Inuyasha 1. Prologue

**Another Chance at Love  
Prologue: Hanaretemo...** Even if we are apart...

"No, don't go!" He whispered, with his keen golden eyes trained on her face.

"I have to, Sesshoumaru," the beautiful miko dressed in white and red said, looking back. "This is the only way to protect the world from the _Shikon no Tama_."

The tall white youkai closed his eyes and tried to release her hand. "No, Kagome! I cannot let you leave my side… not after… not after I finally…" His voice fell to a pained whisper. This cannot be happening, he told himself. They fought; they journeyed; they loved. It took the pair so long to realize what they had and now it was threatening to be erased. He could not let that happen.

"This is my duty," Kagome stated solemnly. Even though it was a flicker, sadness still shone in her bright eyes. "I will not run away from this. Accept it, Sesshoumaru. This is fate." She gently placed a hand on his as if for reassurance.

"No! I will not stand by and watch you be… killed! You are mine! I won't let anything take you from me!" He growled in desperation. The hour was fast approaching and he still had not convinced her. He brought his other hand up to touch her cheek and bring her to a soft kiss. He felt her melt against him but to suddenly stiffen and pull away.

"I'm sorry, my love, that I cannot belong to you only. Sesshoumaru, know this: you are everything to me. I love you. You taught me love. I will not forget this," she stroked the hand on her cheek with tenderness. "But I belong not to you only, even if I wish it to be so. I have to carry out what I was fated to do. The _Shikon no Tama_ must be destroyed and this is the only way I know how! I must do this for the sake of the people of this land… and, for you."

"I do not care about the world! I only need you! I do not approve of this. I will not permit it!" He was getting frustrated at the situation. Nothing he said will make her change her mind, it seems. _Do I have no choice but to watch the only person I will ever love die in front of my eyes?_ Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and tried to think of something else to say. Instead, he pulled her into a tight embrace and lowered his face into the crook of her neck.

Kagome, as if feeling his sadness and grief, wound her slim arms around to his back and gently stroked up and down. It was just as hard for her to part with him but she knew it was inevitable. "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru. If it were within my power, you know I would have done anything! But the _Shikon_ is just too dang—"

Not caring to hear the rest, Sesshoumaru shushed her by crushing her full lips with his own, as if in silent defeat. Kagome leaned into the kiss and cupped his face with her small hands. Sadness washed over the pair as they enjoyed the last moments together. Kagome gently pushed away and turned away, but not before shedding a single tear that fell on Sesshoumaru's outstretched hand.

The hour was near. Kagome walked steadily to the wooden pyre and let the villagers tie her to it. Without any last words, she nodded to the priestesses with the torches and closed her eyes. As the flames licked at her skin and singed her clothing, she thought only of Sesshoumaru. She knew he was probably standing at the edge of the forest looking at her. How painful it was for him, she thought, more than the physical pain of being burned alive. She prayed with her remaining breaths that the _Shikon no Tama_ would leave the world forever and end the horrible cycle of death it had wrought.

As the fire died down and the wind picked up her ashes, Sesshoumaru turned his heel to leave. Within a few steps, he felt a strange presence behind him. Turning his head, he gazed up at the glowing apparition of his love. Reaching out a hand to touch his face, Kagome smiled.

"Goodbye, my love," she whispered. "May we meet in another place in another time. I will not ask you to wait for me; but if we are fated to meet once more, please give me the chance to love you again." With that, Kagome's soul disappeared into the wind.


	2. Chapter 1

**Another Chance at Love**  
Chapter 1: Toki no nagare The passage of time

Sesshoumaru ran a slender, clawed hand through his impeccable head of silver tresses. He opened his eyes to adjust to his surroundings, finding himself sitting behind his stately mahogany desk in his office.

_That dream again._

He leaned back in his plush leather chair and contemplated on taking some aspirin. Not that the dream wasn't a pleasant one, it just happened to leave him agitated every time. Sesshoumaru stood up from his seated position to stand by the large floor to ceiling windows in his office. The sun was setting and he had a gorgeous view of metropolitan Tokyo from his position. _How the world has changed. It seemed like just yesterday that youkai roamed the lands and human cowered in fear of us._

"Kagome," he murmured, "when will you come back to me?" Sesshoumaru drummed his finger on a pane of glass and closed his eyes to reminisce. He could still hear her laughter as if she were right next to him. Even after centuries he still could not forget about the dark-haired miko. Their days together were short but their love was true. And so suddenly he lost her to that cursed _Shikon no Tama_. Sesshoumaru clenched his hand into a fist and punched the window. It had been 500 years, 500 long, lonely years without Kagome. _How many more years will I have to endure without her?_ Getting frustrated at this train of thought, Sesshoumaru turned swiftly and walked out of his office.

"Kaya, I'm leaving for the day." Sesshoumaru said brusquely as he walked past the cubicle outside his office.

"Uh, sir," the girl called after him in a hurry, "you do remember that you have an appointment tomorrow morning? The interview for the assistant in the Legal Department..."

"10AM. Make sure he's not late," Sesshoumaru grunted and stepped through the open elevator doors.

"Yes, sir. Have a good evening!" Kaya replied with a bow. "And it's a _she_..." as the elevator doors closed.

Sesshoumaru stepped out of the elevator and located his car in the basement garage. Climbing in and starting the engine almost mechanically, he sped off into the Tokyo rush hour traffic.

* * *

Kagome finished unpacking the last of her boxes and stood up to look around her new apartment. It was a tad too small for her tastes, but she just could not afford anything bigger. _Apartments in Tokyo sure are tight! Such a difference from the States._ The phone rang and Kagome dove through a pile of books to answer it.

"Hi, mama," she said cheerfully. "Yeah, I'm all unpacked. I'll be right over for dinner!" She hung up the phone and searched for her keys and purse. With one last glance at her new home, she locked the door and bounded down the street to the train station.

Dinner with her family was delightful. Kagome had been studying abroad for the past few years and had been many times homesick. Just sitting at the dining room table and digging into a bowl of her mom's homemade _nikujaga_ _1_ filled her with a sense of nostalgia and comfort. _Ahh, it feels so good to be back._ As she ate, she filled them in on her experiences in the United States and commented on how Tokyo has changed in the few years she was gone.

Law school had been tough but Kagome persevered. It was an once-in-a-lifetime scholarship opportunities and she just could not turn it down. With the declining income the shrine was making, Kagome was resolved in getting a good education so she could find a well-paying job. She had graduated not over a month ago and came back to Japan almost immediately to start her job search. Tomorrow would be her first interview, and with the very prestigious Teiou _2_ Corporation at that. It was one of the leading companies in Japan, run by none other than the business mogul Amamoto _3_ Sesshoumaru. Even with three summers of internships at leading law firms in New York City under her belt, Kagome was nervous about the interview. How she even got it in the first place was a mystery to her; most companies don't hire out to recent graduates in this time of the year.

With much encouragement and good luck hugs from her mom, little brother, and aging grandfather, Kagome went home to her apartment for a good night's rest before the big day.

* * *

Kagome awoke early the next morning, wanting a calm start to what's going to be a nerve-wracking day. After showering and scrubbing her skin clean, she went on to get dressed in a pristinely pressed, plain black pinstripe skirt suit. She flipped the collar of her new white shirt out and made sure to leave the first button open. Adorning her ears with simple diamond studs and graceful neck with a simple string of ivory pearls, she looked more the part than she felt. After some light blush to her cheeks and simple liner and mascara for her eyes, she took one last look in the mirror and was out the door, ready to face anything that comes at her.

Across the city, Sesshoumaru sat regally in his expensive leather chair with a cup of espresso and a few sheets of paper. His nose crinkled as he read through the resume of the interviewee. "_This guy doesn't have much experience but at least he makes up for it with credentials,_" he thought as he put down the stack and closed his eyes. He had been restless since the day before and had not gotten much shut eye because of that. He put two long fingers to his temples and made circles. It was going to be a long day.

A timid knock on the door drew Sesshoumaru out of his motions. It was his secretary, Kaya. He looked expectantly at her and waited for her words. Kaya shifted uncomfortably and hesitated before informing him that the interviewee has arrived. He waved a hand as signal to bring the candidate in and proceeded to stand up for the greeting. With a half-bored expression on his face, he prepared to meet what he thought would be an arrogant 24-year-old who thought he was on top of the world because he graduated top of the class from Yale Law.

What he didn't expect to see was a pair of sleek black pumps and slender, panty hosed legs.

And as his eyes traveled up to the face of who he thought was a supposed "male" interview candidate, he almost stopped breathing. How very unexpected, indeed.

There before him stood a petite young woman with full lips and bright eyes. _Just how I remembered them._ Sesshoumaru unconsciously reached out with his hand, as if to cup her face. He could not believe his eyes, the very eyes that have served him for almost a millennium and never missed their target. For the first and only time in his life, the great Taiyoukai Sesshoumaru was at a loss of words.

Kagome stared strangely at the man standing in front of her. It looked as if he had the wind knocked out of him. Not thinking more about it, she took his outstretched hand for a handshake. _That's why he offered, right?_

The moment their hands touched felt like someone had stopped time. There stood only him and her with eyes glued to each other. Kagome's fingertips felt like a million volts just ran through them and yet she didn't... _couldn't_, pull her hand away. Something was very nostalgic about his gaze. Was it his molten amber eyes? Or the swirl of some mysterious emotion that hid in them? Or was it the magnetic pull she felt that catapulted her body to his? Whatever it was, she could not comprehend it. But, it felt so... _right_.

For Sesshoumaru, it was something totally different. It was her. _Her_. **Kagome**. Was the dream from the previous day a premonition? It had to be. Just when he was thinking of her the most, she appears in front of him. All those years he was searching for her, and there she was, standing in front of him, looking like she did 500 years ago. He knew that he would find her again; he was certain of that fact. But he didn't know when and he didn't know that she would look just as she did, still so delicate, so beautiful… and so pure. It was like he had his soul back again.

"Higurashi Kagome," Kagome managed as she gave his hand a firm shake. She stared strangely at her interviewer, for his eyes looked distantly at her.

Sesshoumaru was shaken from his daze and mumbled his greetings. He waved disinterestedly at Kaya and silently willed his nerves to peace. He didn't know how he could get through this interview with her being the candidate but he had to try. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by. He found her, or rather, they found each other, a whole five centuries since her death and he definitely wasn't letting this go.

* * *

_1_ Nikujaga: a beef stew with potatoes and other vegetables. Very yummy!  
_2_ Teiou, written 帝王, meaning "emperor"  
_3_ Amamoto, written 天本, meaning "from the skies (or heavens)" 


End file.
