A/N: Hello, FFNers! It has been a very, very, very long time since I have posted anything, and for that I am sorry. I'll have a longer author's note at the end of this explaining my absence for those of you who are interested. For those of you who aren't, I'll give you a little background on this series. I'm going to be writing a series of one-shots in multiple fandoms in preparation for National Novel Writing Month this year, hopefully doing one per day to lead up to November. I just started watching Inuyasha again for the first time since the summer before seventh grade (thank you, Amazon Prime!), so I thought it would be fitting for my first little drabble to be of what I consider to be my first OTP, Sesshomaru and Kagome. This is my first time writing anything in 3rd person, so please excuse me if it seems stiff or strange. I just know I want to write my novel in 3rd person, so I thought I should get into the habit. Sorry this is super long, but I guess I just like talking to myself. Please review and let me know what you think, and remember that there will be and even longer (!) author's note at the end to explain where I've been for the past few years.

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The First Encounter

What is that thing? Kagome thought to herself. She was looking at a giant monster, at least seventy feet tall. It was hard to describe it without thinking of every horror movie she'd ever seen, and the ones she had been too scared to watch. She even related what color it was to a horror movie: it looked like dried blood.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha growled. He looked furious, angrier than Kagome had ever seen him before. And that was saying a lot, considering Inuyasha was pissed off about ninety percent of the time. He was looking at the beast's shoulder, so Kagome looked too. There was a man standing there—how is he balancing so well?—and if she hadn't known better, Kagome would have thought he was Inuyasha. He had the same long silver hair, the kind Kagome could hardly believe was real sometimes. She couldn't see any other details about him, but she was sure they would have the same golden eyes too.

"Sesshomaru? Who's that?" she asked, her voice shaking a little. Whoever he was, he must be strong to control such a massive creature. And dangerous too.

Inuyasha didn't have the chance to answer before the mysterious Sesshomaru leaped gracefully from his monster's shoulder and landed mere feet from Inuyasha and Kagome. "You have the same preference for human women as our father did, don't you, whelp?" he sneered, glaring at Kagome disdainfully. His gaze then moved to the carriage that supposedly contained Inuyasha's mother, though Kagome still wasn't sure it was really her. Apparently, neither was Inuyasha.

"That isn't my mother! She's been dead and gone for years!" he yelled.

A small green imp jumped down to stand next to Sesshomaru and snapped, "Rising mortals from the grave is nothing for someone as powerful as Lord Sesshomaru! He was even kind enough to give her flesh, yet you reject her. How shameful to have a son such as you!" The imp's voice reminded Kagome of nails on a chalkboard. It took everything she had not to flinch and cover her ears as he spoke.

All of a sudden, the carriage dropped out of the sky, and the woman fell out. "What is happening?!" the imp shrieked. He began to run towards the woman, but a command from Sesshomaru stopped him.

"No, Jaken."

"M-my lord?"

"Leave her. I want to see something."

The imp stepped away from the woman as she reached toward Inuyasha. Kagome couldn't see her face; when she had fallen, her hair had covered it up. "Inu-Inuyasha!" she cried. "Please, help me! It hurts…" Inuyasha started toward her, and the woman looked up.

Kagome gasped. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm to keep him from going to that thing without a face, but he was too strong for her. You stubborn jerk! I guess it's on to plan B. "SIT!"

Inuyasha crashed to the ground. Before he could get up, Kagome said, "Look at her, Inuyasha! Really look. Unless your mother didn't have a face, I'm pretty sure that's not your mom." Whatever enchantment is was that had caused Inuyasha to see his mother was broken, and he got up, cracking his knuckles. He was preparing to attack, and Kagome wasn't sure how well that would turn out.

"Enough, little brother." Sesshomaru's voice echoed in the silence. "Do not be foolish. If you attack, you will die. Come, Jaken." He started to walk away, the faceless woman and Jaken the imp trailing after him.

"Hold on! Where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha said, clenching his fists tight enough for his claws to draw blood. Kagome saw it dripping between his fingers and shuddered.

"Yes, my lord, where are we going?" Jaken asked, though Kagome could tell he was afraid. "I thought you wanted to find your father's tomb, and the staff does not lie. Lord Inuyasha is hiding it."

"And now that I know that, I can get to it whenever I please," Sesshomaru snapped. He whirled around and went up to Inuyasha. Kagome slid to the side to avoid him. "You have found the strongest miko in over a hundred years, little brother. No other miko, not even the one who bound you, would have been able to see the Un-Mother for what she truly is at first sight. Her talent is wasted on you."

With that, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and grabbed her around the waist. "You are powerful, much too powerful to be helping my brother." Kagome fought against him, but he just pulled her closer. The spikes on his breastplate were now digging into her cheek. "You will be of great use to me."

"No!" Kagome shrieked, trying to push him away. I'm not strong enough. I can't get away! Suddenly, a pink light emitted from her hands, and Sesshomaru let her go, hissing under his breath.

"How long have you been practicing that trick, miko?" he breathed. He stayed close, but did not touch her.

"I-I've never done that before!" Kagome looked at her hands, stunned. She wondered if she had just used the priestess powers she'd inherited from Kikyo.

Sesshomaru took her upper arms then, but gently. "You nearly purified me on your first attempt of using your powers. You don't even know how you did it, do you? You will be very powerful indeed. I must have you for my army."

"Whoa, whaddaya mean, 'need her for your army?' Kagome ain't fightin' for you or anyone else except me!" Kagome could see that Inuyasha's hands were still dripping blood. For the first time since she had met him, she was frightened of him.

"Of course, she has the choice," Sesshomaru said smoothly. "I will not force her. But someday she will see that being with me is infinitely superior to being with you." With that, he ran his hands down Kagome's arms and rested them on her hips. She blushed, but didn't move, acutely aware of his claws. She had seen the damage Inuyasha's could do, and he was just a half-demon. She was sure Sesshomaru's claws could do even more damage. He leaned in to her ear and murmured, "Your power is intoxicating. I will have it, and you." With that, he released her and began walking away, with the monster, the Un-Mother, and the imp following.

Kagome simply stood and watched him, ignoring Inuyasha. He was only mumbling threats under his breath that would never be fulfilled. Kagome couldn't even think until Sesshomaru was completely gone from view, and then she only thought, Was Inuyasha's brother hitting on me?

I hope so.

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A/N: Welcome to the end of the story! I hope you liked it, please review, yadda yadda yadda… Anyway, my absence. The last time I posted anything was in 2010, which I know was a very long time ago. That was the summer in between eighth grade and high school, and I was already suffering from some major writer's block. I also got super busy in high school, and I just stopped reading fanfiction and writing, period. Now, I'm in college, and I'm majoring in English education. That's right, kiddos, I'm gonna be and English teacher! I figured it would be a good idea to get back in the habit of reading and writing a lot. I could tell you everything that happened over the past four years in this author's note, but that would take a hella long time, so I think I'm just going to leave it with this. If you do have any interest in my personal life, though, message me. I'm happy to talk with any of you! A special thank you goes out to the people who favorite me as an author and never took me off that list even though it's been so long since I posted. I appreciate you all so much, and while I know this isn't a masterpiece of writing or anything, I hope you all like it. Much love, have a great day! 3

~Katie