Snowdrop by PhoenixBlade

Engagement

Final chapter! I thank you all for reading this fic and once again, for Kneazles in creating the Valentine Countdown Challenge!  I hope you all like the final tidbit of this fanfic!  Enjoy!

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Snowdrop

By: PhoenixBlade

Prompt: Engagement

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She felt herself suspended in air, just floating in a light place, so fuzzy and warm.  She wanted to stay here, in this warm place.  It was comfortable and relaxing.  She never wanted to leave here…

Kagome…

What?... Was someone calling her?

Wake up, Kagome…

Wake up?  Was she asleep?

Come back to this one, Kagome…

Come back to who?

This Sesshoumaru wants you back…

Sesshou…maru!

Return to me, Kagome!...

Sesshoumaru! 

Suddenly, she felt herself rushing forward into the bright light until she was knocked awake, gasping for breath as her hands grasped tightly onto someone’s kimono.  The bright light was blinding and she blinked over and over again to adjust to the light.  When her eyes began to see better, she was met first with twin golden suns that were filled with such happiness, she envied them.

“Kagome!” came that familiar baritone voice, the voice that she knew she loved so much.

Her eyes saw his face, his beautiful pale face.  His silver hair streamed down, to cover some of that bright light and she found one of her hands rising to his cheek.  She stroked it gently and he turned to kiss the palm of her hand.  Such warm lips he had, lips she loved to kiss, lips that spoke of his love for her.

“Sesshoumaru…I heard you…” she smiled at him.

She saw him smiling at her, such an odd look for him, but one she found she enjoyed very well.

“Kagome!” he cried out and hugged her to him tightly.

“I love you too…” she told him and hugged him back.

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“So you say this jewel intensified her powers?” Sesshoumaru asked the ancient tree youkai.

Bokuseno had oddly enough, survived the onslaught of ice and snow from the yuki onna that had been Lady Inukimi, but then again, he had been doing so since she had cursed and became the Lady of the Western Lands.

“Yes,” he nodded, “it is called the Shikon no Tama.  Long ago a strong miko and an evil youkai battled and in their final battle, released all their powers until it created this monstrosity, in bauble form.”

Kagome looked at the thing strangely.  It was calling for her.  She didn’t know why, but it was.

“It is said to magnify one’s power, but their desires as well.  I suppose the purity of the miko could not hold back the youkai’s evil desires forever.  Eventually all would become consumed by its evil in the end.  The dreaded thing was sought after by many a youkai and ningen until it faded out of existence,” Bokuseno explained.

Sesshoumaru grimaced at the thing.  What a horrible thing it had done, helping his mother curse the Western Lands.  The curse would make it so that all would become just as cold-hearted as her in a land of cold, but luckily Kagome broke through and melted his once ice-cold heart, breaking the curse.

"I think... I think she was just lonely..." Kagome spoke up thoughtfully.

Both youkai looked at her incredulously.  Was she serious?

Kagome saw how they were looking at her and waved her hands in front to defend herself, "I-I meant that as a yuki onna, she was always by herself.  When she met with your father, I think she liked having him around so much that when he was going to leave her, she'd be by herself again.  I think she did it all because she didn't want to be alone again..."

Sesshoumaru almost scoffed at Kagome.  The damn woman had almost killed his beloved and here she was, defending the same woman who had wanted her dead.  Truly, Kagome was too kind-hearted... but he loved her for that.

Bokuseno sighed, “I suppose that may be true. However, either way, Inukimi found the jewel and became corrupted by it after she used it for your father.  Not many remain well and untainted after they’ve used its powers.  I suggest you get rid of the damned thing as soon as you can, my Lord Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the tree youkai.

Bokuseno chuckled, “Your mother is no more.  Who else is left to lead the Western Lands but you, its rightful heir?”

Sesshoumaru scoffed, “This Sesshoumaru supposes so.”

“Now that your mother no longer holds power over the land, the snow will melt and turn back to spring, but not all at once I would assume.”

“Her powers still linger?” Sesshoumaru questioned in alarm.

Bokuseno shook his head, “No.  Nature is re-righting itself.  It should be towards the end of winter now.  Spring will come when it comes.

“Hn,” Sesshoumaru agreed.

Suddenly, he realized that he was no longer holding onto the jewel.  Both the youkai turned to see Kagome holding it to her chest, eyes closed.

“Kagome!” Sesshoumaru cried out in panic as a bright light shone from the pearl.

He had just saved her, he wouldn’t be able to do so a second time!

Yet just as soon as it had come, it was gone, leaving both youkai dazed and confused at the young miko who merely smiled at them.  The jewel was no longer in her hands, its aura gone.

“She was calling me and telling me to purify it,” Kagome explained.

“Who, may I ask, called you?” Bokuseno asked.

She looked at him and smiled sadly, “Midoriko.  She was the miko who created the Shikon no Tama.  She was still inside it and still fighting the evil youkai.  She was tired of fighting and wanted it all to end, so I purified it out of existence.  She can finally rest in peace now…”

Both were silent until Bokuseno laughed out loud.

“It’s no wonder that you were able to pass through Inukimi’s barriers!” the tree youkai barked in laughter, “Such a powerful miko! You better not let this one go, pup!”

Sesshoumaru was annoyed at Bokuseno, but looked to Kagome who smiled back at him.  Taking her hand in his, he kissed it and smiled warmly at her, “Never.  This one will never let her go.”

“Oh?  Is that so, pup?” Bokuseno replied playfully.

Shooting the tree a scathing look, Sesshoumaru returned to Kagome and leaned in.

“Kagome, will you allow this one to mate you, to love you and cherish you for the rest of our years to come?  Will you be with this Sesshoumaru forever?” he proposed to her.

Kagome almost screamed in giddiness as her heart was filled to bursting.  She loved this youkai and for him to propose to her, she was suddenly at a loss for words.

“Kagome?” he looked at her, wary of her silence.

She was suddenly on him, arms thrown around his neck and kissing him passionately.  He kissed her back just as feverishly until they broke apart for air.

“Yes!” she laughed, “Yes! I’ll be your mate, wife, whatever!  I love you!”

Sesshoumaru grinned in happiness as he was now holding her and twirling her around.  They laughed and kissed and laughed some more until all they could do was kiss and be happy holding each other.

“Your son is happy, Inutaisho, my old friend,” Bokuseno said to the fading image of his old friend who was hiding behind a tree and smiling.

Inutaisho nodded and turned around to walk off into the distance, passing through a field of snowdrops until his image was no more.

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Souta sat up, feeling a strange warm feeling in his chest.  He had been getting them often as of late.  Mother had said that it was because Kagome was thinking of him.  Well, he hoped she was too because he thought of her every day since she had gone missing, regretful and missing her incredibly.

It’d been a simple request, one snowdrop, that was all.  He didn’t think that Kagome would go missing.  The villagers were called in to help find her and for three whole days, they combed the whole mountainside.  Yet they could not find her as the weather made it hard for them to walk through and covered any evidence of her being there.  It was as if she never existed.  No one wanted to say it aloud, but he knew that he was the one to blame.  It was he who caused her to go missing.  He’d just wanted one stupid flower and Kagome, being the awesome sister that she was, wanted to make sure that his wish was granted.  He had never wanted to be a burden on their family.  At times, he wished that he had never existed because his family sacrificed so much for him and he, being as sickly as he was, could do nothing but be unselfish so that they would not sacrifice for him anymore.  Yet when he heard the tale of the snowdrop, of its bad omen that came with it when brought into the house and how it was a good luck charm to show that things would get better, he wanted it.  His family need not suffer for him anymore.  He was going to die and this would allow him to do so and let his family live in peace and prosperity afterwards… unfortunately that had not been the case. 

Kagome had been taken and the family was left with the one who was expiring.  Two children of the Higurashi line would die, the only two left.  The line would end and their family would wallow in sorrow and grief for the rest of their lonely lives.  There would be no legacy to be left behind but a story of how the youngest was sickly and the oldest ventured off into the mountains and mysteriously disappeared.  How cruel life was…

Yet oddly enough, his health improved.  He was able to sit up, stand and even walk outside.  Though he wasn’t in perfect health, it was better than anything his parents would have hoped for.  Perhaps it was a gift from the gods, despite Kagome’s disappearance; it brought such good tidings to the family.  The endless winter that they had been plagued with seemed to be going away as the harsh snowstorms lessened and the snows were melting.  His family had somehow managed to save more money and weren’t overworking themselves like they had been doing since he had been born.  The shrine was getting more customers as of late and grandpa was now busier than he had ever been…and it had all happened after Kagome.

“Probably a gift from Kagome,” his mother told him warmly.

Yet that warmth never reached Souta.  They were blessed with good fortune because Kagome was the one to die in his place and now, now he was in better health than he had ever been since he was a baby.  Perhaps it would have been better if he had never been born at all.  He had only been bad luck…

“Souta!” came his mother’s voice from outside.

His family had been spending more time than usual outside and only allowed him to go outside for short periods of time.  He may have gotten better, but they were worried that he would become sick again.

“Souta!” his father joined in, “come outside!”

Confused, the young boy threw his blanket over him and left his room to go to the stairs.  His grandfather stood at the bottom of the stairs, face beaming and brimming with tears.

“Hurry now, young one!” he urged him, forcing Souta to hurry.  That strange warm feeling was back, now stronger than ever.  What was it?

Now he was jogging to the door, blanket left behind on the stairs.  Throwing open the door; he was met with the bright light of the sun and the chirping of birds.  His hands went up shield his eyes from the light as he stepped outside, feeling grass on his bare feet… wait, grass?

Eyes adjusting, he looked down to see that there was grass growing.  There were piles of snow that hadn’t melted yet and he looked up to see his smiling parents, eyes filled with tears and pointing ahead.  His eyes followed and found what was supposed to be an empty field of grass, now filled with hundreds and hundreds of flowers.  Snowdrops!

“Wha…what?” he began to say.

That warm feeling was now almost bursting from inside him.  What was it?  Why was he feeling this way?

Then his eyes spotted two figures in the field of snowdrops, one tall pale figure he didn't know and another figure with wavy dark hair and vibrant hazel eyes, eyes he remembered so clearly from when he was a baby to the moment she went missing.  Tears welled up in Souta’s eyes and he began bawling as he ran forward, straight into the arms of the sister whom he had been afraid that had been lost to him forever.

“You’re back!  You’re back!” he repeated over and over again between hiccups and sobs.

She smiled down at the little brother whom she loved so much.

“Well Souta?  Did your nee-chan do well?” she asked him gently as he buried his face into her clothes.

The only reply she got was more crying and she giggled.  Oh Souta…

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Well, that's it!  Thanks so much for reading this story and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did in writing it!  One thing I have to tell you about this story is that its actually based on a homework assignment I did for my tenth grader english teacher.  He asked my classmates to write him a winter story before winter break and I wrote one based very loosely on the story of the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.  Seeing the Valentine's challenge and the first prompt reminded me of that story I wrote so I decided to use it, what I could remember of it anyway. Thank you all again for reading! :)