The Eternal Enclave by Walter205

Eternally Yours

It was a beautiful and sunny afternoon as Kagome exited her house and headed to the wellhouse with backpack in hand. A soft hum emerged from her lips as a small smile graced its way onto her otherwise morose face. Not a cloud was present in the sky in the early autumn as the last vestiges of summer faded away for the year.

She stopped at the edge of the well, looking down into the depths with a hint of sadness. It had been three years since the final battle with Naraku and the final destruction of the Shikon No Tama and with it, the well closing up with her and Inuyasha separated on opposite ends of a five hundred year span. It wasn't until the second anniversary a year ago that she had stopped trying to reconnect with him, a broken ankle resulting from an extra high jump from the top of the well discouraging further attempts. Instead she now pulled a single rose from her backpack and smelled it, taking in the sweet scent before kissing the flower petals and dropping it into the well below.

With the small ceremony over and done with she headed off to college to finish off her first week of classes. It had been during attempts to dive through libraries and archives to find out what became of her friends over the intervening five hundred years that she had decided major in archaeology and history, the latter focused on the Feudal and Renaissance Eras. She had done well enough in addition to make up work to earn a degree in the former and was now attending Tokyo University.

Right from the start of her classes this week she had been pushing for an expedition to be approved on an archaeology mission to a remote section of eastern Siberia. This was where two years of digging, cross referencing, and studying had led her to the fate of her friends, mostly through hints and odd reports of suspect activity. During the last year of her searching she had become paranoid that someone had been looking over her shoulders at her research, as some of the same material(s) that she had been using at various times had often been checked out or in use when she had gone back to check the information against something else she had learned, despite the librarian or archivist she had visited the first time for said info would often say that no one in years had searched or asked for such material.

But nothing had prepared her for what would happen when she first walked into class that morning. Her teacher greeted her with a wide smile on his face as she walked in and set her stuff down.

"Miss Higurashi, I have most wonderful news for you this morning. A sponsor has stepped in with an interest in the work you have been doing and would like to fund your planned expedition to eastern Siberia!" stated Professor Hitomi with a wide smile on his face.

"What?" Kagome asked incredulously as she suddenly felt elatedly lightheaded, "A sponsor? I thought it would take another year or two before I could get one approved. Who's the sponsor?"

"Oh I thought your expedition would never get approved but I wasn't against your trying my dear. As for the sponsor, they sent a couple of representatives to the school to talk to you, let me introduce Mrs Chang and Mr Deerfield of the Globexam Corporation," waved the Professor as pair of individuals stepped forward from around the corner. The female was a Chinese woman in her fifties or sixties wearing traditional geisha style garb while the male looked to be either Irish or Scottish and of similar age but in more of a business suit style attire.

"Miss Higurashi, an honor to meet you. We've been following your progress for some time with a keen interest in your work and are intrigued by the progress you have been making," opened Ms Chang with a smile and nod. Mr Deerfield stepped forward and offered a big burly hand that Kagome took for a firm handshake before he nodded in turn.

"Globexam specializes in the discovery and preservation of previously undiscovered historical sites before turning over their care to local authorities, provided that such authorities are deemed competent to see that such sites will be well kept after and maintained," stated Mr Deerfield.

'Oh wow, so someone was looking over my back for the past year,' Kagome thought to herself.

"Oh wow that sounds amazing! I must say I'm still surprised at the interest in my little trip," Kagome offered modestly in response.

"Oh there's nothing little about your trip at all my dear," enthused Ms Chang before her associate stepped in again.

"The Eastern portions of Siberia are a vast and untamed wilderness that's surely choke full of surprises but you're one of the first students that's expressed an eager interest related to exploration in the area that's not looking to exploit the region for its abundance of untapped natural resources. That eagerness, along with the desire to not become associated within the political tangles of undermined resources, is what has earned you the interest of Globexam," added on Mr Deerfield.

Something was nagging at the back of Kagome's mind, but it sounded like they had both the means and the merit of making her wildest dreams come true. She owed it to her friends in the past to learn what had become of them.

"So when do we start?" asked Kagome as she accepted their offer.

***

Her journey through the lands of eastern Siberia had been fraught with natural peril has temperatures had waxed and waned between merely frigid and freezing to the point of hardly being able to feel anything. More than once she had regretted the choice of coming out here alone in the wilds to run down the lead she had been given; feelings that had been amplified by the occasional men leering at her when she had stopped at the occasional village or industrial site to restock her supplies.

Quite frankly she was still surprised even with an archaeological degree and mission at hand for her term project that she was allowed entry into the Russian Federation but she had been given no problems apart from an in depth frisking at the customs station to check for contraband that she had felt was a little too hands on for her own preference.

The first three suspect sites that she had run down for her leads had all turned out to be busts, leaving her somewhat remorseful as those had been the most promising and fairest weather locations for her to investigate. She was coming up on the fourth and then the fifth and final one was located a couple hundred kilometers further north, a trip that she would have to trek back and hire a boat and guide to reach as there was no way she could survive going there on foot.

She was due for another spot check in about thirty minutes or so with her GPS device. Lost in whatever thoughts she managed to have when her brain wasn't too cold to function normally, her guard was down but something that hadn't awakened inside of her in three years came to life, warning her of impending danger in front of her. She stopped glanced around, but spotted nothing. Unusually for this time of the day however, a mist formed ahead and soon surrounded her, limiting her vision to ten feet at best.

Slowly she continued ahead as she came to grip with the sensation that she had felt, realizing belatedly that it seemed to have been a pair of demonic auras that she had felt. She didn't feel them right now though and slowly she continued ahead as she remained on guard. Soon another tingling overcame her again and she stopped once more, this time feeling two auras ahead of her but also two more behind her.

Excitement crept into her but also worry, these were definitely demons she was feeling but they had a hostility tint to their auras that she didn't like. As she slowly continued forward the four of them kept pace with her, never approaching to within sight but not disappearing as the two had earlier when she first detected them. A voice, harsh in tone yet soft in volume, seemingly floated to her in unfamiliar then familiar tones.

"Vernites', huiqu, dol-agada, modoru, butsakh," came the warning, 'Go Back' being the message that was received. She came to a stop once more, now too cold, tired, and wary of this game to continue playing it their way.

"You might as well come out, I know all four of you are there," she called out into the mist in Japanese. She felt a shimmer in the auras, as if they were taken by surprise. All four suddenly advanced on her and before she could hardly raise her hands in a defense posture she had iron spears poking out from the mist at her.

Her eyes opened in alarm as she took sight of the two demons in front of her, one appeared to be a fox and the other a wolf.

"How are you able to sense us, wench? I see no fancy eyesight gear on you," snarled the wolf as he gazed her bundled form up and down.

"Why are you alone out here in this wilderness, where you do not belong?" asked the fox as he joined in the conversation.

"I seek information, knowledge about the fate of demons and of friends I once knew," said Kagome as she glanced between the two of them. The fox leaned in and took a sniff of her breath before stepping back and glancing to his companion.

"I do not detect the scent of deception upon her voice Okabaka," said the fox as he addressed his companion. The wolf now identified as Okabaka sent his friend a sharp look before turning to address her once more.

"With great knowledge comes great risk. Are you will take such risks to claim such rewards?" asked Okabaka in an oddly mystic tone.

"I've come this far, haven't I? Of course I'm willing to take such risks," answered Kagome simply. She didn't know if they had all of the answers that she was looking for but at least she should get an idea of what happened to all of the demons over the intervening five hundred year time period.

"Very well then, you may follow us," replied the wolf as the four of them raised their weapons and turned about to march away. Kagome blinked for a moment in surprise before hurriedly joining in their wake.

They walked along at a moderate pace until the two demons ahead suddenly disappeared, from both her visual and spiritual perception. She came to a halt but the two behind her placed their hands on her back and shoved her forward. She let out a soft cry but felt herself passing through some kind of a barrier.

She landed in the snow with a soft thud before glancing up. When she did her breath was stolen away by the sight before her; the mists had parted to reveal a hidden valley nestled within the mountains, log cabins plus brick and mortar homes stretched for as far the eye could see, along with stores, shops, and larger structures that had to be factories or warehouses, a veritable city hidden on her own maps.

Cars, trucks, and trolleys danced up and down streets that she took notice right away were cobblestone, at least the ones closest enough for her to see. Also, the cars and trucks seemed ancient in design, perhaps from era of the great war at the earliest or latest if her history of the era was being recalled accurately by her at the moment.

Her spiritual vision ran wild as both demonic and half demonic auras blasted out at her from the city, most of them fairly weak in nature but several strong ones here and there. As she felt them they felt her in return and she could feel her skin prickle as a few gifted in the sensing of such auras sent out seeming inquiries in return.

"Amazing," she gasped out. It was still cold here and currently snowing, but only just freezing, not quite as bad as what she had been encountering out beyond the barrier for the past day or so.

"Are there any demons in particular that you know of, that you might seek here?" asked Okabaka as he smiled slyly at her amazed expression.

"The Half Dog Demon Inuyasha, the Fox Demon Shippou, the Firecat Demon Kirara, the Dog Demon Sesshomaru, the Wolf Demons Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku," she rattled off her primary list. The auras surrounding her shifted wildly as she said the names and descriptions, ranging all over from recognition to incredulous, regret, sorrow, anger, and lastly suspicion as the two behind her brought weapons to her back and throat once more.

"She is a spy! A spy for the hunters! How else could she know such names without one of their governments giving the hunters a list of such?" snarled one of the demons at her back.

"What? No I don't know what you mean, these are people I used to know in the...past," Kagome answered meekly as the fox demon stepped in for another sniff.

"Calm yourself Okuro, she ist still telling no lies. I find myself incredulous as well, but we all know one of her list who resides in this city. Let's arrange a meeting and see what they have to say about dis," said the fox. Weapons were sheathed once more but hackles remained raised as the five of them set off into the city.

As they got closer Kagome's head was on a swivel as she took in the size and scope of the city, its architecture, and the individual buildings that were becoming more distinct. She had expected a hidden enclave in Russian territory to have primarily Russian architecture but there was actually a wide variety that she could identify of European, North American, and even Asian origins including one or two pagoda style structures that seemed to be temples or shrines.

As they started moving through some of the outlier neighborhoods Kagome started detecting scents of wood burning and could see fireplaces lit up in some of the homes, as well as candles mixing it up with lightbulbs to provide illumination. There were some electric lines but they seemed pretty rudimentary in appearance and as they made it onto one of the streets she was surprised to see cobblestone instead of asphalt or packed dirt like of the mixes she had encountered in the various Russian villages.

Finally they arrived at a particular house roughly three stories tall, much like a British Manor house but not quite the size of a full on mansion, with a wrap around porch providing a nice touch. One of the sentries went and knocked on the door while the other three stayed with her. The front door opened but she didn't see anyone step outside. After a moment the sentry motioned backwards and the other three beckoned her forward.

When they got to the doorway they motioned her inside before shutting the door behind her and departing without a single word of goodbye. Huffing softly at their rudeness, she glanced around at the interior and gasped silently at how rustic and antiquish yet clean and well maintained the interior of the house was, with old wood furniture and interesting paintings and portraits lining the walls. One was of an old brunette woman that looked Japanese in origin and caused a memory to ping in the back of Kagome's find before a vaguely familiar male voice called out; "Here, in the living room. The fire is going and you'll want to warm up."

Walking into the next room over, she came to a stop and gasped aloud, both hands flying to cover her mouth, when she saw none other than Sesshomaru sitting on the white fur couch nearby, dressed in slacks and a button up shirt, sipping on a mug of some hot beverage, glasses drooping down slightly askew from his face as his older eyes narrowed as they studied her, his nose flexing as he took in her scent.

"Well now, when the border guards told me that a human female had appeared claiming to know me among my other companions, I must admit I was skeptical and suspected that something was amiss. But their instincts told them that you weren't lying and I see now why that was. Welcome to our hidden enclave, Miko Kagome," welcomed Sesshomaru as he stood up and walked over to shake her hand. What he got instead was a full bodied hug.

"I knew it, I knew some of you would be alive somewhere, at least I found you, surely you know something about the others, not that it's not great finding you, it is," Kagome stammered and prattled out before stopping as she noticed him tense up and his face become gaunt.

"Well, there's a lot to stay but not a lot to tell. You found me but I'm afraid that's all you'll find here in the way of familiarity. Are you ready to begin?" he asked grimly.

Her heart felt small at his words but she had come this far, she wasn't going to back down now. She nodded in response to his question.

***

"Let's begin by discussing the fates of our human companions. As you may well have guessed, Miroku and Sango ended up marrying after the well closed and ended up having four beautiful children, starting off with twins followed by two singles. These four ended up going on become a diverse clan over the centuries whose descendants populate Japan and Korea to this day. They both died within a year of each other, Sango first from complications due to old battle injuries, with Miroku following nine months later, both living into their early fifties," started Sesshomaru. Kagome followed along with an occasional nod and finished listening as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"Next there was Sango's younger brother Kohaku and Rin. The two claimed to be bonded together through their experiences with death and ended up marrying one another, to mixed feelings of my own. Together they had three children and both lived long and happy lives before Kohaku passed at age seventy and Rin at eighty three. I have long wondered at how it was they could live so long back in those days and have come to the conclusion that it was their brushes with death that strengthened their souls," Sesshomaru now seemed less focused on her and had a far away look in eyes as he stared seemingly at nothing in the room upon finishing the next chapter. Kagome's tears were now streaming down her cheeks as a wide smile threatened to interrupt their flow to her chin.

"Sadly, Rin and Kohaku's line no longer exist as part of this world. His children took up the art of demon slaying and passed it down from generation to generation, which took a toll on their numbers. The last of them died fighting against those demons who served the Shogunate during the events of the Meiji Restoration," finished Sesshomaru, who finally looked back to Kagome. Seeing her state, he gingerly reached out with a clawed finger to wipe her cheeks dry. Her eyes opened wide at the gesture but she said nothing, urging him to continue silently.

"Then there were the demons. Kirara came to live with me for the rest of her years after Kohaku and Rin both passed; She was already an old Youkai during the events of the Battles against Naraku and ended up taking many more bumps and bruises along the way. She never mated with another and passed peacefully in the summer of 1844," Sesshomaru said before huffing. He seemed to be building himself up for what was to come next and Kagome mentally tried to brace herself for whatever had ended up happening to the remainder.

"Inuyasha for a long time was lonely in your 'passing'. He told the others that you have gone back to live in your own lands and left it at that. For a while he would spend every day visiting the well but gradually it became once a week, once a month, then finally once a year. Once his heart and his loyalty allowed him to move on he set out exploring the lands once again and eventually found another who stole his heart, a female fox demon of all people that lived in Australia of all places, although it wasn't called that at the time. Eventually they moved to a more remote locale in the Southern Pacific Ocean, where he, his mate, and all of their offspring ended up dying on July 2nd, 1966," Sesshomaru held up a hand when Kagome started to ask what happened, "Which I will explain in due time."

"Next we have the wolves, of Kouga, Ayame, Ginta, and Hakkaku. Kouga and Ayame had almost literally a legion of litters over the years and the wolf demon tribe not only regained the numbers they had lost during the troubled times with Naraku but also surged to become one of the most dominant demon clans by the time of the Meiji Restoration. By this time, it should be taken into account that demonkind was on the precipice of a delicate tipping point. Expanding human population with advanced medicine and weaponry over the years had seen severe depletion in the numbers of demons the world over and many of us feared that extinction could be at hand unless something was done about it," Sesshomaru said as he took a pause.

"So what was done about it?" Kagome asked aloud, although her expression afterwards made it appear that she had intended that to be a mental question only.

"The wolves, among others, entered into a form alliance with the Shogunate, that they would fight to maintain their rule in exchange for lands to settle on and preservations to live in seclusion and a quiet peace, away from humans if they so chose. So the demons fought, under the guise of skillful humans, during the events of the Meiji Restoration while the Imperialists, once they figured out what was happening, recruited just about every monk, priestess, and demon slayer that they could get their hands on. The resulting conflict was a massacre, on both sides. Kouga, Ayame, Ginta, Hakkaku, and most of their offspring ended up dying at some point during the conflict," Sesshomaru finished, before leaning back.

"And what about Shippo?" asked Kagome. A haunted look came across Sesshomaru's face, before being replaced by one of sorrow.

"The kit was never quite the same after you left, blaming Inuyasha for not allowing him to say a proper goodbye at the very least to you. He went back to the fox academy and graduated but then afterwards fell out of contact, with both me and the others. Over the years I heard chatter through the demon channels about some of his exploits in deception and stealth but never anything I could confirm independently. By all accounts he lived a good life," said Sesshomaru, but Kagome could tell that something was being left off at the end.

"And?" Kagome asked as she peered at him.

"Kagome, not everyone has an happy ending. Some could have quite tragic endings," stated Sesshomaru as he glanced away from her.

"By the accounts you've given hardly any of my demon friends had happy endings. Now spill it," Kagome demanded as she frowned at him.

"Very well. During the events of the Meiji Restoration, I along with a number of other demons chose to stay neutral, preferring not to involve ourselves in the events and conflicts of humans. During the war I took note of the dwindling numbers of Rin and Kohaku's family as they fought on behalf of the Imperialists and approached the survivors with offers of shelter for their families if the warriors felt them threatened," started Sesshomaru. Kagome stopped moving as the implications of where this was leading began to add up.

"The final family of descendants chose to take me up on the offer after the families of his comrades had been killed off in raids by Shogunate Assassins. He and his family had just arrived at my property and I walked out the door to greet them when a demon emerged from out of nowhere to strike all of them down in a series of claw swipes. Without a seconds thought or hesitation I struck down the attacker, only to see five tails that signified a fox of high standing afterwards. I confirmed that it was Shippo after the taking in of his scent. I'm sorry," finished Sesshomaru as he stood up and left the room, leaving her to cry into the pillow that she had been resting her elbows on.

***

"You said earlier, that you would expand on what happened to Inuyasha and his family," said Kagome as she came to sit next to him on the front porch. He glanced over to see that her face was still red from crying but that her tears had dried up.

"The Meiji Restoration wasn't the first time that demons had involved themselves in a human conflict over fears concerning their future fates. The War of 1812 is perhaps the first known example as demon colonies living on the Caribbean Isles became concerned about the British, French, and Spanish fighting for colonial control over them and that they would be discovered and exterminated. The fighting escalated over the course of the next century and the involvement grew, expanded right up into the Second World War. Apparently at the end of the first the Spanish Flu Pandemic was engineered on behalf of some of the demons who fought in the conflict, in an attempt to cull the human population back down to more manageable levels for the surviving demons. This plot was discovered during the overrunning of a demon enclave during the Spanish Civil War and from there the fate of the demons were sealed," Sesshomaru started again as a light snow started falling.

"During the course of the ensuing second world war agents working behind the shadows either infiltrated or otherwise discovered the location of many of the demon enclaves and colonies that were scattered throughout the world. Then as they gained more powerful weapons they started to work on eliminating these demon settlements. The first two to go were located in Japan, in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Then, as the other nations joined in, so called 'Nuclear Testing' took place at remote regions of the world, which in fact was cover for wiping out the demon colonies located in those remote areas, far removed from human population centers. Inuyasha and his family were living in a small community on an atoll in French Polynesia when a French Nuclear Test killed him and his family," said Sesshomaru. Kagome leaned against him and he glanced down at her to see that her tears had started up once more.

"We're so evil, we destroy anything we can lay our hands on," Kagome whispered silently as she closed her eyes.

"We?" inquired Sesshomaru although he had an idea of what she meant.

"Humans," replied Kagome, confirming his suspicion.

"There are many in this city that would agree with you, but I have lived far longer than most of them, back to a time when demons roamed the world freely, in far greater numbers than humans. As far as I knew humans always had the capacity for violence but demons were at least on par with, if not exceeding for violence in their own right, perhaps we even passed it along to humans over the course of millennia. Bear it no mind Kagome, we were as much at fault for own fate as humans were," replied Sesshomaru.

"Anyways, as things stand now there at least five surviving colonies containing perhaps a total of three hundred thousand demons that we know of. By the time the 1960's rolled around there was a million of us living in fifteen colonies but a full one third of these were wiped out in a single blow when Tsar Bomba wiped out a cluster of five close knit colonies in the Russian North. As things were going we managed to secure a secret back door deal with the Russian Government, which as a part of we are allowed to continue to exist here, in exchange for them occasionally coming to call on us for certain tasks and favors that only demons can take care of," said Sesshomaru.

"So secrecy is of the utmost importance? Well, I promise you that my lips are sealed once I leave this place and return home," stated Kagome as she turned to look at him.

"Leave?" Sesshomaru asked as he turned to stare at her with an incredulous look on his face, "Didn't the Border Guards tell you what would happen if they admitted you entry?"

"Border Guards? All they said was that a price was to be paid and asked if I was willing to accept it?" Kagome asked in response as dread crept up the back of her spine at his expression.

"Those fools, I've told them time and again to be specific about what the rules were for being permitted entry. Well, it's not like we get that many people coming here anyways, usually it's trappers that've gotten hopelessly lost and would've otherwise starved or frozen to death but anyways, Kagome, the price of being admitted entry is that you can't leave. Now that you're here you will remain here for the rest of your days. If you even attempt to leave then you will be hunted down and killed by the Border Patrol. I'm sorry," he said as he had to apologize to her once more.

This time she was the one to get up and leave, muttering "No no no no no," as she left him with another round of remorse adorning his features.

***

A trip into town seemed to be just the thing to cheer Kagome up, she would be spending the rest of her life here so she might as well see what the town has to offer and get to know the place (and everyone) a little bit better. She had stopped crying but was still red eyed and appeared very sullen outwardly as she exited his house wearing whatever sweater garb that he could scrounge up with the help of his next door neighbor's wife.

He was pouring a tank of ethanol into his Model T sitting out front, before turning the magneto to start the car up. The top was up of course as he opened the passenger door for Kagome before getting into the driver seat and setting off down the bumpy cobblestone roadway.

"Sesshomaru, a question if you don't mind," Kagome asked after a minute of them driving through the neighborhoods on their way towards downtown. He glanced over at her in surprise at her formal tone but decided that she was still in shock at her current situation and had just defaulted to using a respectful tone. He nodded for her to continue.

"Why is the technology here a full century in the past?" came the question with a little hint of both curiosity and incongruousness. He actually burst out laughing a moment before settling down into a soft chuckle that made her even more confused but also brought a small smile to her face.

"Well Kagome, the answer is three fold in that regards. First, even as large as the town is, it is still an isolated community, like an individual nation detached from the global economy. In those terms our development will naturally lag behind the industrialized portions of the world that trade with each other in terms of both resources and technology. Secondly, many of the demons living here have scented the products and byproducts of producing and consuming petroleum, such as plastics and synthetic rubbers, as well as a fuel source and have found it highly unappealing, not to mention potential health detriments of using plastics, as humans themselves are finding out now. Third, again as a small and isolated nation state we need to conserve what precious resources we have available to us, therefore renewable resources are of a top priority. These Model T Fords are a luxury on our part but on ethanol produced by the crops we grow, just as our houses are heated by burning wood from trees we regularly plant," explained Sesshomaru, Kagome nodding along with eyes occasionally lighting up in understanding and agreement for his reasoning's.

Nothing else was said as Kagome fell back into silence, although she at least had a more thoughtful expression now versus the sad face that she had been wearing for the past few hours. Colorful lights came into view now as they approached the main town square and Kagome's eyes lit up as she glanced up to see the town's giant Christmas Tree, decorated and lit up for the holidays. As they got closer she saw that the lights were slightly odd on it and turned to question him about it but he was already ahead of her.

"The benefits of a community of different types of demons is that you have a greater chance of having some demons that can produce orbs of glowing light as one of their powers. Through the years we've managed to combine that with contemporary human technology to trap and sustain these glowing orbs for up a month's time, just long enough for the holiday season," he explained. This time the smile widened across her whole face and he grinned in response to her joyful expression.

The town square was packed as the weekly farmer's market was in full swing in preparation for the holidays and although it was mostly demons Kagome did spot some obviously half demons and even humans wandering about.

"Hey, I thought you said the town hated humans for the most part. What's with the humans and half demons wandering around if that's the case? And why bring them down here if we're hated as well?" asked Kagome as questions one after another suddenly occurred to her as the two of them exited the car and started walking into the square.

"Many of the demons hate humanity as a general concept but welcome humans of a certain nature to live amongst them, such as yourself for example. They are wary of newcomers given both the history involved and the secrecy of our city but with me as your voucher I'm sure everything will go over smoothly," Sesshomaru answered in a reassuring tone of voice.

And so it went with her being introduced to several people Sesshomaru knew including a few couples and families. It was on the tenth family being introduced for the night that troubled start brewing.

The couple in question was a male weasel demon mated to a female fox demon and although both took an instant liking to Kagome they were both sad throughout the conversation as the female held a toddler, while a small child stood behind the two of them. Finally Kagome had to ask them why they were so sad during a holiday like this.

"Oh, please excuse us my dear. Our eldest son, young Jaliph here, has contracted a deadly demonic disease and there is no kind of treatment and no chance of survival, so we're here attending the Christmas festival with our son for one last time," the weasel explained with his ears drooping downwards.

"Oh no I'm so sorry, can nothing be done for him?" Kagome asked as her own expression became saddened once again.

"Believe me we've looked and researched, our science and medicine can pinpoint the areas of his body in which the worst parts of the disease reside but even our best healers have never been able to help," replied the fox female this time.

"Well maybe I can help," said Kagome as she kneeled down and smiled at the young boy, whom came around his mother's legs to shake hands with her hesitantly.

"Are you trained in the ways of medicine? I'm not sure how much of a help you can be but at this stage I won't say no to any offers of assistance," replied the female fox as she watched her carefully.

"Not of scientific medicine but with a prayer I may be able to help quell some of the disease. Don't be afraid little one, this might sting a little," Kagome answered as she clasped Jaliph's hand between both of hers and closed her eyes as she concentrated and started whispering a prayer without a seconds hesitation. As her reiki flared Sesshomaru's eyes widened in alarm as he realized what she meant to do and he immediately stepped protectively next to her as thousands of heads suddenly swiveled in their direction as a bright light started coming from her hands.

"Momma? I'm scared," stammered Jaliph but he didn't pull his hand away. The lady was doing something very strange but his hand felt warm and he didn't sense any ill intent or malice coming from her. His parents though were not only alarmed but also suddenly frightened for their son's safety. The female fox mother yelled in sudden fear and yanked Jaliph backwards with both hands as the father weasel stepped in and clocked Kagome across the face with a haymaker just before Sesshomaru was able to stop him.

"A Priestess, here?" came a few voices from the crowd, before others started chiming in and demonic auras started to flare in both anger and panic.

"She must be one of the hunters!" "A spy in our own city!" "She must be hung, before she can alert her masters!"

The crowd started turning into a mob as they closed on Kagome, who was now sitting up with a hand covering her swelling left cheek with belated understanding and fear entering her eyes at the foolishness of doing what she had just done here and the predicament she now found herself in. Sesshomaru however flared his significant demonic aura outwards, bring the mob to a halt.

"Halt, all of you! I sponsor this miko, this human, to join our town as she was lured here under false pretenses. She is under my protection and do not mistake her for one of them, she is an acquaintance of mine from five hundred years in the past and many of you would not even be alive now if it hadn't been for her actions in the past," Sesshomaru yelled out a booming authoritarian voice. The auras shifted away from anger, but there was still panic and it was mixed in with some confusion this time.

"Momma? I feel pretty good now, better than I have in the past few months," said Jaliph as he started jumping around in sudden exuberance.

"What? Junior, come here please and let me take a look at you," said the fox mother as she pulled up her son's sleeve on the arm Kagome had been holding and gasped out loud as tears immediately formed in the corner of her eyes. The weasel looked on with wide eyes as both of them saw that the marks borne from the demonic disease had disappeared, leaving normal and healthy looking skin in its place.

"Oh thank you," wailed the fox mother as she kneeled down to embrace Kagome in a fierce hug. Surprised for a moment, she just smiled as she returned the hug.

"I'm so sorry," apologized the weasel meekly as Sesshomaru released the grasp over his right arm.

"No, no apology necessary. I was too focused on helping your son and should've realized that this wasn't the best place or time to have done that," replied Kagome with a wink from her left eye that tugged a small smile from the weasel's downcast face.

The entire town was now surrounding them as they looked on in amazement. Sesshomaru glanced around to them and still sensed confusion mixing in with their awe before glancing down to Kagome.

"I'm afraid story time will be required to sate everyone's confusion. Looks like we'll be the town's entertainment for the evening," Sesshomaru said to Kagome in a apologetic tone.

"No that's fine, here, we'll tell the story together," said Kagome as she broke the hug and stood up to join him in telling of the events of five hundred years in the past along with what's transpired in the past three years.

***

It was past midnight when Sesshomaru arrived back at his house with Kagome passed out in the passenger seat of the Model T. Leaving the engine running for heat, his thoughts turned dark as he reflected on what Kagome had told him concerning the Corporation that had sponsored her expedition.

He was pretty sure Globexam was a lengthened version of Globex, short for Global Exterminations, one of the more successful demon hunting companies out there. One of the last colonies that they lost had reported killing a spy wearing a work uniform labeled for the Globex Corporation; A month later that underground colony that had been located in North Korea had been destroyed by a nuclear blast as the North Koreans tested their first nuclear weapon, even though they had been nowhere close to achieving such a feat, according to intelligence at the time.

It was a powerful company with deep pockets, but just how powerful they were remained unknown. Thankfully they did have suitable connections with local authorities and arrangements within the Russian Government itself; the border patrol had reported to him an hour ago that a body had been left in the border region with a note attached. The body was reported to be a Globexam Employee, supposedly lost but in fact had been following in Kagome's wake. He was now 'disappeared' without a trace for his handlers to pickup on, not that they could do much even if the town was discovered, as the Russians promised to retaliate ten for one if anyone set off a nuclear bomb on their own soil.

Enough with such thoughts however, this was the wrong time of the year to be dwelling on such matters. Shutting off the car, he collected Kagome into his arms bridal style and carried her inside.

***

She had slept much of the evening and through the night but awoke early, with the antique clock in her room indicating the time to be four am from what she could gleam through moonlit illumination coming in through the seams in the drapes covering the second floor bedroom window.

After refreshing herself and dressing properly for bed versus the evening attire she had gone out in, she laid back down but found sleep not forthcoming for her but instead entertained thoughts about what had transpired last evening and in weeks prior as well, about her future her and what it would mean to spend it with someone she knew versus potential strangers or even by herself, although she didn't think fondly of dwelling in the misery of being constrained her away from her maternal family alone in the darkness of a lonely structure.

For the time being then, she decided that she would definitely need to be with someone and then she pondered for what seemed like hours on her feelings for Sesshomaru, the feelings he had shown for her thus far, and comparison to how he had treated her in the past combined with what he had said transpired in the intervening centuries. Thoughts also turned to what had gone on in the city since her arrival. She needed to know more about these 'hunters' and the threat they posed, what to watch out for, and then finally there were thoughts about what she could do to earn her keep so that she wouldn't just be a burden to whoever she ended up staying with, do something to earn her place in the community.

To that end she recalled what she was able to do yesterday evening to help that young youkai boy and decided to call on the healers of the settlement to offer her services as a fellow healer. In addition, she also wanted to follow up with the boy himself to see how he was doing and to meet and greet with other people that she didn't have the chance to yesterday.

By the time she was finished dawn had come and with it the town began coming to life in the homes around her. Hearing what sounded like Sesshomaru messing around downstairs in the kitchen she got dressed properly for the day before going down to see if she could offer any assistance in making breakfast.

***

It seems a dog was still capable of learning new tricks even if it was on the old of being several centuries versus several years as your more usual canine lifespan go, as Kagome had shown him a thing or two when it came to preparing breakfast along with a couple of intriguing recipes that combined ingenuity with frugality in the end result versus what had been started with.

She had noticed while eating breakfast that Sesshomaru was reading a copy of 'USA Today' despite it being several weeks out of date and promptly asked him what the deal was because she though they were isolated from the rest of the world.

"Ah, that is a benefit of our secret agreement with the Russian Government. On a weekly basis their top officials will discard the news and other items they had received from around the world and the 'trash' is disposed of in a secretive manner, like a secret landfill where it is said to be incinerated. Only our town is the 'secret landfill', allowing us to keep up on current events for those of us who care or are interested. Most don't but I like to stay informed of current events, from time to time," Sesshomaru answered as he folded the paper down.

The rest of the morning had proceeded quietly, Kagome asking if it was okay to run errands in town by herself, Sesshomaru had to consider this for a while but in the end agreed so long as he could chauffeur her as needed, giving her a demonically empowered rune that she could press her hand on to summon him to her location as needed. It was evening when they arrived back home and she hadn't said anything to him but had instead run upstairs with her bags and papers that she had collected through the day, leaving him to cook supper alone.

Through the day though he had noticed her becoming steadily more happy versus acting glumly resigned to her current predicament and he was glad to see her integrating so well into the community, albeit he had still met with some through the day to alleviate their fears and concerns in regards to both her sudden presence in the township and the dangers that her powers potentially posed.

Their dinner was largely quiet as well, Kagome only speaking up to tell him that she had been offered a salaried job at the local town clinic for specialized healing and that she had also been talked to concerning cosmetic procedures; apparently some demons and half demons like to have tattoos done but with their accelerated healing rates and factors this wasn't capable of happening in the normal means, often they would have to be burned via conventional fire for the markings they desired and it was both painful and would last only a week before they would have to have it redone.

With training, she could utilize her reiki to undertake the procedure in such a manner that it would take over a month before the tattoo would fade and it could be far less painful to receive a reiki burn versus that from conventional fire. Kagome wasn't too happy with the thought of intentionally harming people but they were willing and were happy to pay good money or trade goods to have it done, some seeing it as a tradition and others as a fad.

He had listened before offering her congratulations on getting the first job while trying to explain to her the thoughts and desires demons had for the tattoos in relation to the secondary position. After they finished their meal Kagome went right back upstairs and Sesshomaru could hear the shower running. Figuring that she had a long day and wanted to get to bed early, he went to change into his nightwear before grabbing a bedtime snack and finish reviewing the week's news.

***

"Mishka gave me a present today when I went by to check on their son, let me know what you think?" asked Kagome as she strolled into the dining room and leaned up against the entryway.

Sesshomaru, who had been sitting at the table reading the daily newspaper with a mug of hot apple cedar in hand while wearing his underwear and robe, looked up and froze. There she was, wearing a gray silk nightgown that would fit the female fox appropriately but for the human was roughly two sizes too small, with it barely covering her chest and upper thighs and not leaving very much to the imagination. With a big gulp he forced what liquid was in his mouth down before setting the mug down and taking off his glasses.

"Do you realize what you're doing to me at this very moment? Are you sure that you want to continue with the course of action that prancing around in that thing around me will lead to?" he asked in a serious yet faltering tone. It was getting hard to concentrate as his demonic urges were starting to make themselves known and the head on his shoulders was fighting for control over his other head located elsewhere on his being.

She had an exaggerated swagger motion to her hips as she walked over next to him and an expression on her face that let absolutely zero doubt as to her intentions, not that he really had doubts to begin with, more like he just wanted to make sure. He thought to question her motives and reasoning behind what she was embarking upon but didn't for a few different reasons, namely that she was old and wise enough to know about what she was getting into, that it had been a very lonely four hundred plus years since Rin had died along with steadily everyone else he knew, and that he believed it was more than just fate that had caused the two of them to reunite.

Still, pride had to assert itself just to make sure that something else wasn't going on that he was secretly afraid of.

"You know I'm not Inuyasha, I never had been, nor will I ever be," he stated while looking up at her in a questioning stare. She looked appalled and offended for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"No of course not, not now or ever have I made that mistake. I can understand why you would ask me this, I know this seems abrupt but I've had a lot of time over the past day and night to think about this, my future here, you, and the possibility of us and I don't see any future here that I would desire more than to spend the rest of my eternity with you, making it an us. Ideally, we might spend more time together first, have a little courtship, but I'm not getting any younger and I'm certain what my ultimate decision will be, whether now or in a year or five years or ten years," Kagome replied. Sesshomaru smiled, a predatory grin coming across his face that both frightened and excited her.

"Very well then," said Sesshomaru as he discarded his glasses and picked her up over his shoulder as he stood, hoisting her into the air as he carried her like a sack of potatoes first to the hall closet to pick up a few fur blankets with the other hand, before throwing the latter down onto the floor next to the lit fireplace, following the depositing of her in a more gentle manner atop said furs.

Next he deposited his robe on the floor nearby, leaving just his underwear on in which Kagome saw that he had set up camp with a considerable tent pitched, which along with his impressive abs gave cause for two of her top three orifices to become very moist indeed. Next, like a snake slithering its way across the ground he placed his clawed hands against either of her feet and ran them up the length of her body, taking in her curves as he started folding up her nightgown before removing it from her body entirely. His hands retreated slightly southwards after discarding the garment to take her head in between them as he met her lip to lip for a series of passionate and searing kisses, pausing only to allow her to recover her breath in between, allowing her hands to explore his body in turn.

His mouth trailed down the length of her body afterwards, his lips and tongue exploring her neck, shoulders, chest, breasts, stomach, waist, thighs, shins, and feet. He allowed her to do the same to him in return, growling softly in content as she nearly shredded his boxers while removing them from his form. When it was his turn to explore again he flipped her onto her stomach, trailing kisses from the nape of her neck down the back of her collarbone to her rear shoulder as she moaned softly under him, before traveling down the length of her spine.

He then kissed the palm of each hand in turn before breaching the remaining barrier of intimacy between them and tasting of her forbidden desires as his tongue parted the folds of flesh between her legs and partook of the feast of sweet nectar that had been gathering within her since they had started this foreplay. She tasted of sweet innocence mixed with spiced blueberries and he continued to explore this hidden cavern until he found all of the sweet spots, upon which he exploited to bring her to her first climax with him, his hand massaging her buttocks softly as she rocked up and down off the furs.

Then it was her turn to reciprocate and she positioned him on his back and let him discover just how innocent she really wasn't when it came to knowing how to please others as she used her tongue to do devious things to his shaft, head, and family jewels before eventually taking him into her own mouth, taking advantage of the relative lack of a gag reflex to fit as much as him into her oral cavity as she could and using her hands to stroke what rest of him she couldn't, her drool providing adequate lubricant.

Try as she might though, when it was his turn to reach his climax she couldn't swallow all of what he had to give, taking the initial burst down her throat and the second wave before having to divert her mouth away. Not wanting any of his apex to go to waste, she shuffled forwards slightly to where his tip was resting within the valley between her breasts, his pulsing feeling as if it was in sync with her racing heart as she could seemingly feel his remaining spiel trying to bond with the blood racing just beyond her skin before he finally stopped and started going limp.

The two of them embraced, Sesshomaru not mind in the least as some of his own essence dribbled onto his own chest from hers as both of them looked upon one another with new love and intensity brimming within their eyes.

"That was...intense...," Kagome murmured dreamily, as a yawn overtook her peaceful and content looking expression.

"Yes, we'll have to do that again sometime," Sesshomaru answered in a tone somewhere between awed and arrogant. His statement and tone brought a rough huff of laughter from her before they both settled off into a nap.

***

It was another few days before Christmas finally arrived and gifts were exchanged. Once all of the packages had been opened Kagome and Sesshomaru shared a cup of hot apple cider that he fixed for the both of them. Kagome nearly gagged on something before coughing up a silver ring with two gems embedded within it, one an emerald and the other a ruby.

"What's this? Was this meant for me?" asked Kagome incredulously as she held up the intricate ring while shooting Sesshomaru a curiously questioning look.

"Yes Kagome, that was meant for you. Not a traditional western wedding ring by any manner, but one that does have a bit of history behind it," he replied as he walked over and took a knee in front of where she was sitting. Emotional dolt as she was she couldn't help but tearing up before he even had a chance to start said story.

"Satoshi was third of the last of Miroku and Sango's Family Line and was a gifted jewelcrafter. He loved experimenting in making unusual and beautiful rings and gems before selling them as gifts, often bought by nobles either to show off or add to collections. But upon finding someone special that Satoshi was willing to spend the rest of his life with, he came to me asking about the history of his clan before deciding what to craft. In the end she said yes and Satoshi was grateful for learning about the history behind his family so unbeknownst to me he crafted for me a ring of my own, suspiring me and telling me that one day, when I discover the one that I want to spend the rest of eternity with, that I should give it to her and so now I give you this ring Kagome," said Sesshomaru as he took it from her hand and placed it onto her finger. She could barely even whisper "Yes" as the waterworks were in full effect now before the two of them share the most passionate kiss of their lives.

That night ended up being full of Christmas cheer as the two conceived the first of five children that they would end up having together, one that they would end up naming upon birth six months later as Shippo.

Fin