Kijustsu no Senyo


Author's Note- This time I did not forget to update the author's note! YAY! Everyone celebrate! Well anyways, I'm just wondering, how many people actually read this story because only Dragon Man 180 reviewed. You're making me sad peoples!
Lausanne's eyes flickered open just as the first rays of light began to show in the forest. Wondering where she was, she looked around to see herself under a blanket on a bit of moss. Rin was attached to her arm. A small, circular, lump on her stomach let the elf know where Tachi was. It seemed like they had stopped sometime in the night. Hadn't Sesshoumaru said they weren't stopping?
"You're awake." Sesshoumaru commented. It was no question, but a statement.
Lausanne looked around until she saw the taiyoukai across the clearing, leaning against a tree.
"Yes..." Lausanne agreed, "Why did we stop? I thought we were going to travel the whole night."
"The clouds went over the moon and stars." Sesshoumaru answered, "It became too dark for Ah-Un and your mounts to travel. It was not safe."
"Oh."
There was a few minutes of silence. Sesshoumaru looked away from Lausanne. Lausanne looked around the part of the forest where they stopped. Rin sighed in her sleep and tightened her grip around Lausanne's arm.Tachi moved a bit on his spot on his adoptive mother's stomach. All of this happened while the forest gradually awoke.
Sesshoumaru broke the silence. "You had a nightmare last night." he commented.
Lausanne swallowed. "Yes." she replied.
"Why?"
Thinking it was a weird question, Lausanne began to explain, "Today is the aniversary of my parents' deaths. It was twenty years ago... They died fighting off a horde of demons that tried to steal the Kijustsu no Senyo."
The demon lord was a bit taken aback by the elf's answer. He had never expected something that tragic to be in her past. "How old were you then?"
"Six."
Six. Sesshoumaru searched through his memories to find any bits of information on elves that he could remember. They started learning magic from the time they were able to talk, but only basic spells that they needed to know such as the one that gave them more power on the full moon. Lausanne would have begun just learning more complicated spells. "I am sorry. It must have been hard."
A bit surprised, the elf continued, "Yeah... I taught myself almost all the magic I know from books my parents had. Everything that my parents should had taught me, I taught myself."
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, thinking about what he should do. Something told him he should stay here for the rest of the day. He knew how it felt to lose a parent. He did not remember the day his father died, but when he still did, he had stopped traveling for a day to honor his father. Lausanne should be able to do the same thing. But he had already wasted time by stopping in the middle of the night.
The taiyoukai stood up, opening his eyes. "Wake Rin up." he said, "Get ready to go. We leave in a half an hour." That said, Sesshoumaru walked off into the woods.
Lausanne watched him go. His reaction to her story had surprised her. She had received a sincere appology. Was this the real Sesshoumaru?
Turning to the little girl next to her, Lausanne shook her gently. "Rin." she said softly, "Time to get up. We are leaving in a half an hour."

The day's travel was quiet even though Rin never stopped talking. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but notice Lausanne's melancholy mood throughout the trip. She never commented on Rin's stories, nor did she move on her horse often. Sesshoumaru even smelled tears at one point of the trip.

Finally the group stopped for the night. The sun had gone down only a few minutes ago, but it was still dark. Dismounting from Mooneclipse, Lausanne excused herself and walked into the woods.
"Where's Lausanne-san going?" Rin asked Sesshoumaru.
"She is going to reflect on her life." he told her. He knew she was going to think about her parents. It was somewhat true.

Lausanne sat on a large bolder she had found in the woods. It wasn't far from the camp, but far enough to be private. She let the tears she had been trying desperatly to hold back run down her face silently. With a snap of Lausanne's fingers, hundreds of tiny lights appeared around the rock she was sitting on. Her mother had taught her how to make one of the tiny lights at a time. She had taught herself how to make enough to light up an area in one snap.
The memory of her mother teaching her how to make the lights led to other memories of her parents. How she and her mother would take baths in the hot spring together. How her father would teach her to hunt. Without warning, Lausanne's silent crying became loud. She burried her face in her hands, wishing for the millionth time that her parents were still alive. Why did they have to die?
A hand was placed on her back gently. Looking up in surprise, Lausanne saw Sesshoumaru sitting next to her. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Making sure you do not run away." he replied simply.
Lausanne frowned. "That is not the truth." she told him.
"How do you know?" Sesshoumaru challenged.
Her frown turned into a scowl. "Because I know." she retorted, "Please leave me alone. This is personal. I do not appriciate you prying." Lausanne looked away from Sesshoumaru.
"You are upset because of your parents." Sesshoumaru commented, rubbing her back in little circles, "It is understandable. I lost my parents when I was young too."
She turned back to Sesshoumaru. "Really?" Lausanne asked, her voice tiny.
He nodded, still rubbing her back. "I was older than you were, but I still felt the pain. My father. He died when I was 20. He was... defending someone he loved. My mother died shortly after that. I inherited my father's title when I was 22. Right after my mother died. That was 200 years ago."
"I am sorry." she said. Lausanne thought about what Sesshoumaru had said as the two sat in silence. So he was an orphan. Who had his father been trying to save? She supposed his mother. He said he was 222. Still young for a demon.
Another wave of tears over came over Lausanne. She managed to keep them quiet this time, rubbing them away just as quickly as they fell.
"Tell me the real reason you came out here." the elf requested, "You did not come to make sure I did not run away. I know that much."
Sesshoumaru looked down at her. "Ones with no parents should help each other, should they not?" he questioned.
"What do you want?"
His look changed to one of mild surprise. "What do you mean?"
"You said we should help each other." Lausanne said carefully, "You are helping me by trying to make me feel better, so you must want something I can help you with. What is it?"
"Nothing at the moment." Sesshoumaru told her.
Lausanne looked at him, amazed. "Really?"
"Really."
She smiled. "Thank you Sesshoumaru-sama."
"You are welcome." he replied, standing up. Without warning he kissed her gently on the forehead. "I will leave you alone now." Sesshoumaru told her, "Do not stay out here long. I will come check on you again in an hour or so if you do not return."
Lausanne watched the taiyoukai go in total shock. Had he just kissed her? Had the blood thirsty killer by the name of Sesshoumaru that threatened her life only days before and refused to give up the Kijustsu no Senyo shards he possessed just kissed her? She blushed.
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was on his way back to the camp. What had gotten in to him! Why had he kissed Lausanne. That girl has stolen your heart. A little voice in his head said.
He stopped. No. That couldn't be it. How could he, the mightly Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands fall in love with a lowly elf? The voice returned. It's quite possible. It said. Sesshoumaru shook his head as if trying to brush away the thought. Then he continued walking towards the camp.


Kagome: