Wither by Serena530

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.

Story inspired by: Lady Almost Lost by: Lyra

Wither

Chapter One: The Beginning & The End

A black messenger bag sailed through the air before landing on the bed as Kagome pulled on a sweater shirt. She was hurrying to get dressed and get a few things together because she had just sensed a swell of magic from the well house and that could only mean one thing. The passage through the well had finally opened.

As she continued to get ready she thought about her family. She didn't want to leave them but she just didn't fit into modern time anymore. She had tried during the three years she had been back for good; tried to fit in but she couldn't. She had patched things up with her friends and spent a lot of time with them, but it had been a challenge because she felt older then them. She felt like she had matured and grown but that her friends were still young and naive. All they cared about was school, shopping, hair, make up, trying to go to clubs, and boys.

Kagome had no problem with focusing on school. That was one of her goals after all. She wanted to do well so she didn't shame her family with being a drop out. But shopping for frivolous things and going clubbing wasn't anywhere on her list of priorities. The only shopping she cared to do was buying clothes that fit her and were comfortable and grocery shopping. As for boys, well she still loved Inuyasha and hoped to be with him, but she had tried to date just to be sure of her feelings. She just hadn't been interested in those guys. They were boring, dull, and weak. She was too used to beautiful, dominate, strong demons.

Besides all that she felt like no one could understand her because of what she had seen and been through. Her friends couldn't understand her new maturity or her lack of interest in the superficial things everyone her age were interested in. She definitely couldn't tell them the reason, so there was nothing she could do. She had even tried to make friends with people a little older hoping that their maturity would help her to fit in more, but it didn't stop the fact that she saw the world differently than them.

She was still a miko after all and she missed the magic she had been so used to. She missed the power she had been surrounded by, the demons and half-demons roaming the land, even the other priestess' and monks. She missed the excitement, the thrill, the danger of an adventure and battle, and the feeling of accomplishment of protecting oneself and succeeding at it. She missed traveling the land. She felt confined in all the concrete she was surrounded by and saddened at the lack of nature to be found. She missed the quiet and the fresh air. She would definitely miss her family but she couldn't wait to get back to those who would understand her and where she was free to use her powers. Her responsibilities in this time were done, she had finished school, and now she was free to leave.

Kagome grabbed her full messenger bag and straightened her clothes as she took one last look around her room. She sighed and said a silent goodbye before heading downstairs to say goodbye to her family. I love you's were said and tears were shed as hugs were shared then Kagome hurried to the well house and jumped into the well with a smile.

Familiar blue light flared around her for a few seconds before the time slip gently set her down in the past for the last time. She closed her eyes briefly as she felt the wells magic disappear then opened her eyes and began to climb out of the well.

"Kagome!" She heard an achingly familiar voice shout as she climbed over the lip of the well and stepped down onto the grass. She looked up to see Inuyasha's red clad form race into the clearing and stop in front of her as she straightened up and adjusted her clothes to settle properly on her form.

"You're back." Inuyasha said, his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Of course." Kagome said with a bright smile.

"You'll stay right?" The question came out more as a demand and he looked away before continuing. "I mean I want you to stay." He said with a blush. "I like you. I...I love you and want you to stay." He stated, his ears flat against his head and his face as red as his fire rat clothing.

"I love you too. I'm definitely here to stay." Kagome said with a blush of her own as she moved closer to him.

~~~Months Later~~~

Kagome lay on her futon, her left side going numb despite her slight weight, in the hut that was supposed to be her home. It had become her sickroom, and in her lucid moments she was sure it would very soon be her death room.

She lay there under a thin blanket, weak as a new born baby. Her skin was pale, her blue eyes dull and glazed over as she stared off into nothing, her mind in a fog. Everyone was worried about her, thinking she was sick but not really knowing what was wrong with her. She was so weak that she could no longer speak, and could barely think straight.

Then Lord Sesshomaru showed up.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sesshomaru flew through the air on his youki cloud toward the village that was home to his half-breed half-brother. It was also home to the miko Kagome whom he wished to speak to about Rin. She was the only human he trusted to speak to about such things, and he knew that she would be more knowledgeable in such things because of the time she had come from. He wanted to speak to her about what he would need to know about human maturity since Rin was coming to an age where puberty would hit, as the miko would say, and he was sure that it was in the process of hitting her.

Once he arrived at the village he landed far enough away so he didn't scare the humans, and headed to where he scented the half-breed and his companions. When he was close to the hut he unleashed enough of his youki to announce his presence, and watched as Inuyasha came out surprisingly quiet and walking instead of running and shouting.

"What're you doin' here?" Inuyasha asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I am here to speak to the miko." Sesshomaru said as he came to a stop, glancing at the hut since he could smell her clean scent and sense her purity within.

"She's sick, and she can't speak to you anyway." Inuyasha stated.

Sesshomaru ignored the statement and stepped around him to walk into the hut since he smelled no sickness tainting her scent. He ignored the now shouting and cursing half-breed and stepped into the hut. He took in the sight of the elder priestess, monk, and the slayer, but his eyes quickly passed over them and landed on the small form of the miko.

His eyes narrowed at the fact that she hadn't acknowledged his presence. He stepped closer as his eyes began to pick up the little details about her. She was thin, far too thin, he could see the bones in her face and hands, her skin was pale where it used to be slightly tanned, her hair was dull where it used to be shiny, but it was her eyes that disturbed him. They were hooded but he could see that her once clear and bright blue eyes were dull and glazed with dark circles beneath them. He moved closer even lowering himself to her level to see if that would get a reaction. Nothing. She did not move, she did not blink. She just continued to stare at the far wall. No, he corrected himself, she was staring at nothing. As if she was not aware of the wall at all.

What the hell happened to her? He asked himself. The fact that he had cursed even in his own mind was a testament to how upset he was at her condition. She should not be this way; especially since there was nothing wrong with her.

How could the half-breed treat his mate in such a way, but then again she did not smell like the half-breed. She was still pure of body. Were they not supposed to be mated months ago? Is that not why she returned from her time?

"Explain to this Sesshomaru why the miko is in such a condition." He said to the half-demon he was unfortunately related to.

"There's nothin' to explain." Inuyasha said. "She's sick. We just need to figure out what's wrong with her so she can get better." He explained with a shrug.

Sesshomaru stared at him with a look that could freeze hell for a full minute. It was obvious to him that the half-breed believed what he was saying, and a delicate sniff told him the other humans believed it as well. He wondered if they had all lost their minds.

"You are a disgrace." He stated plainly to the whelp. "Your already inferior senses have gotten weaker in the pass years, because your nose should have told you the miko is not ill." He explained coldly.

Sesshomaru turned and stared at the miko again seeing her finally blink and knowing instantly that it only happened because her eyes were drying and not because a conversation was going on around her. He decided in that moment to speak to her directly since she was obviously the only one who likely had an idea of what was wrong with her.

"Miko, what is wrong with you?" He asked her bluntly.

"I already told ya it won't do ya any good. She doesn't speak anymore." He heard Inuyasha say but he ignored him and waited for the miko.

As the minutes passed it seemed that she would not answer but he was a patient demon, and he had the feeling, from the way she stared off into nothing, that it was taking her mind longer than usual to process his words.

Finally she blinked and blinked again, and again before her eyes drifted over to him, before laboriously traveling up his body and finding his face. She stared at him for a long time as if she was trying to remember who he was before she blinked yet again. He then watched as her eyes shifted upward and then back to him before repeating the process. His own eyes narrowed before he followed the path of her eyes. His sight landed on a black bag before he focused back on her.

"Is my answer in that bag?" He asked quietly.

The miko stared again before blinking deliberately.

Sesshomaru retrieved the bag that smelled strongly of the miko and opened it to find what looked like multiple bindings of thin parchment, each binding had a different color covering it. He remembered her referring to them as notebooks. He picked the one on top and opened it and began to read the small writing.

Day One:

I'm back. I'm happy to see my friends after three seemingly endless years, happy to see Inuyasha. I can't believe he wants me to stay with him or rather that he actually said that to me along with his feelings. I thought he never would.

But what I'm really happy about is being back in this time. I'm so happy to be back in nature with fresh air, back where demons roam freely, back where I can use my power to my heart's content. Now that I'm here I can finally learn how to be a proper priestess and learn to better control my power. Maybe I should learn how to use a weapon other than a bow and arrows. Maybe Sango can teach me how to use a sword.

I know Naraku is gone but that doesn't mean there won't be other demons that try to attack the village. Not to mention bandits that like to swarm villages or attack people on the road. Who knows if I'll ever have to travel to another village for some reason. If I do I certainly want to be able to protect myself.

Sesshomaru stopped reading and flipped through the next few pages and understood that they seemed to be journal entries. These were the miko's private thoughts since she had been back. He was sure his answer was within her writings. He looked at her. She obviously wanted him to read them but he was honorable enough to make sure before he continued on since he knew he would most likely come across information that would embarrass her to know he was reading.

"Do you wish me to read them miko?" He asked and watched as she once again blinked deliberately.

With that silent permission he continued to read.