Keylock by ReplicantAngel (Oneshot #57)
Title: Keylock
Author: ReplicantAngel/RosieB
Theme: Tempest
Genre: Drama
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 942
Summary: AU - Sesshoumaru and Kagome go on a date.
A/N: The next part of my serial, The Sweet Science.
A 'keylock' is a hold and often a way to force someone into submission while ground fighting. It puts the bent arm against the floor and then the fighter holds the wrist and shoulder down while lifting the elbow up. It's painful if done correctly, although it can be difficult to perform on someone who has extremely flexible joints. It's also difficult to get an experienced fighter in the necessary position to begin trying it - the best way to get out of a keylock, as they say, is never to get yourself in it in the first place.
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They carried their cups of noodles to the only open table, underneath the television mounted to the wall. "So, what did you do before you became a professional fighter?" Kagome asked as she settled into her seat.
"Excuse me?"
She looked up at the dog demon and his frown. Was he already on edge? She had thought she would get away with that question - such a typical inquiry on a first date. "I'm sorry," she said. "Is that not something you talk about?"
"We may talk about what you wish," he replied, his expression blank once more. "I was simply taken aback that you are not already aware of my history."
Her heartbeat shuddered. "Why should I know that?" she asked.
"Because my father was the Great Dog General," said Sesshoumaru. "But perhaps too much time has passed for humans to remember him."
Kagome's eyes widened, silently damning herself for not reading that history on Sesshoumaru that Sango had prepared. Her friend hadn't mentioned anything like that - but then again, she'd been busy trying to convince her that Sesshoumaru was dangerous. Really, Sango should have just mentioned the connection to the Inu no Taisho. That would have convinced her in a moment. "No, they still teach history in school the last time I checked," she said. "Are you really his son?"
"You ask that with admiration in your voice," he observed. "You are one of those that views him as a hero, then."
She flushed slightly. "Most demons fought against the humans in the early days," she said. "I think that it matters more that we decided to live together instead."
"There are those that refuse to accept that, even now," the dog demon noted.
"Total dinosaurs. Of the brain, usually," Kagome said with a sniff. "It's a brave, new world with such people in it, and they need to accept that. Your father was brilliant as the general of the united army. He defended us countless times."
Sesshoumaru made a noncommittal noise, and she paused to consider the demon across the table. "You were there too, weren't you?"
"I accompanied my father to every battlefield since I could carry a sword until his death," he murmured.
Kagome swirled her food around in its bowl. "You've always been fighting, then," she said.
"Always," he agreed.
"How is it that your father isn't the first thing everyone mentions about you?" she asked.
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Youkai are aware of it, but I took pains that it was not mentioned publicly at my matches," he said. "Human memory is short."
She smiled softly. "Perhaps, but I think that people would have remembered that."
He pointed up to the television where a news anchor was mutely squawking as the scrawl at the bottom declared how four had died in a gang shootout. "Do you believe that those men will be remembered in a few months by anyone, save for their families?" he asked. "My father is remembered as an ancient figure in history. I have slain many more people than the one I mistakenly killed in the ring, and yet, that is what I am remembered for at the moment. In time, that will pass as well."
"And then, you'll return to fight professionally again?" she asked.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "I expect that the commissioners have better records, if not a better memory, than the public," he said. "In the end, I will probably be just a name on a list of past champions, albeit with a damning asterisk that details my offense."
Kagome arched an eyebrow at him. "You're kind of morbid, Sesshoumaru."
"I am realistic," he stated.
"Don't you want children or anything like that?" She hesitated at the look on his face and immediately added, "Or, you know, family? You have family, don't you? They'll remember you. And not just as an asterisk on the bottom of a page."
Sesshoumaru smirked. "Your optimism is misguided," he said, "but not entirely unappreciated."
"Thanks. I think." She glanced up at the television. "I guess I just want to be remembered as more than a scrawl on the evening news. But that's probably my misguided optimism talking."
The dog demon shook his head. "It is not. You will last in memory for far longer than you can imagine."
"Oh, yeah? How do you figure?"
He gave her a flat look. "I will live a very long time," he said. "And you, Kagome Takahashi, will probably force yourself into my memory with the same insistence as you did to my life."
Their eyes met and, after a moment, his smirk returned. "That may not be entirely unappreciated either," he added.
She laughed for a long time at that.
-------------------------------------
Kagome hummed as she skipped down the steps to the ground floor of the apartment building she used for her cover ID. It was Friday - Sesshoumaru would be waiting for her tonight at the fights, and they would get their traditional drink after he won. But it would be different this time. It would be a second date, and perhaps, before they parted ways...
She sighed happily as she opened her mailbox and pulled out the single, manila envelope inside.
But all warm, fuzzy feelings fled as she pulled the photographs out. There she was, in black and white, slurping down noodles across from Sesshoumaru. Smiling with him. Walking down the street beside him. Kissing him.
It was on the last photo - right under the gentle kiss that she had pressed to his lips and which he had returned with insistence - that a small note had been written in red.
Be careful where you tread with this one, Detective Higurashi.
-------------------------------------
A/N: Kagome's line about the brave, new world is a paraphrased line from Shakespeare's play, The Tempest.
Author: ReplicantAngel/RosieB
Theme: Tempest
Genre: Drama
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Word Count: 942
Summary: AU - Sesshoumaru and Kagome go on a date.
A/N: The next part of my serial, The Sweet Science.
A 'keylock' is a hold and often a way to force someone into submission while ground fighting. It puts the bent arm against the floor and then the fighter holds the wrist and shoulder down while lifting the elbow up. It's painful if done correctly, although it can be difficult to perform on someone who has extremely flexible joints. It's also difficult to get an experienced fighter in the necessary position to begin trying it - the best way to get out of a keylock, as they say, is never to get yourself in it in the first place.
-------------------------------------
They carried their cups of noodles to the only open table, underneath the television mounted to the wall. "So, what did you do before you became a professional fighter?" Kagome asked as she settled into her seat.
"Excuse me?"
She looked up at the dog demon and his frown. Was he already on edge? She had thought she would get away with that question - such a typical inquiry on a first date. "I'm sorry," she said. "Is that not something you talk about?"
"We may talk about what you wish," he replied, his expression blank once more. "I was simply taken aback that you are not already aware of my history."
Her heartbeat shuddered. "Why should I know that?" she asked.
"Because my father was the Great Dog General," said Sesshoumaru. "But perhaps too much time has passed for humans to remember him."
Kagome's eyes widened, silently damning herself for not reading that history on Sesshoumaru that Sango had prepared. Her friend hadn't mentioned anything like that - but then again, she'd been busy trying to convince her that Sesshoumaru was dangerous. Really, Sango should have just mentioned the connection to the Inu no Taisho. That would have convinced her in a moment. "No, they still teach history in school the last time I checked," she said. "Are you really his son?"
"You ask that with admiration in your voice," he observed. "You are one of those that views him as a hero, then."
She flushed slightly. "Most demons fought against the humans in the early days," she said. "I think that it matters more that we decided to live together instead."
"There are those that refuse to accept that, even now," the dog demon noted.
"Total dinosaurs. Of the brain, usually," Kagome said with a sniff. "It's a brave, new world with such people in it, and they need to accept that. Your father was brilliant as the general of the united army. He defended us countless times."
Sesshoumaru made a noncommittal noise, and she paused to consider the demon across the table. "You were there too, weren't you?"
"I accompanied my father to every battlefield since I could carry a sword until his death," he murmured.
Kagome swirled her food around in its bowl. "You've always been fighting, then," she said.
"Always," he agreed.
"How is it that your father isn't the first thing everyone mentions about you?" she asked.
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Youkai are aware of it, but I took pains that it was not mentioned publicly at my matches," he said. "Human memory is short."
She smiled softly. "Perhaps, but I think that people would have remembered that."
He pointed up to the television where a news anchor was mutely squawking as the scrawl at the bottom declared how four had died in a gang shootout. "Do you believe that those men will be remembered in a few months by anyone, save for their families?" he asked. "My father is remembered as an ancient figure in history. I have slain many more people than the one I mistakenly killed in the ring, and yet, that is what I am remembered for at the moment. In time, that will pass as well."
"And then, you'll return to fight professionally again?" she asked.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "I expect that the commissioners have better records, if not a better memory, than the public," he said. "In the end, I will probably be just a name on a list of past champions, albeit with a damning asterisk that details my offense."
Kagome arched an eyebrow at him. "You're kind of morbid, Sesshoumaru."
"I am realistic," he stated.
"Don't you want children or anything like that?" She hesitated at the look on his face and immediately added, "Or, you know, family? You have family, don't you? They'll remember you. And not just as an asterisk on the bottom of a page."
Sesshoumaru smirked. "Your optimism is misguided," he said, "but not entirely unappreciated."
"Thanks. I think." She glanced up at the television. "I guess I just want to be remembered as more than a scrawl on the evening news. But that's probably my misguided optimism talking."
The dog demon shook his head. "It is not. You will last in memory for far longer than you can imagine."
"Oh, yeah? How do you figure?"
He gave her a flat look. "I will live a very long time," he said. "And you, Kagome Takahashi, will probably force yourself into my memory with the same insistence as you did to my life."
Their eyes met and, after a moment, his smirk returned. "That may not be entirely unappreciated either," he added.
She laughed for a long time at that.
-------------------------------------
Kagome hummed as she skipped down the steps to the ground floor of the apartment building she used for her cover ID. It was Friday - Sesshoumaru would be waiting for her tonight at the fights, and they would get their traditional drink after he won. But it would be different this time. It would be a second date, and perhaps, before they parted ways...
She sighed happily as she opened her mailbox and pulled out the single, manila envelope inside.
But all warm, fuzzy feelings fled as she pulled the photographs out. There she was, in black and white, slurping down noodles across from Sesshoumaru. Smiling with him. Walking down the street beside him. Kissing him.
It was on the last photo - right under the gentle kiss that she had pressed to his lips and which he had returned with insistence - that a small note had been written in red.
Be careful where you tread with this one, Detective Higurashi.
-------------------------------------
A/N: Kagome's line about the brave, new world is a paraphrased line from Shakespeare's play, The Tempest.