Hey everyone! I JUST got back from a road trip, and it was kinda
impossible to update in a car... Sorry for not warning you guys about the
delay, but this is how it worked: "Kai, what are you doing tomorrow?" "Um,
nothing that I know of." "Wanna go with me to ______?" "Sure!" "Okay,
see you tomorrow afternoon!" "Okay!" (went back to cleaning, then packing,
then telling family...)
Anyways, here ya go!!! And I still don't own them!! (Just 4 plush dolls, 2 DVD's, 4 videos, 1 pack of cards, and unlimited stickers...)
Also, if you want update notices on ANY of my stories, just email me and tell me which stories, and I'll add you to that list!!
OH!! And CONGRATS to everyone who guessed Full Circle by Shun'u!! Sure, I didn't go into as much detail, but hey... ~~~~~~
Ch. 3 Memories resurface...
I had expected her to be surprised, but not so much to the point of passing out. When I realized that she was fainting, my body took over and I leapt to catch her before she could hit the ground.
So now I'm standing here, cradling the miko's body in my arms. Her power is still humming around and through her slender frame, causing her body to be slightly warmer than a normal human's, while still slightly cooler than mine.
Her brow furrows as her face expresses worry and perhaps... concern? I sit on the floor, cradling her against me as I try to soothe her fears, telling her her name, and that she's safe at home. Normally, I would not do this, or even know what to say, but Rin had softened me so long ago, and I once or twice witnessed her doing this same thing to one of her children after a nightmare.
When she finally calms, I begin to relax. I can't help but look her over, in hopes of finding the way she survived for so long. Although her mother's questions about Inuyasha confuses me, I simply decide that if she lived this long, her mother living the same length of time should not surprise me. She must have met my half-brother 500 years ago, and not recognize me due to my marking's disappearance.
And yet, I see nothing other than the human who used to follow the hanyou around. The miko who drew the Tetsusaiga when I was unable to touch it, and Inuyasha unable to pull it out of its altar. I know that her miko powers would help her live longer than a normal human would, but not 500 years. And there is no scent of demon blood in her, which only serves to make me even more curious and anxious for her to awaken.
My eyes widen as she moves in my arms, actually pressing slightly closer to me, sighing softly. And while I am used to being surrounded by beautiful women, so many after either my money or my bed, I feel more for this woman than I ever could for them. To me, her power, her strength and determination, her courage and quick mind, her unwavering loyalty, even to those who would hurt her, intrigues me; her face and body captivate me; and I find myself jealous of my idiot half-brother who spent years with this creature, and never understood what he had.
At a soft gasp, I look down at her face, staring into wide blue-gray eyes. Fear begins to emanate from her now-tense body, and I actually feel saddened. Where did the courageous, strong, defiant woman go? I begin to look over her again, making note of each change in her slender form. Her tense muscles, her wide eyes, the increased breathing, the rapid heartbeat I can hear so well... She is terrified. Why?
Then it hits me. She knew me only as Sesshoumaru, the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, not as I am now. She remembers my demon form when I fought her and Inuyasha in my father's tomb to get the Tetsusaiga. The time I used a human arm from Naraku to wield the Fang, and attack her and my brother yet again. When I came after Toutousai, who had decided to use my half-brother as a protector.
And now that I look back on each battle I fought with them, I realize all the times I would silently compliment or scold her for something she did or said.
I complimented her when she argued that Inuyasha should take Tetsusaiga since he could not harm me any other way. She knew I was superior, but she also knew that his wielding the famed sword would bruise my pride. I was shocked when she did what my brother and I could not, drawing the blade from its altar with ease. Also when she sprang up from the poisonous mass she had been engulfed in, yelling at me angrily about my trying to kill her. And I scolded her when she chose for the hanyou to wield my father's fang, and then cowering in fear behind him.
The next time I saw her, she had finally gained her own weapon, a flimsy bow and some arrows. But her bravery was still there. When I was going to strike down my half-brother, her arrow somehow undid Tetsusaiga's transformation. I complimented her on her abilities, on her aim, and her daring, as she demanded I drop the sword or she would fire he next arrow into my heart. Then, she yelled that instead, she would remove my left arm, and the Shikon shard in it. NOW I was interested. She KNEW the arm was human, and allowed me to use Tetsusaiga. She KNEW I had a shard in that same arm. Somehow, she KNEW.
Her loyalty shocked me, though. She refused to leave the idiot's side until he forced her to, in order to help their fallen teammate that I had poisoned. And even then, she fired arrows at me, managing to break my armor. I finally had to pay attention to her, then, or risk falling to a human. And yet I struck her down so easily. She regained consciousness after my hand had already pierced Inuyasha, and though she knew I was there, she fought to aid my half-brother.
She has argued with me, fought with me as an enemy and as an ally, and now, she lay in my arms, afraid for her life.
So what should I say?
~~*~~
He just keeps sitting there, looking at me, and yet not, like he's thinking, or remembering something. There's a tinge of annoyance every now and then in those golden depths, and yet, my fear is rapidly fading away. After all, if he wanted me dead, why was he holding me close to him, almost in a comforting gesture?
WAIT! HOLDING ME? Why the HELL is he HOLDING me?!
NOW I'm getting angry. He's back to looking at me, and the angrier I get, the more delighted he seems to be. Finally, he says what I wasn't expecting.
"There you are."
"Huh?" Now I'm just plain confused. What does he mean? I had been expecting some condescending term for a female, followed with a threat. But this -
"You're back to the angry, defiant girl I remember from so long ago." I almost SWEAR I see the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile, but I think it's just my imagination. NO! He IS smiling! Okay, either I'm about to be tortured and killed, or... Wait. 'From so long ago'? That had sounded almost... wistful. Had he changed?
"Sesshoumaru?" At his raised eyebrow and inquisitive look, I blurt out my next question without thinking. "What are you doing here?" That smile returned for a small moment, and I couldn't help but think how handsome he appeared when he actually SMILED. I damn near slapped myself silly when I thought that.
"And here I thought you might show some relief at seeing a familiar face. But to answer your question, I wanted to see how someone who seemed to be a normal human, well, a normal human with miko powers, survived these past 500 years with barely a scratch on her."
As he said this, he helped me to my feet, steadying me before letting me go. Unfortunately, it was then that his hand touched my already bruised shoulder, and I couldn't help but wince slightly at the feeling. And since he had been looking at my face while waiting for an answer, I knew he saw it.
He reached over to the collar of my shirt, and I felt him become the commanding demon lord again. Without preamble, without asking permission, he moved my shirt away from my shoulder so as to get a better view of what had pained me. His eyes widened, and I knew what he saw. He had tilted my head away from my shoulder so he could get close enough to study the bruise I knew was there.
It was almost a handprint. One big, purple handprint, with pricks of blood where his claws had extended and pressed into my skin at our last meeting. I had just seen its dark color this morning while changing, and had hoped no one would notice. So much for that.
He moved his hand towards it, and I had to keep from flinching away. But his fingers just brushed against it, so very softly that I wondered if perhaps I had only imagined him touching me. Of course!! I MUST have! After all, the Demon Lord would NEVER willingly touch a human unless it was to kill them, right?
And yet, if I imagined him touching me, that would mean that I wanted him to, and I didn't! Did I?
I looked over at him, confused, and sure enough, his fingertips were resting on my shoulder, touching the bruise gently, almost tenderly. I tore my eyes away from his hand, only to end up looking at his face, still an emotionless mask, but with the brows furrowed in concern and his eyes dark with guilt. Two emotions I thought he'd never feel.
So why was he feeling them? And why now? As much as these questions hung on my mind, my first question came back to me.
Which was more unbelievable? Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's cruel half- brother, touching me, or me wanting him to?
Finally, my confusing thoughts were too much for me. I moved away from him, avoiding his eyes, and fixed my shirt back to its regular place. Finally satisfied with the condition of my clothes, I looked back up at his silent form.
He seemed torn, but as I watched, he slid his cold, emotionless mask back on, his eyes becoming the same ones he had looked at Inuyasha with. I shivered, fear pricking in the back of my mind.
What now?
~~~~~~~
Well!! There's your chapter! I was hoping it'd be longer, but handwritten pages just don't seem to be nearly as long as I thought. Anyways, hope you liked it okay, and I'm sorry for the wait!!! Please review!!
Anyways, here ya go!!! And I still don't own them!! (Just 4 plush dolls, 2 DVD's, 4 videos, 1 pack of cards, and unlimited stickers...)
Also, if you want update notices on ANY of my stories, just email me and tell me which stories, and I'll add you to that list!!
OH!! And CONGRATS to everyone who guessed Full Circle by Shun'u!! Sure, I didn't go into as much detail, but hey... ~~~~~~
Ch. 3 Memories resurface...
I had expected her to be surprised, but not so much to the point of passing out. When I realized that she was fainting, my body took over and I leapt to catch her before she could hit the ground.
So now I'm standing here, cradling the miko's body in my arms. Her power is still humming around and through her slender frame, causing her body to be slightly warmer than a normal human's, while still slightly cooler than mine.
Her brow furrows as her face expresses worry and perhaps... concern? I sit on the floor, cradling her against me as I try to soothe her fears, telling her her name, and that she's safe at home. Normally, I would not do this, or even know what to say, but Rin had softened me so long ago, and I once or twice witnessed her doing this same thing to one of her children after a nightmare.
When she finally calms, I begin to relax. I can't help but look her over, in hopes of finding the way she survived for so long. Although her mother's questions about Inuyasha confuses me, I simply decide that if she lived this long, her mother living the same length of time should not surprise me. She must have met my half-brother 500 years ago, and not recognize me due to my marking's disappearance.
And yet, I see nothing other than the human who used to follow the hanyou around. The miko who drew the Tetsusaiga when I was unable to touch it, and Inuyasha unable to pull it out of its altar. I know that her miko powers would help her live longer than a normal human would, but not 500 years. And there is no scent of demon blood in her, which only serves to make me even more curious and anxious for her to awaken.
My eyes widen as she moves in my arms, actually pressing slightly closer to me, sighing softly. And while I am used to being surrounded by beautiful women, so many after either my money or my bed, I feel more for this woman than I ever could for them. To me, her power, her strength and determination, her courage and quick mind, her unwavering loyalty, even to those who would hurt her, intrigues me; her face and body captivate me; and I find myself jealous of my idiot half-brother who spent years with this creature, and never understood what he had.
At a soft gasp, I look down at her face, staring into wide blue-gray eyes. Fear begins to emanate from her now-tense body, and I actually feel saddened. Where did the courageous, strong, defiant woman go? I begin to look over her again, making note of each change in her slender form. Her tense muscles, her wide eyes, the increased breathing, the rapid heartbeat I can hear so well... She is terrified. Why?
Then it hits me. She knew me only as Sesshoumaru, the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, not as I am now. She remembers my demon form when I fought her and Inuyasha in my father's tomb to get the Tetsusaiga. The time I used a human arm from Naraku to wield the Fang, and attack her and my brother yet again. When I came after Toutousai, who had decided to use my half-brother as a protector.
And now that I look back on each battle I fought with them, I realize all the times I would silently compliment or scold her for something she did or said.
I complimented her when she argued that Inuyasha should take Tetsusaiga since he could not harm me any other way. She knew I was superior, but she also knew that his wielding the famed sword would bruise my pride. I was shocked when she did what my brother and I could not, drawing the blade from its altar with ease. Also when she sprang up from the poisonous mass she had been engulfed in, yelling at me angrily about my trying to kill her. And I scolded her when she chose for the hanyou to wield my father's fang, and then cowering in fear behind him.
The next time I saw her, she had finally gained her own weapon, a flimsy bow and some arrows. But her bravery was still there. When I was going to strike down my half-brother, her arrow somehow undid Tetsusaiga's transformation. I complimented her on her abilities, on her aim, and her daring, as she demanded I drop the sword or she would fire he next arrow into my heart. Then, she yelled that instead, she would remove my left arm, and the Shikon shard in it. NOW I was interested. She KNEW the arm was human, and allowed me to use Tetsusaiga. She KNEW I had a shard in that same arm. Somehow, she KNEW.
Her loyalty shocked me, though. She refused to leave the idiot's side until he forced her to, in order to help their fallen teammate that I had poisoned. And even then, she fired arrows at me, managing to break my armor. I finally had to pay attention to her, then, or risk falling to a human. And yet I struck her down so easily. She regained consciousness after my hand had already pierced Inuyasha, and though she knew I was there, she fought to aid my half-brother.
She has argued with me, fought with me as an enemy and as an ally, and now, she lay in my arms, afraid for her life.
So what should I say?
~~*~~
He just keeps sitting there, looking at me, and yet not, like he's thinking, or remembering something. There's a tinge of annoyance every now and then in those golden depths, and yet, my fear is rapidly fading away. After all, if he wanted me dead, why was he holding me close to him, almost in a comforting gesture?
WAIT! HOLDING ME? Why the HELL is he HOLDING me?!
NOW I'm getting angry. He's back to looking at me, and the angrier I get, the more delighted he seems to be. Finally, he says what I wasn't expecting.
"There you are."
"Huh?" Now I'm just plain confused. What does he mean? I had been expecting some condescending term for a female, followed with a threat. But this -
"You're back to the angry, defiant girl I remember from so long ago." I almost SWEAR I see the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile, but I think it's just my imagination. NO! He IS smiling! Okay, either I'm about to be tortured and killed, or... Wait. 'From so long ago'? That had sounded almost... wistful. Had he changed?
"Sesshoumaru?" At his raised eyebrow and inquisitive look, I blurt out my next question without thinking. "What are you doing here?" That smile returned for a small moment, and I couldn't help but think how handsome he appeared when he actually SMILED. I damn near slapped myself silly when I thought that.
"And here I thought you might show some relief at seeing a familiar face. But to answer your question, I wanted to see how someone who seemed to be a normal human, well, a normal human with miko powers, survived these past 500 years with barely a scratch on her."
As he said this, he helped me to my feet, steadying me before letting me go. Unfortunately, it was then that his hand touched my already bruised shoulder, and I couldn't help but wince slightly at the feeling. And since he had been looking at my face while waiting for an answer, I knew he saw it.
He reached over to the collar of my shirt, and I felt him become the commanding demon lord again. Without preamble, without asking permission, he moved my shirt away from my shoulder so as to get a better view of what had pained me. His eyes widened, and I knew what he saw. He had tilted my head away from my shoulder so he could get close enough to study the bruise I knew was there.
It was almost a handprint. One big, purple handprint, with pricks of blood where his claws had extended and pressed into my skin at our last meeting. I had just seen its dark color this morning while changing, and had hoped no one would notice. So much for that.
He moved his hand towards it, and I had to keep from flinching away. But his fingers just brushed against it, so very softly that I wondered if perhaps I had only imagined him touching me. Of course!! I MUST have! After all, the Demon Lord would NEVER willingly touch a human unless it was to kill them, right?
And yet, if I imagined him touching me, that would mean that I wanted him to, and I didn't! Did I?
I looked over at him, confused, and sure enough, his fingertips were resting on my shoulder, touching the bruise gently, almost tenderly. I tore my eyes away from his hand, only to end up looking at his face, still an emotionless mask, but with the brows furrowed in concern and his eyes dark with guilt. Two emotions I thought he'd never feel.
So why was he feeling them? And why now? As much as these questions hung on my mind, my first question came back to me.
Which was more unbelievable? Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's cruel half- brother, touching me, or me wanting him to?
Finally, my confusing thoughts were too much for me. I moved away from him, avoiding his eyes, and fixed my shirt back to its regular place. Finally satisfied with the condition of my clothes, I looked back up at his silent form.
He seemed torn, but as I watched, he slid his cold, emotionless mask back on, his eyes becoming the same ones he had looked at Inuyasha with. I shivered, fear pricking in the back of my mind.
What now?
~~~~~~~
Well!! There's your chapter! I was hoping it'd be longer, but handwritten pages just don't seem to be nearly as long as I thought. Anyways, hope you liked it okay, and I'm sorry for the wait!!! Please review!!
