Somewhere in Time

Alliance (never-before-seen chapter)

She waited patiently as Souta and grandpa settled in the couch. Meanwhile, Kagome and Sesshomaru was facing them, standing still.

"Well, what's this about?" she spoke up, breaking the growing silence. Her daughter glanced nervously at the feudal lord. The dynamic between the two had changed yet again, Kagome becoming more relaxed and at ease around the full-blooded demon.

Sesshomaru stepped forward, his narrow eyes appraising the three of them. "Kagome is a headstrong woman, an uncommon quality of women in my era. She displays impressive willpower that defeats even the most fearsome of foes. Now that I have met her family, I can see where she gets her values."

The young girl to whom the flattery was directed to was blushing fiercely. It was adorable to watch, really. Seeing her daughter get flustered because of a man felt like her bygone days, before her marriage with the love of her life.

The feudal lord continued his speech. "She has baffled me in every moment of our encounters, in a way no one has. But these chance meetings have also allowed me to know her better. Now... I wish to understand her heart. I have staked my claim to her, to be my one true mate, and I seek your trust that I will care for her well-being and treat her as my equal."

"Sesshomaru..." Kagome murmured behind him in awe. The girl sniffled and smiled, touched by the genuine words of the dog demon. Watching them gave her the reassurance she needed—something she never had whenever Inuyasha took her daughter back to the world beyond the well. The half-breed always seemed to care more about the jewel. He did care for Kagome, she knew that, but not in the way the girl wanted him to.

This regal demon who stood before them impressed her deeply. The days he had spent around them was tense, awkward, and confusing, but his sincerity towards Kagome was unquestionable.

She looked over at Souta who seemed as shocked as her. Grandpa, however, sat unmoving. He'd been quiet around their immortal guest ever since they arrived. He didn't even use his sutras on Sesshomaru just like what he did with Inuyasha all those years ago. Except for that one afternoon they spent cleaning the storage room, the two never seemed to interact at all.

The old man was looking at her, and she realized that he was letting her make the decision. That came as a surprise since he was still considered the head of the family, and the patriarch made all the principal decisions, such in the likes of marriage. That is, if what Sesshomaru was proposing was similar to asking Kagome's hand for marriage.

She sighed and gazed back at the young couple. Kagome was only seventeen right now and she had one more year to finish high school. But the girl was responsible. If anything, that was the reason why she kept allowing the girl to travel back in time and have the best of both worlds.

There was decision to be made. She stood up and faced the tall demon.

Looking at Sesshomaru with her best "hurt-her-or-else" motherly look, she breathed deeply and spoke. "I trust that you will keep Kagome safe, Sesshomaru-sama. You're an honorable gentleman. I can't control Kagome's feelings nor can I control yours, but if your intentions are as pure as you've shown us, then I see no reason not to give the family's permission to court my daughter."

"You have my word," the feudal lord reassured, his eyes glittering from either relief or victory.

To everyone's surprise, however, Souta stepped forward and looked at Sesshomaru straight in the eye.

"A-ano... may we talk in my room, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Souta?" She turned her attention to the boy, but his wide brown eyes were full of determination.

"Man to man..." he murmured under his breath.

"Of course, Souta. Lead the way." Sesshomaru followed the young man who was walking rigidly and nervously towards the stairs. Kagome stared after them, shocked and confused.

"That's... something." She giggled, impressed at Souta's manly approach to the situation. She turned to Kagome and enveloped her in a warm hug. "I truly wish for your happiness sweetheart."

"Arigato, Mama." The girl pulled back and smiled. "Thank you for trusting Sesshomaru."

"It's you that I trust the most. You look happier around him. And he's very protective of you, I can see that clearly. It wasn't a hard choice for me. But what happens now?"

Kagome paused to think carefully. "I think it's time to go back to the feudal era and face what we've left behind. And there's the matter with Inuyasha..." She breathed deeply and sighed. "I'm gonna go pack."

She watched the girl climb the stairs before turning to the quiet old man who was still seated in the couch. "What's wrong, ojiisan? You've been acting really weird ever since Kagome came back with Sesshomaru instead of Inuyasha."

He averted his eyes and stood up, his hands folded behind him. "Nothing, nothing at all."

"Are you scared of him?"

"No!" he barked. Then he paced anxiously, his eyes cast down. "I... remember him."

"What?"

"From the legend! From one of the many scrolls in the temple. He... he confirmed it himself."

"What?" she repeated, grandpa's words making no sense the more she tried to absorb them. Legend?

The elderly man increased his pacing, murmuring inaudible words and then shaking his head.

She grabbed his feeble arm to ground him to the present. Maybe his old age was finally taking its toll on his weakening mind. But was it really the case? She had a daughter who can travel back in time and a full-blooded demon guest. The legend of Shikon no Tama turned out to be a true historical occurrence.

Considering those, accounts of Sesshomaru's existence shouldn't come a surprise anymore, especially to the old man who spent his life believing in the mystical arts. But what legend was grandpa talking about?

"Jiji," she murmured soothingly, calming him down. "What legend? Where did this happen? When did Sesshomaru confirm this?"

He finally returned her concerned gaze. "In the storage room, when we cleaned it. When he asked for my blessing to mate Kagome."

"Wait, he already asked you? You already knew?"

But grandpa was muttering again, his focus already slipping.