Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of his little friends and enemies, though I wish I owned Sesshomaru. Oh, well, he wouldn't want anyone besides Kagome anyway….HEY WAIT! I'M KAGOME! YAYAYAYAY! But, seriously, I don't own any of Inuyasha's characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sama.
ONE-SHOT
I ran. I ran as far and as fast as I could. I didn't know I could until now. I had never had a reason to before. But I had to run, for my life was on the line.
I knew he was close behind. I could hear his slow, steady breaths as mine came in short gasps. I tried to speed up, but tripped over a tree root instead. I lay on the ground, covering my head with my arms, trying not to panic. 'Just a few more moments and he will be here!' I screamed in fear, echoing in the farthest corners of my mind. I scrambled to get up, trying my hardest to regain firm footing, but my slim legs betrayed me. I sat breathing sharply in pain from the fall. I heard him approach, his soft footsteps barely perceptible on the soft grass of the forest.
I chanced a moment to look up from my arms. As soon as I did, I knew it was a mistake. His unearthly splendor caught my eye, and I was unable to tear my eyes away from the sight of him. His left sleeve was flowing freely in the wind, while his right stayed still, a constant reminder of the pain Inuyasha inflicted upon him during the first battle I had seen them in.
He leaned down to touch my hair, bringing it close to his face to breathe in the deep fragrance of musky rose petals. I gasped as he kissed the loose-curled tresses.
"Your scent is just so appealing," he said in a low, growling voice, like he could barely contain himself. "I hate the fact that you are traveling with that annoying half-brother of mine."
"We can't keep meeting like this, Sesshomaru," I said in a frenzy. Even though I wished with all my heart that Inuyasha was half as serious as Sesshomaru, I couldn't deny that I loved Inuyasha, just as much as I loved his cold half-brother.
He stood straight, then admitted reluctantly, "You are right, I suppose. You may go back to my pathetic brother and his childish emotions."
"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it!" I yelled at him in fear that he would leave me.
"Then, come with me."
"Where?"
"To my castle in the Western Lands. There, at least, we will be free of my so-called brother."
"I'm not going there, no matter how many times you ask it of me."
He paused for a moment, then decided to change the subject. "Why do you always run?"
"To make them think I still fear you, instead of loving you like this."
"Why must they not know?"
"Because if they did, they may start to fear me, or make fun of me, or just reject me altogether."
"But then you could travel with me."
"I know, but I still want to be friends with them. Like the old saying, 'Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, while the other is gold.'"
"Where did you hear that?"
"I heard it at school." Sesshomaru had already known about me traveling back and forth from the future and past. I told him about it our second meeting.
"You always tell me the strangest things at these meetings, love," he said.
I looked at him in mock surprise. "You called me 'love' again," I teased. It had worked on him the first time he said it, and I thought he looked the cutest when he was angry. His muscles would tense and his hand would clench. His jaw would be set in a grim expression and he would growl deep in his chest. This growl is what I loved best about this midnight stranger.
He looked passive, which made me severely disappointed, anticipating anger as I was. "I'm getting used to it now, and you should too, being your new name as it is."
"New name?"
"Well, at least for me it is. I'm not entirely sure about that thick brother of mine."
"He loves me as much as you do, and you know it. Face it, Sesshomaru, you're jealous."
I got the reaction I so loved this time. His body shook in outrage. "I'm not jealous," he said in a restrained voice.
"That's not the signal I'm receiving."
He looked at me calmly, but I knew he was confused. I think I'm the only one who knows him well enough to read his emotions on his emotionless face. He didn't understand the futuristic saying I suppose.
"I mean, that's not what I think. I think you are, silly goose."
"Silly goose?"
I giggled in a little girl fashion, and I mentally berated myself for it. 'Stop acting stupid, you idiot!' I yelled at myself.
"We should go now," I said. "The sun is rising, and they will start to wonder where I have been if I'm not back before dawn, especially Inuyasha." I got up from the ground and brushed myself off. The last thing I needed was the others questioning why I had dirt and leaves stuck to the back of my skirt.
We walked slowly back to a safe distance from camp to part. I looked up at his chiseled profile. I still felt the face magnetic, as if I couldn't get enough of looking at him. We stopped at a tree from which I could just make out the yellow haze of the dying fire from our campsite.
As the sun rose up from behind the trees, he turned to me, his eyes showing no emotion, though I knew he was sad to see me go. I reached up to touch his face. After a few moments, I pulled back my hand, but he caught it in his own. He pulled it up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss across my delicate fingers. He dropped my hand and bent over to see at my eye-level.
"Well, I suppose I will see you sometime soon. I'll watch out for you. I'm going to stay close for awhile. I've been sensing Naraku for a while now."
I admired his concern for my safety, realizing now, as I had so many times before from such small things, that he really did love me as much as I thought.
"Say 'Hi' to Rin for me, Sess, ok?" I asked him politely.
"I will do just that." He leaned toward my face and we shared a chaste kiss. He stepped back, gave a short bow, and then he was gone, just as quickly as he had come.
I walked slowly back to camp, the memory fresh in my mind, giving me a glowing look. I entered the site as the others were just awaking, the sleep still in their eyes; well, everyone except Inuyasha, who was wide awake, his eyes unforgiving.
"And where have you been?" he asked me.
"I went for a morning walk. Is that so bad?" I asked him innocently.
He glared at me one more time before backing away to tell me information that he did not want to relay to me in front of my face. "Well, pack up, we're leaving."
"Already!" I complained.
"Yes, already, now get moving."
I walked sullenly over to my mammoth backpack, ready to load up everything, when Inuyasha offered his help. I eagerly accepted, glad he was helping. We packed in comfortable silence, and I decided to give him extra ramen for lunch today, though I did not tell him such right then. I was kind of afraid of Inuyasha at the mention of ramen. He could get a little...out of hand.
When we were done, he picked it up, noticing the others were ready to go, and we headed out. I was conscious of a tingling in my mind, of a person traveling alongside us with a jewel shard. I smiled as I realized it must be the shard I gave Sesshomaru so I could always find him. He really was traveling with as, just as he promised he would. I walked on with an open happiness that affected everyone around me. Soon, we were all laughing about something Shippo said and walked on to our next adventure.
