(Hey all! I'm taking a break form my usual pairing and writing a story that I wish would come true. With this story, I simply say down, closed my eyes, and typed it out. It just flowed. One little note: The legends and myths and all that are, of course, the anime and manga. I hope you enjoy it!)
My name is Sable. For years I have heard the legends of the Feudal Era in Japan, decades ago, and I was fascinated by the story of the half demon named Inuyasha. I heard of his many fights with the being called Naraku, of his love and loss of the Miko Kikyo, and of his life beginning anew with the appearance of a middle school girl named Kagome. Knowing their story gave me such hope to find my own true love, and I cherished their story in my heart. For a long time, I heard only of them and their companions, not knowing who these other people were. Recently I decided to look them up; tales of the monk Miroku and his love Sango, an expert demon slayer who lost her family. Stories about the great Shippo, a kitsune who lost both his parents at such a young age, but found love and warmth in Kagome.
There were others too, I remember. I heard about Kouga, who claimed his love for Kagome only moments after meeting her. I believe he was a leader of a wolf demon pack, and a great warrior who never left a comrade behind. There were whispers that the miko Kikyo was brought back to life and tried to kill Inuyasha, but ended up helping him. Her soul, which was filled with malice, was saved when Inuyasha cried over her and kissed her goodbye.
And then, I stumbled upon a discovery that changed my life. I had heard of Inuyasha's life; of how his father, Inu no Taishou, died to protect his mother just after he was born. There were tales of how his mother, the beautiful Izayoi, struggled to raise him properly and teach him to deal with the cruelty of the world. She too eventually passed away when Inuyasha was still very young, leaving him in a sad and lonely world. I despaired for Inuyasha, for being left alone is one of my biggest fears. I never knew that he had any other family; that was, until I met and became friends with a young lady named Laelie.
Laelie, like myself, had been bewitched by the tales of long ago demons and humans, and the love they created. She knew much more than I, and I listened to her talk of these times as if I was in a trance. It is she who was the first to whisper the name of Sesshomaru to me. She told me not only of his powerful attacks and calm demeanor, but also of his cold and emotionless heart. He was a ruthless killer who would slay people for simply standing in his way.
But Laelie had also heard tales of his followers, and what a strange rabble they were. Two yokai followed him; one a small toadlike creature, called Jaken, and the other was a large lizard like creature with two heads. He was called Ah Un, or so the stories say. At one point, for some reason, a small child, a girl named Rin, joined them as well. This was merely a rumor, for it was well known that Sesshomaru hated humans and thought them inferior to yokai. Stories that followed after this all said that Sesshomaru became less and less a heartless creature, and more and more a caring yokai. He was not what you would call compassionate, but he no longer slayed beings just because he could.
Laelie also knew of his appearance. She told me he was tall, and had long silver hair. His eyes were a bright shade of gold. He wore a white kimono with dark honeycomb patterns on the sleeves. His pants were long and white. We heard tales that he wore a special sort of armor and he had a line of fur that covered his right shoulder. But, since it was so long ago, we could barely discern what was truth and what was, in fact, fiction.
I could barely picture this demon lord in my head, and yet I felt a strong connection to him. During the day, I would think of him while I worked. At night, I would dream of him. I could never see his face, but somehow, I knew it was him. I spent long hours on my computer, looking up any new information, but there was none to be found. As the days and moths swept passed me, I started to lose interest in the guys I dated. I would go out on a date and wonder what I would be doing if I was with Sesshomaru. Pretty soon, I stopped getting asked out, but I could care less; this daiyokai filled my mind and my heart. When I could stand it no more, I started to wish that I could go that place, back in time, and see him. I would give anything just to see him for one moment, I told myself. If I died moments later, I would die a happy woman.
Then, one day, my wish came true. I went to sleep in my bed, snug and warm, and woke up the next day in a meadow of soft grass. I looked up at the clear blue sky, listened to the sounds of the forest that was a short distance away, and smelled the clean air. I did not panic; indeed, I think I was calmer then I should have been. I stood up and walked due east, not knowing where I was going but knowing somehow, that I was headed in the right direction. Pretty soon I could hear the sounds of children laughing and figured that I was in a park. I walked on until I came up a small house. Beyond it were many others just like it, but this one felt special.
Before I could move any closer, the mat that blocked the doorway was pushed aside and a woman stepped into the sunlight. She had long raven colored hair and eyes that were filled with swirls of chocolate. She wore a simple red kimono top with white pants, and my first thought was that this was an outfit that priestesses wore a long time ago. In her hands she carried a large whicker basket. She took a few steps before noticing me, then turned and smiled in my direction.
"Hello there. Is there something I can help you with?" she said. Her voice sounded like bells that chimed early in the morning, gently waking people from their slumber. It filled me with harmony. Her smile was warm and inviting, and I could not help but smile back at her.
"Yes. I do not know where I am. I'm trying to get home." My voice sounded pale in contrast to hers. It was weak and filled with wonder.
"I'm sure I can point you in the right direction. Where do you live?"
"Uh, California?" I managed to squeak out.
Her eyes widened quickly, then narrowed on me, like she was sizing me up. "You are joking, right?" she asked. I shook my head at her. "Tell me, what is today's date?"
I thought it a strange question, but answered without hesitating. She dropped the basket as shock spread over her face.
"How did you get here?" she whispered, moving close to me.
"I do not know. I fell asleep in my bed, and woke up in the meadow, just over there. What's wrong? Where are we?"
Before she could answer me, a tall figure ran up the path toward us. It was so fast it looked like a red blur, and I backed up in fear of getting run over. But it stopped next to the priestess, and I was able to get a good look at it. This it was a he. A man with a flowing red kimono, the color of blood, looked at me with glowing eyes. He had long silver hair and what appeared to be ears on the top of his head. I could see a sword on his hip and when he lifted he hand to the priestess, I could see that his fingernails were long and pointed. They looked like claws to me.
My eyes were playing tricks on me, I was sure. I reached up and rubbed them with my fingers, then opened them a crack. They were still standing there, looking at me, watching me with interested looks. I rubbed harder and checked again, but nothing had changed. There was no way this was real. My legs gave out as my mind raced, and I fell to the ground. In an instant, the woman was next to me, concern written on her face. I couldn't help but stare at her for a long moment, then up at the man, who was watching us with curiosity burning in his eyes.
"There is no way it came true," I whispered to myself.
"Are you okay?" the priestess asked me.
"You… You're Kagome. And you're Inuyasha," I said, half to myself.
Both of their faces read surprise. "How did you know our names?" asked the girl.
"It's not possible. It's not. You two lived a long time ago, in Feudal Japan. This is a dream; it has to be. Yea, that's it. It's just a dream." I felt like I was loosing my mind.
"What are you babbling on about?" Inuyasha snapped at me. I flinched; being here, seeing someone from the old legends, was one thing, but to hear him talk to me was quite another. It was as if he was confirming what I was trying to push away.
"Inuyasha! Stop that!" Kagome said to him. She helped me to my feet and directed me into the hut, where I sat on the ground and hugged my knees. Kagome started to prepare what looked like tea, while Inuyasha sat next to her and watched me.
My mind filled with memories of the old legends. If I was here, in this time, then they were true. Inuyasha had really married the girl who traveled back in time. They looked as if they were comfortable around each other, which meant that they had been together for some time. I wondered how much of the old tales were true; was there really a monk and a demon exterminator? Was there a kitsunes? And what about the daiyokai who plagued my heart?
"Um," I said cautiously, then cleared my voice as they both looked at me. "You two are married, right?"
They looked at one another, then back to me. "That's correct," said Kagome. "Can you please explain to us how you know us?"
I nodded and told them everything I had ever heard about them and their friends. During this time we all drank tea, and they watched me with fascination. They corrected some parts of the stories, but for the most part, everything I had heard seemed to be the truth. I asked them of their friends, and was told that Sango and Miroku had indeed gotten married and found a new home. Shippo lived nearby and came to visit often. I had a million more questions that I wanted to ask them, but I seemed to have lost my nerve; I knew of Inuyasha's great hatred for his brother, and it seemed that upsetting him was not something I should do.
"How interesting," Kagome said. "I am very much surprised that our story has been marked down as a legend, and that it is passed on for that long. Now, do you know how you got here, or why you came?"
"I do not know why, but the only way I know how is from a wish I made," I said slowly.
"A wish?" Inuyasha asked. In the long time that we had been sitting there he had become friendlier and less hostile.
"Yes, a wish. You see, I was amazed by your story. When I heard of how you two found each other, it gave me hope that I would find my true love some day. And as I heard more and more, I wished I could see what your lives are like; it is very obviously you love each other and I guess I just wanted to be near people like that. I have never really known anyone who can say that they have been through heaven and hell, and are still in love. I never thought my wish would actually come true, and that I would be sitting before you."
Kagome studied me. "Is that all you wished for?" she asked slowly, and my face flushed.
"No, but I would rather keep the other part of my wish to myself. It will have no effect on anyone here and every effect on me. If you really wish for me to tell you I will, but I will not be happy about it."
Kagome nodded her head at me. She invited me to spend the day with her and Inuyasha. I helped her pick herbs and tend to the sick villagers. We were followed by children the entire time. I saw Inuyasha training with his sword just outside the village, and I got to watch him get attacked by the children who were with me. I was afraid that he would hurt them, but he did not. They seemed pretty comfortable with him.
As I stood at the edge of the village and looked into the surrounding forest, I felt someone pull on my pants. I looked down to see a girl smiling up at me. She had wild black hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a pink kimono with flowers on it.
"Would you like to play with Rin?" she asked me. I assumed she meant herself, and not until I had agreed and we were playing with the other village children did I realize that she could be the Rin in the legends; the one who was in Sesshomaru's care. When I asked her about it, she nodded and told me that Sesshomaru had left her in the care of the villagers so that she could get used to being around other people.
"Rin, can you tell me about Sesshomaru?" I asked her when we sat down to take a break. I had apparently said the right words; Rin's mouth opened and words poured out so fast that it was difficult to keep up. She told me about how Sesshomaru had saved her from death, not once but several times, and all about their travels together. When I asked her if he was as cold as I had heard, she told me that he wasn't. He could be distant, but he cared just as much as any other person.
"Do you get to see him much anymore?"
"Oh yes. He comes by to see how I am and bring me gifts every so often. Why all the questions, Sable-chan?" she asked. I was glad I knew at least some basics of the Japanese language; otherwise I would have had to ask what that meant. It was strange; I knew that everyone was speaking Japanese, but I could understand everything they said, and though I spoke in English, they seemed to understand me as well.
I just smiled at her and told her to go play with the other children. As she ran off, I thought about the stories she had told me. Apparently the legends about Sesshomaru were wrong. He may have been cold hearted at one point, but it was apparent to me that once he had taken this small girl into his care, he had changed. It was obvious that Rin had a great deal of love and respect for Sesshomaru-sama, as she called him. I wondered vaguely if I would get to meet him.
As the sun started to go, Rin asked if we could go pick flowers. I offered to take her, which Kagome gratefully accepted. We promised to stay close to the village so that we wouldn't be in any danger. Rin talked the entire time, mostly about Sesshomaru-sama, and she didn't stop once we reached a flower patch and started to pick flowers. She told me about Ah Un and Jaken, and even about Kohaku, who was Sango's little brother. I listened intently because, even though I couldn't really tell anyone in my time about this and they would believe me, I knew that Laelie would. I also knew that these were memories I would take with me to my grave.
As our arms filled and we turned to head back to the castle, a shadow passed over us. I looked up to see a white blur move over our heads and come to stop in front of us. Rin's face broke into a grin as she ran to where it landed. I stayed in place, my heart beating rapidly in my chest, as I watched the man who stood in front of me kneel down to hear what the small girl was saying. After a moment, he stood up and looked over at me.
I stared at him. This was Sesshomaru-sama, I thought. The legends had not done him justice, as he was the most handsome being I had ever seen. His hair was long, a mass of silver spun silk. His eyes were pools of golden honey that glinted and shined. I could see a violet crescent moon on his forehead and two rose colors striped under each of his eyes. I quickly took in his clothes and realized that the legends were right, for the most part. I could feel power encircling him, and I immediately fell to one knee. I bowed my head over my knee.
"Sesshomaru-sama, it is an honor," I said softly, my voice trembling.
I could hear him take steps toward me. I saw his feet stop right in front of me, and I trembled in joy and fear.
"Stand up," he said in a calm deep voice.
I quickly became erect, but I kept my head down. I couldn't tell if it was fear that kept me from looking at him, but it didn't matter; he placed a finger under my chin and firmly lifted my head until I was looking into his face. When I looked into his eyes my heart ached; this is the one person I had always wanted to see. I wasn't sure what to say or do, so I simply looked at him.
"Who are you?" he asked me with the same calm voice, but I could see a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"I am no one of importance, my lord," I said, my voice sounding weak, even to my ears. I noticed that Rin had walked away, in the direction of the village.
"I know your face," the daiyokai said. He released my chin and traced one finger down my cheek. I tensed, waiting for his claw to dig into my flesh, but it was as soft as silk. I hesitated for a moment, then lifted my arms and stretched my trembling fingers toward him. He didn't move, and my fingers met his cheek. His skin was soft and smooth, and I ran my fingers down to his chin before I let my hand drop.
"Where did you come from?" he asked me as he pulled back his hand.
"I come from the same time as Kagome, my lord."
"When did you get here?"
"This morning. And I believe I will be leaving after tonight."
"You believe?" he asked. "You mean, you do not know?"
I shook my head. "I made a wish to come here, and in it I wished for one day, and only one. I said that I would be happy with that."
He stared at me for a moment, then, like Kagome had, he asked me, "And is that all you wished for?"
I hesitated. Did I really want to tell this powerful daiyokai in front of me about my wish? About how I dreamed of him night and day, and how much I loved him before I even saw his face of heard his voice? Would he think me crazy? Strange? Would he turn and leave me standing here with my heart bared open for him? If this was my one chance, I had to do just that; take a chance.
"No," I said, fear in my voice. "I wished to see you."
"I see. And why did you wish to see this Sesshomaru?"
It was all or nothing now. "I heard about you from my friend. There are so many legends of you and your companions, of your family and friends, but only you pulled at my heart. I do not know why. I tried to find out all I could about you, but it is not easy. There were very few reports of your appearance, and less of your life. I knew not what you looked like, talked like, or lived like. But still, you came to me in my dreams. You visited me when I was awake. You were constantly on my mind and in my heart.
I have loved you for a long time. I think since the first time I heard your name. I stopped seeing the men in my time, because they simply were not you. I wished to see your face and hear your voice more times then I can count. Last night, I simply wished to see you at least one time, and if I did, I could die a happy woman. And now, my wish has come true. I got to see you, my lord. Even knowing that it is this one time, I will go to my grave a happy woman."
I turned to walk away, but Sesshomaru reached out and grabbed my wrist. Again, his claws did not hurt, but his grip was firm and I could not move. I looked back at him.
"Tell me your name," he said simply, his expression still blank.
"Sable," I said quietly.
Sesshomaru gently pulled me back to stand in front of him. Again, he lifted my head to meet his gaze. "Sable, hmm?" he said quietly, then leaned his head down. His lips captured mine.
I felt as if I was melting. He tasted of honey and sugar, and at my first taste, I was addicted. I kissed back with passion. He prodded at my bottom lip with his tongue, and I opened for him. As we tasted each other, our hands explored. Mine went against his chest at first, then moved up his arms and rested around his neck. His wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. My body felt as if it were welded to his as I fought back the passion that was threatening to erupt from me.
After what seemed like an eternity, we separated. I was out of breath and dazed. My legs felt so weak that I would have fallen if Sesshomaru's arms hadn't been around my waist still. I looked up at him with dreamy eyes, and he watched me intently for a moment. Then, much to my surprise, he smiled a gentle smile. His face changed from being blank to being one of happiness. In that moment I realized that this was the one person I was destined to be with. My heart felt like it was ready to burst.
All too soon I realized that this was also the only time I was going to have with him. My heart plummeted in my chest and my eyes filled with tears. Concern appeared in his golden eyes as tears ran down my cheeks. He gently brushed them away, but more spilled out as a sob threatened to tear out of my body.
"What's wrong?" he asked me gently, pulling me close to him. I buried my head into his chest as a dam inside me broke; the tears rushed forward as sob after sob racked my body. I couldn't talk through my despair, and we simply stood there as time passed around us. The sun had long since set and we stood under a star filled sky. When I was finally able to calm down, Sesshomaru again asked me what was wrong.
"I am sorry, my lord," I said, my voice broken. "But I will not see you after this day. It saddens me, because I love you so. I wish to be with you, but I will not make another wish ever again. This one was granted, and for that I am eternally grateful; to ask for more would be greedy. I only hope that you will remember me past today."
Sesshomaru watched me with calm eyes, but I could sense sadness coming from him. My head was heavy, as crying had caused me to become very drowsy. I fought against the call of sleep, knowing that once my eyes closed I would be pulled out of my love's arms and thrust back into my cold and empty bed. I placed my hand on his cheek once and caressed his face. I could fight back no longer.
"I love you, my lord," I said with a voice that sounded foreign to even me, and then my world went black.
I awoke to find myself back in my bed and my time. I spent the first two days crying, thinking only of myself and wanting to see my love once more. But I stuck by what I had said; I never again wished to be with him. I do not know what happened to him after that; did he simply leave? Did he tell Kagome and his brother that I was gone? Did he tell Rin? These were things I had to find out.
I could tell no one of my journey through time, except for one; my dear friend Laelie. I called her and she hurried over, and as I cried on her shoulder and spilled out all my heartbreak, she took it in and believed me. She vowed to help me find out what happened, and we spend the next week doing research. She would come over early in the morning to search through volumes and volumes of old legends while I searched the internet. But again and again, we could find nothing new. Again and again, Laelie would leave at night and I would lie on my bed and cry, feeling broken inside. I had not meant that much to him after all.
Then, this morning, Laelie burst into my room with her arms full of folders and binders. She was excited and out of breath. She tried to explain something to me but I could not understand her. Finally, after sitting down and drinking some water, she was able to speak clearly.
"Sable, all kinds of new information was found this week, and they finally published most of it. While I was at my house, my husband mentioned it and I looked it up. There's stuff in here about Sesshomaru-sama too! I think you should take a look."
I moved quickly to stand behind her as she opened the folders. We read through different information about Kagome and Inuyasha's children, and about how Rin had married Kohaku and moved in with Sango and Miroku. Finally, after almost 20 minutes of going through the papers, Laelie found the page she was looking for. She ushered me into a chair and pushed it toward me, and I read with earnest.
"New documents were found in an undisclosed location in Japan. They seem to be records of the life of the famous daiyokai Sesshomaru, half brother to Inuyasha. There were several reports found, but the most interesting one was a very personal one. Among papers found with the information of all of the yokai that lived under his watchful eye was a small handwritten letter that was never sent. It appeared to be from a neighbor of Sesshomaru's, and it was to be sent to Inuyasha's son. In it, the yokai expressed concern over the fact that Sesshomaru had never gotten married. When asked why not, the daiyokai had simply stated, 'I have met the one I love, and she is now gone. I will wait to be with her again.' Also, when Sesshomaru died of injuries he received in a battle, the last word that escaped his mouth was a name; Sable. Who was this Sable person? Was she a yokai, or a human? Where did she go? Did she die? Did she leave the demon lord? No one knows, but the investigation continues to find out who she was."
I read it over again, then dropped my head to the table and started to sob. Sesshomaru-sama had loved me after all.
(I hope you enjoyed it. Like I said, this is a new writing style for me, so this is a first. Please drop me a review if you liked it, and feel free to PM me with any recommendations you might have for it. I MIGHT write a sequal to this, from Sesshomaru's POV. Not sure yet.)
