DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha.
Sin #7: Pride
It was raining.
She was underneath her umbrella next to the well, watching the raindrops fall from the edge of her umbrella. The trees were dripping with the water falling from the sky; the grass could not contain any more of the rain, so it started to flood in different spots; the well, too, was flooding, as the nonstop rain continued to fall. A cool, autumn breeze sent shivers up and down her spine as the air continuously swirled around her body. She looked around.
Nothing had changed since she first fell through the well into the past. All the trees—well, probably some of the trees were missing now due to fights in the area—were still standing. The grass was still green. The village was still some miles away. The small, dirt path to the village still went in the same direction. She looked to the sky. The clouds were darkening; some villagers were saying a massive storm was coming through the area. She didn't want to believe them.
She sighed and saw the air come out of her mouth. She did not know how much longer she was supposed to stand in the rain, waiting for him to come. She was scheduled to meet the man by nightfall, and she hoped she would not have to wait until nightfall for him to come, especially since it would be many more hours until he would arrive. Not to mention that she would fall ill, and she barely had any medicine to last the week. So she looked toward the village and waited, carelessly drifting into the past to remember.
0o0
It was morning. Everyone gathered in a small hut, with a few outside to listen. A small, womanly voice spoke in the dead silence. "Inuyasha, what are you going to wish for, now that we have the jewel?" The woman looked at her longtime friend with wonder as she held the jewel in front of his body. Inuyasha just stared at the jewel, wondering and dreaming of a life with and without the jewel's power. But for the months waiting for the question to be asked, and for the woman across from him to heal, he knew the right answer.
"It will not be for me, Kagome," she looked in his face; the man behind her made a comment toward Inuyasha.
"So, a half-breed thinks for others now," the man said. Inuyasha growled.
"Oi! Shut up, Sesshomaru! No one asked you to be in this hut!" Sesshomaru gazed down at Kagome, who still held the jewel in her hand.
"There is something here that cannot escape my side," he replied. Inuyasha scoffed; Kagome blushed. She stared into the jewel's light, hoping it would take her mind off of the man behind her (it didn't) and hoped that he would somehow leave the hut, to make things less awkward (he didn't).
"Keh! The only reason you are here is because you think you obtained Kagome," Kagome closed her eyes; another fight was to commence, she thought, "when, really, she still wants to be with the group! Besides, the hell with humans, that's your motto," she opened her eyes. A small step was heard toward Kagome, in which she felt Sesshomaru's leg brush against her back. She gently turned her head and looked up to see his face; he was staring into her eyes.
They said nothing. It was only for a brief moment, then he looked back at Inuyasha; she watched him, hoping to look into his eyes again. She wanted to know why he stared, but he did nothing to answer her questions. "Make your decision quick, half-breed. I would wish to watch the sunset on time instead of listening to your incessant talk about your wish," and with a sharp turn, he was gone. Kagome watched his shadow disappear as soon as he left the hut's entrance, and she turned back to the man across from her.
"Damn him," he mumbled, with his hands over his head. What was he to do? Once he made a wish, everyone he knew would disappear, and he would be left to tend to the village, probably. All of the friends made over the years, gone. He might as well just be back on the tree, with an arrow sticking out of his chest, sleeping peacefully under rain or shine. He looked at Kagome. "What would you wish for?"
She looked down at the jewel. She never really thought about it; she would probably choose a stupid, selfish wish and hear the complaints from the group. She'd never be in peace until death, and who knows—the complaints could probably follow in death. She blinked—that was it. She looked up at Inuyasha, who sat in silence with her, and shrugged. "I don't know, I guess for Midoriko to finally rest in peace," Inuyasha relaxed.
Then he smiled. Kagome looked down at the jewel with him and stared at the pinkish glow. "That's what I wanted to wish for," she heard him chuckle, and she smiled with him. "I'm glad we still think alike," she nodded.
"Yeah," she replied. She closed her eyes, mumbled a few enchantments, and a bright light shined in the entire hut. It was blinding—Inuyasha groaned in pain. Then, nothing. He didn't feel the pain, surprisingly, after maybe five seconds—a sense of peace came through the hut and the land once the light started to fade.
Outside, Sesshomaru felt the slight breeze calm those worried about the jewel's presence in the village; Sango and Miroku calmly watched a few clouds roll by; Shippo sat next to the hut and closed his eyes. Then, the light was gone, and life continued. The silence was replaced with laughter and sounds, followed by voices inside different huts. A few rustles came inside the small hut, followed by a body coming out. Inuyasha sighed and stretched.
"Finally," Sango mumbled under her breath.
"Yes," Miroku added. "We all can rest now. Let peace be with all of us as rewards," Sango nodded and leaned against him for rest. She closed her eyes and smiled.
"Keh, I hope Naraku burns in hell for all the trouble he's caused us. I mean, really-" Just then, Inuyasha was pushed out of the way by Sesshomaru, who re-entered the hut. Inuyasha turned his head toward him and growled, but scoffed once again and continued his rant with the others. "—the guy deserves nothing but the worst for all eternity." And all they could do was nod.
0o0
Sesshomaru heard his words, but he cared not about Inuyasha. He looked down at the woman still sitting on the floor, still staring at the jewel in her hand. It was now a dull color, with its luster gone from the world. To him, it was nothing more than a piece of trash; to her, however, it was her life the moment she entered the past. He did not move from his spot, nor did he make himself known. He just stood there, staring at the woman that he almost lost.
Her wounds were finally disappearing, leaving numerous scars all over her body. But he didn't care—she still was the beautiful woman he fell in love with under the rain. Her image is scarred because of the evil that had been ridden of, but her life was the world. She was still unable to walk very much, nor could she really talk in her normal voice (it came and went in weak spatters) but she was still there, still able to be by his side. And that's what he wished for when the jewel was in their hands, when she was finally in his hands.
She closed her hand and hid the jewel from both their eyes. "Finally," she muttered. He blinked; she closed her eyes. He took the chance and started to walk around her, and she felt a tiny breeze pass her arm. When she opened her eyes, she saw the clothing of Sesshomaru easily walk around her petite body and sit next to her against the wall. He showed no emotion whatsoever, but she just stared into his eyes that stared into the little fire.
"Your journey has ended," he whispered to her. It was the first time she heard him actually whisper something. Usually, it was more of a direct voice that came from him.
She nodded. His eyes scanned over to hers and stared into them. They said nothing again, as if words would not be enough. Finally, she spoke. "Yes, it has. It's almost surreal, like it should still be going," he slightly nodded.
"A journey must end at some point," he replied.
"Yes," she agreed, "I know. Where do I go from here, then?" His eyes drifted away from hers and stared into the fire again. Her hand dangled over the flame, perhaps to keep it warm from the autumn air, and he felt his beast yearn for her touch. She was still delicate after the incidence with Naraku, but she was freed from harm. So his beast reacted, and stretched through time and space to connect. Once the touch was made, he rose to his feet—she as well—and stared at her. She could only blush and show a small smile on her face.
"Outside," he replied. She nodded, and turned her hand to his palm; the jewel slid out from them and fell to the ground. She felt like he treated her like royalty, but she did not care; it was a boost for her self-esteem.
0o0
It was dusk. The sun was setting over in the Western lands; the clouds were changing into numerous colors of the rainbow; the sky was blending different colors together to form night; the trees were silent. Two bodies rested underneath a large tree almost on the edge of a cliff, watching the sunset. It was hardly a romantic meeting, but one could not leave the side of the other; they were too worried of attackers coming to sabotage their bliss.
She closed her eyes; her head was on his shoulder, resting from the amount of strain finally being lifted from her own shoulders. She could see the light fading in the background and turning into the starry night sky she feared when evil still roamed Feudal Japan. But now that they were gone, she wished for the stars to guide her somewhere far away, somewhere she could call home. She slightly moved against his arm and smiled.
He continued to watch her from the corner of his eyes. Everything about her—her face, body, voice, soul, scent—he could never let her escape again. She was so close from being destroyed, from being underground and away from his life—he couldn't go through it again. But he knew that all journeys had to end at some point, and her life would come to a stop along the way. But he could wait for her life to begin again, to meet her in the future and start all over. He would continue to meet her halfway until the end of his own life, until they met in Heaven, together.
He saw her smile. It was beautiful. He hadn't seen her smile in a while, what with all the pressure with the jewel, the battle with Naraku (and her own life), and, not to mention, having to deal with a certain half-breed. But he wondered what she was smiling about. Dare he ask? He briefly looked out toward the sun and saw the crimson sky start to turn a dismal black, followed by soft, glittering lights flickering with the rising moon in the distance. He looked back at her; she was still smiling.
"Do you smile for the day's end?" She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
She shrugged. "No, not necessarily the end of something, but the beginning of something else," she leaned away from him—he felt cold—and looked into his eyes. "Tell me something, Sesshomaru," he saw her turn away from him and stare off into the distance. Something had been on her mind, and he wanted to know what it could be that bothered her. "Tell me about…your future."
His future consisted of wars, his lands, Jaken, finding Rin and making sure she was still okay, more wars, his lands again, Inuyasha's constant bickering and fighting with Sesshomaru, and her. Especially her. He didn't care if he had to deal with the rest of the world—so long as she was by his side, nothing stood in his way. He was unstoppable. "What do you wish to know about my future?" She blushed—he understood.
"U-Um, well…" he looked out to the distance with her.
"You are wondering where you are in this one's life," he answered. She turned her head and became flustered.
"W-Well, yeah, I guess, when you put it that way," she replied. "I mean, yeah, it sounds selfish, but after going through all that with Inuyasha, I don't want-"
"I refuse to be compared to that half-breed," he interrupted her. She mumbled a quick apology, and he shook off his anger; his beast needed to calm down. "Rest assured," his voice calmed her and she raised her head to look at him again; her eyes met his, "I will not break our promise to leave you," she blushed, "nor will I have you break our promise. That half-breed lost what he had gained, and for reasons, I can assure you, that are not in my interest. I hungered for you; I require you for the sake of my health, Kagome."
The wind picked up; little strands of their hair intermingled with one another. She had no reply to his words; she just stared into his eyes and wondered how he could say those words without showing any kind of emotion. But she knew he would say something like this since they saw each other in the hut, when Inuyasha was still there. He started to move; she sat still. When he rose to his feet, she looked to the ground. How was she to reply to something like that?
He looked down at her, and saw her wondering again. Her scars dimmed with the light and her beauty started to shine with the moonlight. And when she finally looked up at his face, my, how her eyes made his heart race. She was the only one that could do something like that to him, and he felt fantastic. And when he stared at her lips? How he wished that he had commenced the mating rituals sooner, so he could have them claimed already. While deep in thought, he saw her lips move.
"Then I'm tired of waiting," she replied. He blinked; he knew, he understood. It was when he tried to take her away in the village, when Inuyasha attacked both because she had been talking to him. And he was still there.
"Then we will leave."
0o0
The rain started to fall harder and faster. The leaves were viciously blowing in the terrible wind, and she still stood under it all, waiting for him to come. Perhaps he wouldn't come—had he changed his mind? No, she thought, he couldn't have. It was only a couple weeks ago that it all happened, that he said they would leave. She took his word. He had made a promise to her, too, and he wished to never have that promise broken. So it meant something to both of them, right? Or was she the gullible one and didn't realize until it was too late?
Then, a splash. It was a sudden splash and an irregular splash compared to the raindrops falling into numerous puddles, so when she turned around, she was not surprised to see the man she had been waiting for, standing in the rain. She frowned and held the umbrella high enough over his head, so both were covered. She had to stand really close to him, though, but she didn't care; heat was heat. He just stared down at her almost dry body (the bottom of her clothing was covered in mud and her body was now starting to get wet because of his own body next to hers) and felt his heart at ease.
"Sesshomaru, you're soaking wet! You'll catch a cold!" She worried that his skin had possibly gotten paler, or that the soaking wet clothing would cause him to be cold for a long time. He, however, did not care if he got sick or not, and grabbed the umbrella from her to hold above them. She thanked him—her arm was getting tired—and suddenly felt his wet, cold lips on her dry, cold lips. A little gasp came from her mouth, but she soon relaxed and closed her eyes with him. And when they parted, the rain continued to fall, but they were both dry from it all.
He didn't mean to leave her out in the rain for so long—he and Inuyasha had a spat over why Kagome should and should not leave the village—and he couldn't express himself with words, because his beast needed her. He always needed her, no matter the circumstances. "Great, now I'll probably catch cold," she mumbled into his chest. He smirked; he always had power over those that he cared about. She looked back up at him. Her eyes widened. "Hey, what are you smiling about?" His beast wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned her against his chest.
"You, Kagome, that's all," he mumbled, but she could not hear; he was glad, for his beast suddenly came and went in the blink of an eye. Kagome sighed.
"Sometimes, Sesshomaru, you're always so mysterious," she leaned her back away from him, her body still against him, and looked in his face. "So, Sesshomaru," he did not mind hearing her voice all the time while he was silent; he enjoyed every bit of it, "before we venture off, you are sure the others will not mark you weak because of me? I mean, how Inuyasha said 'to hell with humans', it kind of rings true for your past, Sesshomaru. I certainly do not want to be your downfall."
His pride was at stake. If word was out that he were going to mate a human being, all demons across Japan would come and try to take his head. They would try with all their might to dethrone him and take her as their torturous slave, without a savior to help her in that world. Everything was on the line for him when it came down to it, and she was the cause of it all. In the past, he would have never thought twice about mating a human being—it would be instantly rejected. But because she was by his side, his pride was thrown out the window and it ceased to exist.
"They may call me weak, but their blood will be spilt, not mine," she nodded.
"Well that is true, you have yet to be defeated," he blinked. This was true. She pushed off of him and stood under the umbrella with him just a few inches away. She still stared into his lovely golden eyes, and he still stared at the wondrous beauty that was before him. If it weren't for her, he would not be alive; if it weren't for him, she would cease to exist. Without one, there would be no other. "Then where do we go from here?" She smiled. Yes, his pride—it did not matter anymore. He would still kill a man if he mocked his life, or spoke of her in any ill way. He would not hesitate or spare a life. But he had the biggest prize in life, the one thing that kept his pride above all, in the way that no one would be able to tell if it had changed or not because of it:
her.
SLOWLY BUT SURELY, I AM UPDATING EVERYTHING.
Oh my GOD. I'm DONE! I finished a story! Thank you, thank you. I know, it's a momentous occasion. Trust me, I'm throwing confetti as we speak.
And do I like this ending? Not at all. I might post the alternate ending that I originally wanted, but I figured you guys would like the happy ending instead of the other ending, lol. AND I CAN GUESS THAT THE CHARACTERS ARE OOC. YEAH. I CAN GUESS THAT. I tried reading my story over to get the characters right, but I couldn't do it. It was too hard. So, you can expect this same crappy result when I actually get around to updating Blossoms. And when will I update that? WHO KNOWS!
But hey guys, thanks so much for reading this over the year it's been out. It wasn't meant to take this long, but I FINALLY DID IT! YAY! And I'm terribly sorry if the ending is really, really bad. I'm sick, I'm only doing this because of the break between finals, and I have a serious case of writer's block. It's a little ridiculous, but I tried tying up all the loose ends in the storyline, so that's good.
And what makes Sesshomaru's pride? Her. That's special and corny at the same time.
Thank you EVERYONE who's read this, reviewed this (AND MY OTHER STORIES! I feel so loved when I read the reviews on one-shots and old stories. They're very kind!) and loved or hated this. Thank you SO MUCH READERS! I knew I loved you for a reason.
Until next time! (whenever that is)
TLS
