Disclaimer: I own nothing but my soul.
Spiders and the Afternoon Sun
The heavy cries of the laughter produced by the servants' children mixed with an odd blend of sweat and sun permeated through the Taisho gardens effectively foiling the young prince's plans for a solitary afternoon. It was his father's grand idea to let the gardens be savagely trampled on by the lowly youkai kids as an apology for when he accidentally turned their playground into ruins a few days ago.
You should join them.
He could still hear his father's voice in his head saying that he should at least try and act like a normal kid. He remembered shooting the old man with an icy glare at the ridiculous suggestion. Alas, he can't do anything about it. No matter, the new playground will be constructed soon. He just has to look for something else to occupy his time at the moment.
His eyes gave the children a quick once over before turning around and make his leave. A prince like him cannot be in any way normal and play in the afternoon sun, not when there are enemies within arm's reach who are more than willing to slay the only legitimate heir to the throne. Playing is just an unproductive activity that he couldn't afford to waste his time on. That and only a youkai his age who probably lacks any sense of self-preservation will playwith him.
Sesshoumaru has long accepted his fate and grown up remarkably faster than any other kid his age. He has long deduced that he should be spending his time training and proceeded to the dojo and away from the loud, smelly brats. What could easily be translated as play would be honing his skills with the sword, or eradicating pesky demons.
Dressed in his gi, he started doing the basic katas when a beetle somehow managed to slip into the dojo, its fluttering wings disrupting the silence he so lovingly found. He may not have been bothered about it if it weren't for his incredibly sensitive hearing, something he has absolutely no control over. It didn't even take him a second to decide to stop the incessant noise it was making. With a practiced flick, he killed the bug with a green whip made out of youki, an incredibly convenient technique he has mastered ages ago, all without sparing it a glimpse. He then resumed his position and carried out the katas.
Not even a good minute has passed when his silence was disrupted once again, this time with two loud creaks on the wooden floors. He ignored it, thinking it was probably one of the servants, and continued his stances only to be stopped once again when the creaks continued. With a mental grunt, he halfheartedly deserted his station and walked towards the source of the racket to give the poor soul a piece of his mind.
When he pulled the shoji screen aside, he was surprised to find an empty hallway. It was when he turned around that he found a boy, looking neither older nor younger than him, with long black hair looking curiously at one of the swords displayed on the walls of the dojo.
How did he get there without him noticing is the one thing that plagued Sesshoumaru's mind as he looked at the boy. The kid was about to touch one of the swords when he cleared his throat, successfully gaining the child's attention.
"Hey there!" the kid said all while flashing him a wide cheshire smile. One more look at the kid and he finally recognized him. He was the boy he met at the hanyou village a few days back, the same one who provoked him enough to destroy the blasted playground. The boy's name slipped his mind as he tried to recall it. He pushed the issue aside and decided to ponder on more pressing matters like how he got passed the guards and into this part of the castle.
"Who are you?" He said, keeping his voice even.
But it seems as if the boy had the attention span of a three year old and decided to hold one of the swords.
"Don't touch them" his voice stern and commanding. It was getting harder for Sesshoumaru to stop himself from decapitating the kid on the spot. But still, not even the poison in his voice nor his death glare can stop the boy from madly chuckling.
"You know you wore the same expression that day too" the boy said. His red eyes bored into his as the kid's expression changed from hilarity to amusement.
"Why are you here?"
"Why do you think I'm here?" the boy sniggered.
"This Sesshoumaru cannot find the hilarity in this situation."
The hanyou merely shrugged and turned his mind to the swords once more. Annoyed, Sesshoumaru sent a small blade of youki in the boy's direction, effectively wounding his arm just light enough to get his attention.
A strange, almost hair-raising smile stretched on the boy's features as he wiped the blood from his arm. Afterwards, a small tentacle forced its way out of his skin and wrapped itself tightly around the wound only to disappear sink back into him efficiently healing the cut.
Odd was the only word Sesshoumaru could think of at the boy's display of power.
"It's dull in here" the boy said in mock boredom
"Let's go outside and play" he added.
Sesshoumaru didn't like the way the word play sounded because the last time the kid said the same word to him it involved him standing in the middle of a huge crater and the other kids running in terror. Deciding it was high time he rectified that error he conceded to the kid's suggestion.
"Alright" he answered
"What's your name?"
"Naraku."
Hell.
"Lead the way"
And to hell you shall go.
It was already mid afternoon when they arrived at their current destination. It mildly intrigued him when they left the castle borders.
"We're here!" Naraku gladly declared as they stepped into a clearing surrounded by a multitude of spider webs.
Sesshoumaru warily looked around and tried to figure out just what play meant this time. Naraku turned expectantly at him and he raised an eyebrow in response.
"Let's see" Naraku said as he furrowed his eyebrows together in deep concentration. After a brief moment he threw his hands in the air triumphantly and said "Whoever gets the most spider eggs wins."
Sesshoumaru's already raised eyebrow rose even higher at this. There were certainly no spiders around despite the huge number of spider webs present much less some spider eggs.
As if sensing Sesshoumaru's inward musings, Naraku walked towards the web and started shaking them violently. Shortly after, they were surrounded by a multitude of spiders, each at least 8 feet in diameter and in height, all carrying large egg sacks behind their backs. Sesshoumaru assumed his stance and so did Naraku.
"Oh and loser has to do anything the winner desires"
Strangely enough, Naraku's emphasis on the word anything did nothing but encourage him. Anything is a word that held endless possibilities. Possibilities that he would exploit immensely he thought a small smile forming on his lips.
His eyes trained on his opponent, a little unnerved as the Naraku's body started splitting into twos, then fours. Pretty soon there were four Narakus with slightly varying faces [and genders] standing next to him. Sesshoumaru raised his brow.
"What? You got super speed, I have multiple mes." Naraku shrugged.
"Hn" was his only reply. A small voice on the back of his head was trying to deflate his overblown confidence. He rolled his eyes at his sudden uncertainty and decided to silence it. Reinforcing the fact the he has never lost to anyone [save for his father whose abilities are still years beyond his reach].
With a non-existent battle cry both boys [and girls] charged towards the giant insects.
Gore and spider guts surrounded both boys. Sesshoumaru merely stood with no signs of exhaustion nor perspiration while Naraku, all four of them, lay on the ground panting and covered in spider intestines.
"That was hardly fair" the Narakus protested as he looked at the less than a thousand spider eggs on Sesshoumaru's side and then at his pile with no more than eighty sacs and a few hundred cracked eggs which apparently don't count.
Sesshoumaru could hardly disagree with Naraku's statement. His blood and his intense training since birth made the hanyou no match for him. But he still wasn't able to stop the smirk forming on his face as he bathe in his sweet, sweet victory.
"You don't have to be so smug about it" bitterness dripping from Naraku's voice as his other bodies start joining once more.
"Hn" satisfied, he turned on his heel.
"Hang on, and the bet?" Naraku asked warily as he flopped to the ground.
"I'll think about it." And with that, Sesshoumaru left.
With a contented sigh he heard the hanyou quietly mutter "That was fun though"
Perhaps.
Author's Note: I think Naraku and Sesshoumaru are perfect for each other in a non-yaoi fashion. I'm not exactly in the mood to explain this right now [maybe in the future, i unno.]
Do forgive the grammatical errors.
-10 for super originality (/sarcasm) and OOCness
-june