26 chapters… wow that's almost thirty…
Big surprise at the end of this chapter. Another twist! My stories are so… TWISTED!
I'll tell you something random: The entire time I was writing this chapter, I listened to the song "Tuesday Morning" by Michelle Branch. It really set the mood I guess… mostly when I was writing the end though. I always listen to a certain song when I write each chapter. Mostly Jpop like Rurutia or Do As Infinity… except for when I wrote chapter 18 when Hanako started yelling at Sesshomaru I was listening to "Are You Happy Now" by Michelle Branch… Isn't it so sad how I still remember these things? I have no life, that's how I can update this thing so often.
Chapter 26: A Sin So Sweet
"It's… so hot…" Chika complained, walking on one side of Rin, "I…need to stop walking…"
Rin nodded her tired head in agreement. "It's too hot to travel… don't you think so too, Hanako-chan?"
Hanako did not respond. Yes it was boiling hot, but she refused to complain. She had not had anything to drink in the past few days, but still she remained quiet.
"Hanako-chan?"
The next thing she knew, her face was in the dirt.
"Oh!" Chika exclaimed, running to her. "Idiot, what do you think you're-"
Hanako blinked, her eyes rolling to the back of her head for a moment. She stood up wearily. "I'm fine… let's just keep going…"
Jaken rolled his eyes. These three women always wasted so much time with their petty wants and needs. He missed the "good old days" when it was just he and Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru peered over his shoulder, wondering why everyone behind him had suddenly stopped.
Chika felt Hanako's forehead, causing her to flinch.
"What?" Chika remarked, "I don't bite… sometimes…" She shook her head. "Stupid fool. You're sweating bullets. Here is me and Rin complaining about being hot and about to die from exhaustion, and then here is you, who is far worse than both of us put together, and you haven't said a word." She knocked on Hanako's forehead, "Anyone home? You just passed out and yet you haven't done anything about it! And on top of all that, here is me teasing you about it, and you still haven't said anything!" She tapped Hanako's head lightly with the tips of her fingers. Hanako easily lost her balance and fell backward. Chika laughed.
"You are dehydrated. Get water. Go jump in a river or something."
Hanako's eyes grazed Sesshomaru. She wouldn't go near any body of water with him around.
"Who are you to say anything about me?" Hanako said silently in defense, her voice just barely audible, "You are but a slave, as am I. Our needs are not important to anyone. You should learn your place." She staggered upward and walked forward. She fell flat on her face once more. Chika walked up behind her.
"I vote you out. Who else agrees?"
Rin raised her hand.
"Go on now. We won't leave without you. Neither will Sesshomaru I bet, not that you care."
Hanako got up and walked into the woods. She spotted a nearby river and took small sips of water. It was quite refreshing, but she still did not want to get it. She did not like that Chika, nor did she want anything to do with her. She did nothing but pick on her and mock her. Hanako didn't even know how she even got to be traveling with Sesshomaru.
She took more sips of water. She was thirstier than she thought.
"What is going on over here?" Sesshomaru asked Chika and Rin, coming closer to them.
"Hanako passed out and we made her get water," Rin responded, "I don't think we should all be walking anymore… It's too hot…"
Sesshomaru knew that most humans were more sensitive to the heat than demons were.
"The heat affects you as well, Chika, even though you are a demon?"
She sighed. "Yeah… its so hot! I'm gonna die! But Hanako will beat me to it if we don't stop walking," she begged to him, "Please, m'lord, can we please take a break? We've been walking since dawn! And it has done nothing but get hotter and hotter!" She got down on her knees. "Pretty please? With a cherry on top?"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. He never would understand Chika's vocabulary. "Cherries are not necessary in your begging," he said.
Rin giggled.
Sesshomaru turned away from them. "Do as you wish."
Chika smirked slightly. "I knew you'd say yes! Everyone likes cherries!" She ran off into the woods. Rin weakly got off of Aun and slowly followed.
Sesshomaru observed Chika's sudden burst of energy. The heat hadn't affected her at all. She was just too lazy to keep walking, and used that as an excuse to stop.
Jaken sighed and shook his head. "Why do you bother taking them around with you, Lord Sesshomaru? Do they give you any benefit?"
Sesshomaru watched Rin enter into the woods. He did not respond.
(…)
Sesshomaru sat on a large boulder. What a wasted day.
Half of the sky was covered with dark clouds. Hopefully this rainstorm will bring the end to the humidity. He could smell the heavy rainfall. The other side however, showed the orange sun preparing to set. Darkness began to dance upon the sky.
He sensed someone watching him and turned around. He saw a flash of white run off into the bushes. He stared after it. He stood up to follow it.
He walked slowly through the same bushes he saw the white run off through. He came to a flower field. Much to his surprise, Hanako was sitting in the middle of it. She hadn't noticed his presence yet.
She studied a pink flower in the garden, stroking the soft petals with her fingertips. She smiled slightly and smelled its fragrance. She turned in his direction. Her happiness faded. By mistake, she bent the stem of the flower and it went limp and fell over. She stood up and walked away from him, leaving him with her unhappy face.
He ran in front of her to block her steps. Her eyes widened slightly. Her stared at her, his eyes never leaving her glance. She knew he wanted to say something, but she did not want to hear. Not now.
She turned back around in the other direction and began to walk away at a faster pace. He ran in front of her again. She looked away from him and ran in the other direction. He ran faster and stopped her again. She turned around. She couldn't look at him.
"Y-yes…?"
"I believe we both have something that we'd like to say, am I correct?" he said, looking at the back of her head.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"…no…"
"Then speak."
She did not want to speak. She felt herself break down. She turned around, tears gathering in her eyes.
"You want me to speak?" she cried, "After everything that has happened… you want me to speak!" She wiped her eyes, trying so hard not to cry anymore, "Haven't you done enough? Can't you just go away and leave me alone? D-damnit…" Tears sprang from her eyes again. "…d-damnit, Lord Sesshomaru…" She turned away from him again, determined to conceal her tears. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"
She had asked him that before too: "Just who the hell do you think you are?"
Sesshomaru lowered his glance. The last thing he wanted was for this to go on anymore. Words flowed into him, two words he never thought he would ever say in his life. Two words he never even wanted to say in his life. Two simple words…
"I'm… sorry…"
Her eyes widened. She fell silent.
"I know I never should have left you. It wasn't right… and… I'm sorry…" He was completely surprised at his own self. What was he doing? Why did his voice all of a sudden sound so sincere and loving? Why did he feel this way? She's his slave, and he should not have to apologize to her.
She put her hand over her heart. She had fell breathless. Her heart was pounding.
He stood, waiting for something to happen. Anything? Anything at all?
Nothing. He had opened up to someone for the first time in his life, and received no response.
"If you never want to speak to me again… I understand… that's all I wanted to say."
He turned around, feeling quite torn. So that was it. This is what it was like to feel something for once? He detested it. He began to walk away, his eyes narrowed at the ground. She had made a fool out of him.
All of a sudden, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest. He peered over his shoulder.
Hanako had attached herself to his back. She gazed at him, with big, innocent, teary golden eyes.
"No," she said, "Don't be sorry…" Another tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm the one… who should be sorry…"
He turned away from her.
"I held a grudge against you… I was too proud… even… even after you almost died I still remained angry!" She held him tighter. "And… I said things about you that I did not mean… things that were not true… so untrue… I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru… and I can understand if you never wanted to speak with me again… I'm such a terrible person…"
He was shocked. He turned around in her arms. Now she clung to his chest. She looked deeper into his eyes. She was digging to deep. It scared him.
"But I will speak with you…" she said, with a small smile, "If you want me to. I will speak with you…forever. And never stop."
His face became slightly flushed. No one had ever spoken to him this way before. No one had ever looked at him with such adoration. No one had ever held him before.
He nodded in acceptance. She smiled.
"R-really? So… we are okay now?"
He did not respond. She took that as a yes.
"That's good…" she said, holding him closer, "That's really good…"
He did not know what to do. She just held him there, her warm body against his. He stared at her. She looked up at him, a little confused.
"Silly," she said, taking his arm and putting it around her, "You are supposed to hug me back!" She smiled at him. His face became more flushed.
"Hey," she said, "you… you have another arm! How did that happen?"
Sesshomaru peered at it. "You… when you revived me when I was close to death, this came with it…"
She raised an eyebrow. "I still don't believe that…" she smiled and leaned back on his chest. "But that's okay…"
He was dumfounded. Normally, Hanako was so much more… reserved. He kept his arm around her. He didn't know what else to do.
"You don't have to be worried, Lord Sesshomaru," Hanako said, "I won't tell anyone that you apologized to me… it can be our little secret, you know, just like the fact that you got jealous over me?"
Hanako did not what had come over her. She looked at his face and became possessed. She couldn't help it. All of the times he had helped her, the times he had been there made him totally irresistible. She couldn't help but throw herself into his arms.
Reluctantly, he placed his other arm around her. He had no idea what he was doing. Was it even okay for slaves to hug their own lords like this? It couldn't be.
She looked up at him. He looked back.
At that moment, something possessed him as well, something he had long feared. That something that he had wanted from her, but never knew what it was, and he was afraid to find. Somehow, it was here, in her arms. He suddenly felt whole. But, there was more.
He brought her in closer to him, his true sanity completely gone. She was a little surprised, but didn't really mind. She was completely engulfed in him now. He held her tight.
She peered up at him. This was so unlike him.
He looked back at her. Nothing mattered anymore. What they were doing was completely wrong, but it didn't matter. He saw nothing but her, staring him straight in the eye.
Their eyes locked.
He lifted his hand from around her and lifted her chin. He never strayed from her gaze.
His face was suddenly close to hers. His face was suddenly almost on hers.
His lips suddenly brushed against hers and were suddenly on hers. Suddenly, he closed his eyes. Their lips were together; they were one, engulfed in one another.
Suddenly, the entire world around them disappeared. Suddenly, she closed her eyes as well.
The rain finally fell, a relieving rain. Relieving them of the humidity. Relieving them of their shame. Relieving them of everything. Now they held each other soaking wet and sweating, but it didn't matter. Did anything really matter? Not now. Not ever?
Thunder rumbled and lightening shot across the sky, but they did not part. It was all too sweet to last, so it had to last as long as possible.
Their mouths embraced for long moments, arms grasping at each other's backs, both of them getting soaked in the rain.
But it didn't matter… did it?
…
SUDDENLY Hahaha I just had to say that again whoops I just totally ruined the mood of the end of this chapter…
Now go review like a good little boy/girl/crossbreed.