Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
How does a cookie crumble?
Piece by piece.
O0O0OoO
Rotting, Rotten
"Since when do you have a brother?"
"Just shut up and move."
"I mean… you never mentioned him before; is he older or what?"
"Walk. Please."
"Maybe if you just answered my questions…"
"Or maybe, I could just drop you off right here and leave you! You know, like I wanted to."
"Mmm. No thanks."
"Then. Stop. Talking."
"Eh… I don't think so. I'm awfully curious, you know? Mama always told me that that's a good trait, but it's been getting me into trouble for years now. Like this whole well business," Kagome tutted. "Oh! That reminds me, I need to head home soon! School starts next week, can you believe it? This summer really hasn't been long enough – "
"Oh for fuck's sake!"
Hmm. Rather touchy. Kagome frowned, slipped off her remaining shoe, and twirled it casually around her index finger. Just in case.
Inuyasha flattened his ears against his head. He looked tortured. "Could you please, please be quiet? Yell your fucking brains out after we get there and I kill him; I don't care! But for now –"
"Really Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted, shooting him a disapproving look. "Do you have to be so loud? You said that we're close by. Just how do you expect to sneak up on your brother and attack him – which is totally dysfunctional, by the way – if you keep yelling like that?"
"…"
Kagome beamed.
"Onwards then!"
O0OoO0O
"That evil, slippery bastard," Inuyasha snarled.
"Evil?"
"There. Look."
Her brown eyes widened.
Utter destruction. Beyond the thinned, slope of trees that they hid behind lay nothing but a huge oval of barren land. Things might have grown in that area in the past, Kagome guessed, but there certainly would be no growth in the future. Everything was singed or, oddly enough, melted to the ground, and even the grass was brown and black and withered.
And in the midst of it all was –
Evil?
No.
Something much more pitiful.
She took a step forward. Then another. She thought she heard a little girl crying somewhere.
What was she doing? Kagome didn't know. The air, perfumed with dryness and death hung around her head like a sad, sad veil. She was walking towards him, the supposed evil one, and it felt like the freshness of turning over a hundred new leaves and the stinging pain of the paper cuts they left behind.
And it was drawing her in like a moth to a flame.
Kagome felt like laughing, crying, living. Why was he making her feel…?
Inuyasha was hissing something vile at her from behind a charred tree, but Kagome couldn't decipher a word. Not that it mattered, because her feet were on a journey of their own and, as much as her brain yelled at her to stop and run away while she was still breathing, her heart went out to 'evil, slippery bastard'.
And from the mound of dirt that he was kneeling, trembling in front of, she could see why.
Ten steps away.
She could see the gold slits that were his eyes and his magenta stripes, half hidden by a shield of hair. Silver. Longer than Inuyasha's. Prettier maybe.
Six steps away.
He was breathing hard and breathing furiously, and his thin nostrils flared with each new burst of air. Did he run there? And for all that, did he get there too late? The fresh, upturned earth spoke volumes. A grave. Yes, much too late.
Two steps away.
And I guess I'm too late too.
Kagome dropped to her knees.
He never looked up.
She never expected him to.
Her feet ran out of places to go and –
Sesshomaru never had a place in the world to begin with.
Kagome hugged him.
OoO0O0O
AN: Finally, they meet! I've wanted to dish out this particular meeting chapters ago, but it always seemed like I just had other things to type to lead up to it. Here it is now though! I wonder what Sesshomaru's reaction will be? Will he kill her on the spot or start sobbing on her shoulder? :) Neither, hopefully; but who knows what goodness the next chapter will hold?
Much thanks to knifethrower, llebreknit, GinnyMastrani, AngelWing1138, and omica21. You have no idea how excited I got when I saw your reviews! :) Thank you so very much for taking out the time to tell me what you think; it's scary how much it motivates me to type up these chapters.
Feedback is appreciated!
