Disclaimer: InuYasha and all related characters are copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. I merely own the merchandise; I'm sure you can tell the difference.

"The Good Son"

by Sadistic Shadow

His smoldering orbs of amber narrowed in fierce concentration. A look of annoyance flashed briefly across his shadowed face as he lost sight of the object of his observations. Reaching over to brush away the silver bangs obstructing his vision, a faint, rustling sound caught his attention.

Glancing down, expression nothing less than irate, he shifted his position atop the tree branch on which he was perched, enabling him to peer intently through his legs in search of the noise that had distracted him.

Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the sight that met his eyes. For smiling up at him was a slender-bodied young woman, her lithe frame swaying wantonly in the breeze. Her oculars were of a warm mahogany hue and something akin to mischief sparkled within their abyssal depths.

In one fluid motion, lasting but a moment, his heavy hands clapped down on the thick branch and he swung back and under, ignoring the sharp pain shooting up his arm as his elbow scraped rather unpleasantly against the bark. Landing right in front of her, he inhaled sharply, every trace of emotion vanishing from his being in a single instant.

But, as he stood proud and tall in the lazy, late afternoon sun, he found the hint of a smile tugging at his thinly pressed lips. Her hourglass figure was comfortably garbed in the pleated pant-legs of a red hakama and the slitted sleeves of a white haori, both billowing with every movement.

Grown hot from the constant barrage of sunbeams filtering down, her obsidian tresses traced her sharp facial contours, a few wispy strands brushing against her high cheekbones. Her carefully managed nails gleamed in the sunlight as she reached out to pluck a leaf from his hair. "Don't you have anything better to do than spy on a humble shrine maiden?"

He snorted, mimicking her head movement, his response quite curt. "And shouldn't you be guarding the Shikon no Tama?"

She lifted the wrist she had kept concealed; a leather bag dangled from it on a string. "But I am," her smile widened.

A single, well-trimmed brow arched as he motioned to their surroundings with lavish expenditure. "Isn't that rather...reckless of you?"

It was her turn to raise a brow; placing a hand on her hip, she leaned back to eye him from beneath her bangs. "Is it?" she challenged.

For the second time that day, annoyance flickered across his well-kept features. "You know I'm not like the others," he reproved.

"I know," she sighed, taking a step backward, the back of one smooth hand idly brushing up against his.

Her touch was electrifying. But, ignoring the feelings it stirred, he half-glowered at her. "You knew I'd come?"

"Of course!" she laughed gaily, invoking the full of his sharp look. "I'm sorry," she murmured, after quieting down. "It's just that...you always come."

His nose was thrust into the air as he sniffed in mock disdain. "Or so you say,"

"I can feel you," she insisted, with a slight shake of her head. At what she admitted next, however, her cheeks flushed a light pink. "I learned to sense your presence some time ago..."

"Oh?" he almost sounded tense. "And why is that?"

Her blush darkened. "It's like you said...You're not like the others."

His response was immediate, to the point of being brusque. "I see,"

She turned away, to avoid his cold gaze. "I didn't want to kill you...By accident, you know,"

"Thinking I came to rob the jewel?"

She nodded. "Yes, I didn't want to strike out at you, when you posed no threat to its' safety,"

"But how do you know?"

"Excuse me?" for the first time he could ever recall, her eyes narrowed in a suspicion brought on by him.

"I said," he half-growled, reaching out to swipe the small bag, holding it up for her to see. "How do you know...That my indifference wasn't just a ruse? For as you can clearly see...The Shikon no Tama is in my possession now,"

"You're only kidding," she insisted. But, for a single moment, she faltered. "...Aren't you?"

He stared at her for a moment then snapped, as he tossed it back at her, "Take it. Of course I was just kidding."

Her face darkened with unspoken hurt. "You don't have to be that way..."

"Heh," it took a moment, but a smirk was soon distinguishable. "I know."

"You jerk!" her injured look shimmered away to reveal a half-irritated, half-amused one, as she reached out to lightly strike his shoulder.

But his turbulent orbs clouded over and his quick reflexes kicked in. He caught her arm before she could land a blow. His head was ducked low, and his expression was unreadable, so marred was it by the tussled bangs that fell into his line of sight. "Go home, Kanan. I'm sure your husband misses you."

With that, he released her and turned away, melting into the shadowed underbrush; disappearing into the shrubbery from which he had come. And with a sigh, Kanan shook her head and turned away as she too, left, though not before casting one last glance over her shoulder and uttering the young man's name. "Sesshoumaru..."

A/N: Gasp, a spry, young and unfrozen Sesshoumaru. Amazing isn't it, the power of a time reversal? Anyway, I really suppose I shouldn't be getting involved with this fic, what with how many others I need to work on, but it just wouldn't stop harassing me until I put it to words. Anyway, for legal purposes, I suppose I should mention that Kanan is copyrighted to me. Don't worry, you'll find out who she is soon enough. I have no doubt that many of you will be very surprised. Oh yes, in the next chapter you will find out just how far back in time this is, to make Sesshoumaru so...open.

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