Otherworld by Kogasangel

Otherworld

A/N:  I know that I've got to work on my other projects, but this little number came up and I could not resist it.  So, without futher ado, I present....Otherworld.  Please read and review.

Disclaimer:  I do not own IY or friends

~!~

‘The fates are certainly fickle.’  Kagome mused as she pulled herself over the rim of the well.  After several hours of fighting with Inu Yasha, the hanyou finally relented and told her that she could go home, though it was only after he found out that his ramen supply was dangerously low. 

She left the well house and walked over to the sliding glass door to let herself into the house, but froze when a familiar scent  caught her attention.

‘Mom is cooking oden!’  She thought and quickly opened the door and stepped inside.  Her mother’s cheerful grin was the first thing she saw and was quickly enveloped into a warm hug as her mother welcomed her home.

“I’ll get your laundry in the wash, dear.”  Her mother said as she ruffled her daughter’s hair.  “Why don’t you go and relax while dinner is cooking.”

Nodding, Kagome allowed her mother to take the heavy backpack from her and turned to walk into the living room, but stopped at the sight that greeted her.

Standing in the doorway that connected the living room and the kitchen was Sesshomaru in all his regal glory.  Paling, Kagome stepped forward, clearly intent on asking him what he was doing in her kitchen, but before she could open her mouth, he calmly stated, “This is not real.”

“Huh?”  Kagome asked, her eyes widening as his words filtered through her head.  “What’s not real?”

Sighing, the youkai lord stepped forward and waved his hand at the brightly lit kitchen and said, “None of this is real.  You are still in the feudal era and are in the middle of a dream.”

Well, now she knew the answer to the question that had been plaguing her ever since meeting Sesshomaru:  He was officially crazy.

And, apparently he was a mind-reader, too, because he frowned and narrowed his eyes at her.  “Look behind you.”  He ordered and crossed his arms across his chest.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome glanced over her shoulder to find that the once-lit kitchen was now pitch black and her mother was nowhere to be seen.  Also, the delicious smell of oden was no longer drifting in the air and for a moment, Kagome wanted to cry.

While she was mourning over her lost dinner, Sesshomaru stepped forward and gently grasped her chin in his large hand.  Kagome’s eyes looked into his own and she softly asked, “Why are you here?”

“I often wondered what the future would hold for me as I was confident in my own prowess on the battlefield to know that I would survive any battle I fought.  However, despite all of my careful planning, I had not figured you into the equation.”

“Me?”  Kagome asked as she pulled her chin out of his grasp.  “What did I do?”

Sesshomaru regarded the small human before him and silently, he wondered if she truly understood her own appeal and the devotion others seemed to have for her.  Knowing the miko before him….probably not.

“I was the ruler of the western lands.  I am feared throughout Japan not only because of my reputation, but also for the fact that I am seen as cold and unfeeling.  However, only a select few know that I am not as cold and unfeeling as I seem to be.  You are one of those fortunate beings.”  He replied and to Kagome, the way he said it seemed just as normal as one would say that the weather outside was nice.  It was certainly unusual for once such as him.

However, he was not done and Kagome found herself being subjected to soft strokes and lingering caresses as he spoke.

“The fates are certainly peculiar.  I had believed that my fate was to obtain power and conquer those beneath me.  When my pack joined yours, I was forced to alter my beliefs and in the end, I told fate that it could take whatever it had planned for me and to go to hell.  You became my reason for remaining joined to the hanyou’s pack.  You are the one who captured my interest.  You are the source of my comfort.  And, it is because of you that a youkai who was never destined to see heaven was granted a glimpse just by lying in your arms.”  He murmured, his deadly claws gently stroking her hair and before Kagome could reply, she was abruptly pulled against his chest and could hear the beginnings of a soft growl working its way up and through his chest.

It was soothing.

However, as naive as Kagome seemed; she wasn’t stupid.  Pulling away, she snarled, “Ok, now I know that you are not Sesshomaru.  He would never touch me like that!”

“You are wrong.”  Sesshomaru murmured and slowly approached the young female.  “When you slept, I touched you.  I ran my fingers over the soft skin of your cheek.  When you would have a night terror, I would allow you to curl up with Mokomoko and find comfort within it.  After the third night of my touching you, not even the hanyou could deny that it was my scent that covered you, nor would he deny my right to touch you as alpha.  I touched you, miko, and would have spent the rest of my life touching you.”

Shaking her head, Kagome muttered, “You talk as though you’re gone.”

Lowering his eyes, Sesshomaru allowed the soft growling to begin again and Kagome felt a knot form in her stomach at his silence.  Finally, he quietly said, “I am.”

Whipping around, Kagome demanded, “Bullshit.  You are right here, so try explaining that one, will you?”

“I died, miko.  I died right along with my hanyou half-brother, the monk, the slayer, the neko, Jaken, Rin, the wolf trio, and your kit.  You are the only one to survive and it was only because I took the blow meant for you.”  He explained, though the pained expression on his face told her that he was telling the truth and she really didn’t know which was worse:  Being told that her friends and kit were gone, or seeing the proud youkai lord admitting that he, too, had died.

“The battle with Naraku was difficult for all of us.  Despite having most of the jewel, he could not make it work in his favor.  I believe that the jewel refused to fight against you and actually wished to be returned to you.  Naraku, too, realized this and had decided to take you prisoner in order to appease the jewel’s desire to be near you, once more.  The blow would have severely damaged you, but when I got in front of you, Naraku knew that his attack failed and when I was struck, the jewel ripped itself from Naraku and delivered itself into your hands.  Naraku failed and we won, but at a heavy price.  Those whom Naraku violated were avenged, but we were ripped apart as payment.”

Kagome was confused and when she felt his gentle touch on her cheek, she didn’t even hesitate to press her cheek into his palm.  “Payment?”  She asked.

Sesshomaru smiled as the miko closed her eyes and stepped closer to him.  “Because you were not a part of our time, the fates decreed that by allowing you to remain, a price would have to be paid.  It did not matter that you were taken from your time against your will, nor did it matter that you were the holder of the shikon jewel.  The fates named their price and in the end, we paid it to see Naraku fall.”

“Wait!”  Kagome said as her eyes flew open.  “You said that this is a dream, so when I wake up, this will all end and everything will be ok.”

Shaking his head, Sesshomaru replied, “No.  Our deaths will happen.  This is a fact you must accept as you have accepted it before.”

“Before.”  Kagome echoed and then narrowed her eyes.  “What do you mean by that?”

“Not only did we have to deal with the fates, but we must also deal with time.  In another reality, you are being pulled into the feudal era as we speak.  In another reality, you are in my father’s tomb and defying me…again.  Time is always moving forward, but the pace of time is different in other realities.  So, my death was always meant to happen, just as you were always meant to come to our era.  Now, you will accept this path and do what you must to live the life you have been granted.”  Sesshomaru said as he looked away.

“You will also find a mate who will love you as much as I did.”

Kagome felt her breath hitch in her chest, but was interrupted as the loud, annoying voice of her best friend echoed though her head.

“Get up!  We’ve got shards to find!”  Inu Yasha’s voice said.

Glancing back at Sesshomaru, she found him several feet away and reached out to him.  He slowly backed away and softly said, “You are my greatest regret.  Had I let go of my prejudices, perhaps we could have spent the time I had in each other’s arms.”

As he faded from her sight, Kagome heard his final words and when her eyes opened, she quickly sat up and rubbed her eyes. 

“Feh.  Took ya long enough, wench.”  Inu Yasha huffed, but when he caught the scent of her tears, he immediately hunched down on his haunches and softly said, “Why are you crying?  It isn’t cause I called you wench, right?  I always call you that.”

Shaking her head, she shakily said, “No, it isn’t that.  I just had a weird dream, that’s all.

Snorting, but relieved that he had not been the cause of her tears, he immediately began barking out orders for everyone to get their butts into gear and that when Lord Pain in the ass gave the word, they were moving out.

Kagome’s eyes slid over to where Sesshomaru was sitting and instead of him ignoring those around him, she found that his eyes were upon hers and then moved slowly over her as if checking for visible wounds that would cause her to be upset.  When he found that she was unharmed, his eyes turned away and he focused on his own pack and getting them ready to go.

‘It was just a dream.’  Kagome thought as she gathered up her belongings.  ‘It doesn’t mean anything.’

~!~

She changed her mind.  The fates were not fickle; they were cruel.

As her eyes scanned over the battlefield, she realized many things:  Her hanyou friend was a true hero and she would never find anyone else like him ever again.  Sango would finally be allowed to see her family again and would probably introduce them to Miroku…if he made it into heaven, that is.  Miroku would never pass down the cursed hand because he was not able to realize his dream of having children.  Kouga and his two pack mates would be together and find new trouble for themselves.  Shippo would find his family and tell them many stories of a loud-mouthed hanyou and the shikon miko.  Rin would never grow into a lovely, young lady.  Jaken, despite his demeanor and protests to the contrary, loved Rin and protected her until his last breath, even though Rin was already dead.  And, finally, Sesshomaru had been watching over her for a very long time and her eyes were now opened to him.

As she gently stroked his cheek, she could feel the wet stickiness of his blood as it coated her legs.  His head was resting upon her thighs and even though he was the one dying, he was doing his best to comfort her.  His soft growls did much to ease her tears, but she knew that he was slipping away and soon, she would be alone.

Even though Naraku was dead and the jewel was within her body, she could not help but feel cheated.  How dare the fates make them work so hard and to rob her of her teenage years and then rip away everyone she loved and cared for?  How could they be so cruel?

He must have known where her thoughts were because he softly said, “The fates brought you to us and we have never regretted you.  Your anger is justified, but wasted when directed at the fates.”

Kagome’s eyes once again filled with tears as she noticed that even his facial stripes were losing color.  It would not be long now before he, too, was gone.  Leaning over him, she pressed a kiss to his brow and softly begged, “Please don’t leave me.  When you are gone, I’ll be alone.”

His eyes opened, though they were unfocused due to the blood loss.  “I will never leave you.  You humans keep memories of those who have passed within your memories and I vow to you that I will remain there for as long as you wish.  You will never be alone if you allow me and the others to live within your memories.”

Kagome smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks, but she froze when his hand came up and gently caressed her cheek.  He coughed a bit, but when he settled, he softly said, “I knew that I would never see heaven, but right now, I believe that this is what heaven would look like.”

Kagome froze as Sesshomaru’s eyes glazed over and his hand slowly dropped from her cheek.  As his breathing became labored, she said, “I promise that things between us will be better….next time.”

~!~

Kagome couldn’t recall math problems or spelling words that she was supposed to know for her exams.  She couldn’t seem to remember birthdays unless written on a calendar.  However, she knew the exact time and date when Sesshomaru took his last breath.

She could tell you down to the second how long it took for her to gather up her friends and bury them.  She could tell you how many steps she took as she carried the weapons of her friends and her backpack to the well.  She could also tell you how long she sat on the rim of the well before finally jumping across time and back to her own era.  She could also tell you how many nails it took to seal the well and how many sutras she placed on it to ensure nothing like this ever happened again.

As she sat before the well, she thought of many things, but mostly how much she would miss Sesshomaru and her friends and while she knew that the fates were only doing their jobs, she could not help but feel resentful.

After placing her friends’ weapons against the wall in the well house, she opened the door and stepped into the sunshine.  She stopped when she heard a small commotion near the God’s tree and could hear her mother patiently explaining the legend of the tree. 

She walked over to where her mother stood and was greeted with a smile, but when she turned to look at the group before her, she froze.

The group cheerfully greeted her, though one young man grinned with a large handprint on his cheek.  And, before she could say anything, her mother said, “Kagome, I’ve got to go and get your grandfather.  Be a dear and show our guests around.”

Nodding, Kagome’s eyes turned back to the group and settled on one young man in particular.  He commanded her attention with his pale blonde hair and blue eyes, though the blue was rimmed with a soft golden color and when their eyes met, his eyes slowly traveled over her as if checking her over.  He must have been satisfied because his eyes turned to look at something else.

Clearing her throat and catching the group’s attention, she smiled and said, “Welcome to the Sunset Shrine.”

As the group began to follow her and the only female of the group joined her and began talking to her, Kagome smiled and thought, ’The fates may be fickle and cruel, but they can also be kind.’