Live Long by Luna C.

Live Long

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

It was the time of the cherry blossoms when his wife laid on her deathbed.

It started as a mere cold and at the time he thought nothing of it, thinking she would overcome it like the other previous times. But the illness prolonged from weeks into months, her body in a constant state of fatigue and weakness. Days where she usually frolicked outside were riddled with bed rest, warm soup and herbal medicines. He even summoned his personal physician, but it was futile, this illness was unknown and recovery seemed impossible. He briefly thought of using Tenseiga, but the blade wouldn’t work once a person resigned to their fate.

This particular day, it seemed that her illness had worsen. Each shuddering breath robbed his own, his throat feeling tight as the situation hung tensely in the air, a gloom that enshrouded the castle.

He lightly grasped her hand, kneeling before the futon, disheartened as Kagome struggled to breath, coughing a bit and settling down. This was repeated several times within the silence. He didn’t know what to say, only the piercing silence unnerved him. Kagome has always been lively, wallowing in sorrow was not what he intended for her final days.  

She needed some sunlight, the room dark and dreary, so he opened the shoji doors that led out to the private garden behind her quarters letting in light, before immediately returning to her side, once again grasping the cold hand of his beloved. He rubbed them, hoping to bring back the warmth and her color, tired of seeing her a sickly pale hue.

He was being selfish, but he was a selfish creature, not wanting to let go of the one being that made him see the light, the one woman who gave birth and love their pups with a tender care, the human he, of all demons, feel in love with. When Tenseiga didn’t work, he became frustrated and angry. Angry at the fact that Kagome was giving up, not even putting up a fight against this illness and frustrated that the blade didn’t work despite her wishes. He sworn to protect her and yet this was one thing that he couldn’t undo or prevent.

He felt utterly helpless.

“Why are you giving up Kagome?” He whispered, his bangs hiding his eyes. The tightening of her hand brought him out of his thoughts, hopeful at the sign of her actions, that she was on the road to recovery. She weakly opened her eyes, once azure-hued were now pale, though wizened with the experience of life. She turned her head in his direction, not really seeing him, almost looking through him.

“I never thought this would have happen.” She said, her voice raspy which caused her to cough again to make it clear. Sesshomaru curled his fingers around her long hair, the ends brittle, another sign of her disorientating state. She used to care for her hair a lot, always whining how beautiful and shiny his hair was without any modern necessities. How he wished he could hear her complain once more about it. “Forever is a misconception.” She chuckled.

“I could have saved you, why did you refuse me?” Did Kagome truly wish this? Did she wanted to escape him, no longer content of remaining by his side?

A gentle, grim smile graced her pale face, the dark circles around her eyes prominent even though she constantly asleep all day. “You can’t stop time, you can make it look pretty, but inside remains unhindered.”

Sesshomaru was puzzled, bewildered that the magic he spent looking for a year and procured from a sorcerer didn’t work on her, but yet, how can one explain her youthful appearance, the fact that this illness appeared out of the blue.  

“I can tell how much longer I have before I depart from this world.” Kagome sighed, “My only regret is leaving you and our children.”

“I can prevent this, just give me more time to seek another sorcerer.” He wasn’t thinking rationally, too grief-stricken when his wife was laying on her death bed, her hand chilled as a winter day. If there was any cure on this land, he would instantly give up his title as lord so he could see Kagome smile once more, to skip around carefree, to get into witty banters with him.

Kagome merely shook her head weakly. “I lived these past hundred years in bliss, I’m glad that I feel in love and married you, Sesshomaru.” She said, her voice wavering as her grip started to become weak in his grasp. His hand tightened, unwilling to make this the last moment together, unwilling to accept reality.

“Kagome, rest, you are wasting too much energy.” He started pulling the covers up to her chin, tucking in the edges to keep her comfortable. Another coughing attack racked her body, wheezing after it was over.

“I will never truly be dead, my physical form will cease to exist, but my soul will continue throughout the millenniums and always in your heart.” She gave a teary smile. “We will see each other again, in a different time, in a different place, in a different world.” She whispered, closing her eyes, exhausted from speaking more than her body was capable of.

The next day, when the first blossom fell from the cherry trees, Kagome died, a delicate smile on her youthful face.

Sesshomaru issued an elaborate procession for her, dressed in a silky white kimono and her hair tidily fixed and styled. Despite the fact she was dead, she looked beautiful, the spell persevering her appearance as they slowly walked down the steps into the ancestors’ tomb, a single lily placed daintily between her hands.  

It has been some centuries since her death, his sadness still prevalent on his mind as he visited the same tomb with their children, a bouquet of her favorite flowers in hand. They stood outside the stone door, taking away the withered flowers and replacing them with the freshly arranged lilies. One by one, each pressed a hand on the weathered cravings on the door, finding a bit of solace in the memory of their deceased mother.

Sesshomaru was last and the pups walked away, leaving him alone as he stared at the door, his eyes dark with a subtle melancholy. He could clearly remember and hear her sweet voice as she spoke her last words before she went to sleep, never to awake the following day. It devastated him. He touched the door, tracing the upper groves as he was lost in his memories.

“Sesshomaru… live long and well.”

Only for you Kagome, as your last wish, I'll continue to live.

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Prompt: There is no death, only a change of worlds
Word Count: 1115