Disclaimer: Inuyasha and it's characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I just write fanfic for it.

Author's Note: A short one after last chapter's long read. I got this idea from watching one of those animal documentaries and one of the facts stuck with me. Bet you can find it. Enjoy! And as always, R&R to know if you're enjoying this series!


Colorblind

888

He was born without the ability to see colors.

If one were to ask him, Sesshoumaru wouldn't know the color of his mother's hair or his father's eyes, much less his own, no matter how much you pressed him on the matter. He never knew the childish joy of buying a new toy and being asked whether he preferred it in red or green, because honestly, he couldn't understand the difference. What were you supposed to answer when your entire world consisted of a gamut of greys, whites and blacks?

Growing up, it had been an inconvenience, to be sure, but nothing too debilitating. For example, Sesshoumaru was always careful when dressing, choosing what others had described to him as "white" and "black" as his clothing of choice. Where many thought him fashionable for such a minimalist aesthetic, he saw it as practical. There was no guesswork in choosing two colors over and over again, after all. And while there may be no excitement in wearing monochromatic every single day, it was safer than the alternative of having a closet that was visually offensive.

Therein lay Sesshoumaru's outlook on life in a nutshell: safe. If you chose safe clothes, safe kitchen plates, safe jobs, safe partners, no one ever need know that you were broken or imperfect. It had served him well thus far, and Sesshoumaru was a simple enough man that 'safe' was good enough for him.

Although naturally, he found himself longing for the simple joys that others took for granted. It was the little things he envied, like enjoying a movie and remarking on the particular color of a scene, or a walk in a beautiful spot and appreciating the burning colors of a sunset (burning to others, but merely bright white and grey to him). Or even more importantly, in the private moments were he dare admit it to himself, looking into the face of a lover and committing to memory every pixel of color that made up their features.

Yet in Sesshoumaru's grey world, everything looked the same, and it had for the past three decades. All he could do was be at peace with it.

So imagine his surprise when the new neighbors moved in next door…and for the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru knew what the color blue looked like.

Her eyes were the most amazing shade of blue he had seen (the only shade of blue he'd ever seen).

Despite never having seen the color and as such not knowing exactly what that color was supposed to even look like, Sesshoumaru could somehow recognize it immediately. He could see it. See her. The girl's whole aura shined in color…a beautiful prism that drew his eyes to her like a moth to a flame.

He was both frightened and excited.

And for the first time in his life, 'safe' was not how Sesshoumaru wanted to live anymore.


"Kagome, are you done yet?" An irritated voice, belonging to her roommate Sango, called from downstairs. Kagome rolled her eyes, pushing the earring into place and closing her desk cabinet where she kept most of her jewelry with the side of her hip.

"Coming!" The petite raven called down. But before she headed down the stairs, she stopped as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her light blue summer-dress flared delicately across her knees, dipping snugly into her small waist. Simple, but pretty, like all summer-dresses should be. She had to admit, when she took the time and effort to get dolled up, Kagome cleaned up rather nicely.

The 25-year-old darted down the stairs to meet up an exasperated Sango. The tall brunette flipped her ponytail in annoyance, a tick Sango always did when aggravated and Kagome was sure Sango was unaware of. "You look gorgeous, Kags, now let's go!"

"Sango, the park ain't going nowhere!" Kagome teased, purposely loitering near the entrance and taking her time putting on her sneakers.

"Yes, but the sun is! I want to check out the area before it gets too dark!"

"Al right, al right, jeesh! Done!" Kagome announced, standing up and smiling up innocently at the brunette. Despite herself, Sango found herself smirking back at her roommate. "If you weren't so cute, I'd smack you. Now…"she said, dropping her voice conspiratorially. "Let's go scope out the neighborhood and see if there are any hot guys!" Sango grinned playfully at an amused Kagome and opened the door.

Standing at the entrance, his arm poised to knock, was Sesshoumaru. He seemed just as surprised as the two girls frozen at the door.

Sango blinked rapidly, her cheeks flushing. "Well, that was fast."


"Dogs sure have it tough." Kagome mused, as she watched the sweet Labrador walk away with it's owner. "Not being able to see in color must be torture."

"It is a myth." Sesshoumaru corrected.

"What is?" Kagome asked back with interest, resting her chin on her upturned palm, turning in her seat to better look at him.

"Dogs are able to see some colors, only, not quite like humans do." He explained, clearing his throat.

"Let me put it in simpler terms. Instead of seeing the rainbow as most humans do - violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red - dogs would see it as: dark blue, light blue, gray, light yellow, darker yellow, and very dark gray. Their world is for the most part monochromatic, yes...but some colors do stand out." He finished, surreptitiously looking at her eyes and the only color he himself cared about. Sesshoumaru wished he had even half as much color-reading ability as a mutt, so that he could appreciate the lovely girl beside him even more...

Suddenly Kagome laughed, taking Sesshoumaru by surprise. He didn't think what he had said had been particularly funny. Sensing his confusion, Kagome laid a placating hand on his knee, dissipating his sudden insecurity and instead heightening his senses to the spot where her fingers graced his thigh.

"You sure know a lot about dogs!"

He chuckled, hiding his surprise at her sudden familiar touch. "Collecting trivia is a hobby of mine. Not a particularly interesting one, I'm afraid."

Kagome squeezed his knee, and Sesshoumaru tried to squash the delicious happiness pooling in his belly as he looked into the dazzling blue of her eyes.

"Well, I'd personally love to hear more about it." She said kindly, her smile radiant.


A/N: Fluffy fluff is fluffy. I remember hearing that dog fact and wondered to myself if our favorite dog-boys from Inuyasha would also be colorblind. This is more of a "slice of life human Sess/human Kag" story that I don't see going anywhere, but still think it's a cute plot bunny to play with.