Sesshoumaru/Kagome (Set 2; Theme 32)
Title: The Youkai & The Miko
Theme: Set #2, Theme 32: 離れない (Does not separate)
Genres: Romance/Angst
Pairings Represented: Sesshoumaru/Kagome
Word Count: 8000+
Rating: PG-17
Summary: Their first times...
Glossary:
saya - sheath
ningen -human
matte - wait
Mukotsu - the poison user from Shinchinintai
mitte - look!
sugoi _ wow!
demo - but
daijoubu - it's alright
nanda - what?
kirei - pretty
ano - erm../excuse me
gomen nasai/sumimasen - sorry
Shikon no kakkera - Shikon shards
onsen - hot spring
masaka - could it be? (in this context)
eeto - eh...
haori - top worn over kimono, like a coat
hakamas - pleated pants, normally worn for training
hontou desu ka? - really?
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He was a taiyoukai who had lived for very long, as if he was in search for something or someone.
She was a ningen who got dragged into a dry well by a youkai and traveled back five hundred years in time.
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When their faces almost touched each other for the first time, it was not a happy situation.
In fact, it was rather tense and strung up, as if the air molecules in between had been instantly snap-frozen.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the miko who was now at his mercy, wondering what kind of hidden ability she had in order for her to pull out Tessaiga. But she looked rather plain and insignificant, and pretty small-sized too even though she had big eyes that seemed to radiate.
She glared up at him defiantly and held onto Tessaiga's saya for her dear life, although she was shaking all over like a frightened cat inside. She noticed his wide-slit eyes that seemed to freeze her innards and halt her breathing.
"Inuyasha! Show him that you can wield Tessaiga!!!"
The hanyou charged towards his half-brother even before she could finish her sentence and shouted at him, "Sesshoumaru, let her go you fucking bastard!!"
His anger flared at his remark; had he called him a bastard? Who was the bastard? He, Sesshoumaru was the rightful and eldest son of Inu no Taisho, whereas that suckling brat was born from a ningen woman. He should be the one wielding Tessaiga, not this hanyou whom he did not even want to acknowledge that they shared the same father. His presence was a disgrace to their nobility in the youkai world; a taint to their pure-blooded lineage that so many had fought hard to preserve. His chichi-ue had made a mistake, and he knew that it was his duty to correct it because he was the eldest.
And in a rare fit of his anger, he released a spray of his lethal-acid poison over the girl who had extracted Tessaiga for the hanyou brat, because he knew that he cared deeply for her. Her death would drive the hanyou mad, and Sesshoumaru longed to see him suffer for the shame his existence had dealt on him.
Inuyasha stood dumbfounded as melted rocks collapsed over the form of the girl who had taken out the sealing arrow from his heart. He tightened his grip over the hilt of Tessaiga and looked down at the rusty broken sword, what good will this do?!
"Sesshoumaru!"
The taiyoukai gladly obliged because he needed to vent out his anger and jealousy at his father who had left the all powerful Tessaiga to Inuyasha instead of him. He called upon a string of his youki and hurled the whip relentlessly at the brat who had taken away his right and pride as the rightful heir to Tessaiga.
"Inuyasha!" She pushed away the rocks that covered her body and stood up. That jerk had indeed tried to kill her! She glared at him but could see nothing other than amusement and slight surprise in his cold cruel eyes.
"Kagome!" The hanyou's eyes lit up in relief and joy when he saw her whole and uninjured.
But he frowned inwardly, because even the saya in her hands had protected her from his poison. Was there something in the girl and the Tessaiga that were denied to him? And when his left arm was being brutally cut off by his hanyou half-brother, the girl had earned herself a spot in his memory because it was she who had awaken Tessaiga's powers. Kagome had revived Inuyasha, caused the loss of his good arm, and even taunted him when he could have broke her neck effortlessly with his fingers.
And she remembered him equally as well because he had tried to kill Inuyasha, kill her and she could not forget the way his cold, apathetic eyes bored into her own. It reminded her of a predator, one who was out to catch her if she ever tried to flee.
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They had crossed each other's paths many times before. But seeing a ningen girl tottering behind him was her first.
"Inuyasha! Why is she with Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked as she pointed to the back view of Rin who continued to skip happily behind the taiyoukai and called out his name affectionately.
"How would I know?! Let's go!" Inuyasha slid Tessaiga back into its saya and walked off. Kagome hurriedly followed after him as they went in search for Miroku, Sango and Shippou.
Kagome stood there as she watched their backs disappearing amidst the fog. Somehow she felt that there was more than what it had seemed. Sesshoumaru declared his dislike for ningens, but it could not be the truth since he had came to rescue that little girl, whom he called her as Rin. And Rin had followed him obediently without another word as the taiyoukai turned around and left quietly.
It was as if there was this unspoken delicate relationship between him and the little girl. And Kagome was intrigued. She had always seen him as a merciless, emotionless and cruel youkai, although he was also somewhat handsome and aristocratic too. That's not the point, she re-collected her straying thoughts and wondered what had prompted the change in him. Was that just a coincidence? Or had she imagined too much?
"Kagome!"
She heard her beloved hanyou calling out for her and swiftly ran after him, "matte Inuyasha!"
Perhaps he is not who I think he is, she thought to herself as she smiled at her hanyou.
***************************
He arched his eyebrow up as the dense putrid smoke cleared.
There was a woman, no, a girl lying on the dirty floor.
And it was she. The one who followed around his hanyou brother like a flea and the one who had tested his patience before.
How could he forget her? The way she glared at him, the scent of her fear, and the deep, rich colour of her irises.
"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome coughed hard and looked up at his regal form. He still looked as graceful and untouchable as before even though he was surrounded by the poisonous fog; and it seemed to her that the smoke had to make its way around his tall body because he was Sesshoumaru. She glanced at the motionless form of her abductor and frowned; she did not want to marry Mukotsu at all. Just the sight of his swollen, shapeless lips sent shivers down her spine and she had tried her best to stay conscious for as long as possible. Because no matter whether he loved Kikyou or not, she knew that Inuyasha would come and rescue her. He always did.
But now that it was he who stood before her like a proud prince with that unidentifiable look in his golden irises, Kagome could not believe her eyes or her luck. Sesshoumaru, the one who had tried to take her life before was now her saviour? She felt a little light-headed as she tried to focus her eyes on his pristine white hakamas.
Upon the mention of his name, Sesshoumaru tilted his face and looked down at her. She was a mess; her hair was ruffled, her white top was dirtied and she was again wearing that hideous green skirt which was too short for her thin legs. For a short while, he wondered whether he should respond to her or not. And if he chose to respond, what should he say? To a human girl who had escaped from his clutches time and time again?
He hated her defiance and her pure love for Inuyasha; it shone in her eyes and it seemed that that would never happen to him even though he had lived many centuries more than her. Her love of life, her love for relationships, her love for Inuyasha were all reflected in that deep brown eyes of her. And he detested it, because he knew that he would also never be able to obtain such undivided adoration and intense, pure feelings from a female. He was not made for such things and he also knew that they were unnecessary wants in Life that he could do without.
So should he kill her?
But to sully his fingers with her blood was not something that he wanted today. He did not expect to find her when he went in pursuit after Mukotsu, and the helpless look in her eyes somehow bugged him in a way that he had never experienced before.
Was that compassion then?
He knew that she was a weak creature, one who was not even deemed as combat-worthy. But he felt a different kind of respect towards her although he told himself that she would eventually die in his hands one day. And that was because even though she was physically weak, she had a strong mind that rivaled his own and Inuyasha's. And for that, he would not take her life yet. But at the same time, he did not want her to think that he had came for her, since that was not his intention at all. It would never be, he told himself.
"Do not think that this Sesshoumaru has come to save you, my target is him," he directed his cold stare to Mukotsu's back.
Kagome opened her mouth but did not know what to say in response to his statement.
Sesshoumaru looked at her and thought that he should leave before things turned awkward.
"KAGOME!"
They looked away from each other and decided that that was that. Nothing else would be said.
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"Whoaaaa!" Shippou squealed in excitement as his kite flew higher and higher, seemingly to disappear between the white, fluffy clouds and he light blue sky. The sun was high up and he squinted his bright emerald eyes; he could only see the long red tails of the handmade kite flapping angrily as the wind carried it along its way.
"Kagome! Mitte! Sugoooooi!" Shippou held onto the last, short portion of the thread with one pawed hand and pointed to the trailing red-coloured paper with the other.
Kagome shielded her eyes with one hand and looked up; the kite was flying too high and the wind was getting stronger. She could smell the scent of rain and thunderstorm in the oncoming breeze and turned to the kitsune, "Shippou! I think its going to rain! Bring the kite back!"
"Demo- Aahhh!" Shippou squealed again as the thread left the grip of his fingers.
Both watched forlornly as the kite soared to the skies helplessly and vanished behind a small hill.
"Kagome, I'm sorry," Shippou lowered his head and stared at his bare feet. Kagome had personally made that butterfly-kite for his birthday and he had lost it, just like that. Baka! I should have been more careful, he berated himself as Kagome made her way towards him slowly, since the wing was too strong for her light and small frame.
She squatted down, patted the kitsune's head and smiled. Even though her heart ached a little at the loss of the kite since she had spent so many hours painting it, she did not hold it against him. Shippou was a child, always a child in her eyes and she held back her hair with one hand and looked into his wet-rimmed eyes.
"Daijoubu yo! Maybe we will find it again!"
And at her charming motherly smile, Shippou wondered whether her heart was as big as the world he lived in; surely it was as deep as the unfathomable seas and as high as the unreachable skies!
He nodded his head and swiped away the tears, "Hm. The heavens would return the kite to us."
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"RIN! Stop chewing that!" Jaken glared daggers at the half-bent straw in her mouth and thought that even though she had been traveling with them for three years, she did not behave like a proper girl at all.
The little one ignored her caretaker and continued to shake her head from side to side as she hummed a tune that she remembered her mortal mother had once sang to her before sleep-time. "The night... the night... the stars... the stars... Sleep tight and-"
She paused in the middle of her tuneless song and stared hard. There was something caught in the trees above the spot where they had been resting.
"JAKEN-SAMA!" She pointed up excitedly and hopped up and down on Ah-Un.
"Nanda?" Jaken sighed out loud and wondered which flower had caught her eye this time round.
Rin steadied herself on the draconic beast and stood up, "It's a kite! A kite Jaken-sama!"
The kappa-youkai and frowned, "I'm not going to get that for you! It's just a kite!"
"Demo Jaken-sama, Rin has never had a kite before!" She pouted.
He shook his head and turned away, folding his arms and wondered to himself when his youkai-lord would come back for them.
After a short while thinking about all the wonderful things she could do with that kite, Rin decided to get it on her own. Afterall the tree did not look very tall to her and she was a rather good climber. When she slowly scaled up the rough bark and winced at the branches that got caught in her yukata and her hair, she realized that the paper kite was stuck in the topmost branches and it would tear if she was not careful.
Still, she was already half-way up and her lord had told her that she should learn to settle everything for herself since she was not a child anymore. Rin frowned and thought that she was still very much a child. Nevertheless, she did want that kite and flying up on Ah-Un would just bring the whole tree down and spoil the delicate paper kite.
"Rin! Get down! Its dangerous!" Jaken turned his head around and was alarmed that her lord's ward had already got herself so high up in the tree. Was the wretched girl not happy enough traveling beside Sesshoumaru, or did she wanted his own head as a stool?! He shuddered inwardly at that thought and quickly waved Nintoujou in the air and threatened, "Get down this minute or I'll burn the whole tree down!"
Rin widened her eyes in horror and shook her head, "If you do that Rin will tell Sesshoumaru-sama that you tried to burn Rin!"
Jaken sighed to himself and shouted, "Be careful you silly girl!"
She smiled and continued her ascent and prayed hard that the thin branches would be able to support her weight, since she was not as light as before. Up, up and up she climbed, until she could reach hold of the two long red tails. It was such a bright shade of red, and it reminded her of the sakura insignia prints on her youkai lord's haori.
"Kirei!" Rin smiled to herself and tugged at the tails.
But the kite did not budge, and she frowned.
She tried again, but the light bamboo frame of the paper kite was firmly stuck in between the branches and the leaves. With her right hand wrapped over one flimsy-looking branch and the other holding on to one red tail, she tried to swing her right leg up onto the higher branch. Naturally, her attempt was unsuccessful since her leg was not long enough for her toes to even touch that branch and she fulfilled Newton's Law of Gravity the very next second. Before the notion of her bones breaking into a hundred pieces registered in her mind, she closed her eyes and thought of her youkai lord.
Sure enough, she did not feel the wind rushing past her ears and felt herself coming to an abrupt, jerky halt. She opened her eyes and smiled even though she could not see him, "SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!!"
The taiyoukai uncurled his two clawed fingers from the collar of her yukata and dropped her unceremoniously on Ah-Un. What is she doing by climbing up so high? He frowned inwardly at her rash action and took a quick glance at Jaken, who was trying in vain to hide himself behind some wild berry bush.
"GOMEN NASAI Sesshoumaru-sama! That stupid Rin was trying to get some stupid kite and-"
The kappa-youkai mumbling was promptly stopped and as Jaken laid flat-out on the ground, he wondered to himself again the umpteenth time how his lord managed his throws so accurately irregardless of the size of the stone or where his position was since he did not even look at him. Did he have eyes at the back of his head?
But then again, he was Sesshoumaru, and while Jaken tried to sit up, he hoped that his brains was not smattered yet.
Rin rubbed her butt gingerly and turned around. Before she could say anything, she saw a few bright flashes of the familiar green lash and a couple of branches fell out neatly beside them. Rin looked up and there it was; her kite fluttering down noiselessly in the still of the deep woods. Her gaze followed the brightly painted kite and realized that it was in the shape of a butterfly as it fell into her out-stretched hands.
"SUGOI!!!" Rin exclaimed and knew that nothing could ever deter or hold back her lord.
But her youkai lord merely walked on silently and everyone followed him obediently; like unprotected ducklings after their mother.
And as Rin tried to contain her joy over the beautiful kite she had found, she looked at the ever-straight back of her youkai lord and wondered how many times she had been saved by him. She tried to count with her ten fingers but it seemed that they were not enough. So she tried to add in her toes too and realized that the answer was beyond her calculation.
She knew that she was getting older, and there were changes in her body that she could not ignore. She wondered how long more could she continue to travel with her youkai lord and upon that thought she instantly asked out loud, for there were no secrets between her and him; at least it was so on her part.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, can Rin stay with you forever?"
The taiyoukai narrowed his eyes slightly and thought that he was getting soft when he realized that her voice was not as high-pitched as before. She was also getting heavier and he would need to cut her hair again when she was asleep.
"Be silent," that was his reply since he was not sure whether he wanted her to stay with him or not.
Rin saw the ever slight shrug in his shoulders and smiled happily to herself, because that meant that he was still thinking and any amount of time that she had prolonged was good. She wondered what his heart was like, for her to be able to tag along for so long without getting any scoldings at all. Was it as wide as the great river she had seen? Was it as deep as the mountain passes they had trekked through? And what would be the colour of his heart? White? Red? Blue? Black? Gold?
Rin looked down at the butterfly kite in her dirty hands and lifted it up to her nose, taking in a deep breath as she shut her lids in wondrous satisfaction and gratitude. It smelled of birds, trees, rivers and wind. She opened her eyes and his back greeted her again; it was always his back since she was always following him from behind.
She smiled to herself and thought to herself that her youkai lord was more than the birds and the trees, or the rivers and the wind. His heart was an array of multi-changeable colours, each individual yet merged together, like a burst of that rainbow that hung in the skies over their heads.
So she nodded her head and smiled again, "Hai!"
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They had crossed each other's paths again.
It was Shippou who had first sighted the butterfly kite, with its long red tails drifting lazily up in the blue skies.
"Kagome!" He screamed out, adrenalin coursing through his veins as he ran towards the kite as fast as he could. The heavens had indeed returned his kite! He told himself as he hopped over bushes and skipped through streams.
"Shippou!" Kagome called out and decided to go after him, in which Inuyasha growled unhappily, "Let him be Kagome!"
She ignored the hanyou's protests and wondered who could be holding onto the kite and whether she was able to retrieve it back. She rather liked that kite too, since her mother had helped her to put the frame together and the wings were not exactly easy to make.
"Shippou!" Kagome panted as she sprinted after his motionless form. Why had he stopped suddenly? Was there a youkai in front of him? She tightened her fingers over the long bow Kaede had given her and frowned a little.
And she was right, and wrong.
There was a youkai, no, three youkais and a small little ningen girl.
"Sesshoumaru!" Her eyes widened in a mix of fear and surprise. He was leaning against the base of a tree, taking shelter from the summer heat under its shadow some distance away, with an undecipherable look in his face again. The little girl was staring at them, surprise blatant in her black eyes as she held onto the taut string of the kite. Jaken was beside the taiyoukai as usual and Ah-Un was at the far back, one head munching on the grass while the other was raised at the intruders.
Shippou gulped and scrambled behind Kagome's slender legs; oh why was it them who had taken his kite!
Kagome straightened her lips and swallowed; she had not talked to Sesshoumaru personally before and the scenes of their previous interactions flashed before her eyes, none of them exactly peaceful or happy. Perhaps she should leave.
"What are you doing here and disturbing us?!" Jaken stared.
Her eyebrow twitched a little; if it was not for the taiyoukai, she would have gladly aimed her hamaya at his protruding green forehead.
Shippou tugged at her short green skirt; he wanted to leave, but not without the kite.
Kagome looked up to the kite and decided that it was a beautiful day, so perhaps he might not kill her. She cleared her throat softly and squirmed a little when Shippou's bushy red hair tickled her legs.
"Ano... that is my kite."
Jaken glared, Rin cocked her head to one side while Sesshoumaru remained impassively expressionless.
After thirty seconds of uninterrupted silence between them, Kagome thought that perhaps she should make clear her request.
"Er... I would like to get my kite back, because I made that for Shippou."
Jaken snorted, Rin's eyebrows drooped to the side in disappointment and Sesshoumaru shut his lids.
She felt a flush of anger riding up her chest; did he think that she was a fly?! Perhaps she could talk to the girl directly.
"Rin... sumimasen, but could you return the kite to me?" Kagome tried to smile at her.
Rin turned around and looked to her youkai lord for answers. She wanted to keep the kite; it was so pretty and it was a butterfly! Rin adored butterflies as much as the wild flowers, and thought that if she could, she would want to transform into one, like the way her youkai lord turned into a dog.
For what seemed like a long while, Sesshoumaru finally cracked open his eyes and looked at the miko in front of him. Her hands were hung straight beside her and he could see the kitsune hiding behind her long, fair legs. His gaze traveled up her body and he could see the outline of her curves clearly under the bright sunlight through that thin white top of hers. And when his eyes stopped at her face, he saw that spark of defiance in her eyes again, as if she was daring him to kill her.
Foolish woman, he told himself although he felt a little happy that she was not that afraid of him yet. Somehow, somewhat, he wanted her to fear him, but not in the way that the other youkai did. He had to admit to himself that he love that spiteful emotion in her irises as they sparkled a little under the summer sun, because life would be boring if everyone was afraid of him. But in what way did he want her fear for him to be like? He could not answer the question, and did not give it much thought since the world worked in ways that one could never totally comprehend.
"Rin."
One word, was enough to send Rin go pouting. She understood her lord, and knew that it was futile to argue.
She walked over to Kagome slowly, the pout never leaving her face and handed the string into her hands quietly.
Kagome took over her kite and smiled, "Arigatou Rin."
The little one nodded her head and turned to follow her lord who had already walked away from the small clearing.
Kagome passed the kite to a jubilant Shippou and he asked curiously, "Kagome, why are you smiling?"
She shook her head, knowing that the kitsune would never be able to understand. The look he gave her, the word he had spoken, the way they had interacted through their eyes, gave Kagome that incredulous joy. Because it was only until then, she knew that Sesshoumaru was not cruel or heartless at all. He had the depth of emotions everyone was capable of, just that he was an expert in hiding them behind that expressionless mask of his. And she wondered to herself who was the real Sesshoumaru while she walked back to their camp and glanced lovingly at her kite.
He turned his face a little and saw the two red tails in the sky. He wondered what this woman was capable of, other than lodging herself in other people's memories, arousing his curiosity and her miko abilities. Perhaps they would meet again, he turned his face to the stony road before him and continued his way.
All roads will meet each other, eventually.
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Kagome gasped in utter shock when she saw Sesshoumaru standing near the Bone Eater's Well. She gripped onto the splintered wooden ledge, swung herself out from the dry well and held onto the large plastic bag. She had been thinking how she was going to find him and the fact that he was right in front of her eyes unnerved her greatly.
Things could not get any more convenient, or creepier. Or was there telepathy between them? She shook that impossible thought out of her head and realized that Rin was hiding behind him, in the most adorable way since the little one was crouching near but yet did not dare to touch the taiyoukai's hakamas.
Should she ask him why he was here? Or should she just pass the kite to Rin? She never thought that they would meet again like them, and where was Inuyasha?
"Miko," he did not know what else to say and added on, "Rin."
The little one scrambled out and kept her hands behind her back as she looked shyly at the older female.
Kagome decided to take the initiative and beckoned Rin to her, "Rin!"
The little one looked up to her youkai lord, to which he returned the look but said nothing. Rin nodded her head and her eyes rounded as never before when Kagome pulled out the large butterfly kite from her plastic bag; it was the exact same one she had played with before. Kagome saw the light in her eyes and smiled, "This is for you!"
Rin blushed, and bowed shyly as she thanked her gratefully, "Arigatou Kagome-sama!"
The corners of his eyes rounded slightly; she had made Rin a kite. He would never understand the things that went through ningen's minds, nor how females worked. He had decided to bring Rin to look for her since he could not stand that depressed, forlorn look on her face. But he had not expected that she would make her one. No, he had definitely not expected that at all.
So both youkai and miko looked at each other for a long while, until Rin sneezed.
He caught the faint tinge of red in her cheeks when his lips parted. Perhaps she thought that he was going to say something.
She thought that her heart was beating as hard as a drum when he opened his mouth. Perhaps he could not bring himself to thank her.
It was not the first time they had met alone, but it was definitely the first time they felt something else towards each other, which was not fear, fright, hatred and disgust at all. To what it exactly was, none could understand and both parted their ways silently.
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Kagome scrunched her nose a little at the pungent sulphur scent which seemed to overwhelm all of her five senses. She patted the wet cloth on her head and leaned back against a smooth boulder. She knew that she should not be soaking in the onsen for more than ten minutes but it had been a hard day. She had quarreled with Inuyasha over Kikyou, even though she could not remember how or who had started it. All she knew was that Kikyou occupied a more important place in his heart; Kikyou was classified under 'urgent', whereas she herself was under 'keep in view'.
"Baka," she cursed at Inuyasha and closed her eyes, not wanting to think about the hanyou anymore. She tried to remind herself that she had a duty in Sengoku Jidai and that was to retrieve all the Shikon no Kakkera. Boys, or men, did not matter at all.
Kagome let out a happy sigh as the warm mineral waters swirled around her body; the tensions and knots in her muscles seemed to disappear, so was the headache that she had been nursing for the day.
Rin struggled; she did not want a bath!
"Sesshoumaru-sama..." she pleaded but he continued to walk to the nearest onsen, while his claws were firmly hooked under the collar of her yukata. He did not understand why Rin disliked bathing, but that was not important and he increased his footsteps. She was starting to smell and he scrunched his nose a little when the stinging sulphur scent wafted into his nostrils.
Rin struggled again; she hated to bathe and knew that if there was one thing that she did not like about her youkai lord, it was this.
He stopped in his tracks; Rin ceased her struggling.
"Kagome-sama!" The little one saw the older female slipping into the deep onsen with her eyes shut. She could not swim and looked up to her youkai lord, who was at the moment frowning and his mouth down-turned.
Foolish woman! Sesshoumaru unhooked his claws from Rin's yukata, to which she landed on her butt painfully while he waded into the onsen when Kagome's head dipped beneath the waters.
Rin watched attentively as her youkai lord emerged from the onsen with Kagome slung over his shoulders, both dripping wet. He laid her down on the bare ground and noticed that her body temperature was too hot; her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were half-shut as her eyelashes fluttered and her parted lips were too red.
They looked very soft too, and he had this sudden urge to suck on her lips. And so he did, while Rin covered her eyes and turned around, although she was grinning like mad. Her Sesshoumaru-sama likes Kagome-sama! She would have to tell Jaken-sama later.
Sesshoumaru did not break the kiss even though he knew that she was beginning to regain her consciousness. He loved the way her eyelashes fluttered, like the tails of her butterfly kite did. He brought her up with his only arm around her shoulders and continued to suck on her bottom lip, inwardly wondering what would her reaction be.
Kagome opened her eyes and thought her heart had stopped when she saw Sesshoumaru hugging her, and kissing her! She felt extremely hot and feverish and the fact that his lips were pulling at hers made the matter worse. Her head was beginning to spin and she closed her eyes while she put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself.
It must be a dream, she repeated to herself but thought that the enjoyable tingle that ran through her body was too real.
When a night breeze blew past their wet bodies, Kagome concurred to herself that it was way too real.
She opened her eyes when he pulled away for some oxygen. As she panted, she could see the sharp profile of his face and the way his golden irises sparkled back at her. There was a wildness, a rawness in those irises and she shuddered. She could feel his fingers caressing her back and realized that she was also naked.
"Ah!" Kagome jumped up in shock and he instantly released his arm.
Sesshoumaru saw her ears going red, and that she had tried to cover her breasts with her arms while she crossed her legs in fierce embarrassment. Or was that shyness, modesty? He grinned to himself and she gasped when she caught his smile.
Was he using her to satisfy his carnal desires? Was he amused at her? And to her horror, she could see Rin hiding behind a nearby bush!
A wave of anger washed over her head and she felt dizzier than ever. Kagome raised her hand with all intent to slap him.
He saw that and swiftly circled her wrist with his long fingers.
She fumed, because she could not even slap him! What did he take her for?! Prostitute?! And his fingers were not even tight around her wrist!
He smiled, because he saw that sparkle of defiance in her eyes again, coupled with something else that he was not too sure what it was.
She swallowed as Sesshoumaru continued to look at her; and she reasoned that it must be the steam from the onsen when she thought he looked utterly breathtaking and angelic-like.
His smile disappeared when she swallowed visibly; unknown emotions were stirring in his heart and his loins, and he did not like that all. He would not be like his father or Inuyasha, he affirmed to himself.
Sesshoumaru released his firm grip and stood up. Kagome looked away and did not know what to say as she shivered a little.
"Rin," he called out and the little one bopped out from the bush instantly, her eyes wide and fearful at the sudden change in his tone, because it meant that he was angry, very angry.
Kagome could not bear the shame anymore and threw a stone at him, "And Rin is here!"
Sesshoumaru's eyebrows arched up in surprise.
The insolent miko had thrown a stone at his chest. And what did she mean when she said Rin was there?
Then he smiled; while Kagome thought that the veins in her forehead would burst.
"Next time, she would not be around then," he smirked and walked off, with the curious Rin in tow.
She bit hard on her lower lip and yelled, "There will NOT be a next time you jerk!!!"
***************************
Kagome thought that he was right and she was wrong. She tossed around in her sleeping bag, her mind full on his kisses and the way his fingers moved over her back. She never knew that one could get addicted to such thoughts, if there was ever such an addiction. She closed her eyes, trying to will herself to go to sleep but after a minute, she gave up and laid on her back, staring up at the stars that shone like his eyes.
When the unmistakable red tails floated into her vision of sight, her lips parted in shock. It could not be Shippou's since he was asleep on Kirara.
Masaka...!
She swiftly left her sleeping bag and took a look at Inuyasha; he was sound asleep and drooling onto his fire-rat haori. She let out a heavy breath and made her way towards the kite, half-excited and half-curious at the appearance of her butterfly kite. Was he calling out for her? Or had she imagined too much?
Her breath was caught in her throat when she saw him standing motionlessly under a big willow tree. The soft branches were swaying in the cooling night breeze and the kite was securely tied to one of them. His back was facing her but she knew that he knew she had arrived. His long silver hair was like a chiffon curtain as it billowed with the breeze, accompanied by the rustling of the leaves while the weak moonlight seemed to enclose its fingers around the strands of his gleaming hair, accentuating his coldness and solitude as a taiyoukai.
Kagome stood there for a long while with his back facing her. It was as if he did not want to acknowledge her presence and she was perplexed. Why did he tie the kite to the willow tree then, if he did not want to see her? And why had he said nothing since she was already there? Or was her existence so insignificant to him that he could not even bring himself to look at her?
She frowned and bit her lip. She felt used, mocked, and oddly upset.
Then he spoke, and she thought that the willow leaves had stopped their rustling for a moment. His smooth yet cold voice sailed through the distance between them and when it reached her ears, it was like the remnants of a soft echo, so soft and wisp that it made her heart ache.
"Why did you come?"
Sesshoumaru had wanted to prove to himself that he was wrong. That he did not miss her, nor had she wanted to see him. He had deliberated over this matter for a week, and that was too long for him. He had not thought so much over one matter, or a person since he was a fast thinker and made decisions within three seconds. He was an expert strategist, a tactician and a taiyoukai for goodness' sake! Therefore her arrival only brought him more headache and he had not had one for a long time too.
He wanted to turn his back and take a glance at her sweet face. But he was afraid too, for unknown reasons that eluded his mind. Perhaps he wanted to see that softness in her eyes that he knew was reserved for Inuyasha. Or perhaps he was just curious about her.
Yes, he had always been a curious child, and this characteristic remained with him even when he was older than some of willow trees here.
And so he asked.
Kagome did not know how to answer and thought that his voice was too soft to be him. But she knew that her eyes were not playing tricks on her since she knew of no one else other than Inuyasha with this head of long silver straight head. He was not with his furry pelt and he looked oddly smaller than before, although these straying thoughts did not relieve the headache that was now running somewhere in between her eyes.
And so she responded with a question, "Why did you tie the kite to the tree?"
He frowned hard; she was not supposed to ask him questions!
"It is nothing of your business," he replied coldly, even though he felt a little ashamed in saying that.
Kagome felt that he was trying hard to preserve his pride and grinned to herself, "Well then it's also none of your business why I'm here isn't it? I'm here to.. to.." Her eyes darted around in panic, "to gaze at the stars."
Star-watching? He smirked to himself and rested his hands behind his back as he looked up, "Aa, the stars are especially bright tonight."
She blushed a little at her poorly made excuse but decided to play along, "They are brighter because it is darker here."
For the rest of the night, they watched the stars together in companionable silence until the sparkling balls of fire were overshadowed by faint sheaths of cool blue sunlight. Although the physical distance between them remained, both knew that it was not the case for the gap in their age and their mentality.
Little did they know they would fall right into the trap that Fate had so carefully woven for them through a butterfly kite.
***************************
Kagome had come to him many times, but this was the first that they were so physically close. If he squirmed a little, he was sure that he would be able to touch her shoulders. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair but yet did not lean towards her.
She took a seat beside him on the moss-covered log and hummed to herself.
He took a side glance at her and wondered why females like to do that.
"You really like my kite huh?" Kagome smiled to herself and watched for his response through the corner of her eye.
He almost choked on her question but managed to maintain his cool composure, "Silly woman."
Kagome giggled; Sesshoumaru smiled to himself. He wondered why he had not had the urge to take her again. Was it out of respect? Or something else? He refused to think beyond that since he judged himself emotionally impossible to like someone, not to even mention love.
"Why is it in the shape of a butterfly?" he asked.
She rested her chin on her knuckles, "Eeto... I think I just like butterflies. And the way they fly, with their wings flapping constantly like that," she gestured with her own hands.
He wanted to snort at her childish behaviour but thought otherwise, "Silly woman."
She rested her cheek on her left hand and looked dreamily at him. Since when did she like him so much? She asked herself but could reach no conclusions as usual. She made a mental count and noted that this was the twentieth time that they had met secretly, or was it not?
"Sesshoumaru," she called out.
He refused to turn his head, for fear that he would not be able to find that special sparkle of love in her eyes. "Nanda?"
She smacked her lips and asked in a serious tone, "When will you tell me why you want to meet me?"
He frowned a little and got to his feet instantly, "Do not ask this Sesshoumaru questions that you are not capable of shouldering the answers."
Kagome stared in shock as the taiyoukai walked off; she had never seen him this angry with her for a long time.
Sesshoumaru headed back to his entourage and thought that he had been too harsh on her. And upon that thought, he chided himself on becoming soft. It's the females, it's the females, he chanted to himself in his mind.
***************************
"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome jogged to him as fast as she could, hoping that her kimono would not tear.
His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her lithe form and the curves that showed through the pure white kimono. Was today a special day? He asked himself as he held her butterfly kite in his clawed hand.
"Do I look like a butterfly?" She flapped the sleeves of her kimono up and down and flashed a brilliant smile at him.
His lips parted at her question; what was she trying to prove to him? What did she expect him to answer anyway? That she was more beautiful than all the butterflies he had seen with his youkai eyes? That he never thought her more beautiful than ever?
"Ne ne ne! Do I look like a butterfly?" Kagome giggled to herself and tried to spin around on the wooden clogs. But she was a clumsy person as always, and the spin was not even completed when the clogs gave way.
He reached out his right arm and caught her before she fell. Kagome took in a sharp breath as she bent doubled over his arm, "That was close!"
But before she could thank him, she was greeted with another shock as he pulled her in, with her back against his armourless chest. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip over her small waist and thought that her scent was overwhelming his senses in a very different way that he had never thought it possible before. He bent his head and pulled out the long wooden ornament that held her hair up in a bun with his teeth.
As her long ebony hair tumbled down in big soft waves, he dipped his sharp nose into it and inhaled deeply. He had wanted to do this for a long time, but had never quite dared to.
"You smell nice..." he mumbled into her hair and shut his maroon-lined lids.
His husky voice sent shivers down her spine; she could feel his warmth on her back and how close his mouth was to her ear.
"I..." She could not continue when he licked her earlobe and turned her around, placing soft dry kisses on her eyes and cheeks.
"Give yourself to me," Sesshoumaru whispered and cut away the obi that secured her kimono.
***************************
"Do you love me?" Kagome looked up at the taiyoukai who was currently resting with his eyes shut.
He froze at her question; did she want commitment and promises from him? Sesshoumaru cracked open one eye and stared at her. Her hair was mussed and slightly damp, the scent of their love-making hung lightly in the air and he wanted to say 'yes'.
"No," he closed his eyes; he would never love a ningen. He promised himself that.
Kagome tried to smile, he's just pulling my leg! "Hontou desu ka?"
He frowned at her question; was she doubting him? Or did she think that she had him wrapped around her fingers? Sesshoumaru sniffed and replied, disgust obvious in his tone, "Do not presume that this Sesshoumaru will like a ningen."
She thought her heart broke into a million pieces as tears rose to her eyes.
I'm too naive, too naive, she dried her eyes using the back of her hand, got to her feet and dressed herself.
"That is good, because I still love Inuyasha."
Kagome felt him tensed and his youki enlarging and swelling as never before in the small cave. It seemed to stifle her and she pressed her hand against her chest, trying hard to breathe. She was afraid of him; but not now. She knew that he was as vulnerable as her and she was stronger than him in the emotional aspect. But before she could exhale, she felt her body going cold, very cold.
Kagome looked down and saw the edge of Toukijin through her stomach. Her blood was gushing out fast, and it stained her brand new white butterfly kimono and dripped down onto the floor. The red was brighter and deeper than the paint she has used on her butterfly kite. But she felt nothing other than the numbing coldness and searing pain in her heart. And she saw shining white butterflies, hovering before her eyes, and the images of three couples that oddly resembled her and him.
She closed her eyes and smiled as she fell flat on her face. Perhaps she would have to try harder in her next life.
Sesshoumaru pulled out Toukijin and took a step back. Had he killed her in a fit of anger? Had he soaked his claws in her blood?
He saw her face turned to him as she lay on the ground, almost lifeless while her soul seeped away with the bright red blood. Then he caught the sparkle in her eyes, that which he had desired for so long. He felt as if he had personally shredded his heart into a thousand ragged pieces and backed against the wall of the cave in shock.
Tenseiga shook violently and the noise jolted him out of his thoughts, as if it was hurrying him before it was too late.
Sesshoumaru quickly unsheathed the life-giving sword and there they were; the hell goblins that were pulling at the soul-chain bound around her body. He blinked his eyes because his vision was blurring fast and with two clean, neat swipes, Tenseiga sliced the hell goblins into two which vanished in a puff of smoke.
But instead of the bright light that he had expected to see when he saved Rin, he saw a flurry of white butterflies, big and small as they rushed past his face and out of the cave. He could hear the soft sounds that their wings made and blinked again as one landed on his shoulder and the other on her pale forehead.
Memories of their past three lives, the passion and the angst of their past loves, the pain and the regret that they had not been able to be make up to each other, poured into his mind endlessly; like a sea trying to squeeze itself into a small wooden pail. Sesshoumaru felt as if his skull would burst from the onslaught of memories and he could not breathe, because he was crying so hard that it was soundless.
Had he really killed her? Had he really lost her again?
He never thought himself capable of crying, but as hot tears coursed down his striped cheeks, he wished that Kami would give him another chance and return Kagome to him. He did not want to go through another life again in search for her; he had waited so long for her.
"Sess...shoumaru..." She cried out weakly; finally understanding why the Bone Eater's Well transported her to five hundred years in the past.
He dropped Tenseiga and hugged her tightly; he was finally reunited with her, after so many centuries of aimless waiting.
"Kagome!"
That was the first time she heard him saying her name, and she smiled.
***************************
The pair of butterflies circled each other and disappeared. There would be no need for them anymore.
I am sorry for the abbreviations and the glossary. Am a bit konked out after this long chapter. This is part of a short fic that I wrote for Single Spark... =)
Theme: Set #2, Theme 32: 離れない (Does not separate)
Genres: Romance/Angst
Pairings Represented: Sesshoumaru/Kagome
Word Count: 8000+
Rating: PG-17
Summary: Their first times...
Glossary:
saya - sheath
ningen -human
matte - wait
Mukotsu - the poison user from Shinchinintai
mitte - look!
sugoi _ wow!
demo - but
daijoubu - it's alright
nanda - what?
kirei - pretty
ano - erm../excuse me
gomen nasai/sumimasen - sorry
Shikon no kakkera - Shikon shards
onsen - hot spring
masaka - could it be? (in this context)
eeto - eh...
haori - top worn over kimono, like a coat
hakamas - pleated pants, normally worn for training
hontou desu ka? - really?
************************************************************************************************************************
He was a taiyoukai who had lived for very long, as if he was in search for something or someone.
She was a ningen who got dragged into a dry well by a youkai and traveled back five hundred years in time.
***************************
When their faces almost touched each other for the first time, it was not a happy situation.
In fact, it was rather tense and strung up, as if the air molecules in between had been instantly snap-frozen.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the miko who was now at his mercy, wondering what kind of hidden ability she had in order for her to pull out Tessaiga. But she looked rather plain and insignificant, and pretty small-sized too even though she had big eyes that seemed to radiate.
She glared up at him defiantly and held onto Tessaiga's saya for her dear life, although she was shaking all over like a frightened cat inside. She noticed his wide-slit eyes that seemed to freeze her innards and halt her breathing.
"Inuyasha! Show him that you can wield Tessaiga!!!"
The hanyou charged towards his half-brother even before she could finish her sentence and shouted at him, "Sesshoumaru, let her go you fucking bastard!!"
His anger flared at his remark; had he called him a bastard? Who was the bastard? He, Sesshoumaru was the rightful and eldest son of Inu no Taisho, whereas that suckling brat was born from a ningen woman. He should be the one wielding Tessaiga, not this hanyou whom he did not even want to acknowledge that they shared the same father. His presence was a disgrace to their nobility in the youkai world; a taint to their pure-blooded lineage that so many had fought hard to preserve. His chichi-ue had made a mistake, and he knew that it was his duty to correct it because he was the eldest.
And in a rare fit of his anger, he released a spray of his lethal-acid poison over the girl who had extracted Tessaiga for the hanyou brat, because he knew that he cared deeply for her. Her death would drive the hanyou mad, and Sesshoumaru longed to see him suffer for the shame his existence had dealt on him.
Inuyasha stood dumbfounded as melted rocks collapsed over the form of the girl who had taken out the sealing arrow from his heart. He tightened his grip over the hilt of Tessaiga and looked down at the rusty broken sword, what good will this do?!
"Sesshoumaru!"
The taiyoukai gladly obliged because he needed to vent out his anger and jealousy at his father who had left the all powerful Tessaiga to Inuyasha instead of him. He called upon a string of his youki and hurled the whip relentlessly at the brat who had taken away his right and pride as the rightful heir to Tessaiga.
"Inuyasha!" She pushed away the rocks that covered her body and stood up. That jerk had indeed tried to kill her! She glared at him but could see nothing other than amusement and slight surprise in his cold cruel eyes.
"Kagome!" The hanyou's eyes lit up in relief and joy when he saw her whole and uninjured.
But he frowned inwardly, because even the saya in her hands had protected her from his poison. Was there something in the girl and the Tessaiga that were denied to him? And when his left arm was being brutally cut off by his hanyou half-brother, the girl had earned herself a spot in his memory because it was she who had awaken Tessaiga's powers. Kagome had revived Inuyasha, caused the loss of his good arm, and even taunted him when he could have broke her neck effortlessly with his fingers.
And she remembered him equally as well because he had tried to kill Inuyasha, kill her and she could not forget the way his cold, apathetic eyes bored into her own. It reminded her of a predator, one who was out to catch her if she ever tried to flee.
***************************
They had crossed each other's paths many times before. But seeing a ningen girl tottering behind him was her first.
"Inuyasha! Why is she with Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked as she pointed to the back view of Rin who continued to skip happily behind the taiyoukai and called out his name affectionately.
"How would I know?! Let's go!" Inuyasha slid Tessaiga back into its saya and walked off. Kagome hurriedly followed after him as they went in search for Miroku, Sango and Shippou.
Kagome stood there as she watched their backs disappearing amidst the fog. Somehow she felt that there was more than what it had seemed. Sesshoumaru declared his dislike for ningens, but it could not be the truth since he had came to rescue that little girl, whom he called her as Rin. And Rin had followed him obediently without another word as the taiyoukai turned around and left quietly.
It was as if there was this unspoken delicate relationship between him and the little girl. And Kagome was intrigued. She had always seen him as a merciless, emotionless and cruel youkai, although he was also somewhat handsome and aristocratic too. That's not the point, she re-collected her straying thoughts and wondered what had prompted the change in him. Was that just a coincidence? Or had she imagined too much?
"Kagome!"
She heard her beloved hanyou calling out for her and swiftly ran after him, "matte Inuyasha!"
Perhaps he is not who I think he is, she thought to herself as she smiled at her hanyou.
***************************
He arched his eyebrow up as the dense putrid smoke cleared.
There was a woman, no, a girl lying on the dirty floor.
And it was she. The one who followed around his hanyou brother like a flea and the one who had tested his patience before.
How could he forget her? The way she glared at him, the scent of her fear, and the deep, rich colour of her irises.
"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome coughed hard and looked up at his regal form. He still looked as graceful and untouchable as before even though he was surrounded by the poisonous fog; and it seemed to her that the smoke had to make its way around his tall body because he was Sesshoumaru. She glanced at the motionless form of her abductor and frowned; she did not want to marry Mukotsu at all. Just the sight of his swollen, shapeless lips sent shivers down her spine and she had tried her best to stay conscious for as long as possible. Because no matter whether he loved Kikyou or not, she knew that Inuyasha would come and rescue her. He always did.
But now that it was he who stood before her like a proud prince with that unidentifiable look in his golden irises, Kagome could not believe her eyes or her luck. Sesshoumaru, the one who had tried to take her life before was now her saviour? She felt a little light-headed as she tried to focus her eyes on his pristine white hakamas.
Upon the mention of his name, Sesshoumaru tilted his face and looked down at her. She was a mess; her hair was ruffled, her white top was dirtied and she was again wearing that hideous green skirt which was too short for her thin legs. For a short while, he wondered whether he should respond to her or not. And if he chose to respond, what should he say? To a human girl who had escaped from his clutches time and time again?
He hated her defiance and her pure love for Inuyasha; it shone in her eyes and it seemed that that would never happen to him even though he had lived many centuries more than her. Her love of life, her love for relationships, her love for Inuyasha were all reflected in that deep brown eyes of her. And he detested it, because he knew that he would also never be able to obtain such undivided adoration and intense, pure feelings from a female. He was not made for such things and he also knew that they were unnecessary wants in Life that he could do without.
So should he kill her?
But to sully his fingers with her blood was not something that he wanted today. He did not expect to find her when he went in pursuit after Mukotsu, and the helpless look in her eyes somehow bugged him in a way that he had never experienced before.
Was that compassion then?
He knew that she was a weak creature, one who was not even deemed as combat-worthy. But he felt a different kind of respect towards her although he told himself that she would eventually die in his hands one day. And that was because even though she was physically weak, she had a strong mind that rivaled his own and Inuyasha's. And for that, he would not take her life yet. But at the same time, he did not want her to think that he had came for her, since that was not his intention at all. It would never be, he told himself.
"Do not think that this Sesshoumaru has come to save you, my target is him," he directed his cold stare to Mukotsu's back.
Kagome opened her mouth but did not know what to say in response to his statement.
Sesshoumaru looked at her and thought that he should leave before things turned awkward.
"KAGOME!"
They looked away from each other and decided that that was that. Nothing else would be said.
***************************
"Whoaaaa!" Shippou squealed in excitement as his kite flew higher and higher, seemingly to disappear between the white, fluffy clouds and he light blue sky. The sun was high up and he squinted his bright emerald eyes; he could only see the long red tails of the handmade kite flapping angrily as the wind carried it along its way.
"Kagome! Mitte! Sugoooooi!" Shippou held onto the last, short portion of the thread with one pawed hand and pointed to the trailing red-coloured paper with the other.
Kagome shielded her eyes with one hand and looked up; the kite was flying too high and the wind was getting stronger. She could smell the scent of rain and thunderstorm in the oncoming breeze and turned to the kitsune, "Shippou! I think its going to rain! Bring the kite back!"
"Demo- Aahhh!" Shippou squealed again as the thread left the grip of his fingers.
Both watched forlornly as the kite soared to the skies helplessly and vanished behind a small hill.
"Kagome, I'm sorry," Shippou lowered his head and stared at his bare feet. Kagome had personally made that butterfly-kite for his birthday and he had lost it, just like that. Baka! I should have been more careful, he berated himself as Kagome made her way towards him slowly, since the wing was too strong for her light and small frame.
She squatted down, patted the kitsune's head and smiled. Even though her heart ached a little at the loss of the kite since she had spent so many hours painting it, she did not hold it against him. Shippou was a child, always a child in her eyes and she held back her hair with one hand and looked into his wet-rimmed eyes.
"Daijoubu yo! Maybe we will find it again!"
And at her charming motherly smile, Shippou wondered whether her heart was as big as the world he lived in; surely it was as deep as the unfathomable seas and as high as the unreachable skies!
He nodded his head and swiped away the tears, "Hm. The heavens would return the kite to us."
***************************
"RIN! Stop chewing that!" Jaken glared daggers at the half-bent straw in her mouth and thought that even though she had been traveling with them for three years, she did not behave like a proper girl at all.
The little one ignored her caretaker and continued to shake her head from side to side as she hummed a tune that she remembered her mortal mother had once sang to her before sleep-time. "The night... the night... the stars... the stars... Sleep tight and-"
She paused in the middle of her tuneless song and stared hard. There was something caught in the trees above the spot where they had been resting.
"JAKEN-SAMA!" She pointed up excitedly and hopped up and down on Ah-Un.
"Nanda?" Jaken sighed out loud and wondered which flower had caught her eye this time round.
Rin steadied herself on the draconic beast and stood up, "It's a kite! A kite Jaken-sama!"
The kappa-youkai and frowned, "I'm not going to get that for you! It's just a kite!"
"Demo Jaken-sama, Rin has never had a kite before!" She pouted.
He shook his head and turned away, folding his arms and wondered to himself when his youkai-lord would come back for them.
After a short while thinking about all the wonderful things she could do with that kite, Rin decided to get it on her own. Afterall the tree did not look very tall to her and she was a rather good climber. When she slowly scaled up the rough bark and winced at the branches that got caught in her yukata and her hair, she realized that the paper kite was stuck in the topmost branches and it would tear if she was not careful.
Still, she was already half-way up and her lord had told her that she should learn to settle everything for herself since she was not a child anymore. Rin frowned and thought that she was still very much a child. Nevertheless, she did want that kite and flying up on Ah-Un would just bring the whole tree down and spoil the delicate paper kite.
"Rin! Get down! Its dangerous!" Jaken turned his head around and was alarmed that her lord's ward had already got herself so high up in the tree. Was the wretched girl not happy enough traveling beside Sesshoumaru, or did she wanted his own head as a stool?! He shuddered inwardly at that thought and quickly waved Nintoujou in the air and threatened, "Get down this minute or I'll burn the whole tree down!"
Rin widened her eyes in horror and shook her head, "If you do that Rin will tell Sesshoumaru-sama that you tried to burn Rin!"
Jaken sighed to himself and shouted, "Be careful you silly girl!"
She smiled and continued her ascent and prayed hard that the thin branches would be able to support her weight, since she was not as light as before. Up, up and up she climbed, until she could reach hold of the two long red tails. It was such a bright shade of red, and it reminded her of the sakura insignia prints on her youkai lord's haori.
"Kirei!" Rin smiled to herself and tugged at the tails.
But the kite did not budge, and she frowned.
She tried again, but the light bamboo frame of the paper kite was firmly stuck in between the branches and the leaves. With her right hand wrapped over one flimsy-looking branch and the other holding on to one red tail, she tried to swing her right leg up onto the higher branch. Naturally, her attempt was unsuccessful since her leg was not long enough for her toes to even touch that branch and she fulfilled Newton's Law of Gravity the very next second. Before the notion of her bones breaking into a hundred pieces registered in her mind, she closed her eyes and thought of her youkai lord.
Sure enough, she did not feel the wind rushing past her ears and felt herself coming to an abrupt, jerky halt. She opened her eyes and smiled even though she could not see him, "SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!!"
The taiyoukai uncurled his two clawed fingers from the collar of her yukata and dropped her unceremoniously on Ah-Un. What is she doing by climbing up so high? He frowned inwardly at her rash action and took a quick glance at Jaken, who was trying in vain to hide himself behind some wild berry bush.
"GOMEN NASAI Sesshoumaru-sama! That stupid Rin was trying to get some stupid kite and-"
The kappa-youkai mumbling was promptly stopped and as Jaken laid flat-out on the ground, he wondered to himself again the umpteenth time how his lord managed his throws so accurately irregardless of the size of the stone or where his position was since he did not even look at him. Did he have eyes at the back of his head?
But then again, he was Sesshoumaru, and while Jaken tried to sit up, he hoped that his brains was not smattered yet.
Rin rubbed her butt gingerly and turned around. Before she could say anything, she saw a few bright flashes of the familiar green lash and a couple of branches fell out neatly beside them. Rin looked up and there it was; her kite fluttering down noiselessly in the still of the deep woods. Her gaze followed the brightly painted kite and realized that it was in the shape of a butterfly as it fell into her out-stretched hands.
"SUGOI!!!" Rin exclaimed and knew that nothing could ever deter or hold back her lord.
But her youkai lord merely walked on silently and everyone followed him obediently; like unprotected ducklings after their mother.
And as Rin tried to contain her joy over the beautiful kite she had found, she looked at the ever-straight back of her youkai lord and wondered how many times she had been saved by him. She tried to count with her ten fingers but it seemed that they were not enough. So she tried to add in her toes too and realized that the answer was beyond her calculation.
She knew that she was getting older, and there were changes in her body that she could not ignore. She wondered how long more could she continue to travel with her youkai lord and upon that thought she instantly asked out loud, for there were no secrets between her and him; at least it was so on her part.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, can Rin stay with you forever?"
The taiyoukai narrowed his eyes slightly and thought that he was getting soft when he realized that her voice was not as high-pitched as before. She was also getting heavier and he would need to cut her hair again when she was asleep.
"Be silent," that was his reply since he was not sure whether he wanted her to stay with him or not.
Rin saw the ever slight shrug in his shoulders and smiled happily to herself, because that meant that he was still thinking and any amount of time that she had prolonged was good. She wondered what his heart was like, for her to be able to tag along for so long without getting any scoldings at all. Was it as wide as the great river she had seen? Was it as deep as the mountain passes they had trekked through? And what would be the colour of his heart? White? Red? Blue? Black? Gold?
Rin looked down at the butterfly kite in her dirty hands and lifted it up to her nose, taking in a deep breath as she shut her lids in wondrous satisfaction and gratitude. It smelled of birds, trees, rivers and wind. She opened her eyes and his back greeted her again; it was always his back since she was always following him from behind.
She smiled to herself and thought to herself that her youkai lord was more than the birds and the trees, or the rivers and the wind. His heart was an array of multi-changeable colours, each individual yet merged together, like a burst of that rainbow that hung in the skies over their heads.
So she nodded her head and smiled again, "Hai!"
***************************
They had crossed each other's paths again.
It was Shippou who had first sighted the butterfly kite, with its long red tails drifting lazily up in the blue skies.
"Kagome!" He screamed out, adrenalin coursing through his veins as he ran towards the kite as fast as he could. The heavens had indeed returned his kite! He told himself as he hopped over bushes and skipped through streams.
"Shippou!" Kagome called out and decided to go after him, in which Inuyasha growled unhappily, "Let him be Kagome!"
She ignored the hanyou's protests and wondered who could be holding onto the kite and whether she was able to retrieve it back. She rather liked that kite too, since her mother had helped her to put the frame together and the wings were not exactly easy to make.
"Shippou!" Kagome panted as she sprinted after his motionless form. Why had he stopped suddenly? Was there a youkai in front of him? She tightened her fingers over the long bow Kaede had given her and frowned a little.
And she was right, and wrong.
There was a youkai, no, three youkais and a small little ningen girl.
"Sesshoumaru!" Her eyes widened in a mix of fear and surprise. He was leaning against the base of a tree, taking shelter from the summer heat under its shadow some distance away, with an undecipherable look in his face again. The little girl was staring at them, surprise blatant in her black eyes as she held onto the taut string of the kite. Jaken was beside the taiyoukai as usual and Ah-Un was at the far back, one head munching on the grass while the other was raised at the intruders.
Shippou gulped and scrambled behind Kagome's slender legs; oh why was it them who had taken his kite!
Kagome straightened her lips and swallowed; she had not talked to Sesshoumaru personally before and the scenes of their previous interactions flashed before her eyes, none of them exactly peaceful or happy. Perhaps she should leave.
"What are you doing here and disturbing us?!" Jaken stared.
Her eyebrow twitched a little; if it was not for the taiyoukai, she would have gladly aimed her hamaya at his protruding green forehead.
Shippou tugged at her short green skirt; he wanted to leave, but not without the kite.
Kagome looked up to the kite and decided that it was a beautiful day, so perhaps he might not kill her. She cleared her throat softly and squirmed a little when Shippou's bushy red hair tickled her legs.
"Ano... that is my kite."
Jaken glared, Rin cocked her head to one side while Sesshoumaru remained impassively expressionless.
After thirty seconds of uninterrupted silence between them, Kagome thought that perhaps she should make clear her request.
"Er... I would like to get my kite back, because I made that for Shippou."
Jaken snorted, Rin's eyebrows drooped to the side in disappointment and Sesshoumaru shut his lids.
She felt a flush of anger riding up her chest; did he think that she was a fly?! Perhaps she could talk to the girl directly.
"Rin... sumimasen, but could you return the kite to me?" Kagome tried to smile at her.
Rin turned around and looked to her youkai lord for answers. She wanted to keep the kite; it was so pretty and it was a butterfly! Rin adored butterflies as much as the wild flowers, and thought that if she could, she would want to transform into one, like the way her youkai lord turned into a dog.
For what seemed like a long while, Sesshoumaru finally cracked open his eyes and looked at the miko in front of him. Her hands were hung straight beside her and he could see the kitsune hiding behind her long, fair legs. His gaze traveled up her body and he could see the outline of her curves clearly under the bright sunlight through that thin white top of hers. And when his eyes stopped at her face, he saw that spark of defiance in her eyes again, as if she was daring him to kill her.
Foolish woman, he told himself although he felt a little happy that she was not that afraid of him yet. Somehow, somewhat, he wanted her to fear him, but not in the way that the other youkai did. He had to admit to himself that he love that spiteful emotion in her irises as they sparkled a little under the summer sun, because life would be boring if everyone was afraid of him. But in what way did he want her fear for him to be like? He could not answer the question, and did not give it much thought since the world worked in ways that one could never totally comprehend.
"Rin."
One word, was enough to send Rin go pouting. She understood her lord, and knew that it was futile to argue.
She walked over to Kagome slowly, the pout never leaving her face and handed the string into her hands quietly.
Kagome took over her kite and smiled, "Arigatou Rin."
The little one nodded her head and turned to follow her lord who had already walked away from the small clearing.
Kagome passed the kite to a jubilant Shippou and he asked curiously, "Kagome, why are you smiling?"
She shook her head, knowing that the kitsune would never be able to understand. The look he gave her, the word he had spoken, the way they had interacted through their eyes, gave Kagome that incredulous joy. Because it was only until then, she knew that Sesshoumaru was not cruel or heartless at all. He had the depth of emotions everyone was capable of, just that he was an expert in hiding them behind that expressionless mask of his. And she wondered to herself who was the real Sesshoumaru while she walked back to their camp and glanced lovingly at her kite.
He turned his face a little and saw the two red tails in the sky. He wondered what this woman was capable of, other than lodging herself in other people's memories, arousing his curiosity and her miko abilities. Perhaps they would meet again, he turned his face to the stony road before him and continued his way.
All roads will meet each other, eventually.
***************************
Kagome gasped in utter shock when she saw Sesshoumaru standing near the Bone Eater's Well. She gripped onto the splintered wooden ledge, swung herself out from the dry well and held onto the large plastic bag. She had been thinking how she was going to find him and the fact that he was right in front of her eyes unnerved her greatly.
Things could not get any more convenient, or creepier. Or was there telepathy between them? She shook that impossible thought out of her head and realized that Rin was hiding behind him, in the most adorable way since the little one was crouching near but yet did not dare to touch the taiyoukai's hakamas.
Should she ask him why he was here? Or should she just pass the kite to Rin? She never thought that they would meet again like them, and where was Inuyasha?
"Miko," he did not know what else to say and added on, "Rin."
The little one scrambled out and kept her hands behind her back as she looked shyly at the older female.
Kagome decided to take the initiative and beckoned Rin to her, "Rin!"
The little one looked up to her youkai lord, to which he returned the look but said nothing. Rin nodded her head and her eyes rounded as never before when Kagome pulled out the large butterfly kite from her plastic bag; it was the exact same one she had played with before. Kagome saw the light in her eyes and smiled, "This is for you!"
Rin blushed, and bowed shyly as she thanked her gratefully, "Arigatou Kagome-sama!"
The corners of his eyes rounded slightly; she had made Rin a kite. He would never understand the things that went through ningen's minds, nor how females worked. He had decided to bring Rin to look for her since he could not stand that depressed, forlorn look on her face. But he had not expected that she would make her one. No, he had definitely not expected that at all.
So both youkai and miko looked at each other for a long while, until Rin sneezed.
He caught the faint tinge of red in her cheeks when his lips parted. Perhaps she thought that he was going to say something.
She thought that her heart was beating as hard as a drum when he opened his mouth. Perhaps he could not bring himself to thank her.
It was not the first time they had met alone, but it was definitely the first time they felt something else towards each other, which was not fear, fright, hatred and disgust at all. To what it exactly was, none could understand and both parted their ways silently.
***************************
Kagome scrunched her nose a little at the pungent sulphur scent which seemed to overwhelm all of her five senses. She patted the wet cloth on her head and leaned back against a smooth boulder. She knew that she should not be soaking in the onsen for more than ten minutes but it had been a hard day. She had quarreled with Inuyasha over Kikyou, even though she could not remember how or who had started it. All she knew was that Kikyou occupied a more important place in his heart; Kikyou was classified under 'urgent', whereas she herself was under 'keep in view'.
"Baka," she cursed at Inuyasha and closed her eyes, not wanting to think about the hanyou anymore. She tried to remind herself that she had a duty in Sengoku Jidai and that was to retrieve all the Shikon no Kakkera. Boys, or men, did not matter at all.
Kagome let out a happy sigh as the warm mineral waters swirled around her body; the tensions and knots in her muscles seemed to disappear, so was the headache that she had been nursing for the day.
Rin struggled; she did not want a bath!
"Sesshoumaru-sama..." she pleaded but he continued to walk to the nearest onsen, while his claws were firmly hooked under the collar of her yukata. He did not understand why Rin disliked bathing, but that was not important and he increased his footsteps. She was starting to smell and he scrunched his nose a little when the stinging sulphur scent wafted into his nostrils.
Rin struggled again; she hated to bathe and knew that if there was one thing that she did not like about her youkai lord, it was this.
He stopped in his tracks; Rin ceased her struggling.
"Kagome-sama!" The little one saw the older female slipping into the deep onsen with her eyes shut. She could not swim and looked up to her youkai lord, who was at the moment frowning and his mouth down-turned.
Foolish woman! Sesshoumaru unhooked his claws from Rin's yukata, to which she landed on her butt painfully while he waded into the onsen when Kagome's head dipped beneath the waters.
Rin watched attentively as her youkai lord emerged from the onsen with Kagome slung over his shoulders, both dripping wet. He laid her down on the bare ground and noticed that her body temperature was too hot; her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were half-shut as her eyelashes fluttered and her parted lips were too red.
They looked very soft too, and he had this sudden urge to suck on her lips. And so he did, while Rin covered her eyes and turned around, although she was grinning like mad. Her Sesshoumaru-sama likes Kagome-sama! She would have to tell Jaken-sama later.
Sesshoumaru did not break the kiss even though he knew that she was beginning to regain her consciousness. He loved the way her eyelashes fluttered, like the tails of her butterfly kite did. He brought her up with his only arm around her shoulders and continued to suck on her bottom lip, inwardly wondering what would her reaction be.
Kagome opened her eyes and thought her heart had stopped when she saw Sesshoumaru hugging her, and kissing her! She felt extremely hot and feverish and the fact that his lips were pulling at hers made the matter worse. Her head was beginning to spin and she closed her eyes while she put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself.
It must be a dream, she repeated to herself but thought that the enjoyable tingle that ran through her body was too real.
When a night breeze blew past their wet bodies, Kagome concurred to herself that it was way too real.
She opened her eyes when he pulled away for some oxygen. As she panted, she could see the sharp profile of his face and the way his golden irises sparkled back at her. There was a wildness, a rawness in those irises and she shuddered. She could feel his fingers caressing her back and realized that she was also naked.
"Ah!" Kagome jumped up in shock and he instantly released his arm.
Sesshoumaru saw her ears going red, and that she had tried to cover her breasts with her arms while she crossed her legs in fierce embarrassment. Or was that shyness, modesty? He grinned to himself and she gasped when she caught his smile.
Was he using her to satisfy his carnal desires? Was he amused at her? And to her horror, she could see Rin hiding behind a nearby bush!
A wave of anger washed over her head and she felt dizzier than ever. Kagome raised her hand with all intent to slap him.
He saw that and swiftly circled her wrist with his long fingers.
She fumed, because she could not even slap him! What did he take her for?! Prostitute?! And his fingers were not even tight around her wrist!
He smiled, because he saw that sparkle of defiance in her eyes again, coupled with something else that he was not too sure what it was.
She swallowed as Sesshoumaru continued to look at her; and she reasoned that it must be the steam from the onsen when she thought he looked utterly breathtaking and angelic-like.
His smile disappeared when she swallowed visibly; unknown emotions were stirring in his heart and his loins, and he did not like that all. He would not be like his father or Inuyasha, he affirmed to himself.
Sesshoumaru released his firm grip and stood up. Kagome looked away and did not know what to say as she shivered a little.
"Rin," he called out and the little one bopped out from the bush instantly, her eyes wide and fearful at the sudden change in his tone, because it meant that he was angry, very angry.
Kagome could not bear the shame anymore and threw a stone at him, "And Rin is here!"
Sesshoumaru's eyebrows arched up in surprise.
The insolent miko had thrown a stone at his chest. And what did she mean when she said Rin was there?
Then he smiled; while Kagome thought that the veins in her forehead would burst.
"Next time, she would not be around then," he smirked and walked off, with the curious Rin in tow.
She bit hard on her lower lip and yelled, "There will NOT be a next time you jerk!!!"
***************************
Kagome thought that he was right and she was wrong. She tossed around in her sleeping bag, her mind full on his kisses and the way his fingers moved over her back. She never knew that one could get addicted to such thoughts, if there was ever such an addiction. She closed her eyes, trying to will herself to go to sleep but after a minute, she gave up and laid on her back, staring up at the stars that shone like his eyes.
When the unmistakable red tails floated into her vision of sight, her lips parted in shock. It could not be Shippou's since he was asleep on Kirara.
Masaka...!
She swiftly left her sleeping bag and took a look at Inuyasha; he was sound asleep and drooling onto his fire-rat haori. She let out a heavy breath and made her way towards the kite, half-excited and half-curious at the appearance of her butterfly kite. Was he calling out for her? Or had she imagined too much?
Her breath was caught in her throat when she saw him standing motionlessly under a big willow tree. The soft branches were swaying in the cooling night breeze and the kite was securely tied to one of them. His back was facing her but she knew that he knew she had arrived. His long silver hair was like a chiffon curtain as it billowed with the breeze, accompanied by the rustling of the leaves while the weak moonlight seemed to enclose its fingers around the strands of his gleaming hair, accentuating his coldness and solitude as a taiyoukai.
Kagome stood there for a long while with his back facing her. It was as if he did not want to acknowledge her presence and she was perplexed. Why did he tie the kite to the willow tree then, if he did not want to see her? And why had he said nothing since she was already there? Or was her existence so insignificant to him that he could not even bring himself to look at her?
She frowned and bit her lip. She felt used, mocked, and oddly upset.
Then he spoke, and she thought that the willow leaves had stopped their rustling for a moment. His smooth yet cold voice sailed through the distance between them and when it reached her ears, it was like the remnants of a soft echo, so soft and wisp that it made her heart ache.
"Why did you come?"
Sesshoumaru had wanted to prove to himself that he was wrong. That he did not miss her, nor had she wanted to see him. He had deliberated over this matter for a week, and that was too long for him. He had not thought so much over one matter, or a person since he was a fast thinker and made decisions within three seconds. He was an expert strategist, a tactician and a taiyoukai for goodness' sake! Therefore her arrival only brought him more headache and he had not had one for a long time too.
He wanted to turn his back and take a glance at her sweet face. But he was afraid too, for unknown reasons that eluded his mind. Perhaps he wanted to see that softness in her eyes that he knew was reserved for Inuyasha. Or perhaps he was just curious about her.
Yes, he had always been a curious child, and this characteristic remained with him even when he was older than some of willow trees here.
And so he asked.
Kagome did not know how to answer and thought that his voice was too soft to be him. But she knew that her eyes were not playing tricks on her since she knew of no one else other than Inuyasha with this head of long silver straight head. He was not with his furry pelt and he looked oddly smaller than before, although these straying thoughts did not relieve the headache that was now running somewhere in between her eyes.
And so she responded with a question, "Why did you tie the kite to the tree?"
He frowned hard; she was not supposed to ask him questions!
"It is nothing of your business," he replied coldly, even though he felt a little ashamed in saying that.
Kagome felt that he was trying hard to preserve his pride and grinned to herself, "Well then it's also none of your business why I'm here isn't it? I'm here to.. to.." Her eyes darted around in panic, "to gaze at the stars."
Star-watching? He smirked to himself and rested his hands behind his back as he looked up, "Aa, the stars are especially bright tonight."
She blushed a little at her poorly made excuse but decided to play along, "They are brighter because it is darker here."
For the rest of the night, they watched the stars together in companionable silence until the sparkling balls of fire were overshadowed by faint sheaths of cool blue sunlight. Although the physical distance between them remained, both knew that it was not the case for the gap in their age and their mentality.
Little did they know they would fall right into the trap that Fate had so carefully woven for them through a butterfly kite.
***************************
Kagome had come to him many times, but this was the first that they were so physically close. If he squirmed a little, he was sure that he would be able to touch her shoulders. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair but yet did not lean towards her.
She took a seat beside him on the moss-covered log and hummed to herself.
He took a side glance at her and wondered why females like to do that.
"You really like my kite huh?" Kagome smiled to herself and watched for his response through the corner of her eye.
He almost choked on her question but managed to maintain his cool composure, "Silly woman."
Kagome giggled; Sesshoumaru smiled to himself. He wondered why he had not had the urge to take her again. Was it out of respect? Or something else? He refused to think beyond that since he judged himself emotionally impossible to like someone, not to even mention love.
"Why is it in the shape of a butterfly?" he asked.
She rested her chin on her knuckles, "Eeto... I think I just like butterflies. And the way they fly, with their wings flapping constantly like that," she gestured with her own hands.
He wanted to snort at her childish behaviour but thought otherwise, "Silly woman."
She rested her cheek on her left hand and looked dreamily at him. Since when did she like him so much? She asked herself but could reach no conclusions as usual. She made a mental count and noted that this was the twentieth time that they had met secretly, or was it not?
"Sesshoumaru," she called out.
He refused to turn his head, for fear that he would not be able to find that special sparkle of love in her eyes. "Nanda?"
She smacked her lips and asked in a serious tone, "When will you tell me why you want to meet me?"
He frowned a little and got to his feet instantly, "Do not ask this Sesshoumaru questions that you are not capable of shouldering the answers."
Kagome stared in shock as the taiyoukai walked off; she had never seen him this angry with her for a long time.
Sesshoumaru headed back to his entourage and thought that he had been too harsh on her. And upon that thought, he chided himself on becoming soft. It's the females, it's the females, he chanted to himself in his mind.
***************************
"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome jogged to him as fast as she could, hoping that her kimono would not tear.
His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her lithe form and the curves that showed through the pure white kimono. Was today a special day? He asked himself as he held her butterfly kite in his clawed hand.
"Do I look like a butterfly?" She flapped the sleeves of her kimono up and down and flashed a brilliant smile at him.
His lips parted at her question; what was she trying to prove to him? What did she expect him to answer anyway? That she was more beautiful than all the butterflies he had seen with his youkai eyes? That he never thought her more beautiful than ever?
"Ne ne ne! Do I look like a butterfly?" Kagome giggled to herself and tried to spin around on the wooden clogs. But she was a clumsy person as always, and the spin was not even completed when the clogs gave way.
He reached out his right arm and caught her before she fell. Kagome took in a sharp breath as she bent doubled over his arm, "That was close!"
But before she could thank him, she was greeted with another shock as he pulled her in, with her back against his armourless chest. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip over her small waist and thought that her scent was overwhelming his senses in a very different way that he had never thought it possible before. He bent his head and pulled out the long wooden ornament that held her hair up in a bun with his teeth.
As her long ebony hair tumbled down in big soft waves, he dipped his sharp nose into it and inhaled deeply. He had wanted to do this for a long time, but had never quite dared to.
"You smell nice..." he mumbled into her hair and shut his maroon-lined lids.
His husky voice sent shivers down her spine; she could feel his warmth on her back and how close his mouth was to her ear.
"I..." She could not continue when he licked her earlobe and turned her around, placing soft dry kisses on her eyes and cheeks.
"Give yourself to me," Sesshoumaru whispered and cut away the obi that secured her kimono.
***************************
"Do you love me?" Kagome looked up at the taiyoukai who was currently resting with his eyes shut.
He froze at her question; did she want commitment and promises from him? Sesshoumaru cracked open one eye and stared at her. Her hair was mussed and slightly damp, the scent of their love-making hung lightly in the air and he wanted to say 'yes'.
"No," he closed his eyes; he would never love a ningen. He promised himself that.
Kagome tried to smile, he's just pulling my leg! "Hontou desu ka?"
He frowned at her question; was she doubting him? Or did she think that she had him wrapped around her fingers? Sesshoumaru sniffed and replied, disgust obvious in his tone, "Do not presume that this Sesshoumaru will like a ningen."
She thought her heart broke into a million pieces as tears rose to her eyes.
I'm too naive, too naive, she dried her eyes using the back of her hand, got to her feet and dressed herself.
"That is good, because I still love Inuyasha."
Kagome felt him tensed and his youki enlarging and swelling as never before in the small cave. It seemed to stifle her and she pressed her hand against her chest, trying hard to breathe. She was afraid of him; but not now. She knew that he was as vulnerable as her and she was stronger than him in the emotional aspect. But before she could exhale, she felt her body going cold, very cold.
Kagome looked down and saw the edge of Toukijin through her stomach. Her blood was gushing out fast, and it stained her brand new white butterfly kimono and dripped down onto the floor. The red was brighter and deeper than the paint she has used on her butterfly kite. But she felt nothing other than the numbing coldness and searing pain in her heart. And she saw shining white butterflies, hovering before her eyes, and the images of three couples that oddly resembled her and him.
She closed her eyes and smiled as she fell flat on her face. Perhaps she would have to try harder in her next life.
Sesshoumaru pulled out Toukijin and took a step back. Had he killed her in a fit of anger? Had he soaked his claws in her blood?
He saw her face turned to him as she lay on the ground, almost lifeless while her soul seeped away with the bright red blood. Then he caught the sparkle in her eyes, that which he had desired for so long. He felt as if he had personally shredded his heart into a thousand ragged pieces and backed against the wall of the cave in shock.
Tenseiga shook violently and the noise jolted him out of his thoughts, as if it was hurrying him before it was too late.
Sesshoumaru quickly unsheathed the life-giving sword and there they were; the hell goblins that were pulling at the soul-chain bound around her body. He blinked his eyes because his vision was blurring fast and with two clean, neat swipes, Tenseiga sliced the hell goblins into two which vanished in a puff of smoke.
But instead of the bright light that he had expected to see when he saved Rin, he saw a flurry of white butterflies, big and small as they rushed past his face and out of the cave. He could hear the soft sounds that their wings made and blinked again as one landed on his shoulder and the other on her pale forehead.
Memories of their past three lives, the passion and the angst of their past loves, the pain and the regret that they had not been able to be make up to each other, poured into his mind endlessly; like a sea trying to squeeze itself into a small wooden pail. Sesshoumaru felt as if his skull would burst from the onslaught of memories and he could not breathe, because he was crying so hard that it was soundless.
Had he really killed her? Had he really lost her again?
He never thought himself capable of crying, but as hot tears coursed down his striped cheeks, he wished that Kami would give him another chance and return Kagome to him. He did not want to go through another life again in search for her; he had waited so long for her.
"Sess...shoumaru..." She cried out weakly; finally understanding why the Bone Eater's Well transported her to five hundred years in the past.
He dropped Tenseiga and hugged her tightly; he was finally reunited with her, after so many centuries of aimless waiting.
"Kagome!"
That was the first time she heard him saying her name, and she smiled.
***************************
The pair of butterflies circled each other and disappeared. There would be no need for them anymore.
I am sorry for the abbreviations and the glossary. Am a bit konked out after this long chapter. This is part of a short fic that I wrote for Single Spark... =)