A/N: I decided to add another oneshot to this story. I may decide to add more. It all depends on my mood. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the new addition.
To Win a Name and a Heart
Izayoi giggled quietly to herself, reveling in her stolen freedom. It was night, and the full moon shone brightly overhead in the cold sky. Mist puffed from her lips as she let out panted breaths, the result of her flight from the palace. A thick layer of snow covered the ground, crunching under her feet and leaving her tracks for her father's sentries to easily follow. But that was alright, they wouldn't catch on until morning when she was safely back in her room.
She flitted through the frosted forest, a snow sprite on fleet feet. She twirled and spun in the snow, glorying in the way the frozen air felt on her skin and in her lungs. Her chest heaved, her skin froze, her lungs burned, but her eyes twinkled.
A deep chuckle was heard in the dark wood. Izayoi froze, straining her human ears for any noise in the now forbidding forest. A twig snapped to her right and she spun in that direction, searching with inferior sight for her stalker. The rustling of a tree in the wind had her turning back around, still straining futilely for any sign of life. There was a rush of air, and then there was a hand loosely around her throat and a body close behind hers. She let out a startled gasp.
"You are lucky that it is me, my Lady, and not some demon who would desire to eat you," said the baritone of Inutaisho. Izayoi relaxed in his grip, welcoming his warmth now that the glow of freedom had worn off. "Why is it you are alone this time, Lady? And in the dead of night in the snow?" he asked softly.
"The snow called to me," she answered simply.
"It is cold, and you are human," he counseled. "You should not be out without more protection from the elements."
"Where have you been? I have not seen or heard from you since that springtime with the cherry blossoms," Izayoi inquired, changing the subject. Inutaisho let out another low chuckle at her inquisitiveness and the slight nuance of indignant sadness in her voice.
"I have been busy with many things," came his cryptic reply. His breath was hot on the top of her head, and the hand that had been gently holding her throat now snaked across her shoulders, holding her back securely to his chest.
"For instance…" she trailed off into a question. His closeness was making it hard for her to think, but it was nice and he was warm. It was strange, she hardly knew him at all, save for that he was a powerful demon, but with a good heart, yet he had occupied her thoughts frequently since that day under the cherry blossom trees. He was so kind and handsome, broad-shouldered and… masculine. His presence made her feel safe and protected. She supposed she was infatuated with the demon. Her father would die if he found out. Inutaisho's voice brought her out of her musing.
"For instance… putting down various demons who wish to challenge me for my territory," he supplied. She was so beautiful, so soft, and so delicate. He could hear her heartbeat like thunder underneath her thin white skin. How easy it would be to rend her life from her, and yet the thought of defiling something so perfect and fragile seemed sacrilegious. Her weakness made him want to protect her more. How curious. "Why is it we always seem to meet under such circumstances? You alone and vulnerable, and I hidden?" he asked absently. Her breath shuddered and she shivered.
"I do not know, Inutaisho-san, but as you said, it is fortunate that you are the one who finds me, and not some other ravenous oni," Izayoi softly replied. That thought made him go cold for some reason.
"Yes," he said laconically, too busy envisioning her lifeless body on the ground because he was unable to protect her. Her sweet scent calmed him, though; it reminded him that she was still there, in his arms, safe. She was heavenly; she smelled like the spring sakura blossoms they had first met under. The scent intoxicated him, and he found himself wanting to fill his lungs with it. He pulled her closer to him and gently buried his nose in her hair, drowning himself in the aroma of sakura in spring. Winter seemed to melt away, and for a moment he was back under those flowering trees. The sun warmed his skin, the breeze caressed his face, and she stood underneath the halo of pink like a tenshi again. Then it was gone, and the frozen world came back into focus. His lady was shivering from the cold, huddled as far as she could get into the warmth of his arms.
"You never did tell me your name, my Lady," he said as he drew her in closer to him, shielding her from the frosty air. Izayoi sighed as she snuggled into his warmth.
"No, I did not."
"Will you grace me with it yet, or keep it from me still?" he asked, amused. After a pause for thought, she replied.
"I think I will not."
"Not what?"
"Grace you with my name. I don't see why you would think I would give it to you after not seeing you for such a long time. I don't think you deserve it," she said haughtily. Inutaisho smirked.
"Really?" he drawled.
"Most definitely."
"Then I shall have to see you more frequently to pester you more often, my Lady. I will know your name," he promised. Izayoi gave a secret smile.
"We shall see," was all she said, and then she sneezed.
"I advised you not to go about in the snow without a haori, you know, but now it's too late. You are sick. Come, it is late, I will escort you home," he offered. He unfastened his mokomoko-sama and wrapped it around Izayoi's petite form, then scooped her up into his arms. The fur completely covered her, leaving only her face exposed to the elements; the white pelt was soft and warm, she felt safe wrapped up in it and in the youkai's arms. Her honey-brown eyes stared up at Inutaisho's face as he carried her back to the palace in silence.
Inutaisho ignored her stare as best he could, focusing on following her tracks back to her home. She was so small and light in his arms, and it was like she belonged there for some reason. He wished they could stay like that forever, but all too soon the palace wall came into sight. With all the grace of a dog demon, he jumped over the wall and landed softly in the courtyard. When he set her down on her own two feet, he bowed.
"Farewell, sweet Lady. I will return to win your name… and your heart," he said, and then he was gone, like the hoarfrost in autumn, leaving Izayoi alone in the courtyard, enveloped by his great mokomoko-sama. Long after he had gone she remained, gazing up at the full moon.
"You already have my heart, Inutaisho," she whispered to the stars before retiring inside just as the first streaks of dawn accented the horizon.
A/N: I hope it was to your liking. As always, reviews are most welcome.
Enervatedly,
The Masked Fox
