Crossing Paths

Sequel to The Path We Walk

Ever wonder what happened to Sesshoumaru and Kagome after the night he got her to submit? Well here's the answer in the long awaited sequel to The Path we Walk, Crossing Paths!

AN: Hey guys here it is the sequel to The Path we Walk! Not sure if this is what you readers were wanting but when I sat down to write, this is what I got. And I had been wanting to do an Inuyasha one-shot anyways, so this gave me the chance. Hope you enjoy. :)

Edited 02/21/08

Crossing Paths

Two figures stood upon the hillside, their bodies silhouetted by the setting sun that had almost completely sunk behind the mountains in the distance. The wind pick up around them, causing their hair to be blown out behind them and one of the figures, a female, reached a long, slender hand up to brush the strains that had fallen into her eyes behind her ear.

Glancing around the clearing in front of her, she could see the incoming hordes. Two different sides, both fighting for the same thing, yet unable to look past their differences to band together. A goal that neither side had any right to speak of.

To the north she could see countless humans charging toward what would soon be a battlefield. Miko, houshi, samurai and farmer alike all rushed toward what very well might be their death. Bows, staffs, swords and even pitchforks and hoes poised and ready to strike their enemies dead.

To the south was rivers of demons and mindless youkai. For probably the first and last time in history, banding together and following one leader. Demons who were normally too prideful to take commands from anyone, were taking them now as if it were nothing.

And for what? For that which they seek to prevent? When they had no rights to say whether it should come to be or not. Who were they to say that a miko could not be mated to a demon lord? To start this war, that would undoubtedly end with many pointless deaths, just to stop this union.

Behind her the woman could hear their few allies left preparing themselves for the battle they all know is coming. It is merely a matter of time. Glancing over her shoulder, she spots the lords and other allies that had fought beside her once before. Some even on many occasions.

She does her best to give them a reassuring smile before turning back to face what would soon be a field soaked in human and demon blood alike. “Sesshoumaru there is something I must tell you before this happens.” she told him barely above a whisper as she glanced up to the demon at her side.

“And what is that mate?” he questioned as he turned his bright, golden eyes to her. But she was unable to answer as her mind had begun to fill her thoughts with images of the past. Showing her just what it was that brought them to this day.

2 years ago

The next morning, after being mated to Sesshoumaru, Kagome followed through with her decision and handed him the Tessaiga. His only response was of course a raised eyebrow and she simply replied that she no longer needed it. And that it should remain in his family since it was his father's fang. He agreed and told her he would give it to his heir when the time came.

Within a week of mating, their closest allies and friends all came to the castle to celebrate with them. Sango and Miroku came from the slayers' villager bringing with them Lady Kaede. Kouga brought along Ayame, who he had finally decided to mate after the battle with Tadashii was over, and of course Ginta and Hakkaku were with them.

Lord Chikara and Lord Kaigaishii arrived with their mates, whom Kagome had not been able to meet during the battle. Even Totosai and Myoga showed up, though the former stayed as far from Sesshoumaru as he could. They had a small but beautiful ceremony for their friends and allies.

But that was when the peace ended. Half way into the gathering a lesser lord, that had shown up on his own, spat at the couple swearing it would be their down fall. He was escorted out and the party resumed, but the thought remained heavily on everyone's mind.

Would others make a big deal of this as well? They received their answer a little over a month later. A small group of Sesshoumaru's army deflected and tried to kill the Lady of the West, only to be cut down by her and Sesshoumaru.

And it didn't stop there, less than two months later, assassins began showing up whenever Sesshoumaru was away on patrol, trying to kill Kagome. It never worked, they weren't even close, but still the attempts continued over a course of a year.

It wasn't until Kagome announced that she was pregnant with the heir that the attacks ceased for some time. Sesshoumaru had refused to leave her side once he had learned of her condition, and it seemed none were stupid enough to try with him around.

It wasn't until after Kagome had given birth to a health hanyou boy, that they discovered what was really going on and why she had been under attack. It would seem that a large group, of both human and demon, didn't like the fact that the taiyoukai of the west had mated the Shikon no Miko.

It was close to the mark of the second year that they learned groups on both sides had been forming up to attack them. So they rallied their armies, their allies and their friends and took up arms for the upcoming battle. It was only a matter of time before the three sides met and faced off in a bloody war.

Shaking her head to clear her wandering thoughts, Kagome glanced back up at the regal demon lord standing at her side. “In the two years that we have been mated, I realized that there is something that I have never said to you Sesshoumaru. And it needs to be said just in case. I love you.”

Sesshoumaru gazed down at his mate for a few moments before letting a rare, genuine smile grace his lips. “And I you mate. Even if not in the way humans seek, in my own way I do.” he replied softly as he leaned down to brush his lips lightly against her own.

Behind them they could hear cheers and cat calls from their allies, but paid them no mind. This moment was for the two of them alone, to them they were the only ones that mattered in that brief moment.

Glancing back out at the soon to be battlefield, they could see the two groups about to collide and head toward them. Sesshoumaru raised his head, signaling with a loud bark, that the battle was about to begin. All around them, their demon allies took to their natural forms even as Sesshoumaru took the form of a large, white dog.

He glanced down at Kagome, before lowering himself so she could climb onto his back, and as he raised himself gave a loud growl to the others. It was time to meet the battle head on. As Sesshoumaru charged toward the waiting armies, he could hear the others hot on his tail.

The battle lasted for hours on end, sending humans and demons alike to the point of exhaustion. Sesshoumaru had returned to his 'human' form switching to fight with his sword rather than paws. Kagome had long run out of arrows and instead used her bow as a makeshift staff.

Though Kouga and Ayame were still going strong, most of the wolves that had joined them had slowed down, unable to fight at their full strength any more. Sango and Miroku rested for a few minutes as they tended to each other's cuts, before heading back into the battle once more.

Even Chikara and Kaigaishii had started to seem slightly worn out, though they did not let it stop them from continuing on fighting the seemingly endless horde of enemies.

Finally the moment they had all been waiting for had arrived. Both of the enemy leaders had fallen, one to Sesshoumaru's sword and the other to Kouga's claws. The opposing armies had finally dwindled down to a few stray stragglers, the rest either dead, lying injured on the ground or having had already ran from the battle.

Breathing a sigh of relief as she wiped off her brow, Kagome glanced around the battlefield until she spotted Sesshoumaru. Once she caught his gaze with her own, she sent him a bright smile before running to him.

As she jumped into his arms, and he wrapped them around her waist, she couldn't help but feel sorry for anyone else who decided to come up against them in the future. She hoped others would learn that they wouldn't be able to break them apart, but she knew there would always be those that were stupid enough to try.

Almost 500 years later

“So what happened next onee-chan?” Souta questioned when Kagome paused to glance over at her mate with a smile.

“That will have to be saved for another day. You need to get some sleep so you can be up for school tomorrow and I need to get the kids to bed.” Kagome told him with a smile, ignoring his whine, as she stood and grabbed her two youngest in her arms.

Glancing around the room she smiled at each of her present day family before turning to look at the family she had created over the last 500 years with her mate Sesshoumaru. Other than their heir, she had also give birth to three girls, and her youngest two, twins boys.

With one last smile at her mate, Kagome turned and headed upstairs to put the boys to bed. After tucking them in, she turned around and headed out of the room to find Rin coming up the stairs. Rin had mated Shippo, extending her life span to his, and Kagome was thankful she didn't have to watch another of her humans friends grow old.

And even though she still miss Kaede, Sango and Miroku, she knew that they had lived long, happy lives and she knew she couldn't ask for more. Giving Rin a smile, she passed her by and headed toward her bedroom, knowing soon her mate would be up to join her after seeing to the others getting to bed.