On a Platonic Kag/Sess kick
Well, Inspiration struck and I got out two one-shots for iy_no_kakera. Now, to just finish up Chapter 19 for Torn Apart...There's just a little left to go (I think...)
Title: In the Beginning
Theme: Set #1 - Theme 1 - Beginning
Genres: Gen. some angst
Pairings Represented: Kagome/Sesshoumaru (platonic)
Word Count: 340
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The anime and manga, Inuyasha, belongs solely to Takahashi-sama. I merely write fanfiction for my own enjoyment at no profit.
Summary: In the beginning, there were two races. Youkai dominated the ningen race until one day, a female miko wandered into the lands and tipped the scale…
In the Beginning
In the beginning, there were two races of significance on the Earth. Both ningen and youkai were content in their battle against nature and lived oblivious to each other. As the years past, youkai grew aware of the inferior ningen race as they went into each others houses, made merry and multiplied while youkai lived content in solitude or small groups.
As the multitude of ningens spread and fashioned tools to tame the land and weapons to defend them, youkai knew that dominance had to be settled. Swiftly, they attacked and raided peaceful settlements, growing fat on the thrill of battle. As time passed, youkai knew excellence in the finer things cherished by the remaining humans such as weapon smithing, calligraphy, music, poetry, and leadership.
Then, one day, the balance of superiority was tipped. An onna, keen in intelligence and lacking in social grace, struck a blow to youkai pride. A miko of unknown origins drew forth the fang of one of the greatest youkai in history and gave it to a half blood accepted by neither humans nor youkai. Further salt was poured on the stinging wound of Kagome’s triumph when Inuyasha, inferior in all senses, cleaved off the arm of the great Sesshoumaru, feared leader of the western domains.
Pride assaulted, reputation destroyed, the taiyoukai vowed revenge and attacked his hanyou half-brother time and time again, but found failure in each venture by the confounding interference of the ningen onna. With time, respect grew for her courage. With time, he grew to understand the necessity of leaving the Tetsusaiga in Inuyasha’s incompetent care. With time, he accepted that any wound to his pride was better at the hands of a modest Kagome then the havoc a feral Inuyasha would have on his lineage.
Once Inuyasha found death defending Kagome and his friends from Naraku, then he would strike and defeat the miko and regain his honor. He had patience. He could afford to wait. As with the beginning, so will the end be. Youkai shall regain its dominance.
Title: In Rin’s Name
Theme: Set #1 - Theme 31 - Cherry Tree
Genres: Gen. some allusions to moments of angst
Pairings Represented: Kagome/Sesshoumaru (platonic)
Word Count: 1362
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The anime and manga, Inuyasha, belongs solely to Takahashi-sama. I merely write fanfiction for my own enjoyment at no profit.
Summary: A peaceful spring day becomes anything but for Kagome Higurashi when Sesshoumaru pays a visit on Rin’s behalf.
In Rin’s Name
She looked so peaceful lying beneath the Cherry tree, sleeping. It disgusted him. Humans were far to trusting of the beauty that surrounded them, never realizing the dangers lurking in plain sight.
He felt so tired though not one muscle showed his weariness. It was a never ending battle to negotiate peace in his lands; youkai and humans alike constantly sought to undermine his dominance. It was not helped that his half-brother had proven to Japan that while crude, he had an undeniable power at his command. It was not helped that the miko sleeping in front of him lived up to her human nature and shattered the Shikon no Tama, lending false strength to the masses. Losing his arm had not helped keep the foolish from challenging his claims, although, countless battles later, his superiority was now unquestionable save for one pesky hanyou named Naraku. A soft growl echoed in his throat that only the keenest could hear. He did not have time for her!
“Lord Sesshoumaru, do you think we should wake her?”
Rin, the one weakness he allowed himself, stared up adoringly at her master and savior. Though he would never require her to, she would willingly give up her life to protect the beautiful youkai who had saved her from death, a hidden promise in the gesture to never let another harm her again. He had not known at the time protecting her would require him to deal with the miko Higurashi. It was beneath him.
“Leave, I will handle this matter privately.”
Rin smiled and bobbed her head, “Thank-you, Lord Sesshoumaru.” Turning around, she grabbed Jaken by the robe and began to pull him into the field to play with the flowers, granting privacy to her chosen lord.
Now, how best to wake the infuriating female? She didn’t deserve his patience, but he did not wish to demean his person by physically waking her. He had hoped their conversation would wake the sleeping woman, but her senses were to dulled and trusting. Resigned to demeaning himself even further in this encounter, he swiftly nudged the woman, hard, in the side with his black-clad toe.
“Ouch!” mumbled Kagome as she rolled over onto her stomach, massaging her side with a hand.
In dismay, Sesshoumaru’s senses told him she was drifting back into slumber. “Miko,” he snapped, “I do not have the patience to wait all day for you to finish your nap!”
Kagome gasped and rolled away from Sesshoumaru’s voice, banging painfully into the cherry tree causing blossoms to fall in a shower with the impact. Stars clouding her vision, she watched the cruel lord twitch his lips, nearly smiling at her expense. Terror infused her body and blocked the pain. Her death was nigh, it had to be for Sesshoumaru to be showing her emotion of any kind. Gulping, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for a blow that seemed ages in coming.
“I do not have time for your foolishness,” he growled unmoving. “I wish to discuss a matter with you on Rin’s behalf.”
Kagome pried one lid open followed by the other as she carefully averted her gaze behind Sesshoumaru to see Rin chasing Jaken around the meadow with a wreath of flowers clutched in her hands. “Oh,” she mumbled gingerly picking her body off the ground to stand in front of a towering youkai lord.
“Precisely. If I had wished for your death, you would have been so with your lack of guard. I trust you will do better while my ward is in your care?”
Kagome blinked. Sleep must still be clouding her senses. Did Sesshoumaru just tell her she was going to take care of Rin? He must be joking. Inuyasha would never suffer anything of Sesshoumaru’s to hang around with their group while they looked for jewel shards! Shaking her head, she figured she might as well ask. “What was that?”
Sesshoumaru frowned mentally. This was going to be more difficult then he thought. “Rin wishes to spend a week discussing various female things with you and the taijiya. She has started her woman’s cycle, and though she hides it, wishes to talk with another female to understand her body’s changes.”
Kagome’s eyes drifted back to Rin now playing keep-away with Jaken’s staff of heads. “Isn’t she a little young?”
Sesshoumaru nodded. “At best guess, she was seven or eight when I met her three years ago. She is young for her age to be considered a woman by your standards, but it is not unheard of.”
“So,” Kagome drawled, “you want me to take care of her for the period of one week and at the end of that time she’ll just go back to wandering around with you?”
“Yes,” he said succinctly, glad she was finally getting the drift.
“Why should I?” Kagome’s face paled as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Throwing up her hands least he decide she was worth killing anyways, “Wait! I’ll talk to Rin, but I don’t know how Inuyasha will take having another person to protect in our group.”
“Jaken will accompany you to see to her well-fare. If he fails, I’ll see personally that his soul is sent to hell.”
Kagome shivered at the pleasure inflecting his voice. She would never understand Inuyasha’s half-brother. “Okay, but that still doesn’t tell me how to convince Inuyasha to let them tag along.”
Sesshoumaru stared at the flustered miko. He really did have better things to do. Why couldn’t the female figure out things for herself? “Very well. I will make a deal with your brother.” Eyes flicking to the cherry blossoms littering the ground, he smiled again, a bare twitch of his lips. “Every year, until Naraku is defeated, I shall ally myself in the manner of your choosing from the first bloom of the cherry blossoms found in my domain until the last petal falls. It is a fitting exchange for Rin’s peace of mind.”
Kagome chewed her lip. Could she really trust him? It would work though. The cherry blossoms lasted at best a few days. It would be all either one could stand of the other’s aid. “You’ll help us defeat Naraku when the time comes?”
Sesshoumaru nodded his head. “If you encounter him during the cherry blossom season.”
Kagome nearly rolled her eyes. “And what if I’d prefer that this truce did not exist except for the sole purpose of defeating Naraku at any time?”
Sesshoumaru frowned. He did not want to spend that much time tailing the hanyou. He vastly preferred searching for Naraku on his own in order to defeat him and cement his superiority. “If we find Naraku at the same time, then I will allow Inuyasha and the others in your group the honor of fighting beside me.”
Kagome sighed. ‘I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get.’ Looking up at Sesshoumaru, squinting against the moving sun, Kagome nodded her acceptance. “Very well, I guess we have a deal.”
“Then I will leave you to inform Rin that I will see her in seven days time.” He turned and began to walk off beneath the cherry trees. Pausing, his voice carried on the wind back to Kagome. “I do hope you’ll forgive me if for some reason you or your friends meet your demise before the final encounter with Naraku. I will continue to fight Inuyasha for Tetsusaiga when our alliance term is through.”
“What!” screeched Kagome. She thought she was making progress with the two brothers.
“I look forward to your death, miko. Your death, and the death of Inuyasha. You have both caused me enough trouble.”
Kagome fumed as she watched Sesshoumaru disappear into the forest. It just wasn’t fair. She felt used, betrayed, and she wasn’t getting paid for having to put up with two insufferable inuyoukai. Shoulders slumping, she turned back to the two kids she was babysitting for a week. Groaning, she realized she was in over her head. Rin had Jaken in a headlock, preventing the squealing toad from rushing after his master. Apparently, she had been in on the deal the whole time.
Title: In the Beginning
Theme: Set #1 - Theme 1 - Beginning
Genres: Gen. some angst
Pairings Represented: Kagome/Sesshoumaru (platonic)
Word Count: 340
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The anime and manga, Inuyasha, belongs solely to Takahashi-sama. I merely write fanfiction for my own enjoyment at no profit.
Summary: In the beginning, there were two races. Youkai dominated the ningen race until one day, a female miko wandered into the lands and tipped the scale…
In the Beginning
In the beginning, there were two races of significance on the Earth. Both ningen and youkai were content in their battle against nature and lived oblivious to each other. As the years past, youkai grew aware of the inferior ningen race as they went into each others houses, made merry and multiplied while youkai lived content in solitude or small groups.
As the multitude of ningens spread and fashioned tools to tame the land and weapons to defend them, youkai knew that dominance had to be settled. Swiftly, they attacked and raided peaceful settlements, growing fat on the thrill of battle. As time passed, youkai knew excellence in the finer things cherished by the remaining humans such as weapon smithing, calligraphy, music, poetry, and leadership.
Then, one day, the balance of superiority was tipped. An onna, keen in intelligence and lacking in social grace, struck a blow to youkai pride. A miko of unknown origins drew forth the fang of one of the greatest youkai in history and gave it to a half blood accepted by neither humans nor youkai. Further salt was poured on the stinging wound of Kagome’s triumph when Inuyasha, inferior in all senses, cleaved off the arm of the great Sesshoumaru, feared leader of the western domains.
Pride assaulted, reputation destroyed, the taiyoukai vowed revenge and attacked his hanyou half-brother time and time again, but found failure in each venture by the confounding interference of the ningen onna. With time, respect grew for her courage. With time, he grew to understand the necessity of leaving the Tetsusaiga in Inuyasha’s incompetent care. With time, he accepted that any wound to his pride was better at the hands of a modest Kagome then the havoc a feral Inuyasha would have on his lineage.
Once Inuyasha found death defending Kagome and his friends from Naraku, then he would strike and defeat the miko and regain his honor. He had patience. He could afford to wait. As with the beginning, so will the end be. Youkai shall regain its dominance.
Title: In Rin’s Name
Theme: Set #1 - Theme 31 - Cherry Tree
Genres: Gen. some allusions to moments of angst
Pairings Represented: Kagome/Sesshoumaru (platonic)
Word Count: 1362
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The anime and manga, Inuyasha, belongs solely to Takahashi-sama. I merely write fanfiction for my own enjoyment at no profit.
Summary: A peaceful spring day becomes anything but for Kagome Higurashi when Sesshoumaru pays a visit on Rin’s behalf.
In Rin’s Name
She looked so peaceful lying beneath the Cherry tree, sleeping. It disgusted him. Humans were far to trusting of the beauty that surrounded them, never realizing the dangers lurking in plain sight.
He felt so tired though not one muscle showed his weariness. It was a never ending battle to negotiate peace in his lands; youkai and humans alike constantly sought to undermine his dominance. It was not helped that his half-brother had proven to Japan that while crude, he had an undeniable power at his command. It was not helped that the miko sleeping in front of him lived up to her human nature and shattered the Shikon no Tama, lending false strength to the masses. Losing his arm had not helped keep the foolish from challenging his claims, although, countless battles later, his superiority was now unquestionable save for one pesky hanyou named Naraku. A soft growl echoed in his throat that only the keenest could hear. He did not have time for her!
“Lord Sesshoumaru, do you think we should wake her?”
Rin, the one weakness he allowed himself, stared up adoringly at her master and savior. Though he would never require her to, she would willingly give up her life to protect the beautiful youkai who had saved her from death, a hidden promise in the gesture to never let another harm her again. He had not known at the time protecting her would require him to deal with the miko Higurashi. It was beneath him.
“Leave, I will handle this matter privately.”
Rin smiled and bobbed her head, “Thank-you, Lord Sesshoumaru.” Turning around, she grabbed Jaken by the robe and began to pull him into the field to play with the flowers, granting privacy to her chosen lord.
Now, how best to wake the infuriating female? She didn’t deserve his patience, but he did not wish to demean his person by physically waking her. He had hoped their conversation would wake the sleeping woman, but her senses were to dulled and trusting. Resigned to demeaning himself even further in this encounter, he swiftly nudged the woman, hard, in the side with his black-clad toe.
“Ouch!” mumbled Kagome as she rolled over onto her stomach, massaging her side with a hand.
In dismay, Sesshoumaru’s senses told him she was drifting back into slumber. “Miko,” he snapped, “I do not have the patience to wait all day for you to finish your nap!”
Kagome gasped and rolled away from Sesshoumaru’s voice, banging painfully into the cherry tree causing blossoms to fall in a shower with the impact. Stars clouding her vision, she watched the cruel lord twitch his lips, nearly smiling at her expense. Terror infused her body and blocked the pain. Her death was nigh, it had to be for Sesshoumaru to be showing her emotion of any kind. Gulping, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for a blow that seemed ages in coming.
“I do not have time for your foolishness,” he growled unmoving. “I wish to discuss a matter with you on Rin’s behalf.”
Kagome pried one lid open followed by the other as she carefully averted her gaze behind Sesshoumaru to see Rin chasing Jaken around the meadow with a wreath of flowers clutched in her hands. “Oh,” she mumbled gingerly picking her body off the ground to stand in front of a towering youkai lord.
“Precisely. If I had wished for your death, you would have been so with your lack of guard. I trust you will do better while my ward is in your care?”
Kagome blinked. Sleep must still be clouding her senses. Did Sesshoumaru just tell her she was going to take care of Rin? He must be joking. Inuyasha would never suffer anything of Sesshoumaru’s to hang around with their group while they looked for jewel shards! Shaking her head, she figured she might as well ask. “What was that?”
Sesshoumaru frowned mentally. This was going to be more difficult then he thought. “Rin wishes to spend a week discussing various female things with you and the taijiya. She has started her woman’s cycle, and though she hides it, wishes to talk with another female to understand her body’s changes.”
Kagome’s eyes drifted back to Rin now playing keep-away with Jaken’s staff of heads. “Isn’t she a little young?”
Sesshoumaru nodded. “At best guess, she was seven or eight when I met her three years ago. She is young for her age to be considered a woman by your standards, but it is not unheard of.”
“So,” Kagome drawled, “you want me to take care of her for the period of one week and at the end of that time she’ll just go back to wandering around with you?”
“Yes,” he said succinctly, glad she was finally getting the drift.
“Why should I?” Kagome’s face paled as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Throwing up her hands least he decide she was worth killing anyways, “Wait! I’ll talk to Rin, but I don’t know how Inuyasha will take having another person to protect in our group.”
“Jaken will accompany you to see to her well-fare. If he fails, I’ll see personally that his soul is sent to hell.”
Kagome shivered at the pleasure inflecting his voice. She would never understand Inuyasha’s half-brother. “Okay, but that still doesn’t tell me how to convince Inuyasha to let them tag along.”
Sesshoumaru stared at the flustered miko. He really did have better things to do. Why couldn’t the female figure out things for herself? “Very well. I will make a deal with your brother.” Eyes flicking to the cherry blossoms littering the ground, he smiled again, a bare twitch of his lips. “Every year, until Naraku is defeated, I shall ally myself in the manner of your choosing from the first bloom of the cherry blossoms found in my domain until the last petal falls. It is a fitting exchange for Rin’s peace of mind.”
Kagome chewed her lip. Could she really trust him? It would work though. The cherry blossoms lasted at best a few days. It would be all either one could stand of the other’s aid. “You’ll help us defeat Naraku when the time comes?”
Sesshoumaru nodded his head. “If you encounter him during the cherry blossom season.”
Kagome nearly rolled her eyes. “And what if I’d prefer that this truce did not exist except for the sole purpose of defeating Naraku at any time?”
Sesshoumaru frowned. He did not want to spend that much time tailing the hanyou. He vastly preferred searching for Naraku on his own in order to defeat him and cement his superiority. “If we find Naraku at the same time, then I will allow Inuyasha and the others in your group the honor of fighting beside me.”
Kagome sighed. ‘I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get.’ Looking up at Sesshoumaru, squinting against the moving sun, Kagome nodded her acceptance. “Very well, I guess we have a deal.”
“Then I will leave you to inform Rin that I will see her in seven days time.” He turned and began to walk off beneath the cherry trees. Pausing, his voice carried on the wind back to Kagome. “I do hope you’ll forgive me if for some reason you or your friends meet your demise before the final encounter with Naraku. I will continue to fight Inuyasha for Tetsusaiga when our alliance term is through.”
“What!” screeched Kagome. She thought she was making progress with the two brothers.
“I look forward to your death, miko. Your death, and the death of Inuyasha. You have both caused me enough trouble.”
Kagome fumed as she watched Sesshoumaru disappear into the forest. It just wasn’t fair. She felt used, betrayed, and she wasn’t getting paid for having to put up with two insufferable inuyoukai. Shoulders slumping, she turned back to the two kids she was babysitting for a week. Groaning, she realized she was in over her head. Rin had Jaken in a headlock, preventing the squealing toad from rushing after his master. Apparently, she had been in on the deal the whole time.