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English
Series:
Part 28 of Drabble-Bomb , Part 33 of Monthly Musings , Part 42 of Multi-Chapter Madness
Collections:
Post-Canon and Canon Divergent SessKag Fics, SessKag Angst Fics, Happy Ending SessKag Fics
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Published:
2023-12-31
Completed:
2024-01-05
Words:
2,778
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6/6
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95
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164
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Reminisce

Summary:

There was always a sacrifice. If her friends had a future to look forward to, she could live with this—it was her fate after all. She knew it was a possibility, especially with the look on Magatsuhi’s face after his seal had been broken.

As long as everyone else was safe, she had no regrets.

This was fine.

Notes:

Thank you all for taking the time to read and give kudos and comment on my stories. It really means a lot that you enjoy them as much as me. Here's to another year gone and many more stories to come in the future! Hope y'all have a wonderful new year 💖💖💖

valasaurus, BobPancakes, InTheEther, TheSunflowersQueen, Harlett, Ao3 won't let me gift this to you because your account doesn't accept gifts. If you change it, please let me know!

Chapter 1: Hope

Chapter Text

Kagome had seen the hope in their eyes, shoulders all slumping in relief as the stench of miasma died down.

They'd won.

They'd finally won.

The taint of Naraku had been vanquished, and those affected could finally go on with their lives—or at least what was left of them.

They could at least start to rebuild.

Inuyasha straightened, knuckles bloody as he rested Tessaiga on one shoulder. "That's it, right? I don't sense anything."

Miroku leaned against his staff, a tired smile lighting his face as he held up his hand, his palm abnormally blank. "It is done." Sango and Kagome let out warbled laughter, pulling the monk into a fierce hug, making sure to keep his arms caught so he wouldn't ruin the moment.

"Where is the jewel?"

Kagome turned, still surprised Sesshoumaru had joined them in the end. Not as surprised as finding him defending her unconscious body inside Naraku, but the fact he'd stuck around said something about his change in character.

She unfurled her hand, the pink gem gleaming as sunlight cut through the fog. "It's in one piece. Now we can—" She felt a breeze behind her a moment before Inuyasha's eyes widened in horror, one hand reaching for her.

She barely had the chance to breathe before she was sucked into the meidou, the cries of her friends muted as darkness enveloped her. She thought she heard her name but couldn't be sure, ice cutting through her clothes.

Dread, cold and bitter, pooled in her stomach as the jewel slipped from her fingers, crackling with power as it bobbed and swayed.

Understanding dawned, fear giving way to acceptance as it pulled her deeper into the void.

There was always a sacrifice. If her friends had a future to look forward to, she could live with this—it was her fate after all. She knew it was a possibility, especially with the look on Magatsuhi's face after his seal had been broken.

As long as everyone else was safe, she had no regrets.

This was fine.

Chapter 2: Admire

Chapter Text

For an evil deity, the jewel was very chatty. It wasn't enough that it had stolen her away; it wanted her to fight.

And submit.

Why couldn't it just accept its victory and let her sleep? She was tired of fighting—there'd been almost five years of it now—and if it needed a power source, it had one.

But it seemed to need something more from her, a light appearing at the end of a tunnel she didn't even know she was in, and Kagome turned toward it. The ghosts of her friends faded into view, consoling each other on what was left of the battlefield.

"You're not showing me anything new," she said, rolling her eyes. "I knew how they'd react." Who wouldn't? They'd been through so much together, and she admired each of them for how they'd put their lives—their happiness—on hold for a mistake she alone had made.

Every death had cut into her, knowing that there wouldn't have been any shards to begin with if she'd been able to contain the jewel.

If she'd been stronger.

The need to see things through, to give them back some semblance of normalcy, had kept her going. And she'd trained until she bled to make sure it ended in the right way. Naraku's revenge had been stopped, and though not all of them had made it out alive, they could at least move on.

So why not the jewel?

Chapter 3: Brighten

Chapter Text

The images of her friends solidified one by one, her own ghost moving through her to interact with each of them. Inuyasha was once again released from Goshinboku and handed Tessaiga, going through the motions of each time she'd helped him—each time he'd called out to her.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she was smiling, heart warming at how their fates were tangled in a web of friendship and trust. A red string appeared around her pinky finger, floating slowly toward the hanyou, but Kagome yanked it back before the other end could tie her to him. "That won't work."

The string darkened to indigo, attaching itself to Miroku's staff, and she snorted, eyes brightening even with the tears trailing down her cheeks. "Is this your way of rubbing in the life I'll never have?"

The jewel sneered, bobbing around her shoulders. ‘You are loved by many, yet you choose to remain here.’

She could sense its confusion, breathing deeply as she tugged on the string again, dislodging it from Miroku's rings. "There are many kinds of love. If you'd bothered sticking around long enough, you'd have figured that out."

’Love is fruitless.’

"Love is what keeps us going. What gives us power," she retorted, her smile returning as the string turned pink, now attached to hiraikotsu. "It gives us the will to go on, even when everything seems lost." She let the string linger, the ghost of Kirara bounding along it before it caught fire in a magnificent show of orange sparks.

She'd miss them, all of them, but she'd known this was a possibility from the start. And if she had to disappear in order for them to be safe, so be it.

Chapter 4: Cherish

Chapter Text

The jewel wasn't satisfied. Given how long the battle for its creation was, Kagome doubted it would ever be, and she wondered if Midoriko was forced to fight out of obligation.

It would explain why the jewel had formed in the first place. Maybe the miko just wanted to escape—to rest. Kagome couldn't imagine going on for that long without having something to protect. Had she grown weary of the battle? Had those who'd fought beside her eventually given up their adoration for the idea that her shield was an expectation?

Power took the form of resentment, and she saw the jewel glow with anticipation, quickly snuffing it out. "You've got what you came to collect," she said, yanking the string away from the slayer. "What more do you want from me?"

‘The truth.’

Kagome groaned. "You've been inside my head multiple times," she said. "I doubt there's anything left in there that you don't know."

‘Not from you.’

The smugness in its disembodied tone had her pausing, and the string shifted again, turning teal as the end bounced and tangled itself in Shippou's tail. Her expression softened as images of their victory against the Thunder Brothers played above his head, along with every treat she'd ever given him.

"Seems like you're more concerned with my happiness than anything else." She made a point of kicking off her shoes, no longer needing them. "Why not show me the bad memories instead of the cherished ones?"

‘To prove what you will be missing.’

Heaving a sigh, she turned away, dragging the string with her. "I won't go back. It just gives me a reason to keep fighting. That's what you want." The string caught on something, causing her to trip, her hiss of pain drowned out by Kouga's boisterous claims.

Even those had her smiling. He was an idiot but a lovable one, and she truly hoped he found the partner he was looking for. She'd known from the beginning it wasn't her, though she'd let him continue to think so just to needle Inuyasha.

He deserved it after stringing her and Kikyou along and pitting them against each other.

Chapter 5: Reflect

Chapter Text

She'd long since forgiven him for it, but it bolstered her confidence to know someone wanted her for herself.

She wrapped the now cobalt string around her wrist to stop the images from forming, trying to untie it from her finger. "I've had enough. There isn't anything you can show me that I don't already know."

The jewel whizzed through the air, and she shoved it away. "You've won! I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. You can pester me for this truth you're seeking, but leave them out of it. They've suffered enough."

‘A wish, then.’

Reiki flared, and she grabbed the cursed bauble out of the air. "You can torture me all you want. I'm not wishing for anything." Miasma poured out of it, and Kagome threw it into the void as she lapsed into a coughing fit.

‘You have always been so selfless, miko. Especially when it comes to your own desires. It is a pity the others do not feel the same.’

"What are you on about now?" She was tempted to wish for a hammer, if only to shatter it again so it would shut up.

The string tightened around her wrist, spinning her around as it unravelled itself. Kagome groaned, wondering who it would reveal next, but paused when it turned silver. A frown puckered her brow, and she watched as it slithered past the ghosts of her friends, the figure behind them slowly coming into view.

"That's who you're going to use to try and convince me to fight?" she said in disbelief. "We've barely interacted—"

‘Not everyone is as blind as you.’

She rolled her eyes and bent down to retrieve the string, but it shifted out of her grasp, twisting until a misshapen circle formed on the ground, images of Sesshoumaru reflected in its wake. She didn't recognize the scene, it taking her a moment before she realized she was seeing things from his point of view.

All the images were of her.

Every time he'd shown up, he'd been watching her. Every time he'd interfered, it had been because she'd been in danger. She could feel his shame before putting his hand through Mukotsu's chest, not having shown up soon enough to keep her from getting hurt, and the rage at finding her injured inside the bowels of Naraku.

She'd thought she'd only lost consciousness for a few minutes, but time seemed to slow with every swipe of his hand. He'd even wrapped his pelt around her soon after he'd arrived, only retrieving it as she began to stir.

"Why?"

‘Because he has a wish.’

Kagome shook her head. He couldn't possibly—not about her. He'd shown up for Rin, for Kohaku. To prove that he was better.

Not for her.

Something swelled in her chest, and she called out his name into the darkness, hand reaching for him—for a chance.

Chapter 6: Reminisce

Notes:

Extended final chapter cuz all happy endings must be had!

Chapter Text

"Kagome!" The sound was painfully guttural as the meido swallowed their friend—the Shikon's final attempt to extend its existence—and it hadn't come from Inuyasha.

Youki erupted, pinning the group to the ground as feral snarls filled the air. Inuyasha called out to his brother, having finally accepted that's what he truly was, and was met with crimson eyes and elongated fangs, the daiyoukai caught halfway between his true form.

"Naraku's gone!" Sango argued. "What could've taken her?"

"The jewel itself," Miroku said, pushing himself to his elbows. "It requires a host to continue existing." The group looked around, panicked, Shippou cowering under Kirara's body.

"We have to save her!" Sango shouted.

"We gotta save ourselves first," Inuyasha bit out, using Tessaiga as leverage to get to his feet. "Damnit, Sesshoumaru! You throwin' a hissy fit ain't helpin'!"

"Why is he so mad?" Shippou asked, another snarl making him whimper.

"Why do ya think?" The rest of the group blinked in surprise, but he didn't have time to explain. As stilted as his childhood was, he knew what scent-marking was. The only reason the lesser youkai had left Kagome alone in the last year was because they all knew better than to go up against the Lord of the West.

He glanced at his sword, knowing what had to happen next—and that he wasn't going to be the one to do it.

Sesshoumaru was hunched over, claws carving lines through the soil, and Inuyasha just hoped whatever the bastard felt for Kagome was strong enough to pull him out of it. Gripping the hilt, he launched Tessaiga to his brother, knowing if he was too far gone, he'd have a hell of a time getting it back.

But as unfeeling as the daiyoukai pretended to be, instincts roared to life, a hand shooting out to receive the weapon. Youki swirled around the blade as crimson met gold, and Inuyasha gave him a curt nod. Sesshoumaru's knuckles turned white before he slashed through the air, the size of the meido baring down on them.

The ground trembled as he shot upwards, and Inuyasha cursed as he hit his knees. "If ya don't find her, I'm comin' after ya and beatin' your ass!"

The jewel had gotten its wish.

Part of it, at least.

Kagome was fighting again. And again, and again, and again.

She refused to actually voice a wish, knowing what would happen if she did, but hope was a brilliant thing, and it kept her going.

She needed to see him. Needed to ask him. The images didn't leave much to the imagination, but his feelings—and it was odd to think of him with such—could change everything.

She knew everyone loved her. It was why she'd been so accepting of her fate in the first place. But she'd had time with each of them: fighting, eating, laughing. That's what all of her memories were made of.

She had none of that with Sesshoumaru.

The idea of doing so had never crossed her mind, so she'd never lingered on it before, but if the jewel had wanted to pique her curiosity, there were easier ways of going about it.

Sesshoumaru was the last person it could've chosen—the last one it should've chosen because now she had a reason to go back.

She would change her fate.

The jewel had immediately backtracked, zooming side to side as it tried to avoid her reiki. ‘He won't come for you.’

"If what you showed me was true, you don't know him at all," Kagome shot back, an arrow forming between her fingers. "And if it was a lie, you chose the wrong person. I've beaten you before."

‘I was a fraction. Now I am whole.’

"A whole lot of irritation," she said, throwing up a barrier before several arrows shot forward at once. The jewel narrowly evaded each one, humming in victory before the air shifted and shimmered.

The power was unmistakable, and Kagome lowered her weapon a moment before starlight erupted around them. Sesshoumaru emerged from another meidou, Tessaiga clasped firmly in his hand as he stepped between them.

‘Impossible.’ She felt the jewel tremble, fear leaching out from around it as it swayed. ‘Why are you here?’

Sesshoumaru hesitated, glancing over his shoulder momentarily before Kagome threw herself at him. He staggered back in shock before his free arm wrapped around her, and he raised the sword toward the jewel. "She is mine. She is my light." Marks turned jagged on his cheeks. "I will not let you take her from me." Her grip on him tightened, warmth spreading throughout her chest, but knowing they'd have to reminisce later.

Reaching out, she intertwined their fingers, clasping Tessaiga tightly between them. "I have a wish." Lightning shot out from the jewel but was easily deflected.

‘You cannot defeat me. I am eternal.’

The pair snorted in tandem, Kagome raising her chin. "I wish you would disappear." Lightning turned to sparks as the request was granted, then splintered, turning to dust before their eyes.

They watched until the light finally faded, and Sesshoumaru lowered the sword. "Forgive me for being late," he said, avoiding her gaze.

Kagome chuckled, shaking her head. "It's fine. I'm fine."

He slowly met her gaze. "Are you? I cannot be the one you were expecting."

She cupped his face, smiling as he leaned into her touch. "Apparently, the jewel noticed more than I did." She stroked his cheeks, then pressed their foreheads together. "I'm willing to take a chance if you are."

She felt him sag in relief. "Let us return to your kin first. They are worried for your safety."

"But not you?"

The desperation in his eyes when he'd first arrived belied his scoff. "I am never worried where you are concerned."

"Liar." He turned to argue, just as she knew he would, and she brushed her lips against his jaw, grinning when he pulled back in shock, the rest of the group doing the same as they slowly came into view. "But we can discuss that later."

Amber gleamed as he nodded stiffly, and she offered him a warm smile before greeting the rest of her pack with open arms.

The sun broke through the mist as they celebrated, but nothing was as bright as what the future had in store—for both of them.