Epilogue

The angel with snow-white hair and amber eyes

stood by the blooming sakura tree on the hill that overlooked the entirety of Shamayim, his gaze steady on the domain where the winged watchers of Erets dwelled. A smile escaped his lips as the breeze sifted through the blossoms, sending a shower of pink rain around him. He couldn't help it, his thoughts would always gravitate to her.

At one point in time, had she been standing here at the very same spot, thinking of him too?

He looked up to the blue sky and had to squint: the sun was abnormally bright today, the breeze extra gentle, the cherry blossoms dancing more than usual. It was as if the world itself was jubilant and rejoicing.

A long time ago, he set foot on the very same hill and wondered what being complete would feel. Time had passed so swiftly since he took the seat of Prudence. It was not a hard task-

Shamayim was already stable, an impenetrable fortress that refused to be shaken. No great insurgencies had occurred, no dangerous rifts discovered.

Their commander, she did an impeccable job in establishing the hierarchy.

He turned around and made his way to the sakura tree and reached out to feel the old trunk with his fingers. It was filled with etchings of small lines representing his count, from the roots to the very part where the branches spread. He remembered scratching his first line, the day he set foot on Shamayim.

That was the day she promised that someday, he would see her again.

And now, staring at the large tree before him, there was no more room for more lines. Until such a point in time that he stopped counting.

She had not counted herself, he was sure. For four millennia of searching for him, she never counted the days. She was left to bear the brunt of the wait, patiently in the corner of his life until the brink of his death to collect his fragments.

And so it was that he resolved to wait.

No matter how long it would take, he would wait.

"There were sightings of her in the realm of Muspell, and in Gastheim, whispers of a little ferret bounding in the hands of their own watchers. I tried to establish communication with them to confirm.

They simply smiled and kept silent."

The rumors that Inuyasha told them one day echoed in his head. It only stirred the great restlessness in his soul. He had always dreamed of her, every night, but now the dreams would spill into daytime, and it was a misery. He would see her image as he waited-

her familiar polychromatic eyes, the golden ribbon laced on her ebony hair, and her confident smile.

He would reach out to her, but every time he came too close she would vanish, leaving him alone yet again, yearning for her even more.

But he would wait.

He settled himself on the roots of the tree, the gentle tug of the breeze different; the smile of the sun was different, the caress of the blossoms softer. The contrast of colors... they were celebrating something. But he could not understand their language.

That gift belonged to her. What could they be so happy about?

As he was slowly lulled to sleep, the thought of her came across his mind again. He closed his eyes, dreaming of his angel with polychromatic eyes, of his soul mate since the beginning of the new world.

She promised, that was his only assurance.

And it was, in all honesty, all that he needed.

He did not now how long he slept, but he opened his eyes to the settling dusk, the golden hue of the sky exceptionally beautiful. He felt that familiar pain of intense longing. Another day has ended again: another day without her, and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to quell the deep yearning in his soul.

"Beautiful," a familiar voice said, and his eyes snapped open.

Another vision of her was hovering before him, and his heart dropped. Yet another manifestation of his longing, and she would disappear into thin air when he reached out, leaving him alone again. She was at the edge of the cliff, the impossible span of her six wings spread, supporting her small, lithe body as she hovered in the air.

He stood up anyway.

But the next thing she did was deviant from his visions-

She reached out, and she smiled. "I have been searching for you,"

He could not stop the tears from his eyes and he stood frozen at his uncertainty. Was this real, or another torturing vision?

"Sesshomaru," she held out her hand, "won't you come and greet me?"

With hesitant steps he walked forward, a steady torrent of his emotions overflowing from the windows of his soul. He reached out for her offered hand and she did not disappear- he touched her, his soulmate, and all restraint crumbled.

He pulled her into a crushing embrace, his soul rejoicing at the feel of her physical body on his, and her wings dissolved into shimmers of light as she clung to him, equally yearning for his contact.

"You're back," he whispered as he pulled away, showering kisses on her face. The wind, the cherry blossoms, the sky, no wonder they exalted. The commander was back. This was no vision anymore, and he felt overwhelmed. For so long he waited, and finally she was here.

"I should be...I am bound to the hierarchies through all time," she smiled. "I told you I was one of a kind."

"Oka-san!" Shippo's familiar voice exclaimed, and he ran to Kagome and engulfed her with a warm hug. Her small form was tackled by the other pillars, and she laughed, genuinely happy. When Kagome pulled away her eyes drifted to Sesshomaru, he was standing quietly by the cliff, silently taking in all that was happening, thanking Kami for his immense generosity and beneficence.

Kagome left the warmth of her pillars and threaded her way towards him.

"Kami has allowed us to be together now," she whispered as she closed the gap between them, and she fell silent as he bent down and sealed her lips on his, his arms snaking around her waist to pull her close, the deep kiss coaxing their longing strands of life back to a blazing fire of fulfillment. He was re-establishing the bond that was fraying through the passage of such a long time, re-intertwining their souls together until he could not differentiate where his started and hers ended.

With Kami's grace, they had stood the test of time, and nothing could break their bond.

And he smiled as he held her closer.

Finally, he can fulfill his own promise: to love her for all eternity,

And eternity begins now.