In the wee hours before dawn, Kagome awoke to the sensation of something warm and fluffy tickling at her cheek. Her eyes shot open as she bolted upright.
…Sesshoumaru?!
The indignant shout poised on the tip of her tongue fizzled to nothing, as she met her feline friend’s placid red stare.
“Ah,” Kagome said, feeling acutely disappointed. “Kirara-chan…” As the nekomata rose from her haunches and padded toward the door, the miko blinked, wriggling out from her cocoon of blankets. “…You want me to come with you, is that it?”
Apparently, it was. Just beyond the curtain, Kirara stood, transformed and waiting. Brow furrowed, Kagome climbed aboard her friend’s proffered back, and the two of them soared high into the lightening sky.
This mysterious airborne excursion didn’t last long. Not far into the foothills outside of Edo, the nekomata descended toward the trees. As Kagome dismounted and looked around them in continued befuddlement, Kirara’s muzzle nudged her ahead. Taking a few steps forward in this direction, the miko glanced back in question, but Kirara was already flying off toward the village again.
“Well,” Kagome muttered to herself. “Guess I don’t have much choice in the matter…”
She had a sneaking suspicion of what—or rather, who—awaited her through the silvery scraggle of trees. Huffing a bit with exertion, she scaled the slight incline, her bare feet picking their way carefully over the moss-covered rocks. As she came to the top of the hill, her suspicions were confirmed in a heartbeat.
Beneath a granite overhang, Sesshoumaru sat, perched on an outcrop of carpeted stone. Spilling over the horizon, pre-dawn light wreathed his snowy figure in rose-gold hues and set the silver fall of his hair aglow. He had been looking eastward, it seemed, but at her arrival he turned, the long silky train of his fur streaming to pool against the moss. As his burnished gaze met hers across the distance, Kagome’s throat went helplessly dry.
Collecting herself, she crossed her arms woodenly at the chest and approached him. “Well, this is a bit of a role reversal,” she said, drawing to a halt a few feet away from him in the springy undergrowth. “So, you’re back.”
“I am,” he replied.
Kagome frowned, uncertain what to say next. His sphinx-like regard gave her nothing to go on. As the seconds ticked by in this state of awkward stalemate, her exasperation finally boiled over.
“Why did you do it?” she bit out. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were from the start?”
“If I had,” he returned levelly, “would you have continued to consort with me?”
‘Consort’…
Kagome’s mouth opened—then closed with a snap. She glanced away, knowing full well she wouldn’t have. Inuyasha’s human-hating demon of an older brother?—she wouldn’t have touched that with a ten-foot pole.
“You don’t match up at all with my mental image,” she grumbled lamely in answer.
“Are you disappointed?”
“No,” Kagome said quickly, then flushed. Haltingly, her eyes rose, tracing the fine, handsome lines of his face. “I pitied you, you know. I thought you were disfigured.”
“Shame can be disfiguring,” was his rather cryptic reply, and at Kagome’s quizzical expression, he elaborated briskly, “Weren’t you listening when I told you of myself and my father?”
“Of course I was listening,” Kagome said hotly, “just not with an ear for that sort of hidden meaning!”
“Then you understand now, at least, how ill-befitting it is, for a demon lord to harbor tender feelings for a mortal.”
Kagome rolled a loose stone back and forth beneath the ball of her foot, her cheeks heating against her will. “Funny,” she said with feigned aloofness, “I’d have thought you above that kind of thinking.”
Sesshoumaru smiled, and the sight made her stomach do a strange sort of somersault. “You have a high opinion of me, it seems.”
Kagome swallowed. Planting her hands on her hips, she asked him sharply, “So, when exactly were you planning on telling me? Or were you just going to keep stringing me along forever?”
“I wanted to see what you thought of me,” he said archly, looking askance.
Kagome’s spine went rigid, her eyes flashing. “Oh really? That’s so underhanded—I ought to break up with you just for that!”
As she clapped a hand to her mouth in mortification, Sesshoumaru gazed back at her, nonplussed. “And,” he continued, as if she’d never said anything stupendously embarrassing at all, “I wanted to bring you something—a token of my affection.”
Half-heartedly, Kagome glared. “This had better be good…”
From the neck of his haori, Sesshoumaru produced something that made the miko’s vision spot with silver. Her jaw worked fruitlessly as she raised a trembling finger.
“That,” she choked, all the blood draining from her face as she continued to point inanely. “Y-you…”
Though he’d been concealing his demonic aura, she hadn’t even contemplated that he might be concealing something else—something he should never have been able to conceal from her, of all people. As she stumbled toward him, Kagome wasn’t sure whether to feel scared or impressed or both.
And when the Shikon no Tama dropped whole into her outstretched hand, when it rolled pink and purified into the crease of her palm, she stared up at him in stunned disbelief.
“B-but,” she stammered out eventually, “what about Naraku…”
“Dead,” the daiyoukai said curtly, eyeing the glinting points of his claws.
Kagome blanched somehow further. Definitely scary…
“Inuyasha’s going to blow a gasket,” she said faintly, raising the Jewel and tilting it this way and that in the light. “I still can’t believe what I’m seeing…” Kagome shook her head, a grin twitching at her lips. “You’re really something else.”
“It pleases you, then?”
Lowering the Jewel, Kagome met his eye. “Why the wait though, I wonder…haven’t you had a grudge against Naraku for some time?”
“I needed two arms to defeat him,” Sesshoumaru replied, holding her gaze. “That, and the proper incentive.” As Kagome looked to the Jewel again in a fluster, he asked, “What are you going to do with it?”
A slight smile pulled at her lips. As she slipped the Shikon no Tama into the pocket of her robe, a sense of harmony transcended the dissonant pieces of her soul. “I have an idea.”
With the Jewel stowed away for safe-keeping, she had nothing to fiddle with or otherwise distract her. Nothing to rest her eyes upon—except for him. Her heart thudded audibly as her gaze flitted to his, before she lost her nerve altogether. Discovering a newfound interest in the shape of her toes, Kagome peered down at them, biting her lip. Despite the coldness—and only now did she realize just how cold she was, even in her thick winter yukata—it was his molten stare she shivered beneath, as she hugged her arms around her.
“Come here, Kagome.”
His voice was deep and cool. Underscored by a gravelly rumble that made her fine hairs stand on end, it flowed around her like water over tumbled stone, drawing her smoothly in even as her breathing stilted. On timid footsteps, she closed the remaining distance between them—gasping when he hauled her up into his lap with a soft sweep of fur.
Kagome’s hands flew to his shoulders. Against her, he was warm and solid and so surreally present. As his clawed thumb traced the lower fringe of her lashes, she gazed up at him, all the world contained within the circle of his arms. And when he grazed her lips with his, her eyes slid shut with a sigh of pure content. In that sweet, shared darkness, his two selves coalesced into the one true object of her heart’s desire, melding together as her mouth opened against his, as their breath commingled and their bodies re-aligned.
“One thing I still don’t quite understand,” she murmured, drawing back from him a little. “Why me? What made me so different from the others?”
Sesshoumaru’s eyes were heavy-lidded as he carded his claws through her hair. “Apart from your obvious strangeness?”
Kagome leaned forward, brushing her lips against his again. “Yeah. Apart from that.”
The scrape of his fangs made her shudder and ache. But not quite so much as what he said to her next.
“You touched me.”
Through misting eyes, Kagome smiled, trailing her fingertips along the twin satin stripes of his cheek. So simple—and yet she understood completely all that a touch could mean. Where words failed, how much more it could convey in their place…
As Sesshoumaru nuzzled at her neck, her hands slid to his chest. “…You’re not wearing your armor,” she realized huskily aloud.
“No,” he said to her, just as lowly.
Through the part in her robe, he skimmed his hand up along the outside of her thigh. Reaching the naked bone of her hip, he paused, his eyes straying pointedly to hers. Clearly, her distinct lack of undergarments hadn’t escaped his notice. Kagome flushed anew.
“I know how this looks—but I swear, I was never going to let you off easy,” she spluttered in defiance—the last dregs of which promptly evaporated as he tugged her straddled legs forward, guiding her lower and closer against him. “Mmm…”
If she hadn’t already been bare down below, Sesshoumaru’s smoldering look would have melted the panties right off of her. “…As you say, my love.”
Kagome inhaled sharply.
Against her heated flesh, the cool silk felt almost as divine as what lay raised and straining beneath it. With a little groan, Kagome rocked her hips into his as he surged needfully back, meeting her softness for hardness, slickness for slickness. His growls muffled in her mouth, crushed against the column of her throat and the swells of her breasts as he bared them to the air.
Her own fingers scrabbled down the muscles of his chest and stomach in turn, questing and greedy as they pulled apart the folds of his haori. Fumbling with the ties of his hakama, Kagome growled herself, and Sesshoumaru drew back from the earlobe he’d been all but devouring to watch her struggle—the shadow of a half-smile on his lips proving that he wasn’t above teasing her even in such an emotionally-charged situation as this.
But when she finally freed him and eased herself down upon him, all trace of amusement vanished. Claiming her mouth yet again, he held her fiercely to him as she clutched him inside her in return. And then they were moving together as one, lost to the passion of that eternal moment. Hurtling at last toward the climax of it, Kagome panted out her love to him as he did the same, and adrift together in the blissful thereafter, she clung to him still, without and within.
“What happens now?” she asked him dreamily, twining her fingers through the silk of his hair as she watched the sun rise clear and bright before them.
Taking her hand in his, he brought her fingers to his lips and held them there, his touch intertwined with her own.
“We begin,” he said.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Hope you guys enjoyed this lighthearted little sojourn as much as I did! Thanks so much for all your kind words and support along the way <3
Keep your eyes on that bright horizon, y’all 🙂
I love it!! Perfect way to wind down the story. Thanks!
Thanks so much!! So glad you enjoyed the ending , Jess 🙂
<3 <3
YES!!!! It was glorious. The ending to a new beginning *hint hint*. This was wwwwwaaaayyyyy to short for my liking; it was just getting started! I beseech you to stroke my curiosity of their future together. lolol.
DevaG!! Hahaha so glad you liked 😉
I like to leave things open-ended! So happy you enjoyed this story enough to want more 🙂
Thanks so much & hope you’re doing well!!
<3 <3
This is my type of ending. SHE GOT THE D!!! And Sesshoumaru of course lol I absolutely loved this story. I absolutely love how it’s not predictable at all. It kept me on my toes and I was never able to guess what would happen next.
Lolol she got it all right XD The total package hahaha
So glad you enjoyed the storytelling in this one!! Thanks so much 🙂
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This was so lovely. You spoil us!
Hahaha love that name you picked XD I wish I could go back in time and make that my fanfic penname 😀
So happy you enjoyed the story!! Thanks <3 <3
Sigh. Faints.
I just love how you could write stories featuring different versions of Sesshoumaru and each one stays in character.
And this is probably the most romantic and vulnerable version of the demon lord that you have created.
I don’t think you need a sequel. It ends on the right note. There are hints Kagome might help Kikyo by wishing on the jewel. But I’m ok with the way things ended, because the story is not about the other characters and their struggles. It’s about two vastly different beings who connected and fell in love and how Sesshoumaru is trying to deal with finding himself in a situation similar to what his father faced.
I guess her mortality was an issue for him for awhile given the difference in their life spans. He would still exist long after her death. But as Kagome told him, love could outlast mere bodies.
Thanks for another great read Char.
“I just love how you could write stories featuring different versions of Sesshoumaru and each one stays in character.” My heart…. :’) Best. Compliment. Ever. — Thanks so much, Doug! 🙂
It’s so much fun to explore different facets of Sesshoumaru’s character – and this romantic!Sess was a fresh take for me 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it too!
Now, on to the next adventure…
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Did Sesshomaru give Kirara a barrel of fish so she’d cooperate? 😂 But we know the resident fire cat is a romantic at heart 🥰
This was so sweet and different from your usual pieces. I’m happily surprised because I was a little paranoid the entire way that it’d twist. The ending was perfect, though. Everything was wrapped up, but not overly so. This small break was a great one. Thank you.
Side note: Have you seen the “breaking news”? Takahashi-san is supposedly continuing Inuyasha and they’ve mocked up their kids. We have images of what looks suspiciously like Sesshomaru and Rin’s daughter, Koga and Ayame’s daughter, and Kagome and Inuyasha’s son holding Tessaiga.
I’m excited and shocked. I’m still pro-S+K, but these are pretty definitive.
https://comicbook.com/anime/news/inuyasha-sequel-anime-project-character-designs-hanyo-no-yashahime/?fbclid=IwAR1i8zYN8x3NSvNLRvmpl28nBA9pjtcf2OK1HI8Owmop1vubf7EFWe8SW-g
I saw it on Twitter.
I probably won’t watch it because the Sesshoumaru/Rin pairing smacks of grooming and pedophilia. The whole premise of the pairing is disgusting to me. He revives this kid, acts like its parental figure then boinks her when she what, turns into a teenager?
As someone who covers real crime and who got away from a molester at 13, there is nothing consensual or romantic about such a pairing.
Supporters of this pairing have used the argument that he will get together with Rin when she is an adult. Still disgusting if he groomed her for that purpose.
They also argue that Inuyasha was older than Kagome. Ahem, Inuyasha wasn’t her father figure at all, he didn’t meet her when she was a little girl and they hook up after she graduated from high school.
I apologize for going on a rant here, Char. Even if the pairing is fictional, it just makes my blood boil. Father figures should not be having sex with children they take in.
I get it and completely agree. And I believe you. ♥️ I may have misspoke because as far as we know Sesshomaru left Rin in the village with his brother. Maybe there was a time jump and this is really her kid that he hooked up with (so an adopted granddaughter he never actually had any contact with)? They did suspiciously not include Sango and Miroku’s kids, even though they’d be at least four years older than any kid Inuyasha could have. I can’t see someone you’re practically family with’s kids not going on adventures with yours. BUT I doubt that Takahashi would go that route either way, especially given the horrible news we learned about Watsuki about five years ago. I’ll cross my fingers and hope.
Here’s an article out today that has the official storyline – those are all girls – assuming two are Sesshomaru’s daughters and one is the daughter of Kagome and Inuyasha. No mention of the mother of Sesshomaru’s girls, but much speculation that it is Rin from fans only because of the way one looks.
https://otakuusamagazine.com/inuyasha-returns-with-new-spinoff-anime/?utm_source=Otaku+USA+e-News&utm_campaign=07dd13dd14-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_10_04_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_047ed9032a-07dd13dd14-103951913
Here’s a quote from the article:
“In Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, the daughters of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha set out on a journey transcending time. Set in feudal Japan, half-demon twins Towa and Setsuna are separated from each other during a forest fire. While desperately searching for her younger sister, Towa wanders into a mysterious tunnel that sends her into present-day Japan, where she is found and raised by Kagome Higurashi’s brother, Sota, and his family.
Ten years later, the tunnel that connects the two eras has reopened, allowing Towa to be reunited with Setsuna, who is now a demon slayer working for Kohaku. But to Towa’s shock, Setsuna appears to have lost all memories of her older sister. Joined by Moroha, the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, the three young women travel between the two eras on an adventure to regain their missing past.”
Whaaaa??!!!!
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru’s DAUGHTERS?!!! God please don’t let it be Rin! But watch…watch it be her! That is his baby girl, not his baby momma! >=[ Seriously Very happy to see this Universe continue. I know the art and story will be amazing. Just gotta set myself up for lowered expectations. SesshKag has been my world for so long.
Extra info
https://comicbook.com/anime/amp/news/inuyasha-sequel-anime-yashahime-rumiko-takahashi-comments/
Inuyasha has a son and Sesshomaru has a daughter. There’s no confirmation that Rin is the mother, but the little girl with the glaive looks exactly like her, so~
Ah, I didn’t read your update before replying! They’re all girls. ♥️ Love it. And, of course Inuyasha’s daughter would keep her hair short. 😂
Wait. I just read another update. Apparently, there are twins who have been separated by time and Toma (one of the twins) is raised by Sota?!
https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/announcing-yashahime-princess-half-demon?utm_medium=paid-social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=P-YashahimePrincessHalfDemonAnnouncement2020&fbclid=IwAR1c1qyceSRSYknW1dB63u2NPeE0Na7PmpUJO-KQKGhZMV584hvAK5GA88U
Yeah!! Isn’t that wild?! Kohaku and Souta play some huge roles in this! I’m more excited now. Looks like Moroha has no true knowledge of her parents though. Makes you wonder what happened to Inuyasha and Kagome?
Maybe Kagome ran off with Sesshomaru and had those twins…>_>
Wishful thinking 😋
Lolol knowing me, you were right to be paranoid XD
So happy you enjoyed how this one turned out, and thanks so much! 🙂 It sure feels good to complete something haha – apart from a change in tone, I think I needed that as well XD My other stories are so much broader in scope…it was nice to have a smaller focus in this one 🙂
Now I’m feeling re-energized for the protracted goals of finishing Control, The Pact, etc 😀
I’ve heard about the sequel, yep! Think I’m gonna write a post to help organize my thoughts LOL
<3 <3 <3
At last! Th end of this series! It’s kind of excitement was able to make me always look forward your story!
Thanks a lot!
I just read a news and it’s really huge as Inuyasha’s anime fan. There will be sequel for them named “Hanyou no Yasha hime” (Half-demon Princess Yasha / Yashahime). There’s poster I feel you will able to see Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru child in here! Also they take out some sketching and its beautiful too!
The dated for them is not published yet, so we all will waited for them!
Thanks so much!! – so glad you enjoyed this series!
Yep, I’ve seen the artwork for the sequel as well and agree that it is quite lovely <3
I put off reading this story because I wasn’t sure I could handle becoming invested in another one of your masterful stories. But I binged it all today–and what a treat! It was a simple, beautiful reprieve from reality. You have an amazing talent for capturing the essence of these timeless characters, while rendering them believably modern. Thank you so much for sharing with us! I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Thanks so much!! So glad you enjoyed this mini-series! I will say it was nice to complete a storyline for a change LOL
Now, on to the others 🙂
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You rock this lil world so tough.
I’m just gonna sit back with my feel good vibes and ride this weekend out on them. Exactly what was needed.
I think you brought it full circle. Even setting up Kirara as his co conspirator in Operation: fix this shit. Lol She was the only one that could convince her to just GO. Shut up and feel. So believable how his affliction for humanity was all along affection for humans. Grappling with his similarities to his father. It works! Vulnerable but not weak. Too often he’s plagued with weakness when coming to the reality of harboring feelings for anyone. Which is the real strength, the acceptance.
The Kikyou Inuyasha hint was such a sweet touch. I get such a warm feeling from seeing them beat all odds.
I think the most special part about this was his reasons for choosing her. A simple touch. It had such a beautiful figurative and literal feel. So true…It can send sparks through any of us! Makes falling in love worth it. Kagome putting her foot in her mouth blabbering about dumping him I thought “heh, one for the road ay Char?” Lol. She’s just so cute.
Kudos for hopping over unrelated plots and components of Naraku and the jewel. They served enough of a purpose. I’m almost sad to see this one go, but I bet it was just enough of a creative release for such a turbulent period. I need to stop reading your stuff before bed. Have the weirdest dreams.*
*Ok honestly, i was having them waaaaay before I started reading your fics.
Hahaha thanks so much, Pebbs!! A “creative release” totally sums it up! Now I’m feeling refreshed and ready to dive back into the deep end (I’m looking at you, Control) LOL
Man, I’ve been having some weird dreams too. Could be this “sleeping” tea I’ve been taking, but who knows. Things are so turbulent, like you said XD
With my compulsiveness I’ll admit it was hard not to go off on tangents w/ Naraku , the Jewel etc – so I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this more limited scope! And the InuKik elements as well 🙂 It was fun to explore a more hopeful and positive outcome for these two (a first for me, I’ll admit XD)
Thanks again for all your support and kind words along the way! <3 <3 <3
This was such a treat! I love how sweet it is without the whole back plot of getting the Shikon no Tama and Naraku and his henchmen – it’s the way I would’ve thought Sesshomaru would’ve finished such a quest because he’s just that badass. I looove how he went out of his way to figure out a good way to get in her good graces again, so that he didn’t come back empty-handed. He always meant to come back to her and that makes me all warm and gooey inside. I love how you ended it with a beginning. Thank you so much for this. Definitely going to be rereading this one in the days to come!
” it’s the way I would’ve thought Sesshomaru would’ve finished such a quest because he’s just that badass” – LOL so glad you think so! I really enjoyed following through with this kinda ending XD
And I’m a sucker for new beginnings 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words, Mecca! I’m so touched to hear that this story merits a re-read 🙂 Take care and happy reading!! <3 <3 <3
What a fantastic ending Char – soothed my romantic heart!! As much as I LOVE your other stories and the glorious darkness and twists, reading a story like this during these times has been the best medicine for fending off all the sad feelings that come from being pent up at home for the eighth week now. Thank you for this lovely story – I know I’ll be re-reading it a few times!
Thanks so much, Molly! It was cathartic for me as well 🙂 Romance soothes the soul <3
Hopefully we have the end in sight with this quarantine - being pent up for so long has been a struggle for sure...
Hope you and yours are doing well!! <3 <3 <3
Man, you really are such an absolutely fantastic writer. I can’t believe how much I thoroughly enjoy your stories! I find myself checking back daily to see updates/news.
Sending lots of good vibes your way! Can’t wait to see what you write next!
Aww thank you so much!! So glad to hear how much you enjoy my work! ❤️
Sending those good vibes right back at ya 💕
Omg I loved this so much!!!! I love the trope where they meet and fall for each other without her realizing who he is. This was just what I needed ❤️❤️❤️
Awww thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed this story 🙂 It’s a trope I had a lot of fun exploring, for sure!!
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This was a very sweet story and the ending couldn’t have been more perfect. You really brightened my day with this one! Especially with our 4pm L.A. curfew and everything else going on, this was just what I needed!
Yay, so happy you enjoyed this story! It’s certainly something different from my usual lol 🙂
That 4pm curfew sure sounds rough D: Hang in there, friend!! <3
That last line was magnificent!
And I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy, thank you
Aww thank you so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this story <3 <3 <3
CHAR. This was all the feels! I love how their relationship unfolded here and the sense of friendship that developed between them. Sesshoumaru moonlighting as a mysterious masseuse was so, so good and everything there really drove the tension up more. I also love how it was used to show the side of him he otherwise restrained. Just…ugh. So good. Great job, as always! <3
Thanks so much, Dross!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this one! I think I had the most fun writing the friendship scenes 🙂
So glad that you enjoyed how their relationship built! Thanks again <3 <3 <3
This is so wholesome 😁 love it just the same. Patiently waiting for another narakago story from you. Hope it’s as epic as the rest.
Thanks, Relena! So glad you enjoyed it – and my NarKag stories as well 🙂
<3