Hear Me by Sorrows Amaranth

Hear Me!

AN: Enjoy

Kagome staggered through the forest with no particular destination in mind as she had done so many times. She was searching for something... someone, the only one who could fill this hole in her heart. It was almost as if her heart had it's very own windtunnel. An endless abyss that was slowly widening and threatened to swallow her whole. If only she could find him.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried out in anguish and despair knowing that even if he could hear her he wouldn't answer. He never did. Even when they'd spent hours of many days together, he let his silence speak for him as she chattered away. It had always been up to her to interpret those silences. Maybe she was only now having a true understanding of his silence.

After the final battle with Naraku, Inuyasha had gone to hell with Kikyo as he'd promised. She may not have loved him anymore, but Kagome was till saddened by this and missed him so much. He had been her best friend and now she would never see him again. His passing had been like a blade through her heart. She’d gone home crying as the pouring rain mimicked what she felt, never noticing the golden eyes that watched her. Once she was gone, he too disappeared. She was surprised the next day when the well let her back over to the feudal era. When she arrived she was shocked to find that Rin had been left at Kaede's village. Her heart soared hoping she would see Sesshomaru, but as the hours became days and days became weeks she realized that he wasn't coming.

In that time she became the village priestess as Kaede's time had come and they were left without a protector. During one of her departures, they'd taken it upon themselves to build her a home. With Rin and Shippo's help they'd built her a cottage, feeling that she deserved better than a mere hut like the rest of them. Imagine her surprise when she returned to find a feast in her honor within her new cottage decorated with flowers hand picked by Rin and Shippo.

A week later, Kagome stood at the door of her cottage, looking out towards Inuyasha's forest. She'd dreamed of him again last night. Sesshomaru. She didn't notice Rin come up to stand behind her. "Okaa-san, when will otou-san come back?" Long before the battle Rin had taken to calling Kagome and Sesshomaru her parents. They were her dream parents and they'd taken such good care of her that no other title would satisfy her. Kagome took a deep breath and let it go in a depressed sigh as she looked down at her beloved daughter. The only thing she had left of her love.

"I don't know, sweetie," she said barely holding back her tears. "Why don't you go play with Shippo? I've got to go out for a little bit." Once Rin was out of sight Kagome left the cottage. As soon as she reached the tree line, she took off running as fast as she could. The tree rushed past her and her bare feet had many cuts from forest debris and still she ran. Her lungs were aching but their ache did not compare to that of her unappeased heart. After what felt like hours of running she stopped. She didn't know where she was and she couldn't bring herself to care. She was now physically just as lost as she was emotionally. She let out a scream of anguish.

She loved him with her whole heart and he was gone. "Where are you?" She sobbed in misery. Every night when the kids were asleep and the dreams became too much to bare she ran into the woods and would call out to him. She knew it was crazy but she didn't know what else to do. She missed him, needed him.

She thought back to her dream. She was in the forest not far from her house and crying. It was much like her everyday life, but then something happened. Out of the darkness came Sesshoumaru looking like the late InuTaisho only without his armor. She stood up mesmerized not believing her eyes.

"Kagome," he called out holding a hand out to her. She ran to him than and crashed into his stone like body. "I miss you, my love, but I can't come to you just yet," he would whisper. Then he'd kissed her good-bye and the dream would melt away leaving Kagome in cold lonely darkness.

Once she could cry no more, Kagome stood and her feet slowly shuffled her to a destination of their choosing. She looked up when she realized where her body had taken her. She crumpled in front of goshinboku. She'd thought she couldn't cry anymore but she found she was wrong as sobs wracked her body and tears streamed down her face.

When she'd realized that she didn't love Inuyasha anymore the realization hurt her like a gunshot wound. She'd promised she wouldn't love again. She didn't want to be repeatedly hurt again just to once again find that it was all for naught. She refused. But slowly she fell for the regal demon lord. When his pack joined with theirs Kagome was given the opportunity to get close to him through their care for Rin. He was forever the silent mystery that she just had to solve for curiousity's sake. How could one such as him care for the young human girl. Before she knew it she forgot about the mystery and was head over heels in love with him. It hurt to think that he could never love her back but then she began to notice little hints. She found him to be like a charming prince from her childhood fairytales when it was just them. She'd thought it was her imagination and willed herself to ignore it. Then just before the final battle, she was sitting in a clearing and he appeared out of nowhere in front of her. Just as she was to ask what he doing, he'd kissed her with such passion she thought she would die from it. Naraku came and found them like that and wasted no time attacking. Still Sesshoumaru protected her throughout the whole battle despite the gaping hole in his chest.  The battle ended and she didn't even have a scratch on her.

She immediately turned to him to heal his injuries, but he simply pointed at the black jewel that lay in a puddle of blood and ashes. She'd completely forgotten about the shikon in favor of aiding Sesshoumaru. She picked it up and it purified the second she touched it. She turned to aid him, but he'd disappeared.

Laying in front of the tree, crumbled as she was, she began to wonder. Does he even hear me when I call out to him? If he does would he even care?  She felt a familiar youki approaching but refused to react. It's not real. It can't be. She prayed that her senses would stop playing tricks on her but they didn't, eventually two booted feet stood in front of her. Sighing she spoke, "I'll get right up sir. You needn't worry yourself over me."

Sesshoumaru had spent the past few months in a private fortress. It took a month for him to fully recover from the battle. His beast claimed it was because they were away from "their miko". When he'd finally recovered he and his beast spent three months fighting over whether or not to claim her as they repaired their lands of the damage caused by Naraku. It took forever to destroy all the rogue demons that came out of hiding since Naraku was no longer around. He'd come to check on things at the village a few times and was surprised to have found her in the forest at night calling out to him. His beast wanted to comfort her, but they knew he couldn't go to her just yet.  Now here he was with her at his feet.

"Kagome," he said in the voice he knew she'd recognize anywhere. Kagome's entire being stilled. Her heart skipped a few beats as she looked up at him. He stood there looking exactly as he had in her dreams. I'm dreaming. This can't be real. Sesshoumaru helped her off the ground and held her close. "My Kagome," he whispered into her hair.

She pushed away from him then and watched as his face crumbled. "You're not real. I'm dreaming again, but you know what I give up. I can't take this anymore. I'll let you know exactly how I feel." Even if you'll be gone in the morning. She didn't even give him the chance to reply. She turned around as if to walk away from him.

"I'm restless and wild. I fall, but I try. I need someone to understand. Can you hear me? I'm lost in my thoughts and baby I've fought for all that I've got. Can you hear me?" She began to sob as he wrapped his arms around her and turned her around.

"I'm real Kagome. I won't ever leave you again," he said as she looked into his eyes. This isn't real.

"No, you're just a dream you're not real," she screamed and struggled in his grasp. He held her face in his hands keeping her eyes on his.

"Kagome, my sweet priestess, my Lady Kagome," he murmered as he laid butterfly kisses upon her face. "I should never have you, but I had to. You were so strong, so beautiful and magnificent on that day. I was unworthy of you and still you cared for me to the point that you put one as unworthy as I before your duty to the jewel. I wanted you as my mate but I was not ready. I was injured and my lands were in turmoil. How could i ask you to be by my side as the western lady without first making myself and the west worthy of you?" His words were soft and sincere as his eyes gazed into her very soul revealing all that he was to her own eyes.

"Okaa-san!" Two children cried out startling the couple. She turned to see Rin and Shippo barreling towards them.

"Otou-san!" They cried as they hugged the couple. Kagome was really confused now. This all felt so real and the kids never entered her dreams about him before.

"You..." She said looking at him. "This is real?" She couldn't believe it, but somehow she new in her heart that it was true.