Six years after its original publish date, I have finally gotten around to REVISING, EDITING, AND REWRITING this little tid bit of a story. Its been changed in many ways, but in the same many ways its still the same. Yeah.
This was my very first one-shot and the very first story I ever wrote and published here on . Brings back so many memories... HOLYCRAP... its been six years? Anyway...
Title: True
Summary: She loves him and he loves her but thinks it's a spell. He attacks her only to find out that the love was True.
Pairing: SesshomaruOC - one sided?
WARNINGS: Character Death, Mild OOCness, um... blood? XD
Rin's laughter reached her lord's ears from across the small meadow. The small, human girl beamed brightly as she tried to catch her companion by the tail. From what Sesshomaru recalled, it was some human game called 'tag' where they exhausted themselves by chasing after one another. Rin was, currently, 'it', or rather, the one who gave chase while her friends scatter-in this case, it was one other: a recent 'acquisition' of a fox half-demon.
The Lord of the Western Lands paid little attention to the girls running through the flower patch at the other end of the grass. Like usual, his golden eyes were focused elsewhere, his thoughts on anything, and everything, all at once. Sesshomaru had seated himself at the base of a powerful, towering tree that's own lifespan could easily mirror that of the inferior Inuyasha-not that Sesshomaru had counted the years since the half-demon was born. He merely remembered the time that passed since his father had. He almost scowled. Almost.
Jaken, forever faithful, was a little ways off from his master, his large, round eyes keeping a close watch on Rin and the half-demon, Kano. The Staff of Two Heads rest across the imp's lap, one hand placed over the twisted wood of the ancient weapon. With a short huff, Jaken grumbled nearly inaudibly. At least, to anyone but the great Sesshomaru.
"Stupid hanyou," Jaken huffed, doing his own version of a scowl that his beak would allow. "Why on earth my Lord lets her travel with us is beyond me…"
Sesshomaru said nothing and did not bother to glance at his servant. Jaken's grumblings weren't unusual. It was rare that the green imp demon did not complain, or insult, the fox that was currently entertaining Sesshomaru's young ward. Jaken may have thought it was his job to remind his Lord over and over that there was a half-demon in their midst.
Rin playfully screamed, throwing her hands up in the air and whirling around, darting from the fox hanyou, shouting, "Master Jaken, Master Jaken! Help! Kano-chan is going to eat me!"
Jaken twitched and stood, waving his staff toward the girl. "Stop that racket, Rin, right now!"
Kano pounced at Rin, missing purposely, before turning toward Jaken, her fuzzy, auburn ears twitching. She smiled. "I don't eat humans, Rin," she grinned, eyeing Jaken. "Everyone knows I prefer toad!"
Jaken looked startled, eyes widening as Kano sprinted toward him. The green imp took off running, shouting insults at the half-demon as he bounded across the meadow toward Rin. He tripped.
Kano paused at Jaken's side and poked him with one clawed hand. "Oh, come on. I was kidding. I don't eat toad, either."
Jaken jumped to his feet, gathering the Staff of Two Heads before pointing it at the half-demon girl. "Stupid hanyou! As if my Lord would allow such things! You're lucky he has not killed you already!"
Then, Jaken was on the ground again, a swelling, red bump on his head.
Sesshomaru had expertly chucked a rock at the imp. He was tired of his mouth running non-stop.
"Good toss, my Lord," Rin called to Sesshomaru, grinning brightly in her childish way.
Sesshomaru had not even glanced over at the group.
"Kano-chan," Rin turned to the fox, smiling. "Let's make Master Jaken pretty! I'll gather flowers!" The human skipped over to the flower patch, picking all the flowers she deemed pretty enough for the imp. Kano watched, smiling herself.
"Oh! I like this one," Rin said, picking a big, full-bloomed flower in a shade of bright orange. "And this one, too!" She gathered one the color of a cloudless sky.
By the time Rin returned, flowers in her arms, Jaken was already stirring back into consciousness. The human dropped her flower bounty on the imp, proclaiming, "For you, Master Jaken!"
Jaken groaned.
"He looks beautiful, Rin," Kano said, laughing as the imp picked himself up into a sit and looked at the flowers, wholly confused.
Rin gasped, and grabbed onto Kano's arm. "Kano-chan, let's go fishing! Rin is hungry!" She cast a meaningful glance to her Lord.
"Go," Sesshomaru said, evenly.
"Yay! Come on!" Rin dragged the half-demon toward the river, flowing by just on the other side of the trees.
Jaken's beak twitched before he sneezed, grumbling about allergies and how those girls would be the death of him.
Sesshomaru leaned back against the trunk of the tree, his golden eyes finding the sky beyond the trees overhead.
Flashback…
Sesshomaru had separated himself from the group in order to pursue Naraku once again, yet, regrettably, it had only been the wind demon, Kagura. The Lord of the West easily found their scents among the many that met his nose as he moved through the forest. The wind picked up.
He narrowed his golden eyes, moving quicker through the trees. These scents, the demon thought. . Sesshomaru gave a soft, angered growl.
When he cleared the trees, he surveyed the situation. A group of snake demons, it seemed, had attacked Rin and Jaken in his absence. The imp was unconscious, the Staff of Two Heads lying uselessly across his back. Rin, safe, was at his side, cowering with her arms over her head, eyes squeezed tightly.
Between the demons and his companions, stood a demon-no. A half-demon was protecting them. Her hair was a bright coppery hue, matched by her kitsune ears and tail. She gritted her teeth, snarling at what seemed to be the leader of the snake demons.
"Foxfire!" The hanyou cried out, the bluish-green fire erupting from her hands, contacting the snake, who hissed in rage, recoiling as if about to attack.
"Foolisssh," Hissed the leader, eyes glinting maliciously. With a flick of his tail, his, and his brethren, retreated into the surrounding woods, bellowing out hollow threats of returning to finish what they ssstarted.
Sesshomaru moved to his companions, wordlessly looking down at Rin. She glanced up, shaking slightly, but brightened considerably when she saw her Lord.
"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin cried happily. "You've returned!" She ran to him, stepping on the drooling Jaken in the process, and hugged Sesshomaru's leg affectionately. The Dog Demon Lord merely glanced at the half-demon.
"Wasn't going to stand by and let those snakes kill them," the woman said softly. She turned to leave.
"Wait," Rin moved away from Sesshomaru. "Thank you for saving Master Jaken and I! What is your name?" She smiled.
The fox's ears twitched slightly, she glanced back to Rin. "Kano."
Rin whirled back around and looked up at Sesshomaru, eyes wide, and her bottom lip poked out. "My Lord, can Kano-chan travel with us?"
End Flashback…
The shallow river water was cool and clear. Rin and Kano, having tied up the bottoms of their clothes, waded into it. The water was barely knee-deep for Rin and the human looked delighted at the sight of the fish swimming around her feet.
"There's so many," Rin grinned, wiggling her toes. The fishes scattered slightly.
Kano grabbed one out of the water and tossed it ashore. It flopped feebly on the ground. "Send more down this way," she instructed to Rin.
Rin splashed the water, scattering the fish even more-some darted down to where Kano lay in wait further down the river. "Aha!" Kano tossed another two to the shore.
Rin watched her reflection in the running water, moving her feet to encourage the fish to dart downstream. "Kano-chan, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Kano replied, not looking up. She was intent on the fish.
"Do you love Lord Sesshomaru?"
Kano missed a fish and stumbled, managing to stay upright and avoiding soaking her clothes. "What? Why do you ask that?" Hopefully, the child wouldn't notice the red tinge on the fox's face.
"Just curious. My Lord doesn't like half-demons," Rin said insightfully, "But he seems okay with you. I'd like to know your answer." She smiled cutely.
Kano paused. "I… Well, I suppose I do. But," She looked over to Rin, frowning faintly. "You can't tell anyone. Not even Jaken. Or Ah-Un. Okay?"
Rin tilted her head, frowning also. "Why?"
"Lord Sesshomaru is a strong demon," Kano said, down casting her eyes. "He has his pride and an image to uphold. There is…"
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's just say, I'd rather not lose him."
Rin nodded, satisfied by the answer.
Kano frowned down at her reflection in the water. The sky above was starting to turn dark, the horizon becoming a lovely shade of reddish-orange. "Come, Rin. Its getting late."
"Lord Sesshomaru, if I can be so bold as to ask," Jaken looked up to his Lord, who barely glanced a the imp. "Why do you allow that half-demon to be in your presence?"
Sesshomaru did not answer. Why? he questioned himself, thinking of the fox. As if on que, Kano and Rin emerged from the trees, Rin holding a few freshly caught fish and the half-demon bearing firewood for the night's fire. Every time I look at her…
He tore his gaze away from her.
Jaken looked concerned, and then scowled. This shouldn't be happening. He, himself, knew his lord better than anyone. Lord Sesshomaru could not be falling in love with a mere half-demon. The imp fidgeted, glaring at the two girls as they approached the camp.
It is impossible, Sesshomaru thought, eyes narrowing slightly. Some inferior half-demon, stealing my affection? His lips gave way to a scowl, briefly, but it was gone before even he could register it.
"We're back," Rin announced happily.
Sesshomaru did not respond.
Kano put the wood down and set it up in a small circle, muttering to herself a spell, and fire broke out over the wood.
Magic. Fox demons are known for trickery. Like the fire, anger rose up in Sesshomaru's stomach. He eased it away. Not here. Not now.
After skewering the fish and setting them up over the blaze, Kano nestled herself at the base of a nearby tree, her dark violent eyes set on the horizon. By now, the sun was nearly gone behind the mountains and Kano dreaded what that meant for her: a night of weakness, without her demonic powers.
As the sun vanished from the sky and darkness took hold, the half-demon's tail and ears went with it. Her hair, usually so oddly bright, grew dark, and her eyes shifted to a muddy brown. She kept her eyes on the fire, almost curling up into herself, a frown on her lips.
A love spell, Sesshomaru reasoned. Yes, it was all a trick. Damn foxes. I am not a fool.
Rin and Kano chatted quietly as they ate their fish, both soon departing for sleep after the meal.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sesshomaru saw Kano glance toward him, smile faintly, and close her eyes for sleep.
The Next Morning…
Rin, like most children, rose with the sun. She blinked her bleary eyes and glanced to her Lord, putting a hand over her stomach. "My Lord, I'm hungry," she said softly.
"Jaken," Sesshomaru said.
The imp did not protest, merely nodded and glanced to the human girl. "Let's go, Rin." She nodded and scurried after him toward the river.
The small fire had died some time during the night, leaving behind a small charred bit of ground a few darkened pieces of wood in its wake. The sun was beginning its rise over the land, and to Kano's relief, signaled the end of her human night.
Half-demon again, Kano stretched before rising sluggishly to her feet. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, happy to find her ears and tail once again returned to her. Her ears twitched and she turned, glancing over to Sesshomaru.
"Good morning, My Lord," she said to him with a small smile.
He simply glared in return.
Her smile dropped. "Is something the matter, Lord Sesshomaru?"
In a flash, Sesshomaru had her by the neck, forced roughly back against the tree she had slept against. Her eyes widened in fear, her hands rising up to try to pry him from her throat.
"This Sesshomaru has seen through your deception," the demon lord growled.
"Wh-What?" Kano choked out best she could. He was cutting off her air passage, making is hard to breath, let alone question his actions.
"As if some love spell could work on me," Sesshomaru growled, increasing the pressure just so on her neck. "You are a fool."
His eyes, usually so cold, were aflame with rage. They turned red, threatening a change into his true form. Kano stared up at him, tears slowly welling up in her eyes as his hand glowed a dangerous green, the poison burning her flesh away on her throat.
Kano thrashed and growled at the pain, in a vain attempt to get away from him. Sesshomaru let his poisoned claw agonize her further before yanking her roughly away form the tree's trunk and throwing her body across to another, bigger tree-the one he has rested beneath the previous day.
Kano cried out and collapsed to the ground at the tree's base, struggling to push herself up off of the ground. She silently pleaded for this to be a dream, but she knew it wasn't. This was happening. He may very well be intent on killing her.
The fox hanyou's tears fell to the earth beneath her as Sesshomaru advanced. Kano shakily attempt to rise to her feet, but fell back to her knees, staring up at Sesshomaru in terror as he reached for his obi and withdrew Tokijin. The demonic blade was turned toward her.
With quick, precise steps, Sesshomaru was before Kano, driving the blade of Tokijin through her abdomen. The fox screamed shortly, her voice giving out, as blood seeped out and darkened her kimono. With a jerk, he removed the demon sword from her stomach and turned away before Kano hit the ground.
"If I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to kill you," Sesshomaru said, evenly, over his shoulder as he walked away, to the river where he would find Jaken and Rin.
Weeks passed. No sign of Kano. To Sesshomaru, it seemed, it was a double-edged occurance. He was finally rid of that bothersome half-demon but Rin would not stop asking about her.
"What is Kano-chan returning, My Lord?" The human asked for the billionth time that day.
For once, Sesshomaru felt inclined to answer, although that itself stung. "No."
Rin gasped. "But why? I miss her, my Lord!"
Jaken decided, then, to but in, cackling. "That half-demon must have finally realized she wasn't worthy of being in My Lord's presence!"
"Lord Sesshomaru, please tell me Master Jaken is lying!" Rin cried, "Kano-chan does deserve to be with you, my Lord. She loves you!" The child paused, looking stricken. "…Oops."
Sesshomaru stopped and Jaken ran into the back of his leg. Jaken flinched and backed away. Surprisingly, he wasn't hit or punted.
"What did you say?"
Rin fidgeted. "Kano-chan loves my Lord. Rin wasn't supposed to tell anyone!" She looked to be near crying.
"Why?"
"Kano-chan made me promise," Rin frowned. "My Lord wasn't supposed to find out… Kano-chan said she did not want to lose Lord Sesshomaru." Her voice was quiet.
The demon lord, despite his sudden, inner turmoil, remained calm. "Perhaps you will see her again, someday, Rin." He continued walking.
"I miss her," Rin said. "Jaken doesn't play with me."
Sesshomaru glared down at Jaken, who jumped back. "R-Rin, how dare you lie to Lord Sesshomaru! I do play with you! I do that… flower thing!"
"That's not even playing," Rin pouted.
Mentally scowling, Sesshomaru knew he could never look back, or even go in search of Kano. He would never admit it, to himself or anyone else, that he had, perhaps, actually loved the fox half-demon. His feelings toward her had not vanished in the weeks that followed his attack on her.
It was better this way, for everyone involved. Rin, soon, was forget Kano. Jaken was fine without her. Sesshomaru would eventually come to terms with what he had done to her, but this was how things needed to be.
He did not need another distraction, or another "weakness" for Naraku to exploit.
He, Sesshomaru, had no need of such.
Well. It definitly ended differently than the original did. Review and favorite, maybe? Much love.