Inuyasha © Takahashi Rumiko

VISIONS

Someday, Surely

"Jinenji! Hey, Jinenji, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, Mom."

In a sense, he's a very lucky hanyou – he has four boxes of flower seeds and bulbs. Tiny yellow seeds and round brown bulbs – they don't impress the villagers at all, since they only ask for medical herbs and vegetables, carrots and eggplants. Kagome, too, needs his herbs to cure her friends, but she likes flowers more.

Someday, she'll come to visit him again – she definitely will – and he'll show her a magnificent garden – a garden full of red chrysanthemums, purple irises and white lilies of the valley. She'll gasp and praise him, and he'll let her play among the flowers – and then, maybe, she will decide to stay for a while longer.

Someday.

"Hey, Jinenji!"

"I'm here, Mom!"

Surely.

Pure Bliss

"Good night, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Good night, Kanna." The youkai Lord of the Western Lands wrapped his fur boa around his mate's shoulders and waited patiently until the fragile white-haired girl fell asleep. His gaze softened: his wife, his little Kanna was Heaven's blessing. Now, his greatest wish was to stay by her side forever.

He touched her slightly disheveled clothes. It only took him a couple of seconds to find it in the folds of her kimono. Almost trembling in excitement – yes, even the cold and proud demon could feel like this – he stared at the small silver object.

It was a wonderful moonlit night, and Sesshoumaru could spend it as he wished.

With Kanna's mirror.

Clay Doll

"Come here, Kohaku."

The boy is not nearly as beautiful as his older sister – his brown eyes lack radiance and his dark hair is wiry and coarse – but he's timid and obedient, and his mind is a very compliant material: if Sango is marble, then Kohaku is clay. It takes more skill and talent to create a marble statue, but clay figures are easy and pleasant to make when all you want is to relax.

"Undress."

"Yes, Naraku-sama."

The former youkai taijiya takes his clothes off and throws them on the floor. He's a bit clumsy, and the art of seduction is probably a foreign concept in his world, but Naraku doesn't really mind that. One can't always demand the best, and it's unfair to expect Kohaku to be elegant and graceful simply because his sister is. After all, Kohaku is unique. Just like everyone else.

"Isn't it wonderful, Kohaku?"

"Yes, Naraku-sama."

Even Naraku's magic is not enough to make his little docile doll's voice sound passionate, but it doesn't matter. He is satisfied. Besides, it's too cruel to make someone, whom you're going to crush like a useless clay toy sooner or later, fall in love with you.

Deep inside, Naraku is quite merciful.