Love Eternal by Xaishi

Love Eternal

 “They that loved beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.”
-William Penn

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Such was the legendary being's love and devotion to his soulmate that he would wait centuries just to be with her for a few more decades. And when his beloved inevitably passed, the memories she left behind were enough for him to carry on five hundred years more.

Each time they came together again, she never knew who she had been in her past lives, but she was always inexplicably drawn to him, and always loved him with her whole being. Through time spent together, a familiarity grew between them until eventually she felt like her love for him had simply always been, and would always be. Her laughter, her smiles, her love – it all culminated into a force so cosmically powerful, it made his long existence worthwhile.

The day Kagome finally passed of old age, he felt her departing soul take a little bit of himself with her, as it did each time. The empty future yawned wide to receive him as his world grew a little dimmer, but traces of his soulmate's light always remained within him. She was his sun, and the soul of his beloved would never cease to set his world alight for the remainder of his days.

The years passed by slower than he would have liked, but sooner than he realized. Human ingenuity had not slowed throughout the centuries, eventually and inevitably bringing the world into the space age. It could be any year now that he ran into her. And this time, for the first time, he could see a future together that didn't have to end. With technology so advanced – it had been for quite some time now – age was no longer some unconquerable obstacle. If she so chose, her lifespan could finally, finally match his.

It was a nothing special morning that Sesshomaru was struck with wanderlust, and he found himself wandering along one of Japan's larger forests. With so many humans taking to the skies and the worlds beyond, nature had regained a foothold and, ironically, Sesshomaru felt more at home on this futuristic Earth than he had in a millennium.

It was during his aimless wandering that he saw her. And he knew, without a doubt, that she was his love reincarnated. The last five hundred years fell away as quickly as a blink of his aged eyes.

He stood, frozen in her aura, unable to move as something seized in him so achingly it stole his breath away. Feeling his gaze, she looked his way, and she found eyes like eons staring back at her. In that moment, he was certain she knew too, and the feeling only grew as she tentatively made her way toward him.

He could feel the pieces of his very being becoming whole as her soul came to him once more.

“Don't see many people taking the time to appreciate nature anymore,” she remarked conversationally. Giving him a sidelong glance, she offered him a small smile. “Then again, I imagine a youkai would appreciate it better than anyone.”

He felt the corners of his lips lift unbidden into the smallest of smiles. She always knew what he was, sometimes even who he was, and was ever fearless in his presence.

Sesshomaru gazed at her for a moment, observing the features so familiar yet so foreign. Her facial structure was largely the same, as it always was. But her hair was shorter this time, and her eyes were a little less wide, a little more curved, had a little more spunk. It wasn't in the visual familiarity that he knew it to be her, though; it was the effect just being in her presence had on him. It was an all-consuming feeling of rightness that sank through his flesh and settled deep within his bones.

“You don't fear me?” he questioned, but already knew the answer. This was their ritual.

She tipped her head to the side as she assessed him.

“Will you give me a reason to?”

“Never,” he replied without hesitation. Her small smile grew a little wider.

“The name's Kokoro,” she piped up. Another smile tugged minutely at his lips.

Kokoro, his mind echoed, already committing it to his eternal memory. Heart. Spirit. It suited her perfectly.

“Sesshomaru,” he replied.

He watched as her eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly in recognition, and she broke into the brilliant smile death could never steal from her.

“Something tells me we're going to become good friends,” she stated confidently, brightly.

“Yes. Yes, we will.”

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Word Count: 753
Start Date: 11/1/14
Finish Date: 5/20/15

I think out of all the SessKag fic ideas floating around in my head, this one is by far my fondest. No idea when it'll happen, but I hope to put my ideas for this oneshot into a chaptered story at some point. This is also my second ever finished fic, so please let me know what you guys think!