Chapter Twelve: All I Ask of You
"Are you okay, Yuki?" Kagome asked as she tried to comfort the sighing bride who had just realized what a pain she had become to her spouse.
"He doesn't love me anymore… does he?" she said as she lifted her eyes to look over at her friend with depressed purple eyes.
Then just about as Kagome was about to answer, there was a knock on the door. "Yuki?" Sesshomaru's voice called, "Yuki, are you in there? Open the door!"
With that, the woman quickly rose to admit her dearest Sesshomaru only to find him on the other side looking a bit perturbed. "What's wrong?" she immediately questioned, wondering what could be bothering him. Hopefully it wasn't too bad…
Sesshomaru only pushed past her though and into the room. "We need to talk," he announced, giving the other two girls in the room the signal to prepare themselves to go to Yuki's defense. Those four words were never good in any sort of relationship.
"Of course," Yuki agreed as she watched Sesshomaru.
That's when the demon turned to Kagome and Sango, an irritated arched eyebrow directed over at them. "Do you mind giving us a few moments of privacy?" he let out as more of a demand than a request.
"Anything you can say to Yuki you can say in front of us!" Kagome protested boldly, although Sango simply took her arm and tried to lead her out of the room.
"No, it's okay," Sango said, "We'll just leave you alone."
"What?" Kagome questioned, "Sango… What are you doing? We can't leave Yuki!"
"I'll be fine," Yuki smiled over at her friends, "Go."
"B-But-" Kagome tried to protest, only to be cut off by Yuki once more: "Go."
With that the two girls went without another word, the door softly clicking shut behind them. "What is it, Sesshomaru?" Yuki asked ignorantly.
"Yuki…" he began, "You know I love you, right?"
This was a strange and frightening way for Sesshomaru to start out for it worried Yuki about what the conversation could possibly turn into. the truth was, she wasn't quite sure if he did love her anymore… not like he used to. He seemed so distant lately. But she couldn't let him on that she was unsure of his fidelity, so she answered what he wanted to hear, "Of course I know."
"And you know that I would do anything for you?"
"Of course." This she did know. He would do anything for her.
"I was thinking about these things and I realized that… well… When was the last time that we said 'I love you'?" he asked.
Yuki raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what on earth this could be about.
"I'm not sure about you, Sesshomaru, but I recall telling you that I loved you just the other day," Yuki replied, "Unless you forgot…?"
"No, I remember," he told her as he approached her and wrapped his arms around her. Something was wrong... Yuki could tell. There was something in the way that he embraced her like that and looked down at her. "Just… When was the last time that you felt like we were a loving couple instead of simply married?"
"Wait… you mean… you don't feel like that?" Yuki asked as she stepped away from him to have a better look at him to better read his expression.
"Don't try and tell me that you don't feel the same," he replied, "Can't you just feel that something is wrong?"
"If something is wrong in this relationship, it's because of you!" Yuki told him as she folded her arms and turned her back to him, "When was the last time you said that you loved me?"
A pause hung in the air at this as Sesshomaru felt the blow. It was true that he hadn't told her that in a long while… "Yuki… You should know that I love you," he replied, "I have done all that I can to take care of you up to this point. I have given you all that you have requested; I have performed any task that you have asked of me. Isn't that enough?"
"No!" Yuki answered, "I could do without the pampering that you give me. All I want for you to do is to tell me that you love me."
"Fine then," Sesshomaru replied as his patience began to wear thin, "I love you! Are you happy? I love you! I love you! I love you!"
"Then show me!" Yuki demanded, "I want you to do something that proves to me that you love me like you say you do!"
"I shouldn't have to prove myself!" Sesshomaru argued, "Haven't I done enough?"
"God Sesshomaru!" Yuki screamed, "Listen to yourself! You just told me that you'd do anything for me! Are you taking that back? Was it all just for show? You know… sometimes I wonder if you really do love me."
Another thick silence came about, pressing in on the couple. "Strange…" Sesshomaru said in a low tone, "I was about to say something along those lines."
"What are you talking about?"
"If you doubt me so much, how could you possibly love me enough to trust me to return your feelings?" he explained, "And it even feels that you truly don't love me. Sometimes I think that you are only using me."
"Sesshomaru!" Yuki gasped, "You… know that's not true!"
"The for once, Yuki… ONCE… consider how much I can take of your demands before you make them," he asked, "Please… That's all I ask of you."
"Sesshomaru…" she said again as she approached him, reaching up to cup his face in her hands, "I'm sorry…"
"Just take what I said into consideration," he told her before walking away and to the door, "I have to go now."
With that he opened the door to reveal two eavesdropping girls poised with their ears to the door that was once there. Sesshomaru only gave them a glance before going right past them and back into the hallway, down the corridor and out of sight. A few more moments of silence was shared between the three girls as the let what had just happened soak in. Both Sango and Kagome thought it best not to speak yet, so they felt a bit of anxiety until Yuki finally did say something. "He's right…" she announced. The other exchanged glances and immediately went to work at making her feel better.
"it's okay, Yuki," Sango assured her, "You just kind of… slipped up. It's alright. You can fix it!"
"I don't know…" Yuki sniffed, "I just think that he needs a break… I know exactly what to do."
I know… Uber short.
