***500 years in the past***
Sesshoumaru stared down into the deep well that she appeared and disappeared through. When would he see her again? He couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever come back. Naraku's defeat and her wish upon the jewel sent her plumeting down the well back to her own time. Could she ever return? And if she could, would she?
Sesshoumaru thought back to just before the final battle with Naraku. The futuristic miko, then 18 summers old, had confessed her love for him. He never said a word as she explained that in the few weeks that the two groups had banded together to search for Naraku, she'd fallen for him. When he inquired about Inuyasha, she only laughed sadly and said,
"To him, I'm just a carbon copy of his real love. He can't help but see her when he looks at me. No. I don't love him anymore. I haven't for a long time." Then she sighed and smiled brightly, but Sesshoumaru could see the sadness she was hiding. "I know how you feel about humans. I'm not really sure why I'm telling you this now. Maybe it's because I'm afraid something will happen during the battle and I'll never get this chance again." She shrugged. "I'm sure that you think I'm just being a foolish human. But there it is. Chances are, that after I make my wish on the jewel, you'll never have to see me again." Sesshoumaru quirked a brow in question. She noticed and continued with her explanation. "I'll be forced back into my own time. 500 years in the future. I know it probably won't make much difference to you, but I wanted you to know..."
"Foolish." He'd said coldly. Kagome's eyes shined with unshed tears that she tried to hold back. She shifted from one foot to the other under his intense gaze.
"I guess I'll get back to dinner, then. Thanks for at least listening and not taking my head off." She whispered. He knew she was hurt at what he'd said in response to her confession. One of his bigger regrets.
She'd returned to her duties as normal. But he noticed that she avoided looking at him. She avoided walking next to him. Sesshoumaru felt the sting of guilt for her sudden withdraw from him. But his years of training and practice, his warriors mind, refused to let him feel for another. Especially a human, with their short, near meaningless lives. But now that she was gone, he realized that perhaps he did care for her.
***500 years in the future***
Kagome stared at herself, as she stood naked in front of the full length mirror that hung on her wall. She wanted so badly to break the mirror and never look at herself again. Her once flawless skin was riddled with hideous, jagged scars that covered her front to back. The one she hated the most, was the one that she had received from him. Sesshoumaru. The man she'd fallen in love with, knowing he'd never love her back. A soft pink scar that was right over her heart. She had died during the battle with Naraku. The evil half demon had killed her. Sesshoumaru had revived her. The only words out of his mouth were,
"You are not finished yet, miko." She knew that he was as uncaring and cold as a blizzard. He only wanted Naraku dead, and he knew that she was only one who could deliver the final blow. She was only a means to an end for him. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that was all she wanted to do was hate him, she could not help but feel like her heart was still in his hand. 500 years in the past. She covered her breast, making sure to hide the scar that was left by Tensaiga, and sank to her knees and cried harder than she'd ever cried before. It seemed as though she were cursed. Starcrossed.
After a while she got up, deciding that feeling sorry for herself wouldn't make the scars fade any quicker. She knew that time healed all scars but it seemed that the one on her heart would never heal. She would just have to try and move on with her life. It'd been nearly three months since she'd come back from the feudal era. She'd had to get her G.E.D. because she'd spent so much time there she'd never been able to keep up with school. She considered college. Something told her no. It just wasn't time for that. Her mother, always so kind and gentle, supported her every decision, never asking questions or losing her temper. One day, Kagome sat down at her computer and wrote a book. For nearly three days she didn't sleep. She just typed as if the devil himself were after her. She wrote about her travels with Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara. She wrote about her love for a man who'd never really shown her the time of day, and about the little human girl he adopted. The annoying green frog that always squaked his dislike for humans, and the two headed dragon that always seemed so patient while a child braided flowers into his mane. She wrote about the evil hanyou and his incarnations. She wrote about their dasturdly plans to destroy herself and her friends and collect all the jewel shards so that he could rule Japan unchallenged. She wrote about all the friends that they'd made along the way. She didn't even bother changing names except her own. Who's privacy would she be protecting? They were all gone. Weren't they?
The manuscript sat her on desk forever. She was afraid to do anything with it. She'd gotten upset with herself again and flung the papers all over the room, after which she'd gone to bathroom to soak in the tub for an hour.
When she went into her room to get dressed and discovered it gone. Kagome's heart went into panic mode. She searched everywhere for it. Where could it be? She threw on a pair of pajama's and ran downstairs calling for her mother.
"In here dear." She heard her mom call from the kitchen. Kagome burst in, ignoring the annoyed hiss from Buyou as she nearly ran him over. She opened her mouth to ask her mother about her manuscript when she saw it in a nice neat pile in front of her mother along with two steaming mugs of tea. Her mother had a pleasant smile on her face as she patted the table acrossed from her. "We need to talk, dear." Kagome knew better than to tell her mother no. So she sat and stuck her fingers into the handle of the tea mug. "Kagome, dear, this story is wonderful. Why haven't you sent it to a publisher?"
"Because..." She began. "I was afraid..." What was she afraid of? That he was still alive and would get his claws on it? That he wouldn't feel any different now than he did then? She decided to lie. "I was afraid that it wasn't good enough to publish." Her mother gave her 'the look.' The look that you didn't defy. The look that said, 'tell me the truth or I'll tell it for you.' She sighed. "Fine. I'm afraid that if he's still alive he'll read it. I'm afraid that he won't feel any different. I'm afraid that it might make him angry."
"Don't worry about him." Her mother said. "It's you that you need to worry about now. Kagome, I know you may not want to do this, but I think that you should publish this." She laid a hand gently on the manuscript. "It might be the closure that you need to move on, dear." Kagome hadn't thought of that. She nodded.
"Okay, mom." She said smiling. Her mother reached across the table and squeezed her hand gently.
"Now," She said getting up. "What would you like for dinner?" Kagome nearly laughed.
'Typical mom.' She thought.
***Six Months Later***
Kagome walked into the building of the largest publishing company in Tokyo, Taisho Publishing Inc. She looked around at all the people who sat in the lobby waiting to be called in for their appointment. She walked over the a desk were a man with red hair and green eyes was typing on a computer and making side notes on a pad of paper. She waited until he noticed her. She smiled when he looked up and his eyes nearly got as wide saucers.
"C-can I help you?" He stuttered. His name plate read Pou Takamora. He looked so much like her little Shippo. She held out her manuscript.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I've never done anything like this before. Do I just give this to you with my information and you just call me back?" The man looked as if he wanted to jump up and run screaming from the room.
"Uh, yes. Yes, we can do that. Um," The man stumbled around looking for the pen that he already had in his hand. "Just let me find you a piece of paper, mo- miss." Kagome placed a hand over his. The man immediantly stopped.
"It's ok." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Here. I already wrote everything down." She set it on the desk with her manuscript.
"Yes. Of course, Miss Higurashi." He said hurriedly. "I'll get your book to Mr. Taisho as soon as possible." Kagome smiled, bowed her thanks, and left. Shippo nearly gave away what he was when he sped away from his desk, her manuscript in hand, up the stairs all the way to the top floor. This couldn't wait and the elevator was too slow.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru was looking through some papers on his desk when suddenly the door to his office was nearly knocked off it's hinges. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to keep himself calm.
"I trust there is a good reason for you bursting into my office like this, Shippo." He said, in a rather irritated tone. The red haired boys only answer was to shove a manuscript in Sesshoumaru's face. "And what is this?" He demanded. Shippo slapped it down on his desk.
"Read it." Shippo said. Sesshoumaru nearly threatened the boys life for ordering him to do something but the boy left before he'd had the chance. Sesshoumaru glared at his door before turning his glare to the book that sat on his desk. His golden eyes scanned the front page. The title of the book was 'The Scar Over My Heart'. He searched for the author but it only said that the author wished to remain unknown.
He stared at the book for what seemed like hours before finally opening it and scanning the pages. He'd only read the first paragraph when he realized that he already knew the book like the back of his hand. He knew exactly who wrote the book. Her scent clung to its pages.
So she was alive. She was here. In this building. And he never even knew it.
~oOo~
It had only been a few hours since Kagome had turned in her book to the publishing company when she'd received a phone call. Her cell phone vibrated.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Yes, I'd like to speak to Miss Higurashi, please." The caller said.
"This is her."
"Miss Higurashi, this is Mr. Takamora from Taisho Publishing Inc."
'Wow. That was fast.' She thought.
"Mr. Taisho would like to speak with you about your book. Are you available this afternoon to come in for an appointment?" Kagome thought for a moment. She didn't have any other appointments.
"Yes. I'm free."
"Wonderful. Mr. Taisho would like to speak with you over lunch. Will this be acceptable?"
"I don't see why not." She said. Over lunch? That was a little strange but what ever. "Do I need to meet him some place specific or should I meet him at the office?"
"Mr. Taisho would like for you to meet him at Akito's at two o' clock." Takamora said. Kagome's stomach turned. That place was a really up to do place and she didn't have a thing in her closet that would make her look like she belonged in such a white collar place.
"A-alright. Two o' clock." She said. "Thank you Mr. Takamora." She hung up and ran straight for her mother's closet. Her mother surely had something she could borrow.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru sat at a corner booth tapping his dull human nails against the table. He glanced at his watch. It was almost five after. She was late. After a few more minutes the waiter walked over with a dark haired woman in tow. Sesshoumaru tried hard to keep his face from betraying his thoughts. She was beautiful. She wore a knee length black dress, with black heels that showed off her dainty little toes, and a shawl that hid her shoulders from view. Her hair was tied up in a high pony tail and the loose strands had been curled. Black eye liner and eye shadow made her blue eyes shine all the more. She was more beautiful than he had remembered.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Taisho." She said quietly. "I would blame it on traffic but if you really want the truth, I couldn't find much to wear." He half expected her to shreik when she saw him but a glance at his hand reminded him that he was disguised. The charm he wore around his neck seemed heavier than ever now.
"You seem to have found something appropriate." He said. Kagome blushed.
"It's actually my mothers. But thank you." She said. Sesshoumaru nodded.
"Miss Higurashi, I have asked you here to discuss your book that you have recently submitted to me." Kagome giggled.
"Only five hours ago. Honestly I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. I was thinking that it'd be more like six months before I heard back from you." She explained.
"My assistant, Mr. Takamora, has a, shall we call a sixth sense, when it comes to excellent writers. He brought your manuscript to my desk immediantly after you left and demanded that I read it."
"And you read it in two hours or less?"
"No." Kagome looked confused. "In truth, I did not read more than the first page."
"And... You called me here to tell me how horrible it was that you didn't even want to finish it?" She joked.
"No." Sesshoumaru didn't even crack a smile. "I did not read it because I already know what it contains." Kagome's heart sped up.
'Oh, crap. Someone's already written something like it. He's going to accuse me of plagerism.' She took a deep breath and waited, when she realized that it would be extremely difficult for someone else to have written something similar since it was something that only she knew about... Unless...
"Do you honestly think that I'd let you get away with this?" He demanded.
"I'm sorry?" She said, nearly choking on the stress and anticipation.
"You dare accuse me of never caring for you?" Kagome was suddenly very confused. "You will change your story immediantly before I publish it." Ok, now she was just mad. She stood up abruptly, her face red with anger. Her shawl slipped from her shoulder revealing a large jagged scar. Sesshoumaru's eyes did not miss it.
"I don't know who you think you are, but this isn't funny! How dare you make fun of me and my book. You can't possibly know the emotional stress that I put myself through to write that. You couldn't possibly put yourself in my shoes and know what I know. Feel what I felt." Tears stung her eyes as she took a step away from the table. Before she could leave a hand reached out and snatched her wrist. Just as she turned to demand that he let her go, the person that sat before her was not the person who had been sitting there before. Golden eyes peirced her to her very soul. "Sess-"
"You dare accuse me of not knowing? I was there, miko. I was the one who revived you, or do you not remember?" He snarled. "I was the one who defended your back, when the half breed abandoned you for the clay preistess." Kagome's knees were buckling and breathing was getting shallow. Sesshoumaru allowed the charm to disguise him once again before she caused a scene. "I protected you from the moment your professed your love to me."
"What? But I thought that you-"
"You were incorrect." He interrupted. "The warrior in me reasoned that if I returned your affection and lost you, it would only have caused heartbreak and created a weakness that I could not afford to have. You said that if you were succesful in defeating Naraku and made your wish, you would be taken back to your own time. I had a choice: take you for my own and lose you, or wait half a century and find you again." Kagome's heart pounded.
"So... What does this mean?" She asked in a small voice. Her throat was tight, and almost rendered unable to talk.
"Kagome." It was the first time he'd ever used her name in the 500 years that he had known her. Her breath hitched in her throat as tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn't stand any longer. Just as her knees buckled strong arms encircled her, keeping her on her feet. "One of my biggest regrets is not telling you that I cared for you. That I wanted you just as you wanted me. I didn't only so that I could better protect you. I had many enemies in the feudal era, and I was..." This was more difficult that he'd originally thought. Though he'd learned to express himself more, it still was not easy for him to admit that he had been afraid or even had a weakness. "I was afraid that I would lose you in the final battle with Naraku." He cupped her cheek with one of his large hands. "Kagome, forgive me." Kagome let her tears flow freely now. She didn't care if she was making a scene. Her heart that had felt so empty for so long suddenly felt so full she thought it was going to explode.
"Sesshoumaru..." She couldn't seem to find words. So she did the only thing she knew to do. She stood on her toes and kissed her demon love full on the mouth. Sesshoumaru tightened his grasp on her and kissed her back. They both shivered in delight as the feeling of completion washed over them. The scar on Kagome's heart suddenly healed itself, never to open again.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews let me know what I did well and what I could do better so please review and let me know what you think. Thanks. :)