"This one cannot remove our presence from here entirely," he muttered. "Someday, humans will discover this place- now that the barrier is down."

"They'll probably think it was either a lost village or the site of a cult."

His lips quirked. Kagome smiled gently.

When the time came to destroy the workshed, Sesshoumaru set it ablaze without much thought. The harsh flames cast a bright light on his sublime features, his shadow thrown behind him stretching large and dark. Terracotta pots blackened in the blaze. His tools and necromancy books crumbled. Kagome approached, watching the building burn. She stood next to him, fishing something out of her pocket.

"You found them," Sesshoumaru wryly observed.

Kagome made a non-committal noise, looking down at the pill bottle in her hand. With a single motion, she casually tossed it into the fire.

His eyes followed the movement and then slid back to her, puzzled.

"I'm not cured or anything, I know that." She mumbled, holding her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. "But I want to try moving on, I don't want to forget their deaths again."

It struck the immortal that even though the woman next to him had barely reached twenty, she stood braver than he, at eight centuries old.

Kagome turned to look up at him, and his heart stumbled in his chest. Without Rin or the village, his entire focus zeroed in on her, but she did not buckle under the weight of his obsessive attention. She took his hand and smiled.

They buried the dead the day after, making graves for empty clothes if only to honour those who had worn them. Rin's grave was covered in snowdrops, as it were the only flower Sesshoumaru could find so close to the coming chill of Winter.

"Do you want to talk about it, or be distracted?" She asked one day.

"…Let's talk," he murmured softly.

Epilogue

Kagome felt like her throat had been torn, vocal cords surely bleeding she'd been screaming so much.

"Okay Kagome, now just give me another push." A nurse was muttering.

Damp hair slicked against her forehead. Kagome burst out every curse word she let pass through her splintering mind. She cried out, forcing herself to push.

"That's it, they're coming, they're-"

Kagome wasn't certain why the nurse had cut off. Her legs ached, propped up. Her lower body ached and blazed with excruciating pain.

A horrified noise reached Kagome's ears. She peeled her weary blue eyes open to see the nurse holding something small, covered in birthing blood.

"…What's wrong?" Kagome croaked wearily.

The nurse's hands began to shake and the thing in her hands was dropped onto the bed. A distressed noise escaped it.

"Oh God, it's disgusting! W-what the hell-"

Kagome looked up blearily as the nurse turned and ran, stumbling from the opening of the cave. Only to choke. A low sound rumbled from outside, but the noise drew in and out of focus for the miko. Despite her exhaustion, her hands itched to hold. She weakly twisted her body, trying to reach for the wriggling, whining form by her leg.

Sesshoumaru appeared in her eye line, blood on his claws. He picked up their child, wrapping it in his silks and cleaning them. He made a noise in his chest, almost like a rumbling purr. The small whimpers gradually fell quiet, lulled. He came to kneel next to Kagome on the bed of furs.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, resting his knuckles against her flushed forehead. "Do you require anything? Food? Water?"

"Sesshoumaru?" She rasped. "I think I…had a dizzy spell. What happened to the nurse?" She asked, shuddering as she forced her exhausted body to move closer.

His gaze slid away, "the help we hired has served her purpose and been released."

Kagome grit her teeth weakly, reading him like a book. "Please tell me you didn't."

His lip lifted into a sneer, "did your dizzy spell make you deaf to the insults she gave our son? Blind you to her discarding him like trash?"

Kagome winced, reaching for the bundle. "I think I remember that," she murmured, stomach turning with something like protective anger. "But…it doesn't matter right now. Gimmie," she grinned as the small, warm life was passed into her arms.

The smile on her face froze. Instead of skin, a flash of white fur registered. Slowly, she parted the silks to reveal a small muzzle. Paws. Tail.

A crescent moon adorned the pups forehead, assuring her this was not a dream.

"They're- he's…"

"Perfect," Sesshoumaru muttered, pressing firm lips to the side of her head. "He is perfect, you did well."

Kagome took a breath, staring. The little white pup had come from inside her. It all felt so surreal, she hardly knew what to think. The pup wriggled, searching and Kagome reluctantly parted her clothing. Dazed, she felt him feed from her, noting the traces of youki that rippled around his small form. He looked bigger than a normal newborn pup, closer to a three-week one in size. She jumped when she felt the pads of paws press against her skin.

This would take some getting used to.

Swallowing, Kagome turned to look at the Daiyoukai, who loomed close. His gaze was ardent and intense. She knew that look. The warning signs. Like a hoarder discovering a new find he wished to hide from the world.

"You're right, he is." She murmured, twisting her hand in Sesshoumaru's silver locks. "When he's settled, we should go back to the house. Staying in these caves was temporary, that was the deal."

He tutted, "the city air is not what I wanted to fill our child's first breath."

"Well suck it up, he's going to be raised there." She sniffed, touching the pup's fur instead. The more she touched, familiarised herself with him, the less unnatural and alien he seemed. He was hers.

She could dimly remember the horror she'd experienced when first meeting his father. I guess it's a family trait.

To her surprise, small eyes squeezed shut before opening slowly. Sleepy blue blinked at her, gradually falling closed once more.

Resting his chin on her head, Sesshoumaru exhaled. She lulled into him, exhaustion starting to take its toll. The pup finished, yawning. Milk was visible on his tiny mouth.

"He will be capable of transformation in a few months," Sesshoumaru muttered, brushing his thumb over the small crescent moon mark. He didn't think he'd see another one again. It seemed Kagome had given him a full-blooded heir when he'd been expecting…anticipating a Hanyou. It had been a strange, sobering experience.

Kagome hummed, cradling his small form close.

"Did you think of a name yet?" The Daiyoukai asked, sweeping his arm around her waist to pull the miko closer.

Her lips tilted up into a small, gentle smile, eyes slightly hazed.

"Souta."

Rocking him in her arms, she hummed a soft tune.

Kagome kagome / The bird in the basket/cage,

When, oh when will it come out
In the night of dawn
The crane and turtle slipped
Who is behind you now?

End