AN: First off, I just want to thank everyone for their patience in waiting
for updates for this story as well as thank the many people who have
reviewed, emailed, or contacted me by AIM with their praise and insightful
criticisms. They're wonderful encouragements and while I don't have time
to respond to every single person, I'm trying something new where, if you
want me to respond to you, just include your email address with your
comments and I'll do my best to get back to you...just as long as I don't
have to give away any plot points...
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CHAPTER 6: All in a Name
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She waited patiently.
Well, patiently for her anyway.
No doubt others, like the one in front of her, could have done better. But then, she was only human and prone to faults, right? So, after the first few minutes of silence that followed her inquiry while she waited for some sort, any sort, of response, she was suddenly struck with a very clear realization that she should have come to sooner.
He wasn't going to tell her.
Ever.
No matter how long she waited.
But then he probably had at least triple the length of her lifespan so she imagined that he could afford to outwait her, however short or long that span may be. And no matter how long it was that he could wait, that didn't mean that she could reciprocate in the same manner. After all, she didn't have that kind of time – or the inclination.
Hmph! Youkai!
They could be so enormously aggravating - especially the males of the species.
She shook her head and resisted the urge to rub the ache that was beginning to build to a throbbing crescendo in her temple. Although, judging from the reactions her adopted protector inspired within her in less than a night's length of time, she doubted it would be long before she succumbed to the urge. Somehow, she got the feeling that she'd be doing a lot more of it than she cared to in the future – the near future!
Well, at least he gave her something else to focus on besides her handicap.
"You know, I'm going to have to call you something, especially if we're going to be together for a month. I can't be going 'hey, you' all the time. It's extremely rude...and my mother would never let me hear the end of it if she ever found out." She frowned. "Surely giving me your name can't be that big a deal?"
Though there was no spoken response, she felt a nearly tangible sensation of displeasure wash over her and was certain that the youkai was most definitely not happy. And she was just as certain that he still wasn't going to tell her his name.
She'd have to do something about that.
A mischievous smile curled her lips and anyone who knew her well would have known that it meant trouble and to dive for cover. And though a curl of wisdom whispered that it wasn't wise to needle a strange youkai whose temper was unpredictable, the more whimsical part of her shoved it to the back of her mind in favor of her current chosen course of action. It was unfortunate that she was pushed to these measures, really, but some youkai just had to learn that not even they were exempt from certain consequences of their overbearing actions.
"So you're really not going to tell me your name, are you?"
Silence.
"You sure you won't change your mind?"
Again, as expected...silence.
"Okay." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I guess I'll just have to come up with one for you."
This time, the quiet atmosphere changed into a more...frozen stillness.
"Hmm." Undeterred, she tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Now what name should I call you?"
"You intend to give me name?"
There was a quiet menace laced in those aristocratically spoken words. And though it sent a cold chill slithering down her spine, she kept the most innocent expression she could manage on her face. She might have quaked were it not for, aside from the ready promise of violence inherent in his tone, the more amusing impressions of disbelief, morbid fascination, and wariness that she was also sensing from him.
Of course, there was always the chance she was imagining that entirely.
Nevertheless, ignoring the threat to her prolonged lifespan, she persevered enough to say in her most unconcerned manner, "Well, it's the only obvious thing to do, isn't it? I mean, I have to call you something. The only problem is figuring out what that something is."
Another wave of obvious displeasure; she did her best to ignore it.
"How do you like Tairiko? Fitting, don't you think?"
The responding surge of dark energy swirling around her made breathing suddenly harder, letting her know he was just as intelligent as she had initially figured him to be with how quick he was in discerning exactly what meaning lay beyond the assigned name. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to give up. A girl had to get her kicks in somehow and the stoic youkai, whom obviously thought himself so superior to everyone else, deserved to have things shaken up, even if it was just a little. Besides, it wasn't as if the pulsing energy he emanated was really hurting her; it was only making her a little more uncomfortable.
It was unfortunate for him that she had a high tolerance for discomfort.
"But," she continued musingly, "maybe Yukihito would be better. It's such a cute name!"
Another wave of displeasure crashed over her.
"Or even Juuke."
There was a shift, a subtle darkening this time in a way that seemed odd to her, causing uneasiness to creep upon her as she shifted restlessly. And she wondered – what the heck was going on?
"Or I maybe Fuwafuwa," she tried for a sillier, more humorous note to lighten the atmosphere. "I really like that one."
This time the wave smashed into her, practically knocking her over, which she thought was pretty impressive considering there was nothing physical to it. She sensed a strange kind of rage that tainted the power surge, as well as an odd feeling of fear that she found even more disturbing that what she'd felt before.
And she didn't like at all.
This wasn't the reaction she was trying to inspire. It wasn't the natural darkness inherent in youkai energy that bothered her this time, but the darkness of a more emotional state that tainted that energy that truly weighed down upon her. She wanted to tease the youkai, put him through a little embarrassing suffering that she was sure wouldn't come close to meeting what he was going to bring her way; she didn't want emotionally torment him, not like that at any rate.
Though curiosity rose within her in regards to the source of his reaction to the name, she pushed it away. After all, she didn't know him well enough to pry into such a touchy subject yet. And, at the moment, she was more concerned with the guilt consuming her as well as the depression that was starting to sink into her with the continued taint of roiling darkness that she was responsible for bringing out, for making him feel whatever it was he was feeling.
"Oh, I've got another one," she hastily said, on the verge of a strange sort of panic. She threw out the first thing that popped into her mind, eager to dispel the disturbing sensations enveloping her. "What about Andou?"
The wave abated, to her extreme relief, retracting slowly as dark energy rolled over into something that was almost...content.
Well, that wouldn't do at all either.
While she didn't like the realization that the her previous name choice had instigated the strange sensations that had emanated from him, and was at odds with what little she knew from his strong and fearless personality, neither did she want him to actually like whatever she ended up choosing for him. That would defeat the whole purpose of this little exercise.
Clearly, another name was called for.
"But," she sighed happily, "I think my favorite is Yuusha!"
Horrified embarrassment immediately swelled around her.
Perfect.
She grinned triumphantly, pleased with acquiring a name for her adopted protector that was not only truthful, but one that would surely irritate the annoying youkai to no end. Certainly, it was a name that no self- respecting youkai, trying to maintain a fierce reputation inspired by fear among his warrior-like kind, would want to be labeled with.
In other words, it was just the name she was looking for.
She figured that if he didn't tell her his real name right now in an attempt to spare himself any marring of his reputation, it would only take a few days of her addressing him as such for him to cave in. It was definitely an event she'd be eagerly anticipating.
"Oh, yes!" She nodded enthusiastically. "It definitely suits you."
Horrified silence prevailed. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that she had stunned the normally reticent youkai so much that he was actually left speechless!
Well, she could fix that too.
"Mm-hmm. That certainly fits you best out of all the other names. We'll just go with that then, shall we?"
There was a low muffled sound...but that was it.
"We can't just stop at that though," she continued brightly, and vaguely hoped he wasn't actually choking on whatever he was trying to say. "Something else is needed. But what, what, what?" She hummed musingly for a bit then suddenly snapped her fingers. "Ah hah! I know what else we need – an honorific!"
Another small sound; she trusted that he would remember to exhale.
"And since it's fairly clear that you're a youkai with some sort of exalted station, I think we can pretty much rule out 'Yuusha-chan.' Well, unless you really like it."
A faint noise; she thought it was a softly voiced 'no' and had the impression he was trying to regroup himself. All in all, she was quite pleased with how everything was proceeding.
"Yeah, I didn't think so. Now, what else is there? Yuusha-san? No, not enough respect. Maybe Yuusha-dono? Nah, that doesn't sound quite right either. I'd go with Yuusha-ouji but I don't know if you really are one." She wrinkled her nose. "Plus, it sounds really weird. I think we'll just have to settle for Yuusha-sama." She nodded decisively. "Yes, definitely. It's all properly respectful and everything."
"It's terrible." His voice was harsh, raspy, as if he were having difficulty speaking. "They are all terrible!"
"Hey!" She adopted an injured tone. "I did my best to come up with names to suit you."
"Do. Better."
Her lips twitched at the precisely spoken, or growled, words. "Now, now. Don't be like that. What else am I to call you?" Her words turned coy, "Unless you actually changed your mind about telling me your real name?"
A long silence followed, practically vibrating eerily with its very stillness; a barely leashed fury building beneath the calm if she was correctly interpreting the dark energy that seemed to be coalescing around her. Uneasy, she had the belated thought that perhaps she shouldn't have taken things so far even as the air seemed to thicken, making it harder to breathe as she trembled, skin tingling electrically while struggled to control her reactions.
Then she stiffened, cried out into the enveloping darkness that echoed the sound of shock back to her as an onslaught, a tidal of wave of tainted energy more powerful than she'd ever felt before, threatened to drag and bury her under it's consuming blackness. She fell forward, palms slapping flat against the earth to halt her descent while her arms shook with taut effort to keep her upper body from completely collapsing to the ground. Her head drooped while her shoulders sagged, hands fisting in the dirt as she panted, concentrating so fiercely on the difficult task of laboring for her next breath that she was only dimly aware of the impression of movement approaching nearer to her.
"This youkai will not be maneuvered."
The cold rage in those words came from directly above her, pelting her with their ice. Still too focused on the struggle for air, she couldn't voice a reply even if she'd wanted to; she could only shudder in the wake of the terrible energy radiated from him as his voice penetrated her consciousness.
"I shall not be manipulated."
As the meaning of his words sunk in, she fought the effect of the pulsating fury that swirled around her and threatened to smash her into the earth at his feet. Gripped in the strength of a powerful emotion rising within her, she wanted, needed, to respond to his accusations.
"I will not tolerate attempts to control me. Not by anyone. And certainly not by a lowly human girl such as you!"
Outrage gave her the jolt she needed, lending her strength in a surge of adrenaline and power that chased away the effects of his own as her head snapped up, revealing to him a face full of a blazing fury of her own. It might have been enough to give a lesser youkai pause, but he was the lesser of no one and the only purpose it served was to fan the fires of his own rage into roaring even higher.
As the darkness of his energy rose, hers counteracted by rising as well, filling the tiny confines with the pressure of their battling auras as they twisted and tangled around each other. Though neither moved by a single muscle, the otherworldly warring occurring around them caused the air to thicken, making breathing harder...
...for the both of them.
Distantly, she was gratified to hear a harsh panting through the darkness that was not her own. But the other part of her that felt a slipping, a vanishing grasp over something that seemed to swell impossibly large within her as it tried to tear her apart...that part of her wished desperately at that moment for anything to intrude and put a halt to whatever it was that was spinning out of control and portended a sinister climax that would shatter the two of them with its force.
Just when she felt she was going burst from the power stretching her to her limits, there was a swish – a flowing movement that slid over her and past her, penetrating that haze of swirling energy that clouded her mind. Dimly, she was aware as the air began to shift, cooled, as a layer of calm and clarity began to settle over her, dissipating the taint of lingering darkness vibrated around her and leeching away the last vestiges of angry energy.
"Wh-what...?"
Dazed, feeling incoherent, it was all she managed to gasp out before she collapsed, her supporting arms folding beneath her like limp noodles, sending her crashing to the earth. She lay there, shuddering weakly for breath, feeling unbelievably drained after the sudden absence of the turbulent energy that had been lending her strength.
"Perhaps...you are the one I seek after all."
She blinked hazily, realized that the voice had come from closer by that she would have figured. Then her fingers twitched slightly, felt a cloth covered knee by her outstretched hand which had gone sprawling outwards with her collapse and knew that he was, indeed, nearby. Feeling oddly at ease, it still took her two swallows before she was able to gasp out a suitable response.
"Just...peachy."
An odd feeling of bemusement followed her words, flowing through her body and mingling with her being like a comforting presence. Though exhaustion was pulling her down, she wasn't so far gone that she couldn't figure out that the feeling most definitely was not hers.
Later...it would be dealt with later.
Sensing someone's emotions was one thing, but actually feeling them as if they were her own was something else. But she was too tired to think too hard on it, or be concerned about the implications. For now, she just wanted to follow the tugs of lassitude that pulled her toward the land of sleep. But she still stirred enough to answer the unspoken question she sensed from him, the words being forced from a mouth that just wanted to close in rest.
"I meant," she clarified sleepily, "that's...just great."
"You enjoy this association?"
"No," she replied, absently, to his disbelief. "It's only...a figure of speech. If you don't mind...ask me about it...later. Much...later..."
"Very well. We will have words later...Kagome."
Eyes about to slide fully closed in slumber, suddenly flew wide open. She didn't have the strength to sit up, but she did turn her head more towards his direction.
"That's the...first time...you said my name..."
"It is this one's conclusion that we should be on...friendlier terms."
"But...you still won't tell me...your name?"
There was a moment of silence, of contemplation. She started to drift back to sleep, feeling that he would once again refuse to answer, when she suddenly heard his low voice seemingly from very far away.
"No."
Her lips curled. She really hadn't figured on any other response from him, after all. And as the darkness of slumber opened its arms to enfold her in its embrace, she struggled against it enough to say –
"Yuusha it is then...since you seem to...dislike Yuusha-sama...so much..."
Then she surrendered to sleep.
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AN: More explanations on names. Yes, I was playing around with them again – they're like little intriguing puzzles that I can't help fooling around with. Now, my Japanese isn't the best so I might be wrong but I'm not overly worried about it because I had fun doing it!
As many people know, Japanese names and words may have similar sounds but have different meanings depending on what kanji is used in writing the name. Now, I can't write the kanji here (and most of you probably wouldn't be able to read it anyway ;-)) but I can tell you what the names I've come up with are roughly translated to based on the kanji I've selected for them.
- Tairiko – large egoism
- Yukihito – snow man
- Juuke – soft fur (my own version of Fluffy!)
- Fuwafuwa – soft (this is actually an adjective used for light and fluffy objects – another Fluffy name version!)
- Andou – dark guide
- Yuusha - hero (Mahoujin Guru-Guru flashbacks anyone?)
Now can you see why Sesshoumaru disliked the names so much? ()
Ah, and suffixes attached to end of names are forms of respect and show the relationships between two people. Most of you probably know them, but for those who don't:
-chan – referring to someone younger or close
-san – similar to Mr. or Miss
-sama – Lord or Lady, term of respect used when referring to a someone superior
-dono – similar to above only a bit more archaic than '-sama' (it's actually the one that I believe should be used with the Inuyasha timeframe but...oh, well)
-ouji – Prince, obviously used with royalty
On another note, poll results for what fic I should work on next are posted on my ff.net profile page. Believe me, if you voted, you might want to check it out because the result just might surprise you.
Happy Easter, everyone!
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CHAPTER 6: All in a Name
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She waited patiently.
Well, patiently for her anyway.
No doubt others, like the one in front of her, could have done better. But then, she was only human and prone to faults, right? So, after the first few minutes of silence that followed her inquiry while she waited for some sort, any sort, of response, she was suddenly struck with a very clear realization that she should have come to sooner.
He wasn't going to tell her.
Ever.
No matter how long she waited.
But then he probably had at least triple the length of her lifespan so she imagined that he could afford to outwait her, however short or long that span may be. And no matter how long it was that he could wait, that didn't mean that she could reciprocate in the same manner. After all, she didn't have that kind of time – or the inclination.
Hmph! Youkai!
They could be so enormously aggravating - especially the males of the species.
She shook her head and resisted the urge to rub the ache that was beginning to build to a throbbing crescendo in her temple. Although, judging from the reactions her adopted protector inspired within her in less than a night's length of time, she doubted it would be long before she succumbed to the urge. Somehow, she got the feeling that she'd be doing a lot more of it than she cared to in the future – the near future!
Well, at least he gave her something else to focus on besides her handicap.
"You know, I'm going to have to call you something, especially if we're going to be together for a month. I can't be going 'hey, you' all the time. It's extremely rude...and my mother would never let me hear the end of it if she ever found out." She frowned. "Surely giving me your name can't be that big a deal?"
Though there was no spoken response, she felt a nearly tangible sensation of displeasure wash over her and was certain that the youkai was most definitely not happy. And she was just as certain that he still wasn't going to tell her his name.
She'd have to do something about that.
A mischievous smile curled her lips and anyone who knew her well would have known that it meant trouble and to dive for cover. And though a curl of wisdom whispered that it wasn't wise to needle a strange youkai whose temper was unpredictable, the more whimsical part of her shoved it to the back of her mind in favor of her current chosen course of action. It was unfortunate that she was pushed to these measures, really, but some youkai just had to learn that not even they were exempt from certain consequences of their overbearing actions.
"So you're really not going to tell me your name, are you?"
Silence.
"You sure you won't change your mind?"
Again, as expected...silence.
"Okay." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I guess I'll just have to come up with one for you."
This time, the quiet atmosphere changed into a more...frozen stillness.
"Hmm." Undeterred, she tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Now what name should I call you?"
"You intend to give me name?"
There was a quiet menace laced in those aristocratically spoken words. And though it sent a cold chill slithering down her spine, she kept the most innocent expression she could manage on her face. She might have quaked were it not for, aside from the ready promise of violence inherent in his tone, the more amusing impressions of disbelief, morbid fascination, and wariness that she was also sensing from him.
Of course, there was always the chance she was imagining that entirely.
Nevertheless, ignoring the threat to her prolonged lifespan, she persevered enough to say in her most unconcerned manner, "Well, it's the only obvious thing to do, isn't it? I mean, I have to call you something. The only problem is figuring out what that something is."
Another wave of obvious displeasure; she did her best to ignore it.
"How do you like Tairiko? Fitting, don't you think?"
The responding surge of dark energy swirling around her made breathing suddenly harder, letting her know he was just as intelligent as she had initially figured him to be with how quick he was in discerning exactly what meaning lay beyond the assigned name. Nevertheless, she wasn't about to give up. A girl had to get her kicks in somehow and the stoic youkai, whom obviously thought himself so superior to everyone else, deserved to have things shaken up, even if it was just a little. Besides, it wasn't as if the pulsing energy he emanated was really hurting her; it was only making her a little more uncomfortable.
It was unfortunate for him that she had a high tolerance for discomfort.
"But," she continued musingly, "maybe Yukihito would be better. It's such a cute name!"
Another wave of displeasure crashed over her.
"Or even Juuke."
There was a shift, a subtle darkening this time in a way that seemed odd to her, causing uneasiness to creep upon her as she shifted restlessly. And she wondered – what the heck was going on?
"Or I maybe Fuwafuwa," she tried for a sillier, more humorous note to lighten the atmosphere. "I really like that one."
This time the wave smashed into her, practically knocking her over, which she thought was pretty impressive considering there was nothing physical to it. She sensed a strange kind of rage that tainted the power surge, as well as an odd feeling of fear that she found even more disturbing that what she'd felt before.
And she didn't like at all.
This wasn't the reaction she was trying to inspire. It wasn't the natural darkness inherent in youkai energy that bothered her this time, but the darkness of a more emotional state that tainted that energy that truly weighed down upon her. She wanted to tease the youkai, put him through a little embarrassing suffering that she was sure wouldn't come close to meeting what he was going to bring her way; she didn't want emotionally torment him, not like that at any rate.
Though curiosity rose within her in regards to the source of his reaction to the name, she pushed it away. After all, she didn't know him well enough to pry into such a touchy subject yet. And, at the moment, she was more concerned with the guilt consuming her as well as the depression that was starting to sink into her with the continued taint of roiling darkness that she was responsible for bringing out, for making him feel whatever it was he was feeling.
"Oh, I've got another one," she hastily said, on the verge of a strange sort of panic. She threw out the first thing that popped into her mind, eager to dispel the disturbing sensations enveloping her. "What about Andou?"
The wave abated, to her extreme relief, retracting slowly as dark energy rolled over into something that was almost...content.
Well, that wouldn't do at all either.
While she didn't like the realization that the her previous name choice had instigated the strange sensations that had emanated from him, and was at odds with what little she knew from his strong and fearless personality, neither did she want him to actually like whatever she ended up choosing for him. That would defeat the whole purpose of this little exercise.
Clearly, another name was called for.
"But," she sighed happily, "I think my favorite is Yuusha!"
Horrified embarrassment immediately swelled around her.
Perfect.
She grinned triumphantly, pleased with acquiring a name for her adopted protector that was not only truthful, but one that would surely irritate the annoying youkai to no end. Certainly, it was a name that no self- respecting youkai, trying to maintain a fierce reputation inspired by fear among his warrior-like kind, would want to be labeled with.
In other words, it was just the name she was looking for.
She figured that if he didn't tell her his real name right now in an attempt to spare himself any marring of his reputation, it would only take a few days of her addressing him as such for him to cave in. It was definitely an event she'd be eagerly anticipating.
"Oh, yes!" She nodded enthusiastically. "It definitely suits you."
Horrified silence prevailed. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that she had stunned the normally reticent youkai so much that he was actually left speechless!
Well, she could fix that too.
"Mm-hmm. That certainly fits you best out of all the other names. We'll just go with that then, shall we?"
There was a low muffled sound...but that was it.
"We can't just stop at that though," she continued brightly, and vaguely hoped he wasn't actually choking on whatever he was trying to say. "Something else is needed. But what, what, what?" She hummed musingly for a bit then suddenly snapped her fingers. "Ah hah! I know what else we need – an honorific!"
Another small sound; she trusted that he would remember to exhale.
"And since it's fairly clear that you're a youkai with some sort of exalted station, I think we can pretty much rule out 'Yuusha-chan.' Well, unless you really like it."
A faint noise; she thought it was a softly voiced 'no' and had the impression he was trying to regroup himself. All in all, she was quite pleased with how everything was proceeding.
"Yeah, I didn't think so. Now, what else is there? Yuusha-san? No, not enough respect. Maybe Yuusha-dono? Nah, that doesn't sound quite right either. I'd go with Yuusha-ouji but I don't know if you really are one." She wrinkled her nose. "Plus, it sounds really weird. I think we'll just have to settle for Yuusha-sama." She nodded decisively. "Yes, definitely. It's all properly respectful and everything."
"It's terrible." His voice was harsh, raspy, as if he were having difficulty speaking. "They are all terrible!"
"Hey!" She adopted an injured tone. "I did my best to come up with names to suit you."
"Do. Better."
Her lips twitched at the precisely spoken, or growled, words. "Now, now. Don't be like that. What else am I to call you?" Her words turned coy, "Unless you actually changed your mind about telling me your real name?"
A long silence followed, practically vibrating eerily with its very stillness; a barely leashed fury building beneath the calm if she was correctly interpreting the dark energy that seemed to be coalescing around her. Uneasy, she had the belated thought that perhaps she shouldn't have taken things so far even as the air seemed to thicken, making it harder to breathe as she trembled, skin tingling electrically while struggled to control her reactions.
Then she stiffened, cried out into the enveloping darkness that echoed the sound of shock back to her as an onslaught, a tidal of wave of tainted energy more powerful than she'd ever felt before, threatened to drag and bury her under it's consuming blackness. She fell forward, palms slapping flat against the earth to halt her descent while her arms shook with taut effort to keep her upper body from completely collapsing to the ground. Her head drooped while her shoulders sagged, hands fisting in the dirt as she panted, concentrating so fiercely on the difficult task of laboring for her next breath that she was only dimly aware of the impression of movement approaching nearer to her.
"This youkai will not be maneuvered."
The cold rage in those words came from directly above her, pelting her with their ice. Still too focused on the struggle for air, she couldn't voice a reply even if she'd wanted to; she could only shudder in the wake of the terrible energy radiated from him as his voice penetrated her consciousness.
"I shall not be manipulated."
As the meaning of his words sunk in, she fought the effect of the pulsating fury that swirled around her and threatened to smash her into the earth at his feet. Gripped in the strength of a powerful emotion rising within her, she wanted, needed, to respond to his accusations.
"I will not tolerate attempts to control me. Not by anyone. And certainly not by a lowly human girl such as you!"
Outrage gave her the jolt she needed, lending her strength in a surge of adrenaline and power that chased away the effects of his own as her head snapped up, revealing to him a face full of a blazing fury of her own. It might have been enough to give a lesser youkai pause, but he was the lesser of no one and the only purpose it served was to fan the fires of his own rage into roaring even higher.
As the darkness of his energy rose, hers counteracted by rising as well, filling the tiny confines with the pressure of their battling auras as they twisted and tangled around each other. Though neither moved by a single muscle, the otherworldly warring occurring around them caused the air to thicken, making breathing harder...
...for the both of them.
Distantly, she was gratified to hear a harsh panting through the darkness that was not her own. But the other part of her that felt a slipping, a vanishing grasp over something that seemed to swell impossibly large within her as it tried to tear her apart...that part of her wished desperately at that moment for anything to intrude and put a halt to whatever it was that was spinning out of control and portended a sinister climax that would shatter the two of them with its force.
Just when she felt she was going burst from the power stretching her to her limits, there was a swish – a flowing movement that slid over her and past her, penetrating that haze of swirling energy that clouded her mind. Dimly, she was aware as the air began to shift, cooled, as a layer of calm and clarity began to settle over her, dissipating the taint of lingering darkness vibrated around her and leeching away the last vestiges of angry energy.
"Wh-what...?"
Dazed, feeling incoherent, it was all she managed to gasp out before she collapsed, her supporting arms folding beneath her like limp noodles, sending her crashing to the earth. She lay there, shuddering weakly for breath, feeling unbelievably drained after the sudden absence of the turbulent energy that had been lending her strength.
"Perhaps...you are the one I seek after all."
She blinked hazily, realized that the voice had come from closer by that she would have figured. Then her fingers twitched slightly, felt a cloth covered knee by her outstretched hand which had gone sprawling outwards with her collapse and knew that he was, indeed, nearby. Feeling oddly at ease, it still took her two swallows before she was able to gasp out a suitable response.
"Just...peachy."
An odd feeling of bemusement followed her words, flowing through her body and mingling with her being like a comforting presence. Though exhaustion was pulling her down, she wasn't so far gone that she couldn't figure out that the feeling most definitely was not hers.
Later...it would be dealt with later.
Sensing someone's emotions was one thing, but actually feeling them as if they were her own was something else. But she was too tired to think too hard on it, or be concerned about the implications. For now, she just wanted to follow the tugs of lassitude that pulled her toward the land of sleep. But she still stirred enough to answer the unspoken question she sensed from him, the words being forced from a mouth that just wanted to close in rest.
"I meant," she clarified sleepily, "that's...just great."
"You enjoy this association?"
"No," she replied, absently, to his disbelief. "It's only...a figure of speech. If you don't mind...ask me about it...later. Much...later..."
"Very well. We will have words later...Kagome."
Eyes about to slide fully closed in slumber, suddenly flew wide open. She didn't have the strength to sit up, but she did turn her head more towards his direction.
"That's the...first time...you said my name..."
"It is this one's conclusion that we should be on...friendlier terms."
"But...you still won't tell me...your name?"
There was a moment of silence, of contemplation. She started to drift back to sleep, feeling that he would once again refuse to answer, when she suddenly heard his low voice seemingly from very far away.
"No."
Her lips curled. She really hadn't figured on any other response from him, after all. And as the darkness of slumber opened its arms to enfold her in its embrace, she struggled against it enough to say –
"Yuusha it is then...since you seem to...dislike Yuusha-sama...so much..."
Then she surrendered to sleep.
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AN: More explanations on names. Yes, I was playing around with them again – they're like little intriguing puzzles that I can't help fooling around with. Now, my Japanese isn't the best so I might be wrong but I'm not overly worried about it because I had fun doing it!
As many people know, Japanese names and words may have similar sounds but have different meanings depending on what kanji is used in writing the name. Now, I can't write the kanji here (and most of you probably wouldn't be able to read it anyway ;-)) but I can tell you what the names I've come up with are roughly translated to based on the kanji I've selected for them.
- Tairiko – large egoism
- Yukihito – snow man
- Juuke – soft fur (my own version of Fluffy!)
- Fuwafuwa – soft (this is actually an adjective used for light and fluffy objects – another Fluffy name version!)
- Andou – dark guide
- Yuusha - hero (Mahoujin Guru-Guru flashbacks anyone?)
Now can you see why Sesshoumaru disliked the names so much? ()
Ah, and suffixes attached to end of names are forms of respect and show the relationships between two people. Most of you probably know them, but for those who don't:
-chan – referring to someone younger or close
-san – similar to Mr. or Miss
-sama – Lord or Lady, term of respect used when referring to a someone superior
-dono – similar to above only a bit more archaic than '-sama' (it's actually the one that I believe should be used with the Inuyasha timeframe but...oh, well)
-ouji – Prince, obviously used with royalty
On another note, poll results for what fic I should work on next are posted on my ff.net profile page. Believe me, if you voted, you might want to check it out because the result just might surprise you.
Happy Easter, everyone!