Author: Nefertili
Fandom: Inuyasha
Rating: PG13
Pairing(s): Sesshoumaru/Kikyou, Sesshoumaru/OC
Genre(s): Romance, Angst, Adventure, AU
Warning(s): Battle scenes, betrayal, over-anger (if there is such a word), fluff... What more can I say?
Disclaimer: None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Summary: Kikyou, being saved from peril by Sesshoumaru, joins him in a quest against Naraku and one of his allies, who happened to share a past one-sided relationship with the Demon Lord. SesshKik!
A/N: Another chapter! Yay! I know I might already sound repetitive, but please if you do not support SesshKik or any of the characters concerned, HIT THE BACK BUTTON NOW! I will not have people flaming me simply because they don't support the pairing or the characters I used! Also, once more, I accept constructive criticisms, but NO FLAMES! It sends my poor muse to the ICU, you know...
...o0o...
Rin's eyes fluttered open upon hearing the soft footsteps of her Lord. She had dozed off on Ah-Un's back as she waited for Sesshoumaru and Jaken to return from whatever business they attended, and they took quite a long time. No wonder she was overjoyed to see them return.
Jumping from the two-headed dragon's back, she ran to the silver-haired youkai to greet him, and Sesshoumaru knelt on one knee to meet the child's face. Jaken could not help but put on an expression of disbelief. He still had to get used to Lord Sesshoumaru being so unusually kind to a simple human girl.
"Did you behave?" Sesshoumaru asked of Rin as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Though it hardly showed, a trace of an amused smile was on the taiyoukai's lips.
"Yes, yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she nodded eagerly. She also pointed a stubby finger in Ah-Un's direction. "Ah-Un behaved as well!"
Sesshoumaru nodded, glancing for a while at his dragon before lifting up Rin in his one arm and putting her once more on Ah-Un's back.
"May Rin ask where Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken went?" she asked in all her innocence as she looked up at his amber orbs with her own chocolate brown eyes.
"You don't have to know, Rin," Sesshoumaru said seriously. "It really isn't important." He then spared a rather stern look on Jaken, giving him a hidden message not to tell the child about their encounter with the Undead Priestess.
The young child meekly submitted to Sesshoumaru's explanation, and they continued their way through the forest just as the faint traces of dawn began to peek among in the gaps in the trees' canopy.
...o0o...
The sweet twittering of the forest sparrows roused Kikyou from her deep reverie. Her mahogany eyes fluttered for a moment or two before opening fully.
'Where am I?'
Sitting up, she brushed her unkempt raven hair from her face as she took in her surroundings. Slowly, the images from the previous night entered her mind. The red Shinidamachuu... falling off a cliff... the intense pain of the souls being compellingly drawn out of her body... a bright light... and that platinum-haired figure...
"Sesshoumaru..." she muttered to herself, gazing at the spot where she last saw him. "How ever, why ever, did he save me?"
Just then, one of her Shinidamachuu floated right up to her, and she held up a hand to gently tickle its chin before she sent it away. Thanks to her little Soul-snatching Demons and the souls they have gathered up and placed in her clay body, her strength was restored and her powers active once more. The events from the night before did not leave much as a scratch on the resurrected miko's body, but it had a great effect on her mind.
"So, that demon is capable of having sensibilities after all?" Kikyou said aloud as she stood up and summoned her shinidamachuu to her. Running her slender fingers through her hair, she dispatched of its disheveled state and returned it to its original dark glory, tying it back from her face in her usual manner.
'But no matter what his reasons are,' Kikyou thought to herself as she gently trod on the soft ground, 'I am in his debt.'
In debt to a demon, the half-brother of her old love at that! The thought rather made Kikyou flinch, and she unconsciously clenched her hands.
'Well, Kikyou, trouble yourself not with him. In the meantime, go forth and recover your weapons in case Naraku goes on to challenge you again.'
Kikyou silently shook her head as she went back to her little temple, her shinidamachuu lazily escorting her in stately dances aloft the wind before disappearing from view.
...o0o...
Sesshoumaru halted and said to his little company, "We will stop here for a while." They had reached the end of the woods, and a little plain lay down before them. The sun was shining brightly, and a cool breeze was softly blowing among the short grasses and wildflowers that abound in the field.
Rin gave an excited and pleased gasp as she leaped down her mount and said to Sesshoumaru with the childlike gleam in her eyes, "May Rin pick flowers for Sesshoumaru-sama? Please, please?"
Though all that she got for an answer was a low grunt from her Lord's throat, Rin knew he was letting her do as she pleased. Laughing merrily, the child ran out to the little meadow among the tiny black and yellow butterflies that hopped from flower to flower.
After closely watching Rin as she chased a pretty little blue butterfly, Sesshoumaru's amber eyes then faced Jaken.
"Keep your eyes on her," he ordered his retainer, who bowed in his direction before unhurriedly walking out to the field with his Staff of Heads. Though Jaken did not particularly enjoy the tedious job of baby-sitting for the girl whom his master revived, he followed Sesshoumaru's orders nonetheless.
Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, sat with his back on a tree, one of his knees bent close to his chest and the other lying straight before him. He rested his arm on his bent knee and rested his head back, his eyes closed, as though in sleep. But only a fool would know that he, as a powerful Lord of the Western Lands, hardly required sleep. Sesshoumaru, in truth, was thinking deeply about the past night, and though his ears and nose remained open to hear and smell any danger lurking around, he could not get the image of her, Kikyou, the Tragic Priestess, smiling at him, as well as her soft words.
'You saved me...'
...o0o...
Kikyou, sitting on her knees with her hands lying relaxed on her lap and dark eyes closed, was back in her little temple and meditating. The room was dark, for she had shut the windows as to not permit the rays of the sun to come in and interfere with her solitude. She could sense his aura nearby, and she felt an odd longing to be near it. She was trying to resist the yearning as much as she could, but she was losing the battle within herself.
Finally, gradually rising from her position with grace, Kikyou opened her eyes of dark mahogany. She collected her spare weapons from a corner of the chamber, trying her best not to hurry as she went out of her abode. As the wind passed through her raven hair, she set out for the fields, her mind set on what she should do.
...o0o...
Rin had made a little wreath of yellow blossoms for herself and an even smaller one out of white flowerets which she had crowned Jaken with, when he was not looking. She rolled on the green grass with laughter to see the little toad demon cross-eyed, trying to fathom what was the object dangling in front of his eyes and encircling his head like some weird coronet.
Suddenly, a purple five-petaled bloom caught Rin's eye. Losing interest in Jaken, she gently plucked the pretty blossom from the mother plant and examined it. The flower was shaped like a bell and had an intricate pattern of veins along its petals. Rin was intrigued, for she though she knew that she had used the tiny blossoms of the akikaramatsu for Jaken and the larger flowers of the kouzorina for her own wreath, she didn't know the name of the lovely purple flower.
"That's a lovely flower you're holding, little girl," a woman's kind voice rang in Rin's ears. She looked up to see a priestess, no doubt by her clothing, stooping beside her. But Rin knew she was more than that. She had come so quietly that the child didn't notice her presence. Her face was beautiful and smiling, and though she had a bow and quiver full of arrows slung across her back, she looked quite friendly.
Rin nodded, her face breaking into a wide smile. She felt she could trust this miko. "It's indeed pretty. It's a shame I don't know its name."
The miko, apparently pleased with Rin, stroked her hair as a mother would her daughter as she said, "That's a bellflower, an autumn flower called kikyou." Little did Rin know that the lovely priestess carried the same name.
Rin, her eyes brightening, then sought out Jaken, but he was nowhere to be seen. It seemed to Rin that her master's retainer had gotten mad at her for the wreath and slinked away.
"What's wrong?" the priestess asked, her soft mahogany eyes expressing concern. She had noticed the little girl looking around, as though searching for something or someone. "And what's your name, my child?"
"My name is Rin," the girl answered keenly. "My little friend seems to have run away. I think I made him angry... But please, lovely miko, you must meet them! They're so kind to me, you'd especially like-" Rin stopped in mid-sentence to see two figures moving towards them. Her eyes brightened to see who they are. Standing up and leaving the priestess, she ran towards the larger of the figures.
Kikyou could only stare in amazement as she recognized the person the little girl willingly approached. All the more, she couldn't believe what she was seeing when Rin excitedly held up the purple bellflower, and strong hands with clawed fingers gently took the offer from the human girl before amber eyes met hers.
...o0o...
Sesshoumaru was jolted from his musings by Jaken. He angrily affixed his fierce eyes at his retainer only to raise his eyebrows in turn to see the toad demon with a wreath of flowers dangling in front of his head.
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru, come quick!" Jaken was hurriedly saying, jumping up and down and repeatedly pointing his Staff of Heads out into the meadow.
"What is it now?" Sesshoumaru demanded. "Have you failed to watch over Rin as I told you to do so?"
"It's not that, my Lord," the smaller demon hurriedly replied. "She's here!"
"She?"
"The priestess, the miko whom you saved from the giant Soul-snatching insect, she's here! I don't know her purposes, but she's out there, talking to Rin!"
Jaken nearly died of fright when Sesshoumaru whipped out one of his swords and slashed at him. But thankfully, it was yet another one of his master's mischievous and even sadistic tricks; he had used the healing sword, Tenseiga, and not the Toukijin. Though the wreath of flowers was knocked out of his head, he was otherwise unharmed. He looked around to see Sesshoumaru already walking out into the grassy meadow.
"Wait for me, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken screamed as he tripped on his garments as he tried to stand up.
...o0o...
Sesshoumaru felt as though he had stepped on cracking ice. There was Rin, running towards him and holding up a bellflower she had picked for him. He accepted the little girl's simple offer to show his appreciation but his eyes narrowed to see the Undead Miko a little distance away. She was stooped on the grass, but seeing his eyes on her, she stood up and returned the stare.
The miko and taiyoukai stayed on the same position for a couple of minutes, as though trying to read each other's motives. However, it was Sesshoumaru who broke the silence first.
"What is your purpose for coming here, miko?" he said coldly, stressing the last word.
"Let's just say I wish to thank you for the favor you did to me," Kikyou replied, ignoring his aloof welcome.
Sesshoumaru snorted. "If that's your only reason, then your presence is no longer needed. I do no favors; I accept no thanks. I was simply testing the strength of the Toukijin on that red youkai that you so failed to quell."
Kikyou, however, knew that Sesshoumaru was hiding something from her, and as a strong-willed yet still sensitive woman, she would somehow find out his true motives, sooner or later.
"I may have failed to subdue the Shinidamachuu," she replied. "And though I accept your claim that you killed the demon out of relish, I wish to repay you."
"I told you, I accept no thanks."
Rin confusedly shifted her glances from Kikyou to her Demon Lord. She couldn't make sense out of their conversation. Obviously, Sesshoumaru-sama and this pretty miko know each other, but what are they talking about? Rin longed to ask them certain questions, but she knew better than to speak when her Lord is talking to someone. She tried to speak to Jaken, but he refused to answer her.
It was Kikyou's turn to grunt. Clearly, Sesshoumaru wasn't making things easier for her.
"Well... if that's the case, then I'd better voice out my true reasons. Taiyoukai," Kikyou said, emphasizing the last word like he did earlier, "I wish to join you and your...companions to destroy Naraku."
Neither Sesshoumaru nor his companions could believe their ears.
"Join us to destroy Naraku?" Sesshoumaru sneered. "What are you thinking of, miko? What do you know of our purposes of traveling in this land? What makes you think that we are here to help you destroy that hanyou bastard?"
At this, Kikyou was silent. Oh well, she had done her best to convince Sesshoumaru. She doesn't even know what had crossed her mind when she decided to do such a thing, but now it is up to him to either accept or reject her offer.
Sesshoumaru eyed Kikyou carefully. Even he couldn't understand the reason behind her surprising proposition, but he knew that he detested Naraku and wants his face erased from the earth, and at the same time, he knew that Kikyou would be a very essential help if he were to defeat that coward who uses puppets to communicate with others. But, he knew about her connection with Inuyasha. What a fool he must look if his hanyou half-brother saw him walking with the priestess...
"S-sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin's quavering voice made Sesshoumaru look down and meet the child's pleading face.
"What is it, Rin?" he asked quietly.
Rin took in a deep breath before saying, "She looks just fine, Sesshoumaru-sama. She's probably very kind as well. Please, can she join us, Sesshoumaru-sama? Rin will behave always."
Sesshoumaru's eyes softened greatly. Rin had always obeyed his orders and never asked for anything in return. She was an innocent child, very trusting and lovable, and it seems the miko had earned her friendship. Though he hardly showed it, he cares for Rin as a father would his child, and he wants her to be happy. But what she's requesting seems to be an awfully hard choice to make...
"Oh, Rin, don't you know you're giving Lord Sesshoumaru a hard time?" Jaken suddenly butted in angrily. "Let him make his own decisions!"
Rin bowed her head for a moment but once more looked up at Sesshoumaru with hopeful eyes.
At this, Sesshoumaru made his decision.
"Go and get Ah-Un, Jaken," he ordered. "Rin, we're going."
Rin let her head fall in disappointment, but she humbly obeyed. She followed Sesshoumaru as they walked away from the beautiful priestess.
In Kikyou's side, she sighed deeply. She only wanted to repay the good he had done, but he did not wish her company anyway. Kikyou turned around and started to walk away as well. 'At least I have done what I could...'
Sesshoumaru's voice, however, halted her. She turned around once more to make sure her ears were not deceiving her.
"What are you waiting for, miko? If you're coming with us, you should know better not to slow our progress."
At this statement, Rin let out a joyful shout and hugged one of Sesshoumaru's legs to express her gratitude.
"Thank you, thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said over and over as she ran towards Kikyou and took her hand, pulling her towards the rest of her companions. "Come, let's hurry, Priestess… Am…" Rin was unsure of what to call her, for she yet knew not her name.
"Kikyou, my name is Kikyou," the miko said, answering Rin's unasked question, letting the child pull her along impatiently.
"Priestess Kikyou!" Rin said with awe. "You're named like that pretty blossom!"
"Yes, Rin," Kikyou said, smiling. "Come; let's not make Sesshoumaru-sama wait..."
...o0o...
Sesshoumaru watched as Rin began to pull the reluctant figure of Kikyou towards them. Jaken was muttering over and over as he held Ah-Un in place, "Now we have two humans in our company..." Sesshoumaru knew his retainer couldn't believe his decision, and neither could he. But he didn't have much of a choice, did he?
He put on a mask of neutrality as Kikyou picked up Rin and placed her atop his two-headed dragon. The little girl was obviously happier now, and kept a steady stream of chatter with their new companion. As a breeze passed over them, Sesshoumaru tucked a few stray platinum locks of his hair behind his ears and they went on their way.
Behind him, Kikyou could not help but smile as Rin told her of her adventures with her Lord Sesshoumaru, her mount Ah-Un and her little friend Jaken. Kikyou gazed at Sesshoumaru, who had his back facing them. He was certainly full of surprises. She never knew that he had a little human girl as a companion, who reminded her so much of her sister Kaede when she was still of that age. Kikyou just had to get to know him more.
'You are more than the Demon Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru. I can very well see that...'
...o0o...
End of Chapter two! Yay! Thanks to your reviews, my muse was taken out of the ICU and into the recovery room. I hope you'll stay with me to the end!