Following Footsteps by Koorii

Following Footsteps

Warnings: Possibly implied character death, its up to you.

Disclaimer: I in no way own or am affiliated with with owner of InuYasha, Rumiko Takahashi. I merely enjoy fandom.

------

"Kagome..."

The sun hung like a wound in the sky, open and bleeding as it hung above the distant horizon. The sky was tainted by the resplendent orb: Everything a washed out red, fading to purple brown. It was like bruised flesh on blood. Perhaps with another point of view it would have been beautiful, but for them it was a horror story in the making. The red washed clouds crowded the sky sliding across the heavens in a slow crawl. It almost seemed that they to marched off to some distant battle. The gold rimmed sun sunk slowly and unstoppably toward the horizon, and the shadows grew longer... darker.

They stood on the crest of a hill, looking like shadowy statues backlit by the dying light of the setting sun. His hand rested tenderly on her cheek, one of her own lifted to cradle it while the other rested lightly on her distended middle. A soft breeze stirred their hair, causing them to flutter on the breeze like banners of silver and black. The soft rustle of cloth curdled and died in the oppressive atmosphere.

"Kagome..." Again his voice swelled and rolled over her like the rumble of distant thunder, warmer though and filled with agelessness.

Her eyes stared at him, wide and glassy; she refused to cry, she needed to be strong. Slightly down the gentle slope of the hill Ah-Un stood, Jaken clasping the two-headed beast's reins: Rin was perched on the saddle silent tears drifting listlessly down her cheeks. A short distance from them stood InuYasha his back was turned toward the duo on the hilltop as though trying to provide them with a measure of privacy. Further down Sango sat astride Kirara with Miroku, Shippou clinging to her shoulder.

In the distance a chorus of bestial howls rose from the darkened forest, they called for blood. His blood, her blood; they called, they demanded, they wanted: A sacrifice for their own cruel desires and prejudices. They slunk through the dark forests, prowled in the shadows as they waited for some unspoken signal. Like the screaming of the voices in hell, they called.

Her lips quivered, with repressed emotion as she forced the word through the strangling feeling in her throat, "Sesshoumaru..." She knew that this could be the last time she ever saw him.

He leaned forward his head tilting to brush his lips against her forehead, drifting downward as her eyes fluttered closed; just barely touching her eyelids, and the tip of her nose, before pressing a soft chaste kiss to her lips. He drew back a slightly, his forehead resting against hers, a breath of a sigh ghosting against her skin; silent and unnoticeable, "It is time."

Those words dug into her heart and soul like a blade, and she quelled the whimper that threatened to spill from her throat. It wasn't hard, her throat felt sore and swollen with emotion: choked, she probably couldn't have made a sound even if she wanted to. They had argued, and raged; she had pleaded, and begged, but in the end this was how it had to be. She accepted it finally, but unwillingly: Never willingly. Some things were just more important, and she didn't want the possible ending to be filled with bitterness.

Footsteps rustled through the lush grass, and she knew InuYasha was drawing near. Sesshoumaru drew his hand out from beneath hers, turning it to trail his knuckles gently across her cheeks. InuYasha's clawed hand carefully gripped Kagome's upper arm, and he paused looking at his elder half-brother. The demon lord let his hand drift down to clasp the sheath of Tenseiga beneath the sword's guard, and with the sound of fabric on wood he pulled the blade from his side. Tilting it so that it was held horizontal to the ground he offered the blade to the human woman before him.

Slowly, she raised her hands a fine tremor causing them to jerk subtly before her palms came in contact with the sword and slowly closed around it, tensing until her knuckles were white. She forced herself to relax with a shuddering breathe, pulling the blade close to her as though it were a security blanket; and just maybe it was. InuYasha tugged lightly on her arm, and began to lead her toward Ah-Un; her gaze remained on the demon lord even when she had to look over her shoulder.

"Protect her. Protect them."

InuYasha paused as Sesshoumaru's voice washed over them once more, his head turning so he could glance at him over his shoulder. His voice had been detached and emotionless as ever, and InuYasha's lips pressed into a grim line, his head jerking in a sharp nod. He could have blustered and shouted about how he'd always protected her anyway, but he didn't. Now was not the time for that kind of thing, and when (never if, after all this was Sesshoumaru) the bastard came back, he'd kick his ass then. He watched as Sesshoumaru turned his back on them, staring into the red sky, his hair rising and falling with each passing breeze. Turning away the hanyou helped his pregnant friend to sit on the back of the two-headed dragon, the little human girl immediately curling into her side.

The hanyou moved to take the beast's reins from Jaken, and the little imp immediately scrambled around to clamber onto the beast's rump. InuYasha gave a tug, and moved into a steady jog immediately the dragon giving a snort, and following willingly. Kagome said nothing, just stared at the figure of the demon lord standing alone on the crest of the hill. She paid no head as Kirara leapt into the air to skim low over head. The breeze caused his long silvery tresses to rise in the swell of air, fluttering out behind him in a cloud, looking blood soaked in the waning daylight; her breath 

caught in her throat. A sniffle from her side drew her attention, and Kagome looked down at the small girl snuggled into her side, one hand leaving it's death grip on Tenseiga to smooth over the crown of Rin's head: When she looked up again they'd been swallowed by the forest; she could no longer see him.

Sesshoumaru lifted his hand to capture a reticent lock of silver hair, negligently pushing it back behind his pointed ear as he casually looked from the corner of his eye as though he could still see them there. The howls in the near distance became louder, and more demanding: He fathomed that he could even see the shadows shifting and conforming now. A small, cold smile curled the stoic lord's lips. He might not come out of this with body, soul, or life intact, but that was okay: He'd walked down the path his father before him had forged, followed in his father's footsteps, and he was proud.

He was proud, and he'd face the rising tide that came to meet him.

He'd take more than a few of the fools with him if it was his fate to repeat his father's sacrifice.

Sesshoumaru was his father's son, and in this here and now he was proud of that fact.

-----

A/N: A little something I was randomly inspired to write, mostly because I've been playing with these characters and trying to get a feel for them, I think. I'm trying to write up a chapter fic for them since the ideas there, we'll see how that goes. My last couple attempts at them has been in a sort of humorous thing, but to be honest I tend to write more serious/tragic/bittersweet things, though I prefer reading fluffy/soft/funny/light things, heh.

Anyway, I left it open ended so you, the reader, can decided the outcome: Was there a happy ending? A sad ending? It's all up to you.