Title: Aim
Author: AppleL0V3R
Beta-reader: SymphoniaFreak
Fandom: InuYasha
Pairing: Sesshomaru and Higurashi Kagome
Rating: T
Type: One-shot Collection – Complete
Summary: When she holds up her bow and nocks her arrow, he scoffs. He doesn't believe she can hit her mark. It is too far, too hidden, at least for her level.
Theme: Bow
Word Count: 930
Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.
Note: This ficlet is platonic, but I will add more to this verse in which they become romantic. Also, the sequels to this verse will be clearly labeled as part of the Aim Verse.
Started: November 9, 2012
Completed: November 9, 2012
Last Edited: November 12, 2012
Even after years of going between Feudal Japan and her modern era, Kagome still frequently practices her aim with her favorite bow and arrow set. She prefers to do it in the past; the archery club has a stage and firing range and targets, but that's far too easy for her skill level now. Now, she can handle trying to hit moving targets in the forest of InuYasha; she likes running and jumping and ducking while trying to aim. But what she loves is being able to stand in her archer's-stance and take a deep breath while nocking her arrow.
Kagome had hurried to get through the well and to the village so she could set her things down at Kaede's cottage and rush back to the forest to get some training in before Inuyasha realized she was back and dragged them back on the road to check out the newest demon infestation. With their quest for the jewel shards pretty much over, they were more focused on making the surrounding villages safe rather than tracking down the jewel shards. The young priestess used the down time to finally get back on track with schooling, and the group used it for recreational means. It seemed the only jewel shards they didn't have were in Naraku's possession, and until he finally deigned to make his location known, they were stuck looking for traces of him.
After finding the little clearing she had taken to using as her own archery range, she skidded to a stop and was proud of herself for not needing to double over while catching her breath. She took a few deep calming breaths, found her center, and put her quiver near a tree. Drawing an arrow and positioning her bow, she slowly walked to the middle of the small clearing, glanced around and finally settled on facing west. Because of the thick dense forestry, she didn't have to worry about wind too much, but she knew that it was blowing towards the south.
Loosening her shoulders, she shifted her feet and brought her arms up in the position that had become so familiar to her. With bright eyes, she picked a target and nocked her arrow. The remnants of the wind rustled her hair, and just as it was dying down she let the arrow fly, watching with an experience gaze as it soared through the air and, in the end, hit her intended mark. With a grin, she cheered loudly at the feat before starting the process all over again.
His keen nose picked up her scent the second it appeared within the forest. She had rushed towards the village at the edge of the forest, before coming right back just as fast. Idle curiosity brought him in her direction. What reason did the miko have in stopping at some point in the forest? He caught wisps of determination and excitement on the light breeze, and was further intrigued. When he got close enough to be able to see without startling the instinctive human, he settled beneath a large tree and watched her form the traditional archer's stance.
That explained why she was out here, for the most part. There were no demons in the area, so what was she aiming at? He traced the direction of the arrow with keen golden eyes and saw a flimsy paper with a small circle within a larger circle swinging slightly in the breeze between numerous branches. He scoffed. There was no way the miko would hit that; she did not have the skill set.
A bit of a strong gust made it to the clearing and tangled its way through her hair, bringing the full force of her scent straight to him. She smelled of some flower tinged with a fake, metallic smell, and underneath it was the smell of vanilla and crème. He watched as she waited until the wind had passed before letting the arrow leave the bow, and then he watched as it hit the paper dead center moments later.
When, he wondered for a moment, had she gotten better than the dead priestess? Last he knew, she couldn't hit a mark a mere dozen yards in front of her, and now she could hit a target like an expert. Golden eyes traced back to the miko as the glee and triumph exuding from her filled the clearing. Just as quickly it was covered with determination once more. She had gotten another arrow and was nocking it.
With his curiosity satisfied, he turned and continued on his original path to systematically cover all of the western lands, the miko none the wiser to her temporary audience. She was already fading from his mind, though he decided that his half-brother's ragtag team had a better chance than he originally thought if all of its members were useful.