Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anything associated with it. Including HELL YEAH IT’S THE LAST CHAPTER overjoyed authors.

The Warmth of Ice

Chapter Five

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“Kagome, do you hate me?”

“No! What on earth are you talking about?”

“Kagome, are you scared of me?”

“No! Are you crazy? Sure, I was scared of you in the feudal era, but now…! You’re important to me now!”

“That’s not true, my Kagome. You want me to die. You want me out of your life. You want me far away from your family.”

“No! No! Sesshoumaru, what’s gotten into you? I want you here! With us! We all want you here!”

The mist cleared away from where they were standing, revealing a busy street behind the man she was pleading with. Traffic was roaring back and forth, but the two seemed completely oblivious to any outside elements to their furious conversation.

The demon took a slow step backwards toward the busy road, shadows creeping up over the cars behind him. Kagome reached toward him, crying out, “No! Sesshoumaru! Please! Stay with me!” in anguish.

Smiling at her, Sesshoumaru took another step back, coming ever closer to the curb. And then another, and another, until he was balancing on the cusp of the curb, his back just inches from the shadowed cars.

Kagome gasped and threw herself forward in an effort to grab his arm and drag him back to her. “Please!” she pleaded. “Don’t leave us!”

But it was useless, she realized. He wasn’t going to come back now. So why did she bother? She’d really only known him for a month anyway. He would leave just as he came; suddenly but surely.

Kagome shook her head fiercely to dispel her disobedient thoughts. No! That’s not what I feel! He has to stay with us! We’ll crumble if he leaves us. He’s the main support of our family now. The column of strength that keeps us all standing and looking toward the future. She focused back on the demon, his smile infuriating her. How could he do this to her and smile? “Come back, Sesshoumaru,” she whispered, her voice wavering. “Come back to me, and Souta, and mom. We need you.”

But as she uttered those words, he shook his head and stepped back, falling off the curb into the mass of dark cars. They blended into each other and became a shadow, dark as night, stretching on and on and overwhelming the buildings and stores and lights that made up Tokyo. Sesshoumaru’s body was swallowed up by the shadows as he sunk deep into them, disappearing from sight. Terrified, Kagome screamed in true fright as the one person she never expected to leave was taken from her.

“SESSHOUMARU!”

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Kagome sat up in her sleeping bag, sweating and panting. She looked around wildly, in a panic that her dream was real. She was reassured to see Kaede and Sango crowding around her and Inuyasha and Miroku hurriedly crawling out of their flimsy blankets. “Oh,” she sighed. “I was so afraid that that had come true!”

“Of what do you speak, Kagome? A dream?” Kaede asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Sesshoumaru and I were talking and then he suddenly said that he’d leave us! That we didn’t want him! And then…then he sunk into the black stuff and I think he died!” she cried, frightened after reliving her minutes of terror. When no one comforted her, she looked up and dried the tears from her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked, seeing Kaede and Miroku passing grim looks between them. “Did something happen while I was asleep?”

“Lady Kagome, It doesn’t happen much, but…” Miroku took a breath.

“Priestesses have been known to foretell death. Maybe...?” he drifted off.

“Like…like a premonition?” Kagome asked nervously, tears threatening to flow again. “Oh no! Sesshoumaru!” Her panic returned in full force. Whipping around and pulling her backpack from its place in the corner, she slipped it on her shoulders and rushed over to put her shoes on.

“Kagome? Hey, is everything alright? It might not be a premonition! Stay here!” Inuyasha pleaded.

Kagome turned around and spit out venomously, “Inuyasha! Just because you hate him does not mean you know him! In fact, you don’t know him at all! I have to see if he’s alright! Now get out of my way!” Pushing him aside, she ran through the mat covering the door and headed straight for the well as fast as she could, branches whipping her hair into knots and brambles scratching her arms.

Reaching the well clearing, she paused and prayed. “Please! Please let him be alive! Let mom and Souta and Jii-san be happy! And don’t let him leave!”

Jumping over the rim into the well, she let the blue aura of centuries-old magic surround her. Touching down to the earthy soil that was the bottom of the well, she turned around and grabbed the ladder leading up to the top. Hauling herself up, she swung her legs over the rim and climbed up the well-house stairs as fast as she could. Bursting out of the doors into the fresh morning air, she aimed for her house, legs straining from the unaccustomed speed. Throwing the door open, she dropped her yellow pack off next to her shoes and walked inside, nervous as to what she would find.

“Mom? Souta? Anyone there?” she yelled. She waited a second, and then perked up a little when she heard an answering call.

“I’m in the kitchen, dear!” her mom cried back.

Running through the hall into the kitchen, Kagome slid the shoji door back and asked hurriedly, “Where’s Hideki?”

Her mom looked up at her through tears. “He’s…gone, dear.”

Kagome took a breath and backed out of the kitchen, closing the door. Whirling around, she retraced her steps back to the front door and ran outside, forsaking her shoes.

“WHY?” she yelled into the sky, tears running down her cheeks. Her mom’s voice reached her from inside the house, too garbled to for the girl hear what she was saying. Not wanting to deal with a distraught mother when she herself was equally distraught, she headed for the entrance to the shrine. Passing through the red tori gate and beginning the trek down the long set of stairs, the fact that Sesshoumaru was truly dead hit her. Her steps speeding up as fat tears rolled down her cheeks, she wondered. She wondered why the gods would be so absolutely cruel as to have him live for almost a millennium just to meet the Higurashis and become part of her family. She wondered why the gods had done that, and then, in the blink of an eye, taken him away.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, she realized that people were looking at her strangely. Figures. She was still in her miko garb. But who really cared? Her father figure and best friend was dead, and here her subconscious wanted her to change into something more appropriate? Was this a sign of the onset of insanity and depression? Because that’s where she was going, she knew. Two fathers lost, Naraku still out there, an abrasive hanyou that never really appreciated her, no future in the modern world as she probably couldn’t get into college with her attendance record being what it was… Who would really want this kind of life? Depression it is, she decided. Depression. And he’s really, truly gone. Gone. I’ll never see him again.

She paused in her walking and took a look around. She was across the block from the grocery store that her mom liked so much. That was unexpected. This store was almost three miles from her house. She must’ve been walking for some time.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Nevernevernevernever, she chanted. I’ll never see him again. Souta will never be able to laugh with him. Mom will never be able to hug and kiss him. Jii-san will never be able to trade youkai stories with him. And I…I’ll never be able to see Inuyasha again. Because I know that if I see him, I’ll remember Sesshoumaru. And if I remember him, then I’ll remember all the fun things we used to do…the fun times we had. And I’ll remember that I can never have those times again.

She opened her eyes again and stared at the store across the street, the busy cars reminding her of her nightmare earlier. Cars…Cars…People…People with shopping bags, walking around on the sidewalk…People waiting for the light to change…People, people, people. Human. All human. Where is my demon? Where is my Sesshoumaru? My Hideki? Oh, there he is. It’s like normal. Him with shopping bags, walking toward the crowd of people waiting for the light to chang- Oh. Wait. What?

Her eyes cleared and she stared across the street. Impossible. And yet there he was, in all his humanly glory. She stared at him, hoping fervently he wasn’t just some hallucination her mind had brought up to soothe her under stress. No, he was real. He wasn’t disappearing like mist. He wasn’t falling into jet black nothingness like in her dream. He was real. And he was here. He was here! She disregarded all the people crowded around her and began walking toward him slowly, as if in a trance. Ignoring all the people yelling around her and the cars rushing around her, she made her way over to him, arms out as if to hug him, tears running down her face.

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Sesshoumaru shook his head ever so softly. Humans were so loud. Even now, when surrounded by complete strangers, they were yelling. What were they yelling? Probably something random, like ‘Oh dear god, I haven’t seen this edition of Doraemon in years! Give it to me!’ or the ever-popular ‘This orange is bruised and was bruised when I bought it! I demand you give me another one for no extra charge!’

That girl! What’s she doing? Going out in the middle of the street like that! Causing trouble for everyone! Oh, wait – I know her! Her family are the caretakers of the Sunset Shrine! Oh, I know that one! Yeah, you’re right – she’s a Higurashi! Hmm, I wonder what she’s doing there. Suicide?

The various shouts and spurts of conversation came from the crowd around him, but the moment he heard Sunset Shrine and Higurashi, he turned toward the source of the commotion. And what he saw stunned him.

Dropping his bags and pushing through the crowd harshly, he ran toward the dazed Kagome. Did she not realize she was in the middle of one of the busiest and most crowded streets in all of Tokyo?! Giving up on his human form, he shifted into his less humanoid youkai form and used blurring speed to run across the street and grab the girl. Once she was in his clawed hands and they’d safely avoided a sixteen-wheeler, he turned on his heel and flew toward the Higurashi home.

Setting down outside the front door and returning to his human form, he put Kagome down and called for Hiroko. Hiroko came outside at his call and gasped when she saw Kagome. “Kagome, dear, what happened to you? Why are your eyes all red?” she asked worriedly, brushing Kagome’s bangs aside.

“I found her walking across Narita Street towards the grocery store in the middle of traffic. She didn’t even realize she was about to get hit, Hiroko. I had to run out and push her out of the way. Something’s very wrong.” Sesshoumaru informed his fiancé.

“What? Kagome!” Hiroko cried, panicked, turning back to her daughter. “Tell me! What’s wrong? Can you answer? Kagome!”

Kagome looked up through happy tears. “I’m fine, mom. He’s alive! He’s alive!” she said, getting on her knees and hugging her mom fiercely.

“What are you talking about?” Sesshoumaru asked her.

Kagome released her mother and sat back with a relieved smile. “I had a nightmare where you died and Miroku and Kaede told me there was a chance that it could be a premonition. I was so scared that I came right home and asked mom where you were. She was in tears and told me that you were gone. I thought that meant you were dead and my dream was right. I was so scared!” she whispered. Getting up, she walked the two steps over to him and buried her face in his chest. “Never leave us, okay? I don’t think I’d be able to bear it. I love you, dad.” she sobbed.

Hiroko looked at them with a smile. “Well, I guess I have a little bit of explaining to do myself, dear.” Holding up her hand and pointing to the bandaid on her palm, she explained that she’d been in tears because the knife she’d been using to cut the meat had slipped and she’d cut herself. “It’s not too bad; don’t worry. But I was so surprised that I just started crying.” She laughed. “I’m fine now.”

Sesshoumaru pushed the crying girl away from his chest and bent down a little to address her. “Kagome, I love you. I love you all. There’s no way I’d ever leave you and your mom and Souta and your grandfather. I’ll always protect you.”

Kagome laughed bitterly, looking away. “God, Hideki. You used to be such an icicle, and now you’re all over the idea of love and happiness and let’s protect everyone. It’s like you’ve melted into a puddle of water. And you have no idea how much that means to me.” Finally giving him a true smile, she looked up at him.

“But I don’t think you’re water now. It’s just the warmth of ice.”