Faith by Nisee39 [Oneshot #56]
Title: Faith
Author: Nisee39
Prompt: Seduction
Genre: General
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 657
Summary: Sesshoumaru has no need for faith.
A/N: Another installment of “The Height of Faith”. You can find the rest here.
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Her tantalizing scent loitered outside his bedroom door, dispelling any lingering affects of nightmares. The nervous shuffling of her feet finally prompted him to act and he found himself facing her conflicted expression. Her earlier grief had only worsened by lack of sleep and she offered no polite smile or warm greeting.
She did not utter a word, hand still raised in mid knock while her other clutched her notebook to her chest. He knew why she had come, but still he did not speak.
“You told me to forget the past.” Kagome swallowed and hugged her book closer. “You told me that the future was all that mattered.”
He nodded once as he stepped aside to let her in. She hesitated for a moment before squaring her shoulders and brushing past him, careful to avoid stepping in his personal space.
“How can you forget something that haunts your every moment?” She didn’t turn back to face him, but he could smell the salt of her tears. “And just because my memories are tainted doesn’t mean I want to let them go.”
“You do not have to leave the memories behind, but you cannot dwell in them.”
She finally turned back towards him, “They’re all I have.”
“It is a vicious cycle.”
She gave a weary sigh and collapsed on his bed, carefully setting the notebook on her lap she absently traced the names scrawled across the page. “I wish I could remember the good and just leave out all the rest.”
“It does not work that way.”
“I just want to know what happened.” She could not hide the hope in her eyes. “How it all turned out after I left. Do you know?”
Sesshoumaru considered her for a long moment. He had little to offer her in the form of answers and what he did know, he had wanted to forget. “Why would it matter?”
She gave him a skeptical glance before leaning forward, “The past haunts you too, doesn’t it?”
Closing his eyes, he let out a long winded sigh before continuing. “Rin…” he hesitated for a second when he noticed her expression falter. “Rin did not survive that night.”
Her eyes glistened as she hesitantly reached out, before pulling back. “Oh Sessh…”
“I could not find her in time.” He cut across her words; her pity was unwanted and unneeded. “I lost time after that… lost in my rage. When I gathered myself back together, one hundred years had passed and I never learned the true fate of the village.”
“What do you mean?”
“The tale was that it had burned to the ground, most likely by bandits. No other similar incident has ever occurred since.”
“What do you think really happened?”
Sesshoumaru shrugged one shoulder, “It does not matter; knowing changes nothing.”
She looked as though she wanted to argue his point, but she instead glanced back down at her notebook. “I suppose not knowing has its advantages. I mean, at least I still have faith they all made it.”
Sesshoumaru carefully pulled the notebook from the miko’s grasp, his claws tracing over the words at the top of the page. “Faith is dangerous.” he muttered softly, “It seduces you with hope and false promises; asking for your trust and offering you nothing concrete in return. And in the end, you’ll discover the lies have left you empty and broken.”
“That’s not true.” Kagome took the book back and placed it on the nightstand, before tightly gripping his hand. He thought to pull away, but her touch was warm and stirred something deep within.
“Faith gives you strength to move forward when everyone tells you it’s impossible. Faith is the light that keeps the consuming darkness at bay. My faith kept me from surrendering when all could have been lost. Faith is what carries us when our strength is not enough.”
The taiyoukai scoffed, “This Sesshoumaru has no need for such things.”