Stolen Seasons XVI
Cicadas Singing
Lm. Samiko

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Cicadas provided a constant source of background noise, masking the tiny sounds of movement that signaled the presence of a human woman and a youkai. The green of the trees was so brilliant that they coloured the moonlight filtering through them, but they could not mask the extreme whiteness of the woman's face, nor could the shifting shadows hide the shaking of her hands.

"It's here," she said simply, her eyes focused on the moon rather than her companion. "After all these years... Somehow, I never thought it would end. I still don't believe it, really, but I can't deny the feeling, the certainty, that tomorrow will be the end of it all." Sesshoumaru merely watched her, silently, listening to her continue to speak. He knew the truth of what she said; he, too, felt the aura of finality as they prepared to confront Naraku. It would be the last time, for good or ill, that they would face him. It would be finished.

As with any night before a battle, the warriors checked and cared for their equipment. Even InuYasha had asked Toutousai to make sure the Tessaiga was in perfect shape. He himself had inspected Tenseiga and Toukijin as well as his armor, which he had left in Jaken's care. He would not abandon his swords, but the armor was safe enough and he had not wished to be burdened with it. These chores bore heaviest on Kagome, for she could only check her bow and arrows and was left with little else to do while her companions checked and rechecked their gear. Even the houshi maintained his staff and the kitsune had grown enough to bear a sword. The woman had then melted into the forest, unwilling to merely wait or to bother her friends with her nerves. InuYasha had come to terms with matters over the course of the years and merely exchanged glances and nodded when Sesshoumaru rose to follow her.

She finally stopped talking, allowing the sound of the insects to cover the silence. A tiny breath of wind disturbed the stillness, making her jump at its unexpectedness. She laughed, the sound high and nervous, then stopped suddenly. She turned to him, as he had been waiting for her to do, and the look in her eyes, which were large and luminous in the dim light, startled him.

"Sesshoumaru," she whispered, the sound almost lost to the wind. "Sesshoumaru, I'm scared."

"You are human," he replied simply. The statement had long since lost its derision; it was merely a statement of fact. She would always be different because of her humanity. Perhaps that was why he felt pulled to her.

"I don't want to die, Sesshoumaru. I don't want my friends to die." There was a heavy pause after this statement. "I don't want you to die."

"Then do not do so." That he would not die was obvious; it needed no saying.

A tiny laugh escaped her. "It's a lot more clear-cut for you than it is for me."

"I, Sesshoumaru, will make sure you do not do so."

She stepped forward, approaching him slowly, deliberately, as one approaches an easily startled animal. "And after, Sesshoumaru? Will you melt back into the forest, become nothing more than a dream I've had these past few years?"

He considered the question carefully. It would be the simplest; she would no longer need him, for she-- "Will you remain, Kagome, or will you be called back to your home?" he asked her.

Her eyes dropped. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm almost as scared of victory as I am of defeat. Where do I go when I've fulfilled my purpose? Where do I fit? What do I do? And..." Her face turned to his, searching his features--for what, he did not know. "What do I do if I lose you?" she asked, pain and fear clear in her eyes and voice.

However it had happened, he could no longer bear to see her so. He raised his hand to her cheek, using his thumb--gently, for she was so delicate and his claws sharp--to wipe away the tears that started there.

"Whatever happens, Kagome, I swear that you will never lose me."