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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 hearing such intimidate words coming out from her lips, I was turned frozen.

Did she say what I thought she just said? Were those words really aiming for me?

"Sesshomaru?"

Confused by the dead silent, Shiomi waved 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 unknown reasons my chest was stirred up with indescribable emotions and my cheeks, they were burning by an unexplained heat. Cannot let her notice such embarrassing reaction, I shift my head away.

"Eh?! How mean! Why are you turning away from me after I confessed to you?!"

Clearly was irritated, Shiomi nagged louder while I growled quietly. Could not figure out of anything properly to respond to her.

Is this the mortal feeling that Rin usually speak of? Something called happiness…?

Trying to stay calm as possible, I turned around to 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, Nanase's words had pierced through my chest. And no matter how much I tried to deny…My heart, it had wavered. My mind, it was confused, clouded with endless doubts.

What you had for me all this time... were they truly your true affections? Or was it just my fantasy?

Then I saw you standing by Hakuseki's side after spending a whole day searching, my eyes were filled with jealousy and I got mad at you without thinking. That was very unlikely of me, I aware of that and yet… I just couldn't control those emotions of mine.

Days by days 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 was going to make, the one who got hurt would only be I, myself alone.

Without her, I will…

"Yes, I love you."

My train of thoughts was interrupted by your warm confession. Thanks to you for this very moment, these doubts and burdens had been wiped off. It's giving me such a satisfied feeling that I'd never felt before.

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

And for the first time in my life, I was contented simply by several words coming from a person. Something, which I had thought for a long time was impossible to achieve. 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 come across to a deserted small town that was completely destroyed by a powerful force. Taking a walk further inside, I notice these damaged and burnt smells are still new.

Over there!

Sensing an abnormal aura coming from the woods up ahead, I dash straight to that direction. 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, causing the whole place reeks of blood.

"Please, Mononoke-sama! Spare our lives! We haven't done anything wrong!" (Mononoke: Monster)

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.

"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!"

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

"Die!"

Sora launches forward to strike at his head. Feared for the painful impact, the man cowers. However before her hand can reach him, something appears in the way 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?"

"So you've figured it out, huh? As expected from the eldest son of Inu no Taisho, very clever."

The moment hearing her name comes out of his lips, She sneers. "Though I must say that I'm quite surprised. Since when have a youkai like you become human's hero?"

"Ridiculous, I am defending no one." I reply firmly, not letting my guard down.

"Somehow what you're saying and doing right now are completely opposite, little boy."

Sora tilts her head in confusion and steps to the right. Quickly, I steps to my left side to stop her.

"Fine, now that you've come all the way here to find me. I will just play with you instead."

Figures that he is not going to give up on bringing Shiomi back easily, Sora yells the tiny people cowering behind Sesshomaru's back to piss off so that they can be alone.

"Get out of my sight! 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.

"Not even bringing a single weapon to defend yourself. How careless of you, Sesshomaru."

Numerous of white fox spirits 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 even without a sword."

"Hmph! Arrogant as usual, aren't we? But that's okay."

She charges forward and orders her minions to seize him. "Because today I will beat that damn attitude out of you make you realize your own place again!"

Those small fox spirits are nothing compares to my poison whip. As I easily destroy them and reach out my hand to grab her, Sora vanishes. 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 her images show up and attack all 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.

Within the next second, they already have me surrounded into 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!

"Time to heat some stuff up!"

Sora declares and they begin to cast the spell altogether. "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 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.

The wind is 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."

"These 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. The gusting winds are blowing, carrying those cold drops of water into wild vortex.

"Tell me son of Inu no Taisho. What is so important about her that you have to risk fighting so much for? Have you seriously fallen in love with a human?"

"She is… A part of mine that I can never let go."

Ignoring all the physical pain coming from injures earlier, I answer and look straight into those same red, cold eyes. Feeling so familiar yet at the same time, so distant.

"Is that how it is… Can never let go, you say?"

Sora 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 she has predicted, Sesshomaru loosen his guard right after hearing that name and Sora launches forward, tackling his body down to the wet ground within a heartbeat.

"Shiomi's soul, which is the only thing remain of her, has been long devoured into the darkness of soul realm. It is I who has pushed her down there and it is also I, who has watched her light's completely disappeared."

Leaning closer and grabbing his face, she glares into those determined, fearless amber eyes before whispering into his ears.

"I had killed Shiomi. And there's nothing you can do to save her."

Her sharp nails pinch onto his cold cheeks, drawing out some red warm liquid out of his skin. Letting it gets mixed up with the raindrops and falls into the earth below.

"She is dead and this very body belongs to me!"

For every single word of her, they turn into invisible knives and stab through this heart of mine.

"There we go… Now that's the rare expression that I've always wanted to see, Sesshomaru-sama."

Witnessing such painful, vulnerable look on the lord's face. Sora grins in satisfaction.

"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 when seeing his fangs cringing so hard to the point drawing blood on his lips.

"Watching you suffering, letting these guilt eating and destroying you from the inside slowly till dead is so much more pleasant."

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! ! !"