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: Hi, people! Well, I received a question as to why Sesshy can't use the Tenseiga to restore Kikyou. Well, here's the answer: I read from random sites that the Healing Fang can only restore life if:
a. The person has a soul (Kikyou has no soul, remember? One site even stated that the sword might even kill her because it will force the souls out of her body.)
b. There is a body! (I don't know if Kikyou's clay-and-bones body is agreeable to Tenseiga's terms...)
/Sigh/ I was rather exhausted the past days because of my badminton lessons, so please be considerate. Though my body had adapted considerably, I could hardly move the right portion of my torso and legs during the first days. T.T''
...o0o...
When Kikyou awoke the next day, she raised one of her eyebrows to feel the soft fur brushing her face in a gentle ticklish caress. She saw her arms looped around Sesshoumaru's only arm, and the memories of the past night flooded back to her mind. They were sitting with their backs against the trunk a stately pine tree, and the rock on which they gazed up at the twinkling stars was a few meters from them.
She glanced up at Sesshoumaru, whose features were relaxed as though in a deep sleep, but apparently he felt her stir. At once, his amber eyes blinked open and met her mahogany orbs. Though his face was impassive, the gentle squeeze he gave her hand was enough to give himself away.
"It all happened last night, then," Kikyou whispered almost inaudibly, but Sesshoumaru had no trouble hearing her words due to his sharp sense of hearing. "I thought it was but a dream."
"Don't go on thinking that it was all an illusion," Sesshoumaru replied. "It was reality."
"Did you really mean those words you told me?" Kikyou asked, resting her head once more against his furry pelt.
"Do you doubt me, Kikyou?" he asked in turn. Though he wasn't exactly challenging her, Kikyou knew by the tone of his voice that he was serious.
"No, I don't doubt you, Sesshoumaru," she replied after a moment of silence. "Nor do I have the reason to."
Sesshoumaru nodded slightly, hearing the sincerity in her words. He then gazed at the winter wasteland spreading beyond the cliff. Sunrise was near, and soon the mist would lift. They had better get going.
"We have to go back to our companions," he said, soothingly detaching his arm from Kikyou's hold and standing up as only a youkai Prince could.
Kikyou nodded before she reluctantly let go of him. She once more marveled at the fluid motion of his movements as she walked beside Sesshoumaru up the snowy incline back to their camp.
"I wonder what Kikumo and Naraku are now planning against us," Kikyou said quietly. She slid a few feet back when the snow became too slippery, but Sesshoumaru at once held onto her arm and pulled her up. Her face paled slightly, knowing how clumsy she looked in comparison to the Demon Lord.
"If Kikumo decides to attack us again, I will not hesitate to return to my old words back in the Western Lands. I will finish her off once and for all," Sesshoumaru replied bitterly as he let go of her arm and carried on up the slope. Kikyou, amidst her hate for the Deer demoness, could not help but shiver at his utter coldness. "And I shall regain my Tenseiga," he added as an afterthought.
"You care for that sword after all; don't you, Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou remarked. At this he was silent and turned away. Deep inside, he was sorry that the Healing Fang could not help her become a normal human being again. The souls that inhabit her clay body are not hers; therefore, Tenseiga would force the souls out of her and restore them individually, but never Kikyou.
Kikyou noticed the faraway look on his face and she knew what Sesshoumaru was thinking about. She reached out to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her sadly as he thought through the harsh path fate had for the Priestess.
"All things have their limits," she said to comfort him. "And some things just have to be left in the hands of the Creator."
Sesshoumaru managed to smile slightly, and Kikyou knew that he let her convince him.
...o0o...
Laughing, Rin ran on the white snow as though she was free of all the cares of the world. They were close to descending the tall pinnacle of rock, but the paths Sesshoumaru followed were a lot easier than their paths of ascent. Instead of following ledges along the edge of the cold stone, they followed a small snow-laden trail hidden among the rocks, which eventually opened to a wide flat space on the rock. They have proceeded so quickly that Sesshoumaru allowed them to have a break at the middle of the day.
Behind Rin trailed the quieter, yet no less happy figure of Kikyou. She hadn't worn her hair in a loose ponytail since Kikumo attacked her, and her raven locks shone like liquid black against her shoulders. Silently, the Priestess tapped the shoulder of the little girl and placed a finger over her lips in a request to keep quiet.
Rin instantly obeyed, though she looked at the miko with puzzlement in her childish eyes. Kikyou seemed to smile mischievously and she pointed at the figure of Jaken, who was sitting on a stone nearby with his back on them. Rin observed as Kikyou gathered a handful of snow in her hands and shaped it into a ball. Gradually, her chocolate brown eyes widened in understanding, and Kikyou crouched quietly and prepared to throw the snowball at the unknowing toady demon.
Unfortunately, Rin's giggles, no matter how hard she tried to conceal them, made the lesser demon look behind and duck the snowball that was aimed for him just in time.
"Hey, that wasn't funny!" Jaken exclaimed, waving the Staff of Heads over his head in an angry fashion. But all that it gave him was another snowball, this time from Rin, which missed him a mere few inches.
At once, a little pandemonium arose in the otherwise quiet wilderness as Jaken ran through the snow, to be pursued by snowballs of Rin and Kikyou. But for all their efforts and Kikyou's uncanny skill in shooting with her arrows, not one snowball had landed on the little demon.
"Tricky little thing, are you?" Kikyou muttered under her breath as she shot another ball of snow at Jaken, who jumped behind some rocks, narrowly missing the hit. Rin immediately ran after him, and he abandoned his brief hiding place to evade the child with a snowball in hand.
"Come on, Jaken-sama, don't be shy!" Rin laughingly remarked as she threw the cold snow in Jaken's direction, but for his size, the little toady demon was quick, and in time he began to exhaust his pursuers without having to make a single flake of snow land on him.
"Ha, give up already?" he cackled, taunting Rin and Kikyou, who were sitting on the snowy ground and catching their breaths. Jaken stood upon the stone where he originally sat before Kikyou introduced their little game, one hand on the side of his waist as the other grasped his staff. "None yet of your silly snowballs had made their way to me, and you're tired already? Can you do no better than that? No matter what you do, not a single snowball shall hit-"
Jaken was stopped before he can finish his last sentence. A huge snowball hit him right then and there right smack on the head, knocking him off the rock. Kikyou and Rin stared at the figure of Jaken lying sprawled on the snow, his head hidden from view by the large snowball. As one, they broke out laughing.
"Rin didn't do it, Priestess Kikyou," Rin said between bouts of laughter.
"Neither did I," Kikyou replied.
"Then who threw that freaking snowball!" Jaken demanded, digging his head out of the huge mass of snow.
"Look behind you, and you'll see the answer," Kikyou said.
Rin and Jaken followed the eyes of the beautiful Priestess, and the child smiled to see the answer. The silver-haired figure sitting among the larger rocks was no other than their Lord Sesshoumaru, and he was staring at his remaining hand. There were traces of snow on his clawed fingers.
"Yay! Sesshoumaru-sama is so good! Neither Priestess Kikyou nor Rin was able to snowball Jaken!" Rin excitedly said, jumping up and down with utter amusement.
Sesshoumaru's face, however, remained as expressionless as before. He stood up and said, "Come, we have tarried here too long. We have to resume our journey now."
Rin nodded obediently and helped Jaken up from the snow. He in turn motioned for her to mount Ah-Un and at once took off after Sesshoumaru.
Kikyou stood up as well and brushed off the few flecks of snow from her pants and collected her weapons from among the rocks. To Rin and Jaken's surprise, she walked past them and strode beside Sesshoumaru, who halted for a while to let her catch up with him. Kikyou walked beside the Demon Lord throughout the rest of their journey, and though they spoke only rarely, the occasional, almost unnoticeable glances their eyes gave one another proved enough to let each other know that they were all right.
...o0o...
Kikyou's eyes fluttered open in the wee hours of morning after quite a good sleep. They set camp for the night beneath another grove of evergreens due to the lack of rock outcrops and caves, and she chose to sleep among the main branches of a large cedar to escape the cold snow-covered ground.
Sitting up on her leafy perch, the Priestess woke up just in time to see some faint reddish streaks radiating from the eastern horizon. It was dawn, and she could not help but be mesmerized by the rugged beauty of the landscape which was further enhanced by the red tinges of the coming sunrise.
Carefully and silently, Kikyou made her way down the tree. Once the soles of her sandals touched the white snow among the tree's roots, she let her hand stroke the strong trunk as though to thank the evergreen for letting her sleep among its branches. Kikyou breathed in the scent of the fragrant cedar wood before her hand left the tree. As quietly as possible, she walked on the snowy ground to catch a better view of the sunrise from a nearby cliffside.
She stole a glance at her companions before going. Rin was asleep in her sleeping bag beside the dying flames of their fire. Jaken's loud snore assured her that the toady demon was asleep as well on a slumbering Ah-Un's back.
It took her a few moments more to locate Sesshoumaru. He was barely visible beneath the shadows of the large pine on whose roots he was sitting on. The Demon Prince's amber eyes were closed, though Kikyou was uncertain if he was really asleep or not. If he heard Kikyou descend the tree, he was not particularly troubled by her.
Kikyou smiled to see Sesshoumaru in such a peaceful state. She had long accepted that fact that she loved him, but she was unsure if he felt the same way for her. Sure, Sesshoumaru was extremely kind to her the past nights (she inwardly blushed to realize that she and the taiyoukai had been spending their own private time together, unbeknownst to their other companions) to the point that he tolerated her embrace and her grief-shrouded character. But to him, was she only an acquaintance, an ally to defeat Naraku and Kikumo? Oh, in the Holy One's name...Kikumo…
Kikyou flinched and lost her smile at the thought of the Deer Demoness. Had Sesshoumaru fully let go of her? Or were his words of resentment for the other youkai only an act to further hide his feelings...to further hide the truth that he still loves Kikumo?
The miko shook her head and continued her way to the cliff. 'I have experienced love enough to know that a part of one's old heart still remains even if a new one replaces it,' she thought. 'Even if destiny made it that Sesshoumaru grew to love me as well, I know that Kikumo will never be obliterated from his heart...the way the memory of Inuyasha will forever be in my mind.'
Just as her solemn figure disappeared behind a few trees, amber eyes gradually opened and came to rest on her footprints with a thought in mind.
...o0o...
'Where are you going, Kikyou?' Sesshoumaru thought to himself. He was not really asleep as others would have thought, but rather, meditating on the sounds of the universe. He had heard her footfalls on the snow, but he only opened his eyes when the trees obscured the sound of her feet pounding against the snow. She must have gone quite a distance away, and only then did Sesshoumaru shed his being stationary and stood up to go after her.
His heart longed for her...amidst his past thinking that he will never fall in love again after Kikumo's betrayal, he was in love with Kikyou. She had revealed much of herself to Sesshoumaru the past days, and had even embraced him once. But does her fondness for him only end there? Does she think that he sees her only as an acquaintance?
The questions were repeatedly echoing in his mind even as he walked past the trees where Kikyou had gone, and the Demon Lord struggled to think of a way to let the Priestess know. No longer did he care even if she wouldn't return his feelings. No, he didn't care even if she loved his half-brother once. No longer did he care even if he would have to bear all the sufferings and torments of her half-life. He would bear them with her.
He was still thinking even as the grove gave way to an open cliff. The one whom he wished so much to take in his embrace was there, looking out into the glowing eastern horizon. Her dark hair made a stunning contrast with the lightening sky. The broad band of stars we know as the Milky Way was still visible in the heavens, and so was the clear shine of the Morning Star. They encircled the head of the Priestess with a wondrous light, and Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks, enchanted by the beauty of her, the beautiful Tragic Miko.
Apparently, Kikyou heard him coming, for she slowly turned about and her dark mahogany eyes met his golden eyes in a quiet yet soothing gesture. Kikyou's heart missed a beat to see Sesshoumaru there. Sesshoumaru...he, for whom she would gladly surrender what life resides within her body for his love, was there. In the darkness of their surroundings, his platinum hair seemed to shine with a light of its own and his amber orbs held her gaze captive in their spell.
Miko and taiyoukai, dark of midnight and light of morn, sun and moon...the world around them was silenced and seemed to hold its breath to anticipate the motion of the two unknowing lovers. Kikyou could not help but recall a similar moment when their gazes met and their hearts wondered about the other's motives: when she first offered her allegiance to him in the field of wildflowers that autumn noon. It seemed so long ago, yet at the same time so familiar...
The seemingly endless silence came to an end when Kikyou smiled and said quietly, "I used to waken and follow you in your midnight strolls; now it seems our ways have reversed."
Sesshoumaru's mouth curved up in a little grin and he replied, "Reversed they may be, but nonetheless unchanged. We still move out of our usual paths just to be with one another; just the two of us."
The pulse of his words colored Kikyou's cheeks with a faint tint of red, but she did not lose her sweet smile. Sesshoumaru bridged the distance between them and stood beside her, watching as the scarlet streaks in the horizon brightened as the minutes came by. They did not hold their hands together, but their mere togetherness already spoke much.
"You wished to see the dawn," Sesshoumaru said understandingly.
Kikyou nodded. "Perhaps, in the rising of the sun, a new hope will also rise for us." She was silent for a few moments before she said, "I wish to ask you something, Sesshoumaru."
His eyes glanced at her for a moment. "What is it, Kikyou?"
She sighed, but it took her quite a long while for her to say the words. "I know I am digging up events from the past, but...why exactly did you save me from the Red Shinidamachuu?"
Sesshoumaru was silent for a while as he pondered on her question. The memories of that night returned to him...how he had seen Kikyou in grave danger and had dispatched of her pursuer right then and there. And how she smiled at him for the first time...
"I don't wish to see you die, Kikyou," he whispered, averting his gaze from her as he turned to look at the brightening horizon once more.
"...You don't?" Kikyou said in the same whispery tone, her sense of comprehension kind of shocked by his action. But...he tried to kill her once, did he not?
Sesshoumaru knew what she was thinking of. He gently took her hand and squeezed it gently to prove his sincerity. "I did not understand myself back then," he said, answering her unasked question. "I let pride guide my every step during those times, and that pride caused me to harbor anger against you for the wrong things."
But Kikyou was silent. She bowed her head as an expression of grief spread over her eyes. "Are you still angry at me, Sesshoumaru, for having seen you with Kikumo?"
"Kikyou, please look at me," he said in reply. She reluctantly turned her head to meet his. The edges of her eyes were ringed with droplets of unshed tears. He let go of her hand to gently cup her cheek. "I admit that I once held that as a fault against you, but hear me. I no longer am angry with you, because for every moment that passes with me holding a grudge against you, a shadow is cast over my own heart."
The beautiful miko treasured his words inside her very heart, and she gently covered his hand with hers in a gesture of warmth. At this, she made the decision to speak out what her heart felt.
"And for every moment that passes without you knowing what I feel about you casts a dark cloud of grief over my being," she said slowly, letting the words roll out of her tongue like the sweetest honey. Her other hand reached out to brush a few platinum locks from his eyes. "My heart is no longer bound to the past. It no longer resides in betrayal and lies. My heart is yours, Sesshoumaru. Yours, forever."
Silence reigned for like an eternity. Mahogany eyes remained locked with amber as she waited for his reaction. Kikyou no longer cared if she was a human and him a demon. No, she doesn't care even of what others might say. She no longer cared if he could not love her back. What matters was that she loved him, truly and with all her heart.
At her words, Sesshoumaru's heart leaped out of pure bliss. He felt as though all his doubts and worries disappeared in an instant. Speechless, he looked deeply into Kikyou's hopeful eyes and saw pure love burning within the dark pools. His entire world temporarily stopped spinning, for he knew that he felt the same way for her.
"Likewise, I entrust to you my heart for all eternity...my Kikyou," he whispered, his remaining hand gently stroking her raven locks. No words were enough to express his love for her, but his beloved needed no words to know. Slowly, he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side and neared his face to Kikyou. She closed her eyes and tilted her head as well as their faces came closer to one another.
At that moment, the sun broke through from its hiding place in the horizon, and in the snowy cliff that was almost unnoticeable in the huge pinnacle of snow-clad rock, the gentle rays of sunlight fell upon Kikyou and Sesshoumaru, who were together, lips, hearts and essence, as they finally found the words that granted them joy and contentment beyond words.
Wandering hearts, previously unhappy and restless, sang as they finally found love in one another.
...o0o...
Pale hands left the koto strings and the vision playing before the eyes of the Demoness was extinguished in an instant. The Hiroko Kama in its koto form could enable her to spy on her enemies by means of a tune that gives her visions on her hapless victims' whereabouts.
"So, the Tragic Miko and the Lord of the Western Lands do feel something for one another," Kikumo muttered to herself. Her hair was loose of from its plait, and her shoulders, marred by ugly weals and burns that have not yet healed from Kikyou's fire were bare. "This will make it a great deal easier for us..."
Furiously, the Deer youkai pulled her chrysanthemum-tipped hair stick from her hair and plunged it on the snow. At once, a medicinal herb shot out of the pure white snow and she gently pulled its leaves from the mother plant and crushed them in her hands, forming a pungent paste. This paste she daubed on her sore shoulders, and she flinched at the momentary pain it caused her. The Priestess will pay for having caused her to suffer this much...
The pain on her shoulders eased as the numbing quality of the herb began to take effect. But amidst the lessening of the pain, tears began to well up from Kikumo's deep green eyes. Reverently, she took the Tenseiga from where it hung on her waist and she clutched it close to her.
"My hate, have I let go, and my love have I let prevail, it would have been me in his embrace instead of her..."
And salty droplets of tears began to fall on the scabbard of the Sword of Life as Kikumo held the memento of her past love close to her heart.
...o0o...
Whaaa! I did it, I did it; I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID IT! I hope it all made up for the long delay. My muse was going on-off, on-off, and I could only do so much as to type up a scene a day. Luckily, my arms are no longer sore from playing badminton, and I am perfectly fine again. ;)
P.S. I made a wallpaper of the final scene between Kiky and Sesshy. If you wish to see it, copy this link and remove the spaces: http:
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/img. photobucket. com/ albums/ v623/ lethearion/ SunriseA. jpg