'Out of the frying pan and into the fire' by Ejunknown. [Oneshot: Mystery]
Title: Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Author: Ejunknown
Theme: Mystery
Genre: Drama, CU divergence, romance.
Words: 930
Summary: A CU divergence that takes place quite early on in this fuedal tale, where the recently displaced time-travelling student stumbles away from one demon to fall into the clutches of another. An addition to the introdution of chapter two of Monsters (don't cheat and read ahead before this edit goes through! x'D), and a prequel to Nursemaid. It stands alone fine though.
AN/ it's been a while, and I'm rusty, so please excuse any awkward moments in this. ;; I plan on getting back into the swing of drabble entries (and continuing my ShiKag fic....) during my paid internship this summer, so watch out for some more updates~! (on that note, I really need to sleep. lD)
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
His claws gleamed dully as the flare of youki ignited in a furious yellow aura, increasing the oppressive pressure of the cavern as the full weight of the taiyoukais energies unleashed itself into the small, cramped space, swamping her senses and crushing the air within her lungs. Kagome felt, as her teeth clenched against the pain that squeezed against her eardrums, as if the air was made of knives, that if she wasn't already dead, that this must be what the other afterworld would feel like. Pressurised, small, and lethal.
There was a small series of cracks, before the sharp tips of lengthened claw brushed against her skin, showering the darkness in sparks of youki and purity as her natural defences reared against the attack, relieving the pressure somewhat as her reiki flared into tenable existence. As her natural defences rebuffed him, the sculpted lips of the taiyoukai parted, curling into a snarled hiss, before his grip tightened, drawing her closer before the poison receded, leaving the tight pinch of his claw tips against her skin. Her heart was thuddiing a frantic rhythm within her chest, as floods of adrenaline sharpened every image, every detail of the crouched form that towered over her in the darkness - white strands of hair, a darkened pool of matching fur that spread to his shoulders. The memory took, and her scudding heart leapt into her throat. Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's brother; the man who had, only short months ago, fought for his father's sword, and lost… losing an arm in the process.
Her eyes flickered to the ripped and empty sleeve, before meeting his again, a sort of bewildered relief bubbling into the forefront of her shell-shocked mind. In spite of the situation, and the increasing pressure on her arm, a weight she didn’t realise she had bared was lifted. He had survived. Somehow, despite the damage dealt by his father’s deadly sword - and the role she played. Before she could stop herself, she found herself blurting: “You’re alive.”
There was a short moment where she thought she saw a brow quirk in surprise, before recognition registered in his gaze, and the brilliant eyes darkened. Burning a deep, tarnished gold, they narrowed - before, just as swiftly as his hand appeared, it was gone, and cold fingers settled with deadly precision along her throat. Her breath choked, caught in mid-gasp, and with a wince in pain, her hands dropped to her sides, and she allowed her head to be tilted within the strong grip that angled her chin. A hiss whispered against her neck, and she realise she could now feel his breath against her skin - and it was evident that he had come to the same conclusion to the mystery of their shared history.
"Miko." She flinched, as the growl reverberated in her ear, his position shifting closer into a more intimate hold as his lips drew back into a snarl. Blazing golden eyes burning down the length of his straight, narrow nose into hers, his proximity sent shivers trembling along her limbs, tingling across her skin as her natural defences reacted to his youki, and his face drew alongside hers, brushing her ear before nestling in her hair and inhaling deeply. After a moment, he straightened, his eyes flickered away, focusing on the narrow rim of light that lined the cave opening, before narrowing back at her. "You aren't alone."
It wasn't a statement, and her heartbeat thrummed a rapid beat against his touch, another waft of fear cloying the air as her emotions increased in volume. His breath was a quiet hiss in the darkness, his gaze sharp as he observed the minute changes of expression on her overly expressive features as her glance left the deadly glare of the taiyoukai, flitting back to the cave mouth, tinged with desperation. The stink increased, and his grip tightened, his hiss a warning as trembling lips parted, choking out her voice before it left her throat. Barely glancing back, her focus centered on the mouth of the cave, and with quick realisation, his attention followed.
For better or for worse, her fear was not directed at him.
There was a lull in her breathing, the silence ringing in its absence, before her pulse skidded into a fiery rhythm that tripled the rapid beat of before, and when her eyes met his again they were widened. Her muscles trembled beneath his grip, as she appeared to visibly shaken, and with the slackening of his grip, she gave a frantic nod.
"Inuyasha."
Her throat swelled against his grip as she swallowed, the full power of her eyes returned to his, imploring him. Her heart beat thrummed in her ears, as she made no more attempts to speak, his grip tightening around her throat, and as she struggled to determine the features of the silent figure whose embrace would almost be intimate were it not for the implicit threat, she hoped he had understood. She did not want to see anymore bloodshed between the two. His golden gaze eyed her stoically, fingers tracing her throat lightly, dagger-like nails skimming her skin in almost a caress, before - the inhuman eyes never leaving her form - slowly, his hand withdrew.
She was left alone in the darkness as his form retreated, the full brunt of the chilled cavern air stinging her skin abruptly where sweat clung in a damp sheen, and his voice carried, cold and impassive, through the darkness.
“Leave."
It was a dismissal. Her heart skipped, and her eyes struggled to pierce the shadows to distinguish the strong lines that marked his features, to focus and read that face. She could see nothing, but she could feel the change as the pressure within the cave retracted, and the air between them cleared. The fabric of his hakama was a soft sound of silk against stone as he took steps further into the back of the cave, a presence she could not see at her side, before he had passed her, proceeding further into the shadows of the cave that they had shared. His silence was enough, as her heart flickered, relief acting as a giddy drug through her system as she stood on trembling legs threatening to give way beneath her weight. He had chosen to leave his brother, and the battle that would surely ensue, injuring - if not killing - one of the brothers. For that, she could not be more grateful.
Her eyes stung as they followed the shadowed back of the man as he passed her, a tentative smile stretching its way into existence across her features as the first drops of water streaked down her cheeks. The knowledge that there would be no more bloodshed made her heart swell, larger than she could have possibly thought, and she restrained her hands as they twitched to reach to the man to express her gratitude - before he stumbled. The action so closely mimicked Inuyasha’s actions after fighting a particularly difficult enemy that her hands reached forward to him before she could stop them, catching a delicately embroidered sleeve just as he stepped past- his form stiffening, the garment opened, and she caught sight of the large gash weeping within the scarlet stripe that marred the pale skin of his chest.
Time seemed to stand still, as her damp eyes focused unseeing on the gleaming wet track that extended all the way from the gash to the floor, before focusing on the sharp stoic features of the man before her. Her mind buzzed, unable to process what she had just seen - he had showed no signs of pain or injury, so how could he...
Without thinking, she lurched forward , the increased flare of youki causing it to falter before another raising swell of youki burned her skin, and with a sharp yelp she was forced to withdraw. Clenching her trembling fingers into a fist, bewildered, her gaze rose to met his, imploring him for an answer. “What...?”
Gold flashed in warning, the resounding hiss infused with the power that now skittered through the narrow space, deadly emphasis punctuating his words as the pale-clawed hand fell back to block the area from view.
“There won’t be another warning. Leave.”
Author: Ejunknown
Theme: Mystery
Genre: Drama, CU divergence, romance.
Words: 930
Summary: A CU divergence that takes place quite early on in this fuedal tale, where the recently displaced time-travelling student stumbles away from one demon to fall into the clutches of another. An addition to the introdution of chapter two of Monsters (don't cheat and read ahead before this edit goes through! x'D), and a prequel to Nursemaid. It stands alone fine though.
AN/ it's been a while, and I'm rusty, so please excuse any awkward moments in this. ;; I plan on getting back into the swing of drabble entries (and continuing my ShiKag fic....) during my paid internship this summer, so watch out for some more updates~! (on that note, I really need to sleep. lD)
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
His claws gleamed dully as the flare of youki ignited in a furious yellow aura, increasing the oppressive pressure of the cavern as the full weight of the taiyoukais energies unleashed itself into the small, cramped space, swamping her senses and crushing the air within her lungs. Kagome felt, as her teeth clenched against the pain that squeezed against her eardrums, as if the air was made of knives, that if she wasn't already dead, that this must be what the other afterworld would feel like. Pressurised, small, and lethal.
There was a small series of cracks, before the sharp tips of lengthened claw brushed against her skin, showering the darkness in sparks of youki and purity as her natural defences reared against the attack, relieving the pressure somewhat as her reiki flared into tenable existence. As her natural defences rebuffed him, the sculpted lips of the taiyoukai parted, curling into a snarled hiss, before his grip tightened, drawing her closer before the poison receded, leaving the tight pinch of his claw tips against her skin. Her heart was thuddiing a frantic rhythm within her chest, as floods of adrenaline sharpened every image, every detail of the crouched form that towered over her in the darkness - white strands of hair, a darkened pool of matching fur that spread to his shoulders. The memory took, and her scudding heart leapt into her throat. Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's brother; the man who had, only short months ago, fought for his father's sword, and lost… losing an arm in the process.
Her eyes flickered to the ripped and empty sleeve, before meeting his again, a sort of bewildered relief bubbling into the forefront of her shell-shocked mind. In spite of the situation, and the increasing pressure on her arm, a weight she didn’t realise she had bared was lifted. He had survived. Somehow, despite the damage dealt by his father’s deadly sword - and the role she played. Before she could stop herself, she found herself blurting: “You’re alive.”
There was a short moment where she thought she saw a brow quirk in surprise, before recognition registered in his gaze, and the brilliant eyes darkened. Burning a deep, tarnished gold, they narrowed - before, just as swiftly as his hand appeared, it was gone, and cold fingers settled with deadly precision along her throat. Her breath choked, caught in mid-gasp, and with a wince in pain, her hands dropped to her sides, and she allowed her head to be tilted within the strong grip that angled her chin. A hiss whispered against her neck, and she realise she could now feel his breath against her skin - and it was evident that he had come to the same conclusion to the mystery of their shared history.
"Miko." She flinched, as the growl reverberated in her ear, his position shifting closer into a more intimate hold as his lips drew back into a snarl. Blazing golden eyes burning down the length of his straight, narrow nose into hers, his proximity sent shivers trembling along her limbs, tingling across her skin as her natural defences reacted to his youki, and his face drew alongside hers, brushing her ear before nestling in her hair and inhaling deeply. After a moment, he straightened, his eyes flickered away, focusing on the narrow rim of light that lined the cave opening, before narrowing back at her. "You aren't alone."
It wasn't a statement, and her heartbeat thrummed a rapid beat against his touch, another waft of fear cloying the air as her emotions increased in volume. His breath was a quiet hiss in the darkness, his gaze sharp as he observed the minute changes of expression on her overly expressive features as her glance left the deadly glare of the taiyoukai, flitting back to the cave mouth, tinged with desperation. The stink increased, and his grip tightened, his hiss a warning as trembling lips parted, choking out her voice before it left her throat. Barely glancing back, her focus centered on the mouth of the cave, and with quick realisation, his attention followed.
For better or for worse, her fear was not directed at him.
There was a lull in her breathing, the silence ringing in its absence, before her pulse skidded into a fiery rhythm that tripled the rapid beat of before, and when her eyes met his again they were widened. Her muscles trembled beneath his grip, as she appeared to visibly shaken, and with the slackening of his grip, she gave a frantic nod.
"Inuyasha."
Her throat swelled against his grip as she swallowed, the full power of her eyes returned to his, imploring him. Her heart beat thrummed in her ears, as she made no more attempts to speak, his grip tightening around her throat, and as she struggled to determine the features of the silent figure whose embrace would almost be intimate were it not for the implicit threat, she hoped he had understood. She did not want to see anymore bloodshed between the two. His golden gaze eyed her stoically, fingers tracing her throat lightly, dagger-like nails skimming her skin in almost a caress, before - the inhuman eyes never leaving her form - slowly, his hand withdrew.
She was left alone in the darkness as his form retreated, the full brunt of the chilled cavern air stinging her skin abruptly where sweat clung in a damp sheen, and his voice carried, cold and impassive, through the darkness.
“Leave."
It was a dismissal. Her heart skipped, and her eyes struggled to pierce the shadows to distinguish the strong lines that marked his features, to focus and read that face. She could see nothing, but she could feel the change as the pressure within the cave retracted, and the air between them cleared. The fabric of his hakama was a soft sound of silk against stone as he took steps further into the back of the cave, a presence she could not see at her side, before he had passed her, proceeding further into the shadows of the cave that they had shared. His silence was enough, as her heart flickered, relief acting as a giddy drug through her system as she stood on trembling legs threatening to give way beneath her weight. He had chosen to leave his brother, and the battle that would surely ensue, injuring - if not killing - one of the brothers. For that, she could not be more grateful.
Her eyes stung as they followed the shadowed back of the man as he passed her, a tentative smile stretching its way into existence across her features as the first drops of water streaked down her cheeks. The knowledge that there would be no more bloodshed made her heart swell, larger than she could have possibly thought, and she restrained her hands as they twitched to reach to the man to express her gratitude - before he stumbled. The action so closely mimicked Inuyasha’s actions after fighting a particularly difficult enemy that her hands reached forward to him before she could stop them, catching a delicately embroidered sleeve just as he stepped past- his form stiffening, the garment opened, and she caught sight of the large gash weeping within the scarlet stripe that marred the pale skin of his chest.
Time seemed to stand still, as her damp eyes focused unseeing on the gleaming wet track that extended all the way from the gash to the floor, before focusing on the sharp stoic features of the man before her. Her mind buzzed, unable to process what she had just seen - he had showed no signs of pain or injury, so how could he...
Without thinking, she lurched forward , the increased flare of youki causing it to falter before another raising swell of youki burned her skin, and with a sharp yelp she was forced to withdraw. Clenching her trembling fingers into a fist, bewildered, her gaze rose to met his, imploring him for an answer. “What...?”
Gold flashed in warning, the resounding hiss infused with the power that now skittered through the narrow space, deadly emphasis punctuating his words as the pale-clawed hand fell back to block the area from view.
“There won’t be another warning. Leave.”