Chapter Text
Kagome’s childhood room was very pink.
The walls, the sheets on the bed, an assortment of knickknacks and decorative frames all in various shades of pink, rose and magenta made it seem like you were sleeping inside a wad of bubblegum.
Sesshomaru wasn’t sure how she’d tolerated this for the entirety of her life before she’d disappeared, it was giving him a headache, but she was resting so peacefully in his arms on her old bed that he would gladly endure it.
The day had been long and eventful and overwhelming.
Five days they’d spent sequestered away from the world in that hotel room, having food and drinks dropped right at the door, never stepping foot outside, wrapping themselves up in one another as Kagome reacclimated to consciousness in a much more modern world than even the one she’d been born into so very long ago.
She watched TV, she played on his phone, which was apparently so far advanced from the cell phones that existed when she was growing up that she had a hard time believing it was even a telephone anymore, and she explored the Internet, which overwhelmed her so badly she could only handle it in short, shallow bursts.
But she was trying so hard.
He could see the fires of her former spirit being fed and stoked, swelling up to consume her fears and make way for determination to grow.
On day six of their stay she declared she wanted to go for a walk, so they strolled up and down the halls and into the lobby.
On day 7 they ventured outside.
They didn’t really have suitable clothing, but he thought she looked adorable in his oversized sweatpants and sweaters, and they mostly stayed to the block around the hotel. Her head had whipped around in all directions, and he felt burgeoning tendrils of pride break the ground of his worry when she began telling him what this place used to look like once upon a time.
She had not smelled sad or depressed or fearful.
She hadn’t smelled overly happy or excited either, but neutral reminiscing was better than hiding in fear.
He would take it.
On day 8, her eyes smoldered when she looked at him, and nervously, heart hammering in her chest, she initiated slow touches and kisses again.
He kept them there at that level only, not wanting to rush her through her healing and adjustment.
They bathed together, showered together, cuddled together all through the night as they slept or he watched over her while she dreamt, and by day 10 when she was ready to leave he felt like a new person.
He hadn’t bound her soul to his yet, their mating was not complete, but he was so calm and settled. Having her near again, seeing her, touching her, smelling and tasting her, providing for her needs and soothing her hurts had thoroughly crumbled all the defensive walls he’d built back up in the wake of her disappearance, and bathing once more in the light of her soul as he acted on long buried instincts had jumpstarted and hurried along the softening of his heart she’d played a hand in starting all those centuries ago.
And now here they lay after returning her to her mother’s home.
The Higurashi matriarch had sobbed in such aching, painful relief to hug her child again, and Kagome shook in disbelief when her now grown little brother came in with two small children to meet their long lost aunt.
She’d been doted on and fretted over for hours, reeling from all the attention and love even as her heart throbbed for the missing grandfather who hadn’t lived to see her return.
The next two days had been much of the same, Kagome trying to adjust and be present for her family, resisting the urge to flee and hide from the bright lights and loud sounds and rancid smells, but her efforts were paying off and her spirit shined ever brighter in her eyes with every hour of every day she endured.
She laughed, a little timid, but bright and true. She helped her mother in the kitchen so she could once again get to know modern cooking equipment.
She listened to her niece and nephew tell her about preschool and their favorite toys.
She sat under the shade of the sacred tree, visited the well house, ate her mother’s home cooking, cried at her grandfather’s memorial, and when night rolled in she collapsed into his arms to hide until morning, utterly spent and stretched to her absolute limit.
She would whisper to him that she felt so weak and small, but he’d never seen her fight harder.
Not even against Naraku.
He’d never been prouder of anyone in his life.
“Sesshomaru?” She whispered, and immediately all of his attention turned on her and whatever she would ask of him.
“Yes?”
She pinched her eyes closed and pressed her forehead right over his heart.
She was hiding.
From him.
A sour taste in his mouth made his face turn down in a sneer.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me.”
“And where else do you suppose that I should be?”
“I don’t know. Anywhere else, doing something useful. All you’re doing now is keeping me from falling apart. I should be able to handle this myself. And… and we haven’t officially bound ourselves together yet. You could… you could…”
“Kagome,” he interrupted, his voice a warm, low rumble that vibrated from his chest into hers. “it does not matter that the physical bond is not in place. You are mine and it is my pleasure and most treasured obligation to ‘hold you together.’ I waited 500 years for the privilege. You cannot turn me away so easily.”
She sighed and peeked up at him, smiling sadly, her eyes shining with both guilt and pleasure.
“I just feel… like a dead weight. I can’t do anything substantial with my life yet. I’m still listed as legally dead so I can’t get a job or go to school until that’s sorted. And I get so tired just spending a couple hours with my own family… it just feels unfair to you.”
“Kagome, none of these things are truly problematic. I have more than enough money that you won’t have to work for the rest of your life should you choose. Even I only work because I found it an escape. I am capable of supporting you while you find your footing again. And you will. And then you will do whatever you wish with the rest of your time. I’ll hear no more of this angst, do you understand?”
She sighed again, her eyes falling closed in defeat, and he took the opportunity to kiss her upturned face. He pressed his lips to her forehead, the tip of her nose, the apples of her cheeks, and then he grinned at the soft hint of rose that washed across the bridge of her nose.
“I love you.” He said plainly, instantly rewarded with wide open and sparkling eyes, a gasp of disbelief, and a scent that warmed with such sweet and delectable delight.
There was so much about him that had softened and opened over the centuries, things he couldn’t wait for her to discover when she was farther along on her healing journey, so many things he wanted to say to her, even if they would only be shared with her alone. He was proud that he could say them now.
“You… you what?”
“I love you. Is it so surprising? We were planning on spending eternity together, were we not.”
“I just mean…. I never expected you to say it like that.”
“Many, many things change when given enough time, Kagome. But my feelings for you have not. Never doubt me again.”
“Alright, I get it.” She said around a yawn, and he tucked her back up under his chin.
“Good. See that you don’t forget any of my priceless gems of wisdom.”
She snorted, and she sounded and smelled so light and amused he couldn’t help but smirk.
“I love you to, you know? The whole time I was gone… it was getting to see you again one day that kept me going.”
“I know.” He said, nuzzling into the softness of her hair, his heart beating in a steady, contented thrum, suffused with joy and warmth at her admission.
“One more question before I fall asleep,” she whispered, and he kissed the top of her head in answer.
“Hn?”
“What happened to Inuyasha?”
Sesshomaru took advantage of the stoplight and pulled out his phone, quickly opening his contact book and scrolling to his brother’s name.
Within a few minutes he was driving again, and Inuyasha’s voice spilled through the speaker.
“Sesshomaru?!”
“Hn. Why so surprised?”
“You told me you’d be unreachable for weeks at a dig site. Is everything okay? It’s only been two weeks!”
“Everything is fine.” He said, glancing over to the passenger seat where Kagome was snoozing peacefully after tearful goodbyes to her mother and brother. “I had to turn over the rest of the dig to the local government, but I found… something.”
“Something big?”
“Yes.”
“Okay… well what the hell is it?”
“I will have to show you. Are you home? And alone?”
“Yeah… Emi took the kids to her mom’s for the weekend, she’ll probably stay and visit for a while. So I’m wide open.”
“Good. I am on my way. And Inuyasha?”
“Yeah?”
“Brace yourself.”
He clicked off the call before his brother could respond and set his phone back in the cup holder.
He glanced over again at his slumbering passenger and smiled softly at the gentle set of her features. Peace blanketed her, her brow no longer furrowed with unconscious fear as she gave into her need for rest.
She was making so much progress, even if she didn’t see it for herself.
He reached over and laced his fingers with hers, running his thumb across her soft skin, reveling in the privilege of getting to touch her whenever he wanted versus in just his dreams.
He brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed several firm kisses to the back of it, and her breathing shifted as she began to wake up.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up from the slump she’d fallen into, looking around, blinking the sleep away to get her bearings.
“Where are we?” She asked, voice thick with lingering fatigue, and he pressed another kiss to her hand.
“We are well on our way to Inuyasha’s home. We will arrive shortly.”
“Oh… and he knows I’m coming?”
“He knows I’m bringing something important. But that the something important is you remains a surprise. But do not worry. He is home alone. It will only be us three.”
“Okay. I can handle that.” She said with a relived sigh, and he grinned at her, golden eyes shining with molten pride.
Inuyasha had made his modern home in a cozy, shadowy stretch of trees a respectable distance from the hustle and bustle of city life.
As the trappings of urban living fell further and further behind them, Sesshomaru watched Kagome’s frame loosen and relax.
“It’s beautiful out here…” she murmured, leaning against the window to watch the trees and foliage grow thicker and wilder as they passed by.
Pavement gave way to gravel, and then a reasonably sized home came into view, and Kagome’s heart picked up with a sharp spike of nervousness in her scent.
“There is no reason to fear. He is still just Inuyasha.”
“I know. I know. I’m not afraid, just… no, I’m ready. I’m fine.”
“You are. And you are strong. And he will be most please to see you again. Trust me.”
“I always trust you.” She replied, some of her tension easing, and the rest of the ride to the house was made in an easy, companionable silence.
Sesshomaru’s phone chimed and he bid Kagome to check it for him as he drove the rest of the way up the long drive way.
‘Door’s unlocked when you get here.’ Kagome read out, voice wavering with the beginning edge of a new wave of tears.
“What is wrong?” Sesshomaru asked, grabbing her hand again and squeezing it comfortingly between his fingers.
“That was… that was from him. That was from Inuyasha. That’s technically the first thing I’ve heard him say in… more centuries than I can even count.”
“He will be most pleased to see you, of that I am certain. And I will be there the whole time.”
They parked, Sesshomaru quickly got out and rounded the car to open the door for her, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance as they walked up to the door, opened it, and walked inside.
“Inuyasha?” Sesshomaru called out into the empty living room, and he felt Kagome tense and begin to tremble when a familiar voice answered from somewhere in the back of the house.
“Coming! Just puttin’ some shit away in the kids’ rooms.”
She leaned into his side and hid her face in his shoulder, and he could feel her tears seeping through the fabric of his sleeve.
And then Inuyasha was walking up the hall.
“Hey Sessh, what’s this mystery…… thing…. Holy shit.”
He paused just before stepping into the living room, barely breathing, eyes wider than Sesshomaru had ever seen them as he stared at the once more living ghost of the woman who’d brought them both more than she would ever realize.
Once upon a time they’d shared a dead father and not much else.
And then Kagome…
“Is it…. Is it really….”
“It is. I found her, Inuyasha. She is alive. She is returned to us.”
He walked slowly across the room, careful, measured steps and careful, measured breaths, never blinking or swaying or speaking.
Sesshomaru stepped just to the side, close enough for her to reach him, far enough to give them space to reunite.
Inuyasha stopped just inches in front of her, reaching up to cradle her face gently in his hands, eyes roving over her features, taking in the ways she’d changed since he’d last seen her.
He closed his eyes and inhaled, and when the warm and familiar scent she carried slipped up his nose and flipped those switches in his brain, he gasped, tears dripping down his chin, fangs flashing as he grinned.
“It’s you. Oh gods Kagome, it’s really you!”
He pulled her in and wrapped her in his harms, and she sobbed into his shirt.
“But how?! How the hell?!” He asked, half laughing, half sobbing as unbridled joy bubbled and boiled while they clung to each other.
He met his brother’s eyes over the top of her head.
“Where the hell did you find her, where was she?”
“Sealed and hidden. But she is home now.”
Inuyasha tightened his hold on the best friend and companion he’d ever had, one of the most valuable and treasured gifts the universe had ever given to any poor, outcast Hanyo.
She’d just been given back.
“Thank you.” He choked out, and Sesshomaru lifted one hand and shook his head, staving off any unnecessary thanks for his part in things.
She had been the one to survive through the ages, she had been the one to limp along, fueled by love and determination to see them again, she had been the one to never give up.
He almost had, over and over.
It was by chance he’d found her, bottled up and stashed away, it was clumsiness that had sent her vessel shattering across the floor, and it was his own last acts of affection before giving up and burying himself with her that woke her up.
She’d done all the real work.
All that mattered was that she was back.
“Sesshomaru, can I tell you a secret?” Kagome whispered into his neck, wrapped up tightly inside his embrace, snuggled in his bed- their bed- in his apartment he would be moving her into as soon as possible, resting away the emotional upheavals of another reunion followed by long winded explanations and stories.
And then pictures.
So many pictures.
His niece and nephew were cute though.
But she was just his again, and they were reconnecting, their nightly ritual that helped her feel solid and tethered, that helped him feel like he could keep her from ever disappearing again.
“You may tell me anything you please.”
“I think…. I think I’m ready.”
“Ready?”
“To be yours.”
He nuzzled into the hair at the top of her head, into the freshly cut fringe she’d just got to replicate how she’s worn her hair when she was younger.
“You already are.”
“No I mean… they we used to talk about.”
“Ah, I see.” He pulled away from her so he could see her, charmed by subtle blush awash across her cheeks. “You are certain?”
“Yes. But I don’t want to do any sort of ceremonies or anything. Inuyasha’s wedding pictures are lovely but… I’m not sure I could handle something like that for a while. But I don’t want to wait a while… you know?”
“Indeed I do.” He bumped his nose with hers, and he was rewarded with a small but bright giggle.
He loved every evidence of her happiness, every sign of her progress.
“But I would wait any length of time necessary Kagome. Do not rush yourself for any reason.”
“I’m not! I promise. It means a lot to me that you’ve been so patient and supportive while I get used to being alive again. I think I’ve come a long way these last few weeks and… and I’m ready. We should have already been bonded a long time ago anyway. I’m tired of waiting.”
His blood heated, his heart beat faster, and her scent bloomed with a warm spice that made his mouth water.
“Well, if my lady insists.”
He tilted her chin up and kissed her softly, easing them into the tumultuous waters of arousal.
Her breath caught, her tongue ran over his fangs, and her fingers gripped his shoulder as she tried to press closer to him that she’d ever been before.
He growled low and deep, his yoki beginning to swirl as his instincts engaged.
She was right within his reach, placing herself permanently within his hand in a way that meant she would be with him forever.
With relish he tied them together for the rest of eternity, and with peace, full and all consuming for the first time in possibly his entire life, he fell asleep beside her, counting her heartbeats and watching the rise and fall of her chest.
The rest of his disbelief died and withered away as the piece of her soul that now existed inside of him pulsed brightly with all the incandescent beauty she’d always carried.
She was real.
She was back.
They were together again.
And he would never allow them to be torn asunder again.