Live Again by Aeris

Heaven

She felt it. The moment the Tree of Ages died and with it, the Earth. With it her heart. 500 years have passed, 500 years walking the world of Man and death. 500 years as she watched the Earth slowly die beneath her feet. The Earth that cradled her lovers and their children.

Jii-chan passed on in his sleep. Mama twenty years later in a car crash that led to Souta forever sleeping. He was lost in his coma. His body stopped growing. He. . .simply stopped in time.

And I? I am alive now as I was 515 years ago. Falling down the well and surviving against creatures of legend. Embroiled in an epic battle filled with love and hate. Names lost to Time, but the fundamentals of the story remembered always. You've heard the stories I'm sure.

You haven't heard the stories of what came after. Curses laid upon me, a 'gift' soaked into my soul. The epitome of the Jewel. The Earth, how precious and sacrificing she was to take upon most of the evil that was locked away. I suppose it is both my fault yet not that the earth is dying.

I am love all that is Life. If that makes much of sense. Back to what I have spoken. Earth is dying. I will live and watch as 30 years mark the passage of time and the Earth is finally dead. Humans have touched upon advanced technology and space travel. At first I refused to leave my home, what remained of my family.

My mind was made for me 30 years later, as I laid curled into a ball and mourned for the loss of another member of my family and my friend. I was there, I felt it as the last breaths were taken. Goshinboku faded! And with it the piece of Earth that was living.

Marching along the steps were my son and brothers. Shippo, Sesshomaru, Kouga, and Inuyasha. "Kagome. We must leave now. I have secured us our own flight. We leave most of humanity and demons behind. We are taking our friends and leaving this place of death behind." Kouga's hands were wrapped around my shoulders, urging me to stand and walk with them.

"Souta is loaded into his chamber and secure. Come, Kagome." I looked up into the golden gaze of Sesshomaru. My fists clenched into the hanging fabric of my kimono. It was no longer summer. Only the dead of fall.

"Mama. I won't leave without you. I will not. Souten will follow and where she goes as do our children and our children's children. Would you condemn us to death?" Shippou was not making this easy. I flinched. The children above all else must be saved.

I slowly stood. Looking forward once more, my hands scraped against the rough and frayed bark of Goshinboku. The tree gave one last weak pulse. It was saying good-bye. A sob wrenched from my throat as I scratched the outer bark causing large chunks of it to crumble beneath my touch.

I took a step back my hands grabbing Kouga's from my shoulders. "You're right, Ship. We must leave." I turned away from the tree and numbly walked to the Million Stairs to Heaven. Down the bottom of a dead Earth.

General Disclaimers for the entire story: I do not own the rights to Avatar or InuYasha. 'be still my hearts, it's okay.' They go to their respective owners, writers my etc who aren't me. 'It's okay to cry. Your dream will come true in your dreams' See ya next time!