Fancy Meeting You Here by Fuyu no Kaze [Second Anniversary Challenge - Cotton]
Save Me by Fuyu no Kaze
Summary: It began with a couple of chance encounters, and grew into many heated trysts in the night. Then it became something he wasn’t sure he could live without. So he was determined to keep it; keep her. Until both are taken from him.
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Title: Fancy Meeting You Here
Author: Fuyu no Kaze
Prompt: Cotton (Second Anniversary Challenge)
Genre: Romance
Rating: M (an umbrella rating to cover all my bases)
Word Count: 1,234 (this consecutive sequence was totally by coincidence lol)
Summary: In the forest, a miko enjoying a peaceful respite, suddenly finds herself in the company of an inu daiyoukai. [Part of Save Me]
Warnings: None.
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Disclaimer: Though I desperately wish it were otherwise, I do not own Inuyasha and Co., or the books that may inspire these little drabbles.
Just a few things to keep in mind:
“Speech”
“Thoughts”
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Humming to herself a jaunty little tune, Kagome contentedly sat in the midst of a small patch of herbs in the forest, picking each leafy sprig with care. It was such a nice, calm day, and those were hard to come by. For once there were no shards in the vicinity, nor any rumors of them, and Naraku had been quiet and scarce as of late. The latter did not bode well, but with no clue as to where he was holed up and all leads exhausted, there wasn’t much the group could do. So for the first time, in what seemed like forever, the young miko from the future had time to herself to relax, and she was determined to take advantage of it, though it had seemed like a lost cause that morning when Inuyasha and Shippo had started one of their squabbles.
That was why, when Kaede had knowingly asked her to pick some herbs, she had all but jumped at the chance to get away from yet another of Inuyasha and Shippo’s petty fights. Now she finally had peace and quiet, and could enjoy a moment of calm relaxation where all she had on her mind was what herb she should pick next. At the moment, she was putting some of them into cotton pouches of varying sizes that she’d brought over from the future, so as to make them a bit more organized.
She was so engrossed with her task and song, and in the simple basking of the peaceful moment, that it was with a start that she turned and realized she was not alone. Keen golden eyes watched her intently.
“Sesshoumaru!...-sama,” she gasped breathily. “What are you…I mean…,” with a cough she started again, “What business brings you here today Sesshoumaru-sama?”
She’d been able to hold back the shriek, but was having trouble trying to contain the urge to get up and run in the opposite direction, like her mind was urging her to do. Sesshoumaru was the last youkai she wanted to meet when she was alone. Well, besides Naraku, but that much was obvious.
So she supposed Sesshoumaru was better than Naraku, but with the stoic inu youkai you just never knew what he was thinking or what he was going to do, and by the time it became apparent it was probably too late. From what she knew of him though, all indications pointed towards him having a solid sense of pride and honor.
He may be able to kill in the time it took her to blink, but that didn’t mean he killed indiscriminately, and besides the fighting with Inuyasha she’d never seen him do anything untoward without good reason. She didn’t even really consider the fights between the two brothers all that dangerous anymore. It’s not as if Sesshoumaru had actually killed his brother in all the time since she’d known him, though she was pretty sure he had the ability to, and ample opportunity.
In any case, Kagome just hoped that if she stayed still and respectful, her head would still be connected to her shoulders when this encounter was over. The thought did little to cheer her up.
“Are you, maybe, looking for Inuyasha? He’s still in the village, if you are.”
There was nothing but silence as he continued to stare at her.
Fidgeting uncomfortably, Kagome tried again.
“Are you headed somewhere? I might be able to help you, but I’m not that great with directions.”
Still no reply.
"Well do you want me to go…? Do something else…maybe?”
When no response was forthcoming from the inu youkai, Kagome started to get pissed.
“To hell with that! If he won’t even tell me why he’s here, then there’s absolutely no reason why I should leave.”
So with a tilt her head and a little huff, she slowly turned and resumed her task.
Moments passed where the only sound was that of her methodically picking herbs. When her curiosity finally got the best of her, she snuck a glance at the youkai from the corner of her eye.
He was still staring, but not really at her she noticed. His gaze had subtly shifted to the herbs she was plucking from the ground. Aha. She turned her head towards him again, and his gaze focused on her.
“Are you here for some herbs Sesshoumaru-sama?”
A moment. And then finally, a nod.
She let the silence stretch as she wondered why on earth a youkai of his caliber would need mild healing herbs. The ones she was picking were for open wounds, so that they wouldn’t get infected. As far as she knew his healing capabilities were beyond the aid of such herbs. Short of him somehow getting sick, or something inhibiting his healing abilities, she didn’t see any way the herbs could help him get better from a wound, that his body wouldn’t naturally do itself.
“Unless, they weren’t for him.”
If she’d been alone, she would’ve smacked her head.
Of course; Rin. The herbs were probably for her. “I hope she’s okay”, Kagome fretted.
“Are they for Rin?”
Another, slightly less hesitant, nod.
“Oh, no. Is she alright?”
When his eyes narrowed on her, she had a pretty good idea that she had treaded on thin ice.
“Okay yeesh, I was just concerned about her, no need for the evil eye. Here, why don’t I bundle some of this up for you?”
Without waiting for his response, she turned and began putting some herbs in one of the small pouches. When it was full, she drew the strings together, and stood up to face Sesshoumaru. He’s made no moves to kill her, and she figured that was probably the best sign she could hope for, so she cautiously approached him.
Guessing that he was a youkai that liked his personal space, if his actions earlier were any indication, she stopped as far away as she could manage and still be within reach of his arm. Extending her arm to hold out her offering, she waited as he slowly reached his own hand out, cupping it under the pouch. As she let go of the little bag of herbs, she realized belatedly that she’d been holding her breath, and it was with a relieved sigh that she let it out. Well, time to go, she supposed.
Tilting her head to give him a smile before she left, as was her habit when anyone was nearby, she got the impression that his gaze on her had a different feel to it. If she were to hazard a guess that was curiosity he was looking at her with, as he glanced from her, to the pouch, and back again.
“Probably thinks no one, especially not a lowly human, would ever do anyone else a favor without expecting something in return,” she thought wryly.
With a shake of her head, she told him, “She’s a good girl, and I like her. It’s the least I can do.”
Then she turned to go pick up her basket of herbs and pouches. She knew rule number one to surviving in this era was probably to never turn your back on someone or something that could kill you, but she figured that if that was what he’d wanted, she’d already be dead a hundred times over.
When she glanced back at where he’d stood, he was gone.
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A/N: Hey guys! So in honor of Dokuga’s second anniversary challenge, I bring to you a new fic! It’ll be a collection of oneshots, and unlike Moments this fic has a plot, but all you readers will have to settle for the summary for now, I don’t want to give anything away :)
Just so you guys know I really shouldn’t be starting this, mainly because school comes first. Not to mention the last two fics I started are still stuck behind writer’s block, but the idea just wouldn’t leave me alone! And hey, Dokuga Anniversary here! So there ya go. Just beware that yes, updates will be sporadic, but really, when have I ever posted anything in any other manner?
If you have any comments and such, you know what to do ;) Lotsa luv guys! ~Fuyu