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ABC Thought

- I wander days and nights, looking for the lost you -

Chapter 35

Flashback

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"I love you"

For the first time to hear such intimidate words coming out from her lips, I freeze on my spot and still cannot believe in my own ears what I just have heard. Did she say what I thought she just said? Were those words really aiming for me?

"Sesshomaru?" Seems to be confused by the dead silent, Shiomi's head tilts and she waves her hands before my face. "Are you alright? Why are you so quiet?"

What is this…Excited and enlightened feelings mixing within me? For some reasons my chest is stirred up with indescribable emotions and my cheeks, they are burning by an unexplained heat. Not wanting her to notice such an emberassing reaction, I shift my head to another direction to hide. Much to her displeasure.

"Eh?! How mean! Why are you turning away from me after I confessed to you?!" Clearly is irritated, Shiomi nags louder and I growl quietly. Cursing inside as my mind is starting to go haywire. Something that I have never experienced before. What's wrong with me?! Why can't I think of anything properly to respond…

Is this the mortal feeling that Rin usually speak of? Something called happiness…? Trying to stay calm as possible, I shifts my head back and ask Shiomi to verify her words again. "Do you even realize what you've just told me?"

"Wake up, Sesshomaru! That girl doesn't love you! She never does! Soon she will replace you for another man once you're no longer useful for her benefit!"

At that time, those words of Nanase had successfully pierced right through my chest. And no matter how much I tried to deny…My heart, it was actually wavered. My mind, it was… confused, completely clouded with endless doubts. What you had for me all this time were truly your true affections? Or was it just my fantasy?

And the moment I saw you by Hakuseki's side after spending a whole day searching, my eyes were filled up with jealousy and I got mad without thinking. It was very unlike me, I fully awared of that and yet… I just couldn't control those emotions of mine.

Soon without knowing, I buried myself within even more negative thinking. Of how I would react to the day you choose to be with a man who is not me. Should I give up on you or eliminate my rival right at the spot? Would I be able to bring myself to hate you after then? Should I leave you right now before you do the same thing to me?

It's hopeless, however. Because in the end no matter what decision I am going to make, the one who get hurt would only be I, myself alone…

Without her, I will… My train of thoughts is immediately interrupted once Shiomi blurts out her confession again without a single hesitation. "Yes, I love you."

But thanks to you for this very moment, all these doubts and burdens I have been keeping inside are totally wiped off. It gives me such a satisfied feeling that I've never felt before.

"What about you, Sesshomaru? How do you feel about me?"

And for the first time in my life, I am truly contented just by hearing some simple words from a person. Something, which I have thought for a long time is impossible to happen. Not to I, Sesshomaru, at least…

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Back to the present

In the afternoon of the same day

This scent! Catching a familiar scent in the air, I quickly follow and soon after coming across to a deserted small town, which was completely destroyed by a powerful force. Taking a walk further inside with high alert and darting my eyes around to have a better check. These damaged and burnt smells are still new. Seems like it's just happened some minutes ago…

Over there! Sensing an abnormal aura coming from the woods up ahead, I quickly dash straight to that direction. And not too long after getting into the forest, there I spot Sora, who has gotten herself a new outfit with a floral orange Yukata and a white obi that seems to be made out of animal fur. The upper part of her Yukata is purposely worn down to half of her chest and reveals Sora's bare white shoulders. And right under the Obi on her right, the sleeve is split open and gives away her full leg.

Therefore, she stands in front of a group of the villagers who are kneeling on the ground, scattering around them are some of corpses which results in the whole place reeks of blood.

"Please, Mononoke-sama! Spare our lives!" The man bows to the white haired woman before him, hitting his head onto the floor multiple of times. While his wife and children hugging each other behind him in fear. "I'm begging you! We haven't done anything wrong!" (Mononoke: Monster)

"Too bad for you, old man. But the more you're begging, the more excited I will be when having your flesh shatters in my hands." Sora snickers, her long white tails wavering behind her back.

"No…No!" The man backs away slowly, crying when seeing the Kyuubi no Kitsune approaches. "P-Please! I will do anything!"

"Die!" Cracking her fingers, she launches forward to strike at his head. Feared for the painful impact, the man shrikes in terror. However before the nine-tailed fox's hand can reach him, something appears in her way within the last second and she halts, raising her eyebrow in amusement. "My, if it isn't Sesshomaru…"

"Kyuubi no Kitsune, or should I say…" I frown, standing before the cursed thief who has stolen Shiomi away from me. "Sora?"

The moment her name comes out of his lips, She sneers. "So you've figured it out, huh? As expected from the eldest son of Inu no Taisho, very clever."

"Though I must say that I'm quite surprised. Since when have a youkai like you decided to become human's hero?"

"Ridiculous, I am defending no one." I reply firmly, trying not to let my guard down.

"Somehow what you're saying and doing right now are completely opposite, little boy" After hearing my response, Sora tilts her head and atempt to step to the right. Quickly, I steps to my left side to stop her.

Figures that the Inu Daiyoukai is not going to give up on bringing Shiomi back easily, Sora scoffs. "Fine, now that you're here. I guess I will play with you instead." Then declares to the tiny people cowering behind Sesshomaru's back. "Leave now slowpokes, before I change my mind and cut you all into pieces!"

"Hurry! Go!" Not wasting time, the man urges his family to run as fast as they can to the back, far away from the forest.

"How careless of you coming to me without a single weapon to defend, Sesshomaru." Numerous of white fox spirits begin to appear around her as Sora speaks, "Don't tell me you intend to talk things out and hope for miracle to happen?"

"I, Sesshomaru can fight just fine even without a sword."

"Hmph! Arrogant as usual, aren't we? But that's okay." Kyuubi no Kitsune charges forward and orders her minions to seize the silver haired man, "Because today I'm going to beat that damn attitude out of your stubborn mind and make you realize your own place again!"

Even so, those small fox spirits are nothing compares to my poison whip. As I easily destroy them and reach to the girl up ahead. However, Sora's image disappears right before I can touch her. An illusion?!

"Hey, what are you punching at? I'm right over here." Sensing the fox's aura right behind my back, I dash away to dodge those white tails of her. "Tch!"

"Or here? Maybe here?" More of Sora images show up and attack at once. Despite having evaded some of them, my body still end ups receiving hit everywhere. And due to getting punched in the face for losing my guard, I get pushed backward to the point almost losing my balance.

Then within the next second, they already have me surrounded nto a circle as I wipe the blood off my lips, darting my eyes around to search for the real one. Her illusions…They all carry her scent within them!

"Alright, time to heat some stuff up!" Sora declares and they begin to cast the spell altogether, aiming directly at the Inu Daiyoukai. "Kitsunebi!"

Watching Sesshomaru struggling inside the magical fire, she continues sending more of them to make sure he won't get out alive. "Aww…I'm sorry, was it hot? Here, have some more!"

Trying to get away from Sora's annoying magic, I jump into the air above. Only to have my stomach armor being split into half by Sora's sharp claws.

"Very flexible, I like it." Sora chuckles in the air and licks some drop of blood lingering on her fingers. The blue fire below then slowly dies down, leaving behind a round spot of burned grass.

"Whoosh…" The wind is now getting stronger, bringing an earth scent along with it as the sky above turns darken. Multiple of clouds has gathered up into one and soon, some small drop of water start to appear within the air and fall onto the grass below. "Drip… drop"

"That tired look and those slow movements of yours must be the results of not resting for days, or maybe even a week? Yet you still manage to dodge my attacks and stay alive. Pretty impressive." Sora sneers as her white long hair and clothes are getting soaked by the cold drops.

The rain's getting heavier and heavier for every second passes. The gusting winds blowing at us while carrying those cold drops of water into wild vortices. "Tell me son of Inu no Taisho. What is so inpprtant about her that you have to risk fighting so much for? Have you seriously fallen in love with a human?"

"She is…" Ignoring all the physical pain coming from injures earlier, I calmly answer and look straight into those red, cold eyes with strong determination "…A part of mine that I can never let go."

"Is that how it is… Can never let go, you say?" Sora then chuckles and tilts her head, brushing those long wet hair out of her bare shoulder. "Well then, shall I share with you one good news regarding to Shiomi-chan?"

Just as the fox has predicted, Sesshomaru loosen his guard right after hearing what she says and Sora takes the chance to launch forward, tackling his body down to the wet ground within a heartbeat. Leaning closer and grabbing his face, she glares into those determined, fearless amber eyes before whispering into his ears. "The girl's soul, which was the only thing remain of her, has been long devoured into the darkness of soul realm. It was I who pushed her down there and it was also I, who watched her light's completely disappeared. I killed the girl, Sesshomaru"

"And there's nothing you can do to save her." Her sharp nails pinch onto his cold cheeks, drawing out some red warm liquid, which soon get mixed up with the raindrops and fall into the earth below. "Shiomi's dead for good and this very body belongs to me!"

My eyes immediately widened in shock and horror. For every single word of her, they turn into invisible knives and stab through this heart of mine.

Witnessing such painful, vulnerable look on the lord's face. Sora grins in satisfaction. "There we go… Now that's the rare expression I've always wanted to see from you, Sesshomaru-sama"

"Say, I just realize something very interesting, instead of eliminating you for good by absorbing all of your delicious life-force or creating a pretty hole right here." Sora licks a corner of her lips, sliding her thin fingers down to his chest. She chuckles darkly when seeing his fangs cringing so hard to the point drawing blood on his lips. "Perhaps watching you suffering, letting these guilt eating and destroying you from the inside slowly till dead is so much more pleasant."

"Yes…That would be the best. Don't you agree, Sesshomaru?" Sora then releases her grips on the man's stiff face. His mind is blackened and longer having a will to act.

"Heh heh heh I cannot wait to see your broken self the next time we meet. Farewell, son of Inu no Taisho." With a simple bid of goodbye, the nine-tailed fox vanishes into thin air.

While I remains lying on the cold, wet ground. Pale lips have turned frozen, weakly gasping for air as body completely paralyzed by the hurtful truths. It…can't be happening! She can't be…!

"No…!" Torn by this pain, I paint your name in sound. "SHIOMI! ! !"