Greetings, true believers! This is your humble author, speaking once again. This is my first Inuyasha fic, and I am hoping you all like it as much as my other works. As always, disclaimers apply. I do not own Inuyasha or its characters, nor do I own the song this fic is set to. Now that all the legal hogwash is over, let the fluff commense! Enjoy, true believers!
The sun was beginning its downward descent toward the horizon. In a few hours, the sky would be become a most marvelous tapestry of orange and pink. There was a warm breeze blowing through the trees, making the branches sway lightly. Birds were singing nearby, chirping out their songs of love and life. Overall, it was an absolutely stunning setting. But it only affected one of the three travelers.
Rin's eyes darted around them, constantly enjoying the sights, the scents, the feelings of the world. Sometime she would stray from her companions, chasing after a small animal or insect. Sometimes she ran around in small circles around her towering guide, or stopped him in his tracks to offer him some pretty trinket that had caught her attention. But none of it ever seemed to move him. At first that had disappointed her, but she had learned to grow used to it. And besides, she knew that somewhere underneath that façade, he did enjoy it.
Sesshomaru's eyes never strayed from the path ahead of them. He was absolutely silent, save for the occasional hiss of his breath. His hair rose and fell with the gusts of wind, but this too did not cause any reaction. He remained, the picture of concentration and purpose. The inner workings of his mind were an utter mystery to his two servants. But neither of them took it upon themselves to question his motives, one out of fear, the other out of naïve innocence.
Finally, he stopped. Rin and Jaken both came to a halt instantly behind him. The two of them waited for him to speak. His neck arched, his head turning to face the woods around them. He gazed off into the darkness of the trees and narrowed his eyes. Rin titled her head curiously, Jaken opened his mouth as if to say something, but cowardice silenced him.
"We shall camp here tonight." Sesshomaru's icy voice finally pierced the silence. The birds ceased their singing and the wind died, as if the sound of his voice had intimidated nature into silence. Jaken nodded his head and immediately set about setting up their brief camp, as he had done many times before. Rin stood and awaited his commands. "Rin, see about gathering some wood for a fire." She nodded, and headed off into the woods to gather as many twigs as her little arms could carry.
Sesshomaru simply stood, staring into the woods.
Rin sighed and snuggled into her sleeping bag. The fire crackled and snapped nearby, and it was very comforting. She rolled over and looked at the fire, becoming hypnotized for a moment by its dancing beauty. But she found herself more interested in Sesshomaru, sitting beyond the fire. He was motionless, staring still out in the woods. Jaken was packing up the dishes into his knapsack. Rin couldn't help but smile at her Lord's generosity. She knew he never ate and never slept; he simply called it a day so she could rest. She could not understand why so many others seemed so frightened of him, he had never been anything but wonderful to her. After a little while, she began to drift to sleep.
After a few moments, Sesshomaru stood, drawing a small gasp from Jaken, who had just been about to doze off himself.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" he finally said, working up his courage to speak. The greater demon addressed him without even turning his head to look at him.
"Stay here with Rin, Jaken. I shall return before dawn."
"My lord, if I may ask, where have you been wandering off to these past few days?"
"No Jaken, you may not." Now Sesshomaru turned his head to face the smaller demon. Jaken gulped and felt his heart freeze when the cold, dead eyes locked onto him. "Stay here. I will be back." And with that, Sesshomaru turned and walked off into the woods. When he faded from view, Jaken gave a great sigh and sank down onto the grass.
Rin lay in her sleeping bag, wide-awake now. She watched her Lord vanish into the darkness, and wanted with all her heart to follow him. But she remained, knowing Jaken would stop her if she tried to go. She smiled to herself, and decided she would wait till the toady demon was asleep, and then she would see just what her Lord was up to.
It did not take long. Jaken was soon snoring heavily, a small bubble ocassionaly forming on his lips. Rin sat up and looked at him for a few moments, making certain. Then she threw the covers off and crept off into the darkness. She let her instincts be her guide. She could feel the path of her Lord. She knew his warmth by heart.
The woods were deeper and darker than she had first suspected. As her thoughts began to focus more and more on how frightening it was being off, alone, in the dark, she began to think less and less of how to follow her Lord. She began to just wander in random directions, the sounds of the forest growing more and more sinister with each step. Her throat grew tight, and she could feel the mist of tears of fright starting to form under he eyes. She was about to start sobbing when a faint sound caught her ears. She followed it. It was a soft sort of chirping sound, but as she grew closer to it, it became louder and clearer; the soft ripple of water.
She found herself coming to a clearing, where there was a magnificent lake with a small waterfall. The moon reflected clearly off its surface, and it was actually very beautiful. Rin stood, absorbed by the loveliness of the sight before her, when another noise caught her attention. It was a soft, feminine sigh. She followed it, and soon came upon a sight that froze her in place.
I gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I'm older
Lord Sesshomaru's clothes were all in a heap. His swords lay on the ground, discarded, which only served to increase the child's sense of confusion; never once had she seen her Lord allow those weapons to leave his side. Laying next to them was a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. Mixed in with Sesshomaru's clothes where red and white robes which Rin quickly recognized as the robes of a priestess.
Another sigh caught her attention, and beyond the mess of clothes she saw Sesshomaru's own robe drawn over the ground like blanket. At first, all she saw was the dark hair sticking out from beneath it, but as she tiptoed closer, she came to recognize the face that the hair was attached to. They had encountered this woman on several occasions before, and Rin searched her memory for the name. Kik-something, that was all she could remember. The robe shifted, and soon a mane of white hair tumbled out frm beneath it. Rin was then able to make out the head of her Lord, his face pressed against the woman's chest. She ran her fingers through his silver locks and sighed contently.
Now this mountain I must climb
Feels like a world upon my shoulders
I through the clouds I see love shine
It keeps me warm as life grows colder
Sesshomaru raised his head, bringing his face up to gaze down into the closed eyes of the crooning priestess. He cupper her cheek with his single hand, and leaned down, touching his lips softly to hers. She responded in kind, and they lingered on a kiss of pure sensual delight. When their mouths parted, she looked up into his eyes, which for the first time since either she or Rin had known him, were full of emotion.
"What brought us to this?" Kikyo whispered, placing her hand on his cheek. He reached up and placed his hand over hers.
"Destiny." Sesshomaru replied. He layed his head against her shoulder, resting. Kikyo gently stroked his hair. He closed his eyes and breathed a deep, gentle sigh. His silver hair tumbled against her skin, becoming mixed with her raven strands in a striking contrast.
"If Inuyasha knew of this..." Kikyo began to speak.
"It is none of his concern." Sesshomaru dismissed. He rolled over onto his side, propped his head up on his arm, and looked down her. "And he is no longer your concern. If he attempts to interfere with us, I will deal with him personally."
Kikyo shuddered, and clung to the demon lord, her face against his chest. He laid down and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. "All I wish now is to remain with you." He added, trying to make up for the coldness of his last statement.
In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life
"You mean that?" Kikyo said, looking into his eyes once again.
"Kikyo..." he said, her name rolling off his tongue like the sweetest honey. He leaned in for a kiss, but she recoiled slightly, afraid of what that kiss might signify.
"Inuyasha betrayed me, Naraku betrayed me..." she said, her eyes growing glassy with tears of painful memories, "I've trusted too many only to have it work against me in the end."
"I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, not my weakling half-brother, nor that cowardly maggot Naraku..." he replied, pulling her back to him. With each word he said to her, she melted against him, taking comfort in his body. "And you are Kikyo, keeper of the Shikon Jewel. And together..." he held her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, "We are anything we want to be. None of the rest of it matters."
"Sesshomaru..." she said, a half sigh, half sob. She threw herself forward into a deep kiss, which he returned. Rin found her own tears falling along with Kikyo's.
"And with you..." Sesshomaru said when their lips parted, "I want to learn. I want to experience. I want to know what love is."
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
"It is not something that can be taught..." Kikyo sighed against him. "You will only know it when you feel it."
"Then show me how to feel it," he said, holding her hand against his chest. "Be my queen, return with me to The Western Lands, sit by my side."
"It sounds marvelous..." she whispered dreamily.
"Rin shall be your lady in waiting" he continued, "and you can train her, teach her as a priestess. She will grow strong and proud, just as you. You shall be the jewel of my lands..."
"Jewel..." Kikyo said, suddenly sitting up, looking down at him. "My mission...the Shikon Jewel. I can't stop until it is returned to its proper place, Sesshomaru. And I cannot allow Naraku to go unpunished for his crimes." Her eyes turned down now, and her tone became sad. "And I know you would be loath to give up that which you have struggled so hard for..."
"Tetsusaiga..." Sesshomaru said, sitting up now as well. The powerful blade had all but vanished from his mind in the past minutes, his thoughts centered entirely on Kikyo, on the future. He did not speak for several moments, brooding on her words.
I'm gonna take a little time
A little time to look around me
I've got nowhere left to hide
It looks like love has finally found me
"Sesshomaru..." Kikyo said. He turned his head to face her. "Did you mean it, what you said earlier? You would surrender the Tetsusaiga to be with me? Or were those words merely the workings of lust?" He remained silent for a moment, but then suddenly grabbed her, drew her closer, and kissed her passionately.
"For you..." he said, gazing into her eyes, "I would surrender life within my body." Kikyo's tears flowed once again, and she wound her arms about him, holding him tight, refusing to let go. "Kikyo..." he whispered as he returned her embrace, "Is this what love is?"
In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
I can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
"Yes..." she whispered between her choked sobs of emotion, "that is what love is..." he placed his hand on her cheek and drew her closer for a kiss. She pressed herself to him, not wanting to let her body part with his for even a moment, fearing to go even a second without these overwhelming sensations coursing through her. The force of the kiss sent them both onto the ground, still enraptured by their kiss.
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
And I wanna feel, I want to feel what love is
And I know, I know you can show me
"If this is love...then I do not want to go another day with out." He stood up, pulling her up alongside him. The robe fell away from them, and Rin looked away, her childish dignity not permitting her to gaze upon the two of them nude. She looked up a moment later to see the both of them with their robes draped over their shoulders, covering them enough to permit decency.
"I cannot stop till my quest is complete..." Kikyo said, her voice straining with sadness.
"Then I shall help you," he said, cradling her chin and raising her head to look at him. "You shall have you're jewel. And Naraku shall be punished. And then nothing will stand between us."
"Yes, my lord." Kikyo said, swallowing her tears and managing to put on a hopeful face. "Lord of my heart..." she leaned up into a final kiss. Behind them, the sun behind them, the moon reflected off the surface of the lake, their interwoven forms rippling along the surface of the water, each ripple of that water matching the joined rhythm of their hearts.
Rin had seen enough. She turned and wandered back into the woods, trying to return to their camp. She smiled warmly to herself, and hummed a little bit on the way.
Let's talk about love
I wanna know what love is, the love that you feel inside
I want you to show me, and I'm feeling so much love
I wanna feel what love is, no, you just cannot hide
I know you can show me, yeah
She found the camp once again. The fire was still burning, though quickly diminishing. She snuggled back into her sleeping bag, and quickly drifted off into dreams. Her cheeks remained slightly flushed in her sleep, as the images she had seen repeated themselves in her dreams.
I wanna know what love is, let's talk about love
I want you to show me, I wanna feel it too
I wanna feel what love is, I want to feel it too
And I know and I know, I know you can show me
Show me love is real, yeah
I wanna know what love is...