Shifting by Elle Jene

three.

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AN: This is written as a standalone piece, but can be considered a companion to a chapter story  I’m working on, "The Bond." These events take place between the end of that story and its epilogue. There is a very small spoiler for that story, but I hope it can be enjoyed on its own!

I own none of these lovely characters. 

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She was falling again.

She let out an exasperated sigh and went limp in the slipstream of time and space she was tumbling through.

The first time it happened she ended up underwater. The time after that she landed hard on her ass. She’d been fighting it, seething with anger that the universe appeared hellbent on torturing her with this seemingly pointless journey of starts and stops.

So she decided this time she’d go limp and see if that helped ease the impact of the pull into the next reality.

It did not.

She felt the tug within her soul and sensed herself being disaggregated atom by atom, sliding through a crack in spacetime. 

The heaviness of her physical form was the signal that she’d entered a new realm. No longer weightless like a stray feather on a breeze, she tumbled to the ground and rolled inelegantly into two booted feet.

She lay there unmoving, not out of fear,  rather, out of spite. 

This is so fucking annoying.

“How dare this filthy human appear out of thin air to soil the feet of his Lordship!” A squawking, high pitched voice pierced her eardrums. “Get up, wench and bow before Lord Sesshomaru properly!” 

As she was about to spring up and fry the little kappa, she heard him speak. His voice was clear and toneless but somehow deadly.

“Miko.”

She knew what he wanted. 

“Sesshomaru,” she answered, “...Sama,” she added quickly.

Lifting herself up onto her knees, she began to dust off her crumpled blue yukata and finally looked up to meet his eyes.

He was staring down at her with an all too familiar expression. Her eyes softened. She was sure he would never be able to hide his curiosity from her again. If only she were ever allowed to settle in one place long enough to find out.

“You want to know why I appeared out of thin air, correct?”

He nodded his head.

“And do you know who I am? Have we met?” She asked curiously.

“No.”

“Oh,” She tapped her chin pensively. “I don’t know when we are now, but if this is the past, well your past, then I can say that you and I are allies - or we will be.”

He stared at her. She tried to read his face but this version was even more stoic and suppressed than he was when she first met him. 

“Ah. I haven’t answered your question!” She realized he was waiting. “Well, I think I’m stuck in some sort of time stream...”

She stood up and he held his stance. The idiot kappa, however, stumbled backward at her abrupt motion, cowering behind his lord. She figured it didn’t help that she had not bothered to rein in her aura.

She sighed. 

“Look, I know you can tell that I’m not lying. I don’t really know why, but I’ve been falling through time and space - more often than I usually do. The only constant is that every time I escape the stream, I run into you. Quite literally, at times. I seem to be landing in different parts of your life.”

He continued to stare at her but she could see he was discreetly taking in her scent. 

“Is your father alive?”

He bristled. It was barely noticeable, but she caught it.

“I’m just trying to establish when I am. I am sorry for your loss. I presume it has happened recently?”

His eyes narrowed. 

“I never met him - well not really. But I’m very familiar with his legacy.”

He stepped closer. “What could a ningen miko know of the Great Dog General’s legacy, as you call it.”

She stood her ground. She was not afraid of him, even this past, less open-hearted version was endearing to her. Besides, if she cowered now, he’d lose the mild interest he held in her.

“I know of his three swords - of heaven, hell and earth - and I know of his other son.”

At this he growled and stepped closer. “That half-breed is no son of the house of the Moon.”

“Perhaps not, but wishes don’t make the existence of your half-brother less true, Sesshomaru... Sama.” She held his gaze, endeavoring to show no fear or hesitation.

He leaned in, closing the small distance between them, he sniffed her neck. Something had caught his attention and she knew it was not going to be easy for him, especially not at this time in his life.

“What is the meaning of this?” He snarled, “What spell has allowed you to host my scent?”

“Read me carefully, Sesshomaru. It’s not just your scent I bear - it is something more, is it not?”

He hesitated at her words, as if he knew what she implied and didn’t want proof. But she knew his curiosity would win out. 

He hated not knowing.

“How is this possible?” It was a question, but came off as more of a demand.

“Do you actually want to know the truth? Or do you want me to lie to you?”

He glared at her.

“Truth.”

She nodded. 

“I am from the future. Your future.” 

She paused to check his expression. To anyone else he would appear bored, but she could see in the slight shift in his pupils and the set of his jaw that he was wrapt.

“I’m sure you can sense that I am a powerful priestess. But when you meet me, I will think I’m nothing more than a useless girl with a small spark of reiki. I will be completely out of my depth, having had no formal training.” She paused and smiled, “I manage to get one up on you, though.”

He scoffed.

She continued. 

“We start as enemies but in time, circumstances change and we agree to assist each other in a mutual quest. The world as we know it hangs in the balance. You and I are both honorable beings with the power needed to make things right. We collaborate. As equals,” she emphasized the last word.

He huffed and turned away from her. She knew it was a sign of disrespect and wanted to zap him with her powers for it. But she was more mature now than the girl she once was, so she held back. She tried to summon all of her compassion.

“If it is as you say, how long before I meet you?” He asked without ever turning around.

“I think about 200 years. Give or take  50.”

“ I will plan to kill you then.”

She laughed. “You can try. In fact, you do try. Several times!” 

He turned back to her, brow raised.

“It didn’t take.” She was smiling at him.

In his flattest tone he asked, “What is to stop me from killing you now?”

“I don’t know, Sesshomaru, what is there to stop you?” She taunted. 

He growled at her antics, obviously annoyed that his intimidation tactics weren’t working. 

In a single flash of speed, he lifted her off the ground by her neck and slammed her into the nearest tree. She was momentarily stunned but her ire rose at his rash behavior. 

Glaring at him, she placed a hand on his wrist and began to slowly burn him with angry purification, just enough to let him know she wouldn’t be pushed around.

His eyes widened at the sensation, but he maintained his deadly glare. After a moment, he loosened his grip enough for her to speak, but remained poised to kill should he change his mind. 

She held her ground. “I can’t outrun you, but I could probably put up a good fight. Maybe I could hold you off long enough to slip back into the time stream. Since this started happening I don’t seem to get much time with you,” she smiled and added a sultry tone to her voice, “Ironic, given we were just settling in for a long night...” She knew it was probably a mistake to tease him again but the thought of what she was missing had her a little bothered.

He was looking at her more intently now, no doubt trying to get a handle on the truth of her statement. She figured he noticed the involuntary flush in her cheeks. He always had that effect on her. 

Finally, he dropped her, snarling in apparent disgust, and she crumpled to the ground. Whether his distaste was for her or himself, she did not know. 

Not letting her annoyance show, she hopped back up and dusted herself off, once again turning to face him. She noticed that he had allowed his sleeve to fall over his burned wrist, hiding the damage she’d done from her view. 

She watched him look her up and down and finally felt a little confidence slip. She squirmed a bit and tried to smooth the rumpled garment she wore. It had been through a lot since she’d put it on that fateful night 200 or so years from where she stood now.

“You are suddenly concerned about what This One thinks of your state of dress?” 

“No! Well, yes... just... don’t judge me based on this. We were getting ready for... bed... when I was torn away. I’ve been traipsing through time for, well I don’t know how many days. I haven’t had a proper bath or been able to change my clothes.”

He seemed to consider her for a moment then nodded.

“Jaken, remain here.”

As the kappa expressed his assurances, the Western Lord spun on his heels and swiftly walked away. She stood there for a moment before realizing he meant for her to follow.

———

They walked for 20 or 30 minutes in complete silence, though she could feel confusion and frustration rolling around in his aura.

She longed to touch him, draw him close and soothe the frayed edges as she would do many times  in his future. But she couldn’t. So she tried to choke back the sentimentality for once, a difficult feat for one of her nature. If she ever got back to her version of him, she was sure they’d have a good laugh at his former self. 

She was so deep in her thoughts of the future version of him that she didn’t catch the present version stopping short. 

“Ooof,” she groaned, pulling her palms up to peel herself out of his back.

“You take liberties with This One’s person that have not yet been granted, Miko.”

“Sorry. If it makes you feel any better I was thinking of you,” she said smilingly. 

“Not me now.”

“No, my you. A different you, I suppose.”

“Hnn.”

“Though, not that different,” she beamed up at the familiar noncommittal reply he often teased her with.

He seemed to consider her smiling face for a moment too long. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he tilted his head to the left. 

“There is a heated stream in that direction. You may bathe.”

Her eyes widened before a smile lit up her entire face.

“Thank you, Sess...” she reconsidered, “Thank you.” She scurried off. 

Even if he means to abandon me, at least I’ll be clean! 

- - - 

She sat beneath the water, relishing the warmth sinking into her bones when she heard him return. He carried a parcel with him. 

Without thinking she rose from the stream, stark naked and making no attempt to shy away from his appraisal of her body. She knew exactly how much he liked every dip and curve and she wasn’t ashamed to give him a glimpse of his future. She noticed his eyes linger on a particularly nasty scar at her side.

She took the parcel from him and began to unwrap the silk on a nearby rock. As she carefully unfolded the garments, she felt the heat of his aura appear behind her. Long, clawed fingers gently traced over the proof of her first battle in the feudal era. 

When they were laying together at night, safe in each other's arms, she often felt his hand find its way to that spot. 

She had come to love how his gentle, calloused fingers mapped her scars. She had two theories as to why he was slightly obsessed with the bite mark. First, it was a reminder of how strong she was to survive so much. Second, and in her mind the more likely theory, it was a reminder of how fragile life is. How easy it is to lose someone important to you.

“It was a youkai, my first battle. Your brother saved my life.”

“Half-brother.”

She chuckled, turning her head to peer at him over her shoulder. 

“Not so different from my version of you.”

He looked into her eyes. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of her mate. But right when her breath hitched, he broke the spell. 

“Dress.” He didn’t even give her a chance to say thank you before taking off into the forest.

- - - 

When he returned to the small clearing, he found she had made a fire and make-shift drying rack for the yukata she’d apparently rinsed off.  She was nestled at the base of a tree, knees drawn up to her chest, resting with a bright pink barrier surrounding her small frame. 

He walked over to it. The power she emitted was unfathomable to him.  Questions arose in his mind. 

How could a ningen miko contain such power? 

Was she truly his? 

Why?

He was still reeling from the death of his father just months earlier. On patrol to secure and reinforce his borders, he’d been surprised to see her appear in front of his eyes, flung like a rag doll at his feet. He had planned to step around her and be on his way but felt compelled to investigate when he felt her strange aura surround him. 

He was astonished when he scented his own youki twined with her reiki and the hint of the offspring growing inside her. 

Now here he was, standing before his mate. 

A miko from the future.

Impossible. 

Yet, he felt obligated to help her, only because for now, he could not deny what his own senses told him was true. 

Could this be a spell of some kind? 

Surely there were many who knew of his honored father’s demise. But none, save a very few knew about all three swords and even fewer knew about the half-inu babe still clutching his mother’s breast.

It was then he realized he did not even know her name.

“Miko.”

She roused, and blinking open her eyes, her whole body softened at the sight of him. She dropped the barrier and stood, stretching.

The sight of her in his clothes elicited a desire to purr. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone for long, so he simply retrieved an unopened spare parcel of clothes he kept within the saddle bags of his dragon steed. She had managed to make something decent with the haori and obi, and he noted how well the hexagonal pattern of the collar looked between tendrils of her curling onyx hair.

He resisted the urge. 

“You hunted!” She exclaimed excitedly, “rabbit is my favorite, thank you.” She touched a hand to his arm as she grabbed the kill from his grasp, and started to stand on her toes to lean in for a kiss. But she caught herself, and flushed while she apologized.

He found he didn’t like it.

He watched her spit two of the rabbits above the fire, and pause before skewering the third. 

“Did you eat?” She questioned, looking into the golden eyes that hadn’t left her form the entire evening.

“This One does not eat human food.”

“I know that, silly. Did you want one for yourself?” She responded, shaking her head.

“I have no need for sustenance at this time.” He lied. He just couldn’t bring himself to accept anything from her. He suspected she knew.

“Suit yourself. Will Jaken or Ah-Un be joining us?”

She knew the names of his steed. “I have sent them ahead.”

She did not miss his use of first person, but she simply hummed her acknowledgement as she continued to spit the final rabbit. She was thankful he’d cleaned them before he handed them over. She had no knife or claws to help her, after all.

A while later she was sated and banking the fire to prepare for the night. She had no idea how much longer she had in this time nor how much longer he’d tolerate her.

Now, to sleep...

She felt her yukata. It was mostly dry, but so stiff. It would have to do for a makeshift blanket.

She settled back against the tree, gave him a long last look and said, “ good night, Sesshomaru.”

He simply nodded and continued staring.

He watched as she curled in on herself, seeking comfort and warmth where neither could be found. He felt the pinch of an insect on his neck, or was it a stray spark from the fire... he paid it little mind as he was busy deciding to do something very uncharacteristic. 

He sighed and gracefully rose to his feet. He sauntered over to his apparent mate and in one swift movement, scooped her up and sat back down with her in his lap.

She stared at him lovingly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and untied his armor. Lifting off the heavy items with a practiced hand, she settled back into him, one arm around his waist, the other fisted in the fabric at his chests. 

He watched her gaze up at him, so at ease in his presence. He marveled at the novelty. 

She had told him he tried to kill her when they met. Yet now, powerful being that she was in her own right, she settled against the Killing Perfection as if he were no more than a fine futon.

It should have bothered him. 

It did not.

He held her gaze, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him. He leaned forward, and as if she knew what he wanted, she met him halfway.

Their lips pressed together, softly, gently they moved in unison. But after only a few short, light kisses, her hands moved to his face, thumbs deftly sweeping over his markings. 

Trails of heat followed the path of her fingers as he, Lord of the Western Lands, turned to putty under her ministrations. Her fingers flew to exactly where he would have wanted them and she pressed herself closer.

Their kisses became breathless and feverish. He drew her in, gliding hands up her back, eventually fingering the hair at the nape of her neck and lightly tugging her head back, exposing her neck and shoulder as the collar of the too-large garment had begun to slip away. 

She was compliant, eager to let him lead. 

Until she wasn’t. 

He never would have expected the thrill that shot down his spine when she shifted her body in his hold to straddle his lap. From this new position, she nearly had him pinned to the tree as she trailed her tongue along his jawline, pausing to draw the tip of his pointed ear into her mouth. 

Smirking, she slipped beneath the folds of his kimono and slid small hands across his chest, all the while claiming his lips in fervent desire. 

Every touch of her skin or tongue or lips on his felt like lightning building up in his veins.

“Sesshomaru- “ she whispered his name into his mouth and he felt his blood heat, scorching him from the inside out. 

“Mate.” He breathed out, leaning forward to kiss her neck.

She giggled.

He looked up at her, confused.

She planted a chaste kiss upon his mouth and leaned back up to his ear to whisper...

“Kagome.”

He mouthed it silently before grabbing her by the shoulders, holding her still. There was something so familiar about that name. He needed to see her face when she heard him say it.

“Kagome,” he repeated. He gained all the information he needed right then. This was real. She was his, and he could see why he was hers.

Her eyes went glossy with unshed tears as the scent of her relief flared in his sensitive nose. 

“You believe me!” 

“I do.”

She leaned forward to kiss him, this time it was something between the soft, gentle caress they started with and the licentious exchange of a moment ago.

She set her head upon his chest above his heart.

He could hear her own begin to still until they were beating almost in unison.

He listened more closely. He could hear the smallest thrumming of energy from the pup growing inside her.

He felt her nestle closer, and instinctively wrapped his mokomoko around her shoulders, anchoring her in place.

He did not know what would come to pass that would make this creature desire and... love him so. He simply hoped he’d be worthy of her when it happened.

“Sleep, Kagome.”

He felt her nod her head and listened as her heartbeat slowed, even as the tinier one she carried continued at a steady pace.

A pink barrier sprung up around them and he reveled in the closeness for a moment before he closed his eyes, only intending to rest.

———

Morning rays of sunlight pierced the black and his eyes fluttered open. It took him a moment to get his bearings. 

A moment...

A miko.

A mate. 

She was no longer in his arms. 

Gone.

No trace that she even existed, but for the fire pit, the rabbits and a simple blue yukata. 

He rose and clutched the garment to his face, trying to memorize the scent that was uniquely hers.

He thought back to her words.

200 years. Give or take 50.

He could wait.