Chapter Twenty Five:

Epilogue

Year 4800 Common Era

The law of conservation of mass states that nothing is created nor destroyed, only transformed. The Shikon no Tama wasn't destroyed, but it was transformed into something other inside of Kagome.

Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and drew her close to his side. They were visiting with his mother in her sky palace. The Lady had her musicians playing in the background. She'd become more senile in her old age. Instead of that making her less intimidating, it made her scarier. Sesshoumaru and Kagome were the only living beings safe in her presence. She couldn't kill them even if she did lash out — which she often did to her guests.

It wouldn't be long before his mother lost the will to continue living, as most youkai eventually did should they live long enough. A powerful youkai would stopped aging physically, but mentally the strain could be too much. Sesshoumaru was thirty-five hundred years old and yet he looked the same now as he did when he was a youthful five hundred years old.

Sesshoumaru and Kagome chose the role of guardians for themselves. They remained involved in the lives of mankind and the surviving youkai for centuries, but now they were mere observers. Their place in history had been served. Several five hundred year cycles had occurred and there had been no re-emergence of the battle for the Jewel of Four Souls. It seemed that Kagome had truly merged with the entity.

The humans and youkai experienced great transitions on their world's environment — a mini-ice age had frozen good portions of the northern hemisphere. The humans learned to harness solar power and had colonized the neighboring planet of mars. Sesshoumaru and Kagome had adventured to the red planet for their seven hundred year anniversary.

Kilik had grown into a powerful man. He possessed a magic that was part of his very existence due to his creation in the Meidou. He still lived, though he had aged. His days were spent in the Netherworld where he was one of the Lords of the Dead. While their adopted son Shippo kept the Western Lands and the realm of the youkai in check in the living world, their biological son Kilik kept order in the underworld. The ability to govern seemed to come naturally to their children.

"What are you thinking?" Kagome asked.

"Nothing in particular," Sesshoumaru answered. "I'm merely observing as we always do these days." Two centuries had passed since they had actively interfered in human affairs. The temptation for them to interfere in the lives on their friends' descendants was too great. "I'm just thinking about how an incident that was originally a nightmare — losing my youkai blood resulted in this." He gestured between the two of them with his free hand.

"You're still thinking on that?" Kagome asked. She nudged him gently in the ribs. "Then I suppose I could lament my loss of humanity."

"It's just interesting how your entire sense of self can be altered when you discover the truth of something even more important," Sesshoumaru said.

One's self cannot be defined by one's achievements. Sesshoumaru learned that the hard way. He discovered that a person is defined not only by their past actions and their achievements, but most importantly by their loved ones and by the lives on which they had an impact.

"Stop being philosophical, dear. Sesshoumaru the Philosopher was old five centuries ago," Kagome said with a laugh. She twisted around so that she was facing Sesshoumaru and looped her arms around his neck. She pulled his face down to meet hers and claimed his lips like she'd done countless times before.

Sesshoumaru nipped her bottom lip, causing his wife to pull away from him with another laugh. "Now, settle down. We're about to visit my mother. We'll need our wits about us if we're to survive this ordeal with our sanity intact," he warned.

"You're so melodramatic," Kagome said slipping her arm around his waist.

"Oh please, you're the overly dramatic one," Sesshoumaru argued. He kissed the top of Kagome's dark hair and then knocked on the front door of his mother's palace.

The Lady of the Sky Palace opened the doors while Sesshoumaru's knuckle was still poised against it. She grinned a toothy smile at them, her fangs prominently displayed. She wore her traditional white and purple gowns. Her long, snow-white hair fell down her back in a mass of tangles. "My darling children!" she greeted reaching out for them and drawing them against her in a group hug.

Sesshoumaru and Kagome glanced at each other as they suffered the Lady's crushing embrace. Had they been frail mortal bodies she'd have broken their ribs. Kagome smiled at him, and while Sesshoumaru didn't exactly smile, his eyes crinkled at the corners in amusement.

"Mother, we haven't been children for thousands of years," Sesshoumaru said in a patronizing tone — he could tell it was patronizing because of the looks both Kagome and his mother gave him.

"How's my grandson? Is the Underworld treating him right? Do I need to go down there and voice my opinion?"

"Kilik is fine, mother," Sesshoumaru said with a sigh. "And you'll visit him soon enough. Why don't you invite us inside?"

"Yes, yes, come inside, children. Have you met my musicians?"

Kagome reached for Sesshoumaru's hand when his mother led them inside. "The things I do for love," she said leaning over and laying her head upon his shoulder.

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru agreed.

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed this tale that I've spun for you over these past few years. As you can see, Sesshoumaru and Kagome lived together happily ever after with countless adventures and reigned victorious of the evil power of the Shikon no Tama. And with the loss of self, one discovers truth! Thanks so much for your reviews and support. I really appreciate it! Hopefully, I can entertain you with some of my other stories. 3/28/14