The Weight of Memories - Part Ten by Minerva [Christmas Challenge]
Title: The Weight of Memories - Part Ten
Author: minerva_one
Prompt: Christmas Challenge - Bells Ring
Genre: Romance, introspection
Rating: G, for now
Warnings: none!
AU/CU: AU
Word Count: 1154
A/N: Part Ten of Twelve. Again, thanks to imanewme for being my beta. She's beta-rific!! XD
Summary: Do you really think life can be happy in the end?
Part Ten - Bells Ring
Between sleep and waking, nightmares floated across his vision. He stood at the bottom of the well, willing it to work. Rin's screams sounded from below his feet, and the panic began to set in. He dug at the floor with his bare claws, sending chunks of dirt and mud flying up around him, coating his clothes and hair. Faster and faster he dug as the screams trailed off but the dirt kept falling back around him, piling around him as he continued to scrape the earth.
The screams fell into silence and the well began to cave in over him with a wash of dirt and blood, dragging him into the darkness. Suddenly Kagome's face peered over the top of the ledge, looking on as he struggled. She held out a delicate hand, but the dirt buried him completely, shrouding his vision in choking darkness.
Sesshoumaru awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed with his heart racing and gasping for breath. Kicking off the covers he stood up and walked well away from his bed and the clinging tendrils of the dirt and darkness of sleep.
As he splashed cold water on his face, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and for a moment, had no idea who was looking back at him; there was only a youkai hidden behind enchantments and spells, waiting on his interminable walk through the world to end.
This is not who he wanted to be.
This is not who he was.
He closed his eyes and focused, beginning to push away the spell that had hidden his true nature for so long. With a rush of power, the spell dissipated for the first time in centuries; leaving maroon stripes, a crescent moon, and white fur in its wake.
. . .
Kagome gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white - partly from the treacherous snow covered roads, but also from apprehension. "I should have called first," she thought. Her eyes flicked down to the map she had printed from the internet to make sure of the road number before she turned.
The main road had been slick with tamped down snow, but the side road was untouched by tire and plow alike. Her tires crunched loudly in the virgin whiteness as she creeped down the narrow and winding trail, surrounded by dense forest and bare trees for miles in all directions.
With one final turn, Kagome caught sight of her destination. A modest size house lay nestled up against a small hill, protected by a grove of large trunks and landscaped shrubbery; a winding and frozen creek wound to one side of the house before heading down to the valley and out to the sea.
Kagome slowly pulled her car in front of the garage, headlights shining bright against the white of he garage door.
With careful steps she made her way to the dark house; her shoes beginning to fill with wet snow.
Her finger paused over the doorbell. "Surely he would have heard me by now," she thought. "I really should have called first."
Yet she rang it anyway.
. . .
Sesshoumaru stood at the entrance to the well house, lightly sniffing the fresh trail through the bitter air blowing steadily through his fur and hair.
As he followed the scent, his phone began to ring. It was her.
"Kagome."
"Hi," she said.
"It seems you are back early. Where are you?" he said.
She laughed in the phone, bright and clear - sending shivers down his spine with echoes from the past. "Well, you won't believe this, but I am at your house waiting for you."
Sesshoumaru paused for a moment. "You're waiting on me?"
"Yeah. I should have called first. I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. The house is unlocked. Make yourself at home, I will be there shortly," Sesshoumaru said, beginning to race down the dark side streets and into the forest.
As he ran, an ironic smile graced his lips. After years of searching and struggling and questing over what he wanted, a destiny had found him - and was already waiting on his doorstep.
. . .
Kagome carefully took off her wet shoes and socks and found a closet to hang her warm pink coat in - standing out among the shades of black and grey of his own.
A house is one's soul, they say, revealing sides hidden - and those not so well hidden. Kagome snapped on the lamp, revealing walls of bookcases lined with scrolls and volumes that overflowed to the floor in neat stacks.
Her eyes glanced to the large, dark desk - piled high with papers covered with typed words and handwritten corrections; the fireplace mantle held a few assorted antiques, and Tenseiga hung in the place of honor.
There were no pictures on the walls and nothing but the sword that spoke of his past. His home had become a prison of a former life and Sesshoumaru was drowning in the weight of his memories. Tears sprang to her eyes, and Kagome knew she had made the right decision to come home.
The door opened, sending in a cold blast of air across her already frozen and sockless feet. Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway with eyes blazing like the sun, the markings of his heritage bold against his pale skin and white fur billowing from his shoulder. Kagome blinked in surprise, taken aback by the jyaki emanating in waves across the room.
Their gazes met, silence and electricity filling the space between them.
He broke the silence, his voice low and hoarse. "Tell me, Kagome. Tell me how you do it."
Her toes curled against the plush carpet, unable to take her eyes away from his. "How do I do what?"
"Tell me how one can know the pain and tragedy the future will bring and still face it every day," he said as the wind continued to blow through the house, sending strands of his hair about his face wild and untamed - sparks of his former self finding their way to the surface once again.
She paused a moment, wrapping her arms around her waist as she considered her words. "Because I think the happy times are worth suffering through the pain," she said. "As much as I know of what may lay ahead, if I focus on it then I can't enjoy what I do have."
"Do you really think life can be happy in the end?"
"I know it can. You just have to decide to let yourself be happy."
Golden eyes blinked, and with a quiet click Sesshoumaru closed the door, crossing over to Kagome and pulling her against his chest, his grip tight on her back. Her hands crept around him, sliding through the silken mass of fur. He sighed into the top of her hair and Kagome squeezed her arms tighter.
"Will you show me how?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered.
Author: minerva_one
Prompt: Christmas Challenge - Bells Ring
Genre: Romance, introspection
Rating: G, for now
Warnings: none!
AU/CU: AU
Word Count: 1154
A/N: Part Ten of Twelve. Again, thanks to imanewme for being my beta. She's beta-rific!! XD
Summary: Do you really think life can be happy in the end?
Part Ten - Bells Ring
Between sleep and waking, nightmares floated across his vision. He stood at the bottom of the well, willing it to work. Rin's screams sounded from below his feet, and the panic began to set in. He dug at the floor with his bare claws, sending chunks of dirt and mud flying up around him, coating his clothes and hair. Faster and faster he dug as the screams trailed off but the dirt kept falling back around him, piling around him as he continued to scrape the earth.
The screams fell into silence and the well began to cave in over him with a wash of dirt and blood, dragging him into the darkness. Suddenly Kagome's face peered over the top of the ledge, looking on as he struggled. She held out a delicate hand, but the dirt buried him completely, shrouding his vision in choking darkness.
Sesshoumaru awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed with his heart racing and gasping for breath. Kicking off the covers he stood up and walked well away from his bed and the clinging tendrils of the dirt and darkness of sleep.
As he splashed cold water on his face, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and for a moment, had no idea who was looking back at him; there was only a youkai hidden behind enchantments and spells, waiting on his interminable walk through the world to end.
This is not who he wanted to be.
This is not who he was.
He closed his eyes and focused, beginning to push away the spell that had hidden his true nature for so long. With a rush of power, the spell dissipated for the first time in centuries; leaving maroon stripes, a crescent moon, and white fur in its wake.
. . .
Kagome gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white - partly from the treacherous snow covered roads, but also from apprehension. "I should have called first," she thought. Her eyes flicked down to the map she had printed from the internet to make sure of the road number before she turned.
The main road had been slick with tamped down snow, but the side road was untouched by tire and plow alike. Her tires crunched loudly in the virgin whiteness as she creeped down the narrow and winding trail, surrounded by dense forest and bare trees for miles in all directions.
With one final turn, Kagome caught sight of her destination. A modest size house lay nestled up against a small hill, protected by a grove of large trunks and landscaped shrubbery; a winding and frozen creek wound to one side of the house before heading down to the valley and out to the sea.
Kagome slowly pulled her car in front of the garage, headlights shining bright against the white of he garage door.
With careful steps she made her way to the dark house; her shoes beginning to fill with wet snow.
Her finger paused over the doorbell. "Surely he would have heard me by now," she thought. "I really should have called first."
Yet she rang it anyway.
. . .
Sesshoumaru stood at the entrance to the well house, lightly sniffing the fresh trail through the bitter air blowing steadily through his fur and hair.
As he followed the scent, his phone began to ring. It was her.
"Kagome."
"Hi," she said.
"It seems you are back early. Where are you?" he said.
She laughed in the phone, bright and clear - sending shivers down his spine with echoes from the past. "Well, you won't believe this, but I am at your house waiting for you."
Sesshoumaru paused for a moment. "You're waiting on me?"
"Yeah. I should have called first. I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. The house is unlocked. Make yourself at home, I will be there shortly," Sesshoumaru said, beginning to race down the dark side streets and into the forest.
As he ran, an ironic smile graced his lips. After years of searching and struggling and questing over what he wanted, a destiny had found him - and was already waiting on his doorstep.
. . .
Kagome carefully took off her wet shoes and socks and found a closet to hang her warm pink coat in - standing out among the shades of black and grey of his own.
A house is one's soul, they say, revealing sides hidden - and those not so well hidden. Kagome snapped on the lamp, revealing walls of bookcases lined with scrolls and volumes that overflowed to the floor in neat stacks.
Her eyes glanced to the large, dark desk - piled high with papers covered with typed words and handwritten corrections; the fireplace mantle held a few assorted antiques, and Tenseiga hung in the place of honor.
There were no pictures on the walls and nothing but the sword that spoke of his past. His home had become a prison of a former life and Sesshoumaru was drowning in the weight of his memories. Tears sprang to her eyes, and Kagome knew she had made the right decision to come home.
The door opened, sending in a cold blast of air across her already frozen and sockless feet. Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway with eyes blazing like the sun, the markings of his heritage bold against his pale skin and white fur billowing from his shoulder. Kagome blinked in surprise, taken aback by the jyaki emanating in waves across the room.
Their gazes met, silence and electricity filling the space between them.
He broke the silence, his voice low and hoarse. "Tell me, Kagome. Tell me how you do it."
Her toes curled against the plush carpet, unable to take her eyes away from his. "How do I do what?"
"Tell me how one can know the pain and tragedy the future will bring and still face it every day," he said as the wind continued to blow through the house, sending strands of his hair about his face wild and untamed - sparks of his former self finding their way to the surface once again.
She paused a moment, wrapping her arms around her waist as she considered her words. "Because I think the happy times are worth suffering through the pain," she said. "As much as I know of what may lay ahead, if I focus on it then I can't enjoy what I do have."
"Do you really think life can be happy in the end?"
"I know it can. You just have to decide to let yourself be happy."
Golden eyes blinked, and with a quiet click Sesshoumaru closed the door, crossing over to Kagome and pulling her against his chest, his grip tight on her back. Her hands crept around him, sliding through the silken mass of fur. He sighed into the top of her hair and Kagome squeezed her arms tighter.
"Will you show me how?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered.