The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Age

Chapter 69 - The Age *Blossom* (Skye's Weekly Challenges)

That morning they decided to walk a short while. The snow was finally almost fully melted, and the earth seemed renewed. Kagome didn't doubt that they would be seeing the first blooms of spring popping up soon, and everyone had agreed that they could use a leisurely walk and a chance to take in the beauty surrounding them.

The miko walked side by side with the taiyoukai, and again, Sesshoumaru was talking, sharing his past experiences with the miko. It was so easy to tell her things he had never spoken aloud before. That, he had decided, was just one more indication that they were meant to be together. She had yet to tell him very much about herself, but he didn't blame her considering their past encounters. Because he wasn’t supposed to know about her origins, anything before she had fallen through the well the first time was obviously off-limits. All that was left for him to ask about was an account of her adventures with her friends, and if she didn't want to share, he wasn't going to force her.

"You've done so much," Kagome said with a smile. "Exactly how old are you?"

Sesshoumaru looked over the beauty by his side for a long moment before letting out an almost silent sigh. How would she feel about his age? Would it make their being together impossible? The age difference was far greater than any human couple could manage, and yet it meant nothing to him. Every year he lived before falling for his angel was one he could happily forget. Only the future mattered now, his future with her. Still, she had asked him directly and he could not bring himself to lie about his age  when he was already hiding so much.

"In human years, I would be around nineteen," he answered, hoping she would leave it at that. "How old are you?" He didn't know, exactly, but he had a general idea. Perhaps she would begin to speak about herself at his gentle prompting and forget all about his true age.

"Seventeen and a half," she said with a smile. "Been hunting Naraku and finding jewel shards for two and a half years now. It seems so much longer though."

Sesshoumaru's left brow lifted in interest. Had it really been that long? How had he managed to ignore her for so long and not notice the treasure she was? Sure, their paths rarely crossed, but he had seen her multiple times while fighting Inuyasha. To him it felt like mere weeks had passed since he first saw her, but that was the nature of being a demon. Years flew by and life continued while he paid little attention to the day by day.

When she saw that he had no intention of continuing, she nudged him gently with an elbow. "And how old are you in demon years then?"

"You mean in years," he said playfully. "You wish to know how many years I have walked this earth?"

Kagome nodded. "Of course! It's not often I have a taiyoukai spilling his life story. If I know how old you are, then I'd have an idea of just how much you've truly seen."

"You are interested in history?" he asked, hoping to put her off.

"You could say that. Knowing someone who lived it opens all kinds of doors to understanding things better. Now, is there some reason you're dancing around it? Do you not know? Are you so old you've lost count?" she asked with a grin.

"Not yet," he answered. "I am over eight hundred years old, Kagome," he said softly, wishing he hadn't had to tell her. Surely she would be overwhelmed by his age and distance herself.

"Eight hundred and..." she nudged.

"Eight hundred and fifty-seven."

The miko studied Sesshoumaru's face for a long moment before her smile returned. "And not a wrinkle on your pretty face."

The taiyoukai's eyes widened and he turned slightly to focus on her expression. "My pretty face?"

"You're lucky. My Mama's not even fifty and she's already complaining about wrinkles. Will you ever get older?"

"I get older every moment, just as you do," he replied. He didn't understand it. Was she joking with him? Had their age difference truly not bothered her at all?

"You know what I mean."

"I have attained adulthood, and so, I will not show signs of aging for a century or more. Eventually I will begin to look older, but not for a very long time. Inuyasha, on the other hand, has not fully finished maturing, so he will continue to age until he reaches adulthood as well."

"Will he age like you? I mean, with the human blood..."

"I'll be around for a good, long time, wench," Inuyasha hollered from his place at the back of their procession. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"I wasn't worried," she lied. "I was just curious." In reality, she was terribly concerned. If demons lived that long without aging, where were they in her time? She had always assumed they just died off, perhaps because they did not have enough children to sustain their numbers, but if he could survive for more than a century without looking any older, then what happened to him between now and her time? Inuyasha had never sensed or scented a demon in the future, and she hated to think something terrible occurred that wiped them all out.

Sesshoumaru could sense her distress, but incorrectly assumed that she was concerned that the hanyou would age and die faster because of his heritage. He quickly set out to reassure her. "Inuyasha will age slightly more quickly than this Sesshoumaru because of his human blood, but our father's blood is very powerful. He will live nearly as long as I will."

Kagome frowned and looked away, trying to reconcile the abundance of demons in this time with the lack of demons in her time. That meant that there had to be some catastrophic event that changed everything. Either that or Inuyasha was wrong, and the future was as full of demons as the Feudal Era was.

"Is something wrong?" the taiyoukai asked. He had expected her to be relieved by the information that her precious hanyou would be long-lived.

"No," Kagome lied again, shaking her head in an attempt to dislodge the troublesome thoughts. "Maybe we should speed up. The next bag is still pretty far, and it'd be good to find it before we run out of daylight."

Sesshoumaru nodded his agreement, only for his shoulders to fall in disappointment as she approached Inuyasha. Apparently she wanted the hanyou to carry her instead of flying with him. The taiyoukai couldn't help but wonder just what he had done wrong.

The miko leaned close to Inuyasha's ears and whispered her worries as they ran. Maybe with his help they could figure something out. Kagome knew and cared about far too many demons to allow them to go extinct. It probably would change everything in her time, but it would be worth it for those she loved to survive. The hanyou listened, nodding his head from time to time, as she shared her thoughts, though another occurred to him that she hadn't seemed to realize yet.

If she were to fall in love with Sesshoumaru, they would have a very short time together before the miko aged and died, leaving the taiyoukai alone. Kagome would never be okay with that. He would have to mention it to his elder brother and find out if he had considered it as well. That could very well be the biggest roadblock to earning her heart.