A/N: And here we are! Wow, it's been almost two years since I started this story. I'm sad to leave it, but excited too - it means that I can start on something new all over again, and that's always enjoyable. At the end of this epilogue, there's a brief description of my next story. I hope that all of you give it a chance - I think it'll be something a bit different and definitely fun!
I probably shouldn't have written this, since the end of the previous chapter was such a big hit and all... but I promised. And far be it from me to deny you guys. :)
I have one more piece of fabulous artwork for this story, which can be also found if you just go to my favorites section on dA or directly to the URL (remember to remove the spaces!):
"Hit the Mark, Kags" by Tsarashi - tsarashi.deviantart. com/art/ Hit-the-mark-Kags-89632405
Thanks, Tsarashi! And thank you to everyone who has supported this story by reviewing it, nominating it, voting for it, doing artwork for it or even just reading it! Kisses to you all!
The Once and Future Taiyoukai
Epilogue
"Oh, gross!"
Kagome paused, the knife hovering above the cutting board and the carrots she was chopping for her mother. A moment later, the cry was repeated, still laced with both horror and entertainment.
"What are they watching?" she asked, looking towards her mother. Tinny sounds of yelling were coming from, presumably, the television set and it sounded ghastly.
The elder woman shrugged. "I'm not sure. Something his friend let him borrow."
Kagome rolled her eyes as another recorded scream ripped through the air. "He's almost eighteen. Shouldn't he have gotten past the needless violence thing by now?"
Her mother chuckled. "Sesshoumaru is watching it too, you know."
"Of course he is," she replied. She put down the knife and walked into the living room. Her brother was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, transfixed by the flashes of gore on the screen. Sesshoumaru was frowning though, with his head tilted to one side and his brow furrowed slightly. She recognized the look - it was one that he gave her whenever he didn't quite believe the tales coming from her mouth about the modern era. After more than two years of traveling back and forth, this look had become a lot less common, but she felt the tug of a smile on her lips to see it again. He knew what a television was, of course, so she deduced that it was something on the screen that perplexed him. Not that she was going to look. "What's up?" she asked instead.
"This," he began slowly, waving his hand towards the set, "is completely ridiculous."
Kagome leaned over and picked up the DVD box from where it rested next to their brand new flat-screen television. "It's called Hostel," she said, wrinkling her nose at the cover art. According to the summary, it was about backpackers that got trapped in some dirty little town that had a 'dark, deadly secret'. Right - well, she could guess what that was based on the general tone of what she had heard so far. Not her cup of tea. She put the box down. "The plot does seem rather... far out there."
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "That is not the reason it is ridiculous."
There was another batch of angry yelling and swearing - Kagome hoped that Sesshoumaru wouldn't pick up such words, because that would be extremely awkward to hear them from his mouth - but Sota had lost interest. "Why then?" the boy asked.
"Hold on," Kagome interrupted as the dog demon opened his mouth. "Is this going to venture into the territory of why severed limbs don't bleed this way or that way? Or how burn victims should be going into shock?"
"You've seen this," Sota said.
The dog demon was nodding. "It is fake."
"Well, of course it is," Kagome replied, slightly exasperated. She had explained this concept several times already. Television - not real. Except for the news. And those reality shows that kept popping up everywhere. But generally, things on television were not real. She hadn't dared to bring him to a proper movie in a proper movie theater yet - Sesshoumaru sniffed disdainfully about the general stink of humans anyway and she thought that locking him in a room with several dozen moviegoers would never be a very viable option. But if she did, she would have expected him to place 'movies' in the same 'not real' category as regular television.
He frowned at her. "They did not do any proper research."
"I don't even want to know what you consider 'proper research'," she replied, doing little air quotes. "Something disgusting and completely weird for any human to contemplate, I'm sure."
"And yet it was a human that conceived of this drivel," he countered.
"But did you do that sort of stuff?" Sota asked suddenly and his sister and brother-in-law both looked at him sharply. He shrugged. "Just wondering if that's what's getting Kagome all worked up."
"I have many stories," Sesshoumaru began. He was beginning to like this boy. When he had first come to Kagome's home, Sota had been annoyingly distressed that he wasn't Inuyasha. How he could be inferior to his half-brother was incomprehensible but upon Kagome's suggestion, the taiyoukai had allowed the teenager to look at - not touch - Tokijin. When he had detailed their fight against Nameless - again at Kagome's behest - Sota's loyalties were quickly and irreparably reordered. Kagome had told him that Inuyasha still visited and that Sota simply admired both brothers, but Sesshoumaru found that he could forgive this since the boy seemed to have developed the keen sense not to mention one brother in the other's presence.
"But you're not telling him anything," his mate said.
"I'm eighteen!" protested Sota.
Kagome arched her eyebrow in a displeased way that she had clearly picked up from Sesshoumaru. It was only slightly less effective on his sister's face than on the taiyoukai's. "Not quite," she said, "so no disgusting stories."
"Dinner's ready!" called her mother, cutting off any further arguments.
Sota lurched off of the sofa, untangling his long limbs in a graceless way that looked unusual beside Sesshoumaru's constant refined movements. "I don't get to hear anything good," he muttered, pressing the pause button on the DVD player.
Sesshoumaru straighted up, his white kimono unfolding and falling back into place around him. On very rare occasions, she had managed to force him into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the excuse that she simply refused to take him around town looking as he did. As handsome as he looked in modern clothing - she was melting even now thinking of exactly how delicious he looked in the black t-shirt that her mother had accidentally bought one size too small - she did prefer this more lordly look. He didn't wear his armor or swords inside the house, of course, but it just seemed proper that he look like the taiyoukai he was, even in the modern era.
She smiled suddenly and he paused, confused by this evaporation of annoyance. Not that he wasn't getting used to the mood swings of his mate, but they did come at the oddest times. And sometimes, when he depended upon them, she wouldn't stop being angry and take a swipe at him. Either way, he usually caught her and persuaded her towards more... mutually beneficial activities. But this didn't seem like a very opportune moment - her mother was calling for them again.
"Kagome?" he asked.
She let out a soft sigh, still smiling. "Yes?"
His eyes shifted to the doorway to the kitchen, where her mother was noisily placing the food on the table. Well, noisily to him. He wondered how Kagome had learned to keep her movements gentle and quiet - it was certainly not something he had taught to her, although it was something he appreciated. "Are you alright?"
"Yup. Just thought of something nice," she replied.
"And your brother's request for my stories?"
Kagome shook her head, the dreamy look in her eyes quickly fading. "Oh, no. You're not telling him a thing. I do the story-telling. I edit things out. You don't. Some of your stories could be a substitute for ipecac and that's from a girl who has been knee-deep in demon guts." She cast a glance towards the kitchen. "He's being such a little ghoul tonight. I wonder what's with him."
"I believe he..." The taiyoukai paused and searched his new, broader lexicon for the correct word. "He got dumped."
She had enough sisterly affection for the 'little ghoul' to soften. "Did he? They'd been dating for ages though." She sent him a slightly wounded look. "How did you know before me?"
"He told me."
Kagome gestured to the television. "Ah. So this was a male bonding thing?" she asked with a grin. "What could you say to him? Every girl in your life has fallen at your feet and the only one you wanted, you got."
"Not without considerable trouble," he commented dryly. One corner of his mouth lifted. "Considerable, continual trouble. I am therefore quite able to commiserate on the impossibility of living with females."
She smirked back. "I would feel sorry for you, except that I know how much you enjoy it," she answered, enjoying how her mate's jaw tightened. With a light laugh, she reached up to press a kiss to his lips. "Come on. Dinner time."
"Impossible," he muttered, following her into the kitchen.
"So, are you two staying for long this time?" Kagome's mother asked as they sat down. "You haven't stayed overnight in quite awhile."
"We'll be here for a couple days," Kagome replied.
"I am leaving in the morning," Sesshoumaru said.
His mate turned to look at him. "You are? You didn't tell me that."
"I have some official matters to attend to," he replied.
She furrowed her brow. "Official matters? Like what, exactly?" she asked. Sesshoumaru had long ago explained to her in detail the crumbling of the demonic hierarchy, just as the humans began to set up their own feudal system. No one really had 'official matters' anymore, even someone with an exalted title like Sesshoumaru.
"Matters that require my immediate, personal attention."
Kagome sighed and tapped the table with her nails. "That means you're going to be fighting. Please, don't. Not if you don't have to. I can't imagine it'd be very pressing if you're not going right now."
Sesshoumaru looked at her. "I will take the utmost care in my duties."
"So," Grandpa broke in, looking between the placid taiyoukai and slightly upset miko, "when am I getting great-grandchildren? Hm. Or would it be great-grand-youkai?"
"Grandpa, Kagome has told us several times that they're not starting a family yet," her mother reminded.
"We already have a family anyway," Kagome said, blushing slightly. "Rin and Shippo are still young. And we really can't travel around like we do now with a baby. I mean, I wouldn't trade my life for anything, but it's not entirely safe. Sesshoumaru and I fight a lot of youkai. And they would be hanyou, by the way. Not full youkai."
"Ah, of course. I was just wondering." Grandpa shrugged and went back to his food.
Sota, meanwhile, cast a skeptical glance at the taiyoukai. "And that's okay? That they're going to be hanyou?"
Sesshoumaru looked up from his plate. "Why should it not be?"
The boy grinned as his sister glowed with quiet happiness. "No reason," he said.
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"Keh, I don't believe you."
Sesshoumaru turned his cold eyes towards his brother. "Then do not believe me. I do not care about your opinion."
There was a moment of silence. "I don't believe that you've never threatened Kagome's family," Inuyasha insisted again. "I mean, they're human."
"I will be certain to tell my mate of this latent hatred you hold for her kin," Sesshoumaru commented idly, sliding another tile into place.
"That's not what I meant!" sputtered the hanyou. "I meant that you're supposed to hate them because they're human. I don't!" He jammed a piece of his own down and sent a small cascade of the roof tiles down the slope.
Sesshoumaru sighed and caught the half dozen shingles with one hand. "I have come to revise my opinions on humans. Only the vast majority of them are wastes of energy and space." He climbed back up to his place and redid the patch Inuyasha had fouled up.
"Yeah. See, that's what I don't believe. You're the most stubborn son of a bitch I've ever met and to admit that you were wrong..."
"I admit no wrong. I only admit exclusions to my rule," Sesshoumaru interrupted swiftly. "Kagome's family members are not the first to do so."
Inuyasha turned, looking down at the courtyard, where Rin and Shippo were chatting in the shade of a tree. "Right," he muttered.
"And to speak of this Sesshoumaru as stubborn," continued the taiyoukai, "is ridiculous. You should examine your own behavior, little brother."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the hanyou grumbled, his ears flattening back to his head.
"Exactly how long do you plan to court the miko?" Sesshoumaru asked, calmly finishing the roof patch and moving to the next area which had suffered water damage. He tore out the sodden tiles, letting them slide down the slope of the roof and fall onto the ground. "Do you wish to take her as your mate or not?"
"Of course I do," snapped Inuyasha. "It's just... different this time."
"Oh?" drawled the taiyoukai disinterestedly.
His younger brother scowled. "Well, she's alive again, but we can't just forget everything that happened. You should know! You and Kagome took forever to get over the past."
"Mere weeks," commented Sesshoumaru. He fixed Inuyasha with a scrutinizing stare. "Once I realized that I had suffered for three hundred years and that salvation was at last within my reach, I attained it. So yes, I do know. But unlike you, little brother, I realized my mistake and corrected it quickly."
"Ha! See? A mistake. You admit it."
The taiyoukai frowned. "I am not so close-minded that I do not see my own error. The strongest of creatures learn from such mistakes. The stupidest and weakest are doomed to repeat them."
Inuyasha growled and turned back to the roof, slicing through a few rotted wooden tiles. "You're lucky Kagome took you back," he muttered.
Sesshoumaru paused and sat back for a moment. "Yes, I am," he admitted, drawing a shocked look from his brother. "Will you be so fortunate?"
"Keh."
"And the miko no longer stands still in time. She is only human now and she ages as one."
"I know!" snapped the hanyou. His ears drooped immediately. "Kagome said that the spell you two did, the one that makes sure she lives as long as you, isn't as easy as just saying the words."
"No, it is not," Sesshoumaru agreed.
He frowned. "So then, what if it doesn't work for me and Kikyo?"
Sesshoumaru sent him a sharp look. "You put off taking her as your mate because you are afraid that she may not live as your mate for very long?"
"I could outlive her by centuries," Inuyasha argued.
"Until you are willing to have only a few years with the miko and live the rest of your life in despair without her, the spell will never work," Sesshoumaru said, continuing to tile the roof. "If you let those years pass by in indecision, you are a bigger idiot than I previously thought."
"You're such a bastard."
The taiyoukai shrugged.
"Inuyasha!"
The hanyou paused in his work and looked down the slope of the roof to where Sango stood on the ground, shading her eyes. "Yeah, what is it?" he grumped.
"We need more water. Could you go with Kikyo to the river?"
Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru, busy with his work, and back to the taijiya. She was slightly round underneath her kimono - her first child would be born during the upcoming winter. "Yeah, okay." He stood and jumped down, finding Kikyo standing under the eaves with buckets in hand. They regarded one another with a hint of embarrassment. Perhaps this had been going on too long, Inuyasha thought, damning his brother at the same time for being right. "Come on," he said, taking all of the pails from the miko's hands. "I gotta talk to you about something anyway."
Kikyo smiled softly. "Alright."
"Hey, Inuyasha, can we come with you?" Shippo called, pointing at Rin.
"No." Sesshoumaru landed on the ground gracefully, answering for his brother. "You two will stay here. Kagome is close." He watched out of the corner of his eye as his sibling slipped away with Kikyo and inwardly hoped the idiot would have the sense to make her his mate soon. He was tired of Kagome worrying over them, and more specifically, telling him how much she worried over them. He did love his mate, but she had the unfortunate habit of chattering as they prepared for bed, and that was precisely the time that he did not want to be thinking about his brother's love life.
Rin got to her feet, smiling happily. "Do you think Kagome-san will be pleased, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Sesshoumaru regarded the twelve-room house that they had spent the last few days cleaning up and repairing. Even if Kagome didn't like it, she would appreciate the work. More than that, she would appreciate what the house meant for their lives. "Yes," he replied simply.
"Here they are," Sango said, pointing to where Kirara was skimming above the trees with its three passengers. As the fire-cat circled to land, they could see Kagome leaning forward over Miroku's shoulder.
The miko slid off as soon as they touched ground. Jaken tripped after her. "My lord! Forgive us! The girl... ah, I mean, L-lady Kagome was late. You know I can't go through the well to retrieve her and she did not return for..."
"Jaken, go and clean up a room where we can eat lunch," Sesshoumaru ordered, effectively silencing the imp. He looked towards his mate. "You are late, however," he added.
She smiled and dropped her bag on the ground. "Doesn't seem like you've been at a loss of what to do," she commented, looking beyond him at the dark wood and curved roof of the house. "What is this about? Is this your 'official' business?"
"It's our home," he replied. "If you want."
The smile faded but the wonder in her eyes multiplied. "Really? Do you mean it?" she whispered. "I didn't think you would ever want to stop traveling."
"This is for the times that it is imperative that we have a roof over our heads," he replied. "We will still travel when it is possible."
Her eyes sparkled. "It's close to the well and the village," she observed.
"Hn. I suppose so."
"Who lived here?"
"A vassal of my father's. When he died without children, the house reverted to his ownership and then passed to me. Neither of us had a use for it."
She nodded and her smile broadened. "Until now. Will you show me around?" the miko asked, skipping up the stairs to the front entrance.
Sesshoumaru followed as Miroku and Sango quietly held back the children. "There is not much to show," he warned, sliding the door open and letting her pass through. "It is not as large as my father's castle."
"I don't want your father's castle," she said, immediately wandering down the hall towards the back of the house. Reaching a dead end, she opened a door at random to find the back garden. It was overgrown and in desperate need of care, but it had a lot of promise. Vines covered the stone wall that surrounded the house and delicate willows arched over the koi pond that was, for the moment, lacking any koi.
"This is not part of the actual house," he pointed out as he stepped outside with her.
"Rin will love this," Kagome said instead of replying. "Has she seen it yet?"
He nodded. "Several times. She needs assistance in clearing out the overgrowth before she is able to plant again."
"I'll help her." She meandered over to the pond. "You really found the perfect place, Sesshoumaru. Close to my friends and the well, so I can go home to see my family. Rin has her garden. Shippo will help her. I don't care what it looks like on the inside. It's going to be lovely." She looked over her shoulder at the taiyoukai. "But what about you? You don't change your routine very often, you know. And this is such a big change."
He sat down at the base of the largest willow tree. "Perhaps, but a necessary one," he said. "You will bear my heir in a place that is well-protected. And he will remain here until you have both recovered from you vulnerability."
She laughed. "It could be a girl, you know." She wagged her finger at him. "I'm not even pregnant yet and you're already making guesses about how the baby will turn out!"
He took a breath. "Male or female, I only seek to ensure its safety. And yours."
She slid into his lap and looped her arms around his neck. "Nothing will happen to us," she assured him.
"That is all I require," he commented as she tucked her head under his chin.
Kagome let out a soft ripple of laughter as she turned her eyes back to the house. "Even when you were young, I never thought of you as very much of a family man," she said. "And yet, here you are, roofing a house for me and whatever children we might have. The two that we already do have, actually. How strange."
"Perhaps," he halfway admitted.
"And did I see Inuyasha and Kikyo heading towards the river together as I flew over?" she asked. "Did you have anything to do with that?"
"Perhaps," he said again, his tone turning rough with annoyance.
She smiled. "I'm glad. For them and that you took pity on him."
"Pity had nothing to do with it," Sesshoumaru said shortly.
"I'm sure," she laughed. "You probably gave him a really hard time about it, but that's what brothers do. And I'm just glad you got past the whole trying to kill each other thing."
His gave her a hooded glance, telling her that perhaps such a declaration was premature, but she didn't let it faze her. "I think your father would be proud of you, Sesshoumaru," she said, sobering slightly.
He leaned back against the willow, pulling her with him. "You know better than I do," he commented. "In a few days, you learned more of my father than I did in my younger centuries."
"That's not true. But I do know that all he wanted was his sons to be happy. Inuyasha is working on it. Are you happy though? I am."
"That is not a word that I would ever use," he dodged.
"Oh, come on. You've told me far more intimate things over the years. It's a simple question," she teased. She heard the shouting and tumbling of the children in the distance - they were coming around the edge of the house. "I'll never tell. But you have to say it quickly."
But in a second, Rin and Shippo spilled around the corner of the home he was rebuilding. Kagome moved to lift herself from his lap, but he held onto her waist, keeping her in place for a moment longer. "I will send them away," he said. "This is the other reason I will be pleased to have a home."
"With walls?" Kagome said, smiling. As much as she loved the children, they did have terrible timing quite often. "What if they need something?"
"Doubtful."
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried, waving her arms. "Sesshoumaru-sama, there's someone at the gate asking for you."
She could help but shake her head. "See?" she murmured, getting to her feet. "At least they have a reason this time though."
"Hn." Sesshoumaru lifted himself off the ground. "Who is it?"
"He didn't say, but he seems nice," Shippo answered. "Miroku and Sango are watching him. They won't let him in without you saying it's okay and so they sent us to get you."
"I have told you several times," began the dog demon.
"Don't put trust in someone's appearance. They can always be an enemy," the children chanted together.
"We know, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin added. "But he does seem nice. He says you're a friend of his family."
The taiyoukai frowned as the ebb and flow of a powerful demon aura touched his own. Next to him, Kagome sucked in a sharp breath. "That's a strong one," she murmured, following as Sesshoumaru started back to the house. She paused to catch her breath as she tried to keep pace. "Stronger than you?"
His frown deepened. "Yes," he replied, sending a shiver of fear down Kagome's spine.
When they reached the front courtyard, however, the strange demon was leaning against the gate and chatting amiably with the monk and slayer. He straightened as Sesshoumaru descended the steps. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" He bowed, lowering his malachite eyes and letting his dark brown hair fall over one shoulder. "It is an honor. And of course, Lady Kagome." He smiled and bowed again towards the miko.
Kagome watched her mate do a quick study of the demon on the other side of the iron gate. Although the youkai was dressed in plain blue and had no marks of nobility, the fact that Sesshoumaru did not rudely demand who this stranger was told her that he deserved all possible deference. "Have we met?" the dog demon asked after a moment.
The stranger smiled. "No. You have met my mate and my daughter, however, and they both speak highly of you. I heard that you were settling in this area and could not pass through without visiting and meeting you for myself. I am Taro."
Sesshoumaru pulled open the gate to the surprise of no one. Taro was clearly a lord and not someone who could be stopped by a flimsy iron gate in need of repair. "You are welcome to my home," the taiyoukai said a bit stiffly.
"And it is a beautiful one," he said, taking only one step inside. "I know this place and you have done wonders in a short time."
"Not everything is set up quite yet," Kagome said, "but I did bring a large lunch from... ah, my family's home. I have extra and we'd love it if you could join us, especially since Inuyasha isn't here. There'll be plenty."
Taro nodded. "Ah, Lord Inuyasha. I had looked forward to meeting him as well."
"My brother is occupied at the moment," Sesshoumaru said.
Kagome smiled helpfully. "But he might be back soon. Or not," she added, thinking on it. "Either way, you should come and have lunch."
"I thank you for your kindness, Lady Kagome, but I was only passing by. My daughter is waiting for me and we do have to reach our destination by nightfall." His handsome face melted into a smile. "Perhaps on our return, you will be more settled into your new home and we might join you?"
"Of course," the miko replied.
"Thank you," he said again. "May you receive all the blessings the gods have to offer." He bowed once more and turned away, taking a path back into the forest.
"That was an unusual and short visit," commented Sango.
"Like he just wanted to see if we were who we said we were," Miroku added. "Who exactly was he?"
Sesshoumaru blinked. "I am not certain." He looked to his mate with one eyebrow arched. "Did you know him?"
Kagome shook her head slowly and then walked out of the walled property, peering into the forest. She could see Taro moving smoothly and easily through the trees. Just before he faded into the shadows, another figure joined the strange demon. Clothed in bright yellow and green, Kagome could clearly see when the second figure turned in her direction, raising one hand in greeting. The miko waved back just as Sesshoumaru came to her elbow. "Who is that with him? I can't see."
The taiyoukai frowned and his sharper eyes narrowed. "It is the girl," he said. "The one that assists the witch."
"Ami?" she said breathlessly.
He nodded. "I recognized a scent on Taro. It was hers."
She took his hand in hers suddenly. "If that's Ami, then that must be Hoshiko's mate. She wouldn't have left for anyone else. I guess she was their daughter all along."
"A strong possibility," said the taiyoukai. "Only a demon of his age and importance could exude that powerful of an aura."
"Taro means first son," she whispered.
"The first of all sons," added Sesshoumaru.
She took a breath. "And he blessed us." Her hand tightened around his. "She told me once that Hoshiko's mate saw great battles, ate with the gods and met heroes. She said she was going to tell him our story, about Nameless and Naraku."
"Perhaps that is true," conceded the dog demon. "Perhaps she did."
Kagome looked at him. "Well then, you don't think...?"
"I don't think that we can presume anything with such an ancient creature," Sesshoumaru replied. "His reasons for wanting to meet with us are his own."
The startled look in her eye faded and she laughed softly. "Oh, come on. Where's that famous ego of yours?"
"Hn," grumbled the taiyoukai. He lifted his chin. "Very well. I believe that he came to meet those that defeated the two greatest threats to this land in the last three hundred years."
"Better. That sounds like you," said Kagome nodding. "I can't say that I'm that displeased about the favor of someone like that though. So, you have someone as close to a god as you can get telling you that you're a hero, that you're that important to warrant a visit from someone like him. Are you happy now?" she asked, returning to the question she posed in the back garden.
He scoffed lightly. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I do not need the validation of a demi-god or even a god. I am content in my life."
Kagome smiled. "Sesshoumaru?"
"I am happy," he amended with a soft sigh.
"As you should be," she teased. "That wasn't so difficult though, was it?" She reached up and put her arms around his shoulders, touching her lips to his. He held her to him with both of his clawed hands, careful to not hurt her. It was just as her fingers were sliding into his hair that the inevitable occurred.
"Kagome!" called Shippo. "Can we eat lunch now?" The sound of a fox kit burrowing into her bag floated out of the gate.
The miko broke away from her mate and gave him a half-smile. "Again! And we want more?"
"Once more, I would like to point out the utility of walls in our new life," he said.
"I'll be interested to see how well that plan will work," she said laughing, and slipped her hand into his again. "Come on, then."
They turned together and walked through the gate into their home.
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A/N: The End! :D
To answer the inevitable question right here, right now - I'm not going to write a sequel. Sorry! I'm just ready to move to other stories. Speaking of which, I should probably tell you about it, eh?
"Beside You in Time" comes from an idea that has evolved over the better part of a year. Stories (including mine) seem to confine themselves to two times and one place - the Sengoku Jidai or the modern era, both in Japan. Only AU fics seem to go outside of these norms. I wondered - what exactly do our dear characters DO in between? Five hundred years is quite a bit of time, even for a demon, after all. So in this story, Sesshoumaru and Kagome - as we know them and see them in the anime - are going to have a lot more travel in their lives. "After the Jewel is stolen and the wish is made, Kagome finds herself cursed with immortality. She soon convinces Sesshoumaru to help her track down the increasingly powerful thieves and they find themselves traveling all over the world and running headlong into some of the more cataclysmic periods of human history." (That's basically the summary that I will be using - so I don't give too much away! And it is so DIFFICULT not to do so - I want to gush about everything! Okay, moving on...) It's going to be darker, more violent and in general more adult than my other stories - the title comes from a Nine Inch Nails song after all.
Anyway, it's going to be a blast and I hope you think so too! There's much fun to be had putting those two in close quarters for nearly half a millennium. :)
I think that's it! Please read and review! And let me give you another great, big THANK YOU!!