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When Sesshomaru opened his eyes, he couldn't tell where he was.

Floating like a drifting buoy, he found himself surrounded by an infinite sea that dragged him aimlessly, rocking him with the waves of the sea in a perpetual sunset.

Stunned as he was, it was hours before his mind cleared.

It was then that he remembered.

The end of the bloody battle.

The attack of the creature they believed defeated.

The instinct to protect Kagome from danger.

The burning in his back as he took the impact for her.

Her voice screaming his name.

The smell of Kagome's tears, mixed with his own blood.

The general numbness of his body inert.

His own death.

Sesshomaru could only curse his fate.

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Somehow and perhaps instinctively, he knew that Tenseiga would not be able to revive him.

He had carried that sword with him for years and even current time, as he floated aimlessly, the item remained attached to his waist; the bond he shared with that sword was strange, but he couldn't deny its existence.

That was why he was sure that the weapon could not bring him back.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but sigh.

Finding himself alone in the middle of nowhere, he had tried to move, float, or swim somewhere, but his body seemed frozen; that, however, did not diminish his attempts.

Because even with the certainty that he would not be revived, he had promised Kagome that he would return and he intended to keep his word.

At that moment, Tenseiga began to throb.

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As if the spell holding him immobile had been broken along with the awakening of the sword, Sesshomaru bolted upright, towering over the raging sea.

Suddenly, the tide was high, the sea restless and the sky, which until then had remained in a perpetual sunset, was covered with dark clouds that heralded a storm.

It was at that moment and with his senses in a state of extreme alertness, that he saw him appear.

Emerging from nowhere, in front of him materialized the silhouette of a tall man, whose features and body in general remained hidden by a black cloak.

The only thing he could make out of him was his eyes, as red as blood.

And the crushing power that came from him.

Facing Bakusaiga's lack of reaction, Sesshomaru only managed to wield Tenseiga in front of him.

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With the waves of the sea bobbing from side to side in a perpetual dance under his feet, Sesshoumaru held his breath as he waited for any sign of attack from the subject; he, however, only seemed to be watching him curiously.

"What a surprise, I didn't expect the current owner of Tenseiga to be so young; I much less expected to see him here." He said to him, his voice deep in contrast to the jovial demeanor he displayed. "Didn't you find someone to bequeath the sword to before you died?"

He couldn't help but frown at those words; Sesshomaru had no idea what that guy was talking about.

However, even though the need to demand an answer about it arose in him, he asked the most important question first.

"Who are you?"

Far from being bothered by the impertinence of the tone he used, the subject seemed to sniff the air briefly before looking up at him.

"I don't mind having this conversation on air, but maybe we should move somewhere else." He said to him. "The hordes will arrive soon."

Sesshoumaru didn't understand that either, at least not until he saw thousands of creatures appear on the horizon.

They were hordes, in fact.

And lots.

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Out of nowhere, a small island materialized a short distance from them, but far enough away from the creatures that they wouldn't be attacked; when the subject moved to the spot, Sesshomaru had no choice but to follow him until he landed on the shore.

It was there and in view of his need for answers, that he spoke again.

"Who are you?" He repeated, never letting go of Tenseiga. "What place is this?"

"This, young warrior, is a place that borders between the world of the living and the dead: The Limbo." He explained to him. "Here lie the souls that, for one reason or another, did not manage to reach the underworld, therefore, they did not manage to be judged by my lord. That turned them into wandering spirits that over time transformed into the evil creatures you could see."

"What does that make you?"

“I am just a humble servant of the lord of the underworld." He replied, bowing slightly. "You can call me whatever you want."

"What do you know about Tenseiga?"

"More than you, obviously."

The growl he gave the subject in response only caused the bastard to laugh.

"Easy boy, I was just kidding." He said, raising his hands in an attempt to calm him down. "Tenseiga's owner has the power to revive the dead, but, in return, he cannot be revived by the sword; he also has no right to a reincarnation."

That felt like a stab in his stomach; It had to be a fucking joke.

"I'm surprised your father didn't tell you." The subject continued, tilting his head slightly. "You can't expect to take souls from the lord of the underworld without getting punished; once the sword bearer dies and if there is no successor to take his place, he must face the consequences of his actions."

If his father wasn't already dead, Sesshoumaru would probably have killed him right then and there.

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Biting back a groan of frustration at the situation, Sesshomaru chose to remain calm, letting the salty sea breeze calm his emotions a bit.

He would settle accounts with his father at some point if he could see him in the next world, but for now, his priority was something else.

"Is there any way to get back?" He asked.

The forceful response he got, while predictable, felt like a stab to the heart.

"No." He told him. "Once you get to this place, your soul is doomed to stay here until the end of time."

Well, that was definitely bad news.

That, however, was not going to weaken his determination.

After all, if there was no way to return to the world of the living, he would only have to make one by his own hand.

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The jovial expression that the subject had maintained until then, suddenly hardened, as soon as those thoughts arose in his head; either he had a good intuition or he could read his mind.

Neither option was good news, considering the situation he was in.

The power surging from the subject was as sudden as it was oppressive; scary even.

However, Sesshomaru did not back down; he gave his word to Kagome with his last breath and he had never failed her before.

He definitely wasn't going to start now.

"Do you plan to go against the gods?" The subject asked, the surge crackling in the air.

“I plan to make my own way." Sesshomaru answered, wielding Tenseiga. "Even if I have to go against the gods to achieve it."

"Why are you so insistent on going back?"

“Because I made a promise." He stated, bracing himself for the impending confrontation. "And no matter how long it takes, I'm going to stick to it."

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As dangerous and destructive as a tsunami, the power coming from the subject was immense, intimidating even, but as fast as it came, suddenly, that power was gone.

The subject's menacing demeanor collapsed alongside his battle stance, as he heaved a tired sigh and he looked in his direction.

“I don't know if you're extremely brave or extremely stupid, boy." He said to him.

And though he couldn't see past the subject's eyes, he somehow knew he was smiling; That, however, did not make him lower his guard.

The bastard had the nerve to smile.

“Listen, there's a way for you to get out of here.” He told him. "Nevertheless..."

"Say it." He demanded.

At his impertinence, the subject just snorted, clearly amused, but Sesshomaru didn't care.

If there was a way to get back with Kagome, he would take it, regardless of the price he had to pay for it.

It wasn't long before the subject spoke.

“As you could see a moment ago, this place is overrun with corrupted souls." He continued. "If you can clear the area of the hordes that have accumulated, I can arrange a reprieve for you with my lord; you will have a new opportunity."

"Deal."

"Do you always run headlong into danger without listening to others?" He questioned him, between intrigued and amused; Sesshomaru just grunted. "Well, well; as you want then. Just let me warn you something: time flows differently here. By the time you manage to clear the area, the person you yearn for might have perished."

“She is the most stubborn person I know."  Sesshomaru replied lopsided smile on his face. "She'll be waiting to kick my ass when I get back."

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Barely keeping his head cresting above the water, Sesshoumaru managed to drag himself to the edge of the island, the only place those creatures seemed unable to reach.

Exhausted and wounded after days of relentlessly battling the endless hordes, he collapsed on the sand.

After more than a hundred years of constant fighting wielding Tenseiga, since Bakusaiga was useless against the creatures he faced, the world of dreams had become his only consolation.

Dreaming allowed him to remember what it was like to travel without restrictions, recalling in turn the faces of those he had left behind.

Rin, his mother, Ah-Un, Kohaku, even Jaken, but most of all, it allowed him to remember her.

Kagome.

He didn't know if this was a gift from the gods or just his mind playing tricks on him, but every time the horde's attack dwindled enough for him to take a breather, or when he fell unconscious from exhaustion, somehow , he managed to visit her in dreams.

As they both did before tragedy struck, he used to walk with her through the woods, holding her hand as she talked about her day and how much she looked forward to their next training together.

Waking up without her after that was excruciatingly painful.

That, however, only gave him more strength to get up and continue fighting.

He had to keep her promise to her, after all.

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Exhausted as he was that day, however, he had only managed to lie down on the sand, waiting for his body to heal the wounds won in battle.

It was getting harder and harder to get out of the fighting unscathed.

Holding back the sigh that struggled to escape from him, Sesshoumaru kept his gaze fixed on the perpetually orange sky that rose over the island, while the voice of the subject whom he had named "the idiot" reverberated in the place.

“Wow…that last horde almost killed you." Told him; Sesshomaru just closed his eyes. "Another minute, and they would have plundered what's left of your soul."

A growl was the only reaction the idiot got from him; he was too exhausted to do more.

What he said next, however, woke him up in an instant.

"Come on, get up, I have news for you." He told him; his tone sounding strangely cheerful. "My lord has allowed your return to the world of the living."

Surprise and uncertainty must have shown on his face alike when he suddenly sat up from the ground, because the idiot continued.

“There was no way you could clean the place, boy. With the amount of souls that arrive here daily, you would never have finished." He explained to him. "This was a test to check your resolve."

"Can I come back now?" Sesshomaru asked.

He would later blame exhaustion for the raspy tone of his voice; at that time, he only wanted to hear the answer to his question.

“You can, yes." The idiot replied, patting him on the shoulder.

Before disappearing from the place, however, the idiot left a sentence in the air, while the world began to fade around him.

“Just for your consideration, boy; I never said that you would return in your original form."

The bastard's laugh at his confused expression haunted him even to the moment his consciousness faded, only to open his eyes to an unfamiliar setting once more.

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With the image of the world he had lived in for over a century collapsing around him, it had taken Sesshomaru a while to realize that yes, he had come back to life, but in a new body.

The body of a baby.

A human baby.

Fortunately, he had managed to retain the memories of his past life, so he had a starting point from which he could start.

However, it was only until he was able to stand on his own two feet, that he noticed.

What for him had been little more than a hundred years in the Limbo, were five hundred years in the world of the living.

The urge to search for Kagome was unavoidable.

Unfortunately, given the limitations of her human nature, there wasn't much he could do, except collect the few data he kept on her in his memory and that could help him track her down in the future.

Eighteen years it had taken him to find her.

Ironically and when he had almost given up hope of finding her, Inukimi, who was her mother in a previous life, guided him to her.

Suddenly appearing in her path one day after his university classes, she told him where to find Kagome, dropping a sentence in her turn before disappearing.

“Welcome, my son. It's good to have you back.

He blamed his human condition for the tightness he felt in his chest when he heard his mother's voice again.

With her disappearing, however, and eager to find Kagome, he was soon off in search of her.

Seeing her standing there in front of him, facing these guys with the same stubbornness and tenacity that he remembered, brought a smile to his face.

Approaching her was inevitable; touching her, a need.

"Is it really worth fighting on?" The idiot had asked him long ago, as he floated over his wounded body.

And even though Sesshomaru didn't have enough breath to answer him back then, now that he had Kagome in his arms, he could say yes.

Had been worth every damn second.