Mirrored Future
By Amazonian 21
Rated M (ish), but don't hold me to it.
Chapter 6
Recap: He did not like this annoyance, and did not like the way his inner demon was sniggering snidely, completely heedless of how greatly Sesshoumaru hated to not be in control of a situation.
If all that were true and if Sesshoumaru thought so little of the miko, why did he suddenly find himself following Kagome down to the river?
Sesshoumaru was in a bit of a bind. He was a creature of cool logic. His word was law, irrevocable and permanent. His instincts (when acknowledged) were never wrong. Since he lived and acted according to his logic, word, and instinct, every move he made was right without question. This made sense.
What didn't make sense was the way he was left internally debating the wisdom of following behind Kagome. He didn't want to do it, and wasn't willing to embarrass himself in any manner. Trailing like some lovesick puppy dog was definitely fodder for embarrassment.
Yet, if he was guided by instinct he must be right. Following Kagome was obviously what his inner demon demanded at the moment, and therefore the only thing he should be doing. It was sound and thorough judgment and the universe would just have to accept the correctness of his actions.
He had a sneaky suspicion that the universe was really the one laughing, and that he was the one no longer in control of the situation. Still he continued, because it was all he was able to do.
He held back as Rin and Kagome went into the bushes to change. He was struck with a sudden desire to continue following the young miko to watch as she stripped and redressed in her horrifyingly clingy 'swimsuit'. For one dizzying moment he'd half convinced himself he could lurk in the shadows spying, undetected by the miko's senses, and freely give in to his less noble instincts. It was sheer folly, and he had to restrain himself from smacking his own forehead in frustration.
This was getting out of control. His whole life had begun to deteriorate that night at the well. All his years of strict training and self repression were unraveling. Sesshoumaru felt bewildered and upset. And when he felt bewildered and upset, things died.
Sesshoumaru seriously contemplated simplifying his life by killing Kagome. It would be relatively easy, if he caught her by surprise. No more miko, no more annoyance or uncertainty, no more pesky inner demon making demands it hadn't any right to make. Life would return to normal and things would go on as they always had.
Sesshoumaru hesitated, though. He told himself he wouldn't be able to get the miko away from Rin's watchful eyes. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he slaughtered Kagome in front of the young girl. She'd sulk and pout and glare at him. Plus, it would set him back on his plan to reintroduce her to human society. That was the only reason he restrained himself. It had nothing to do with the personal interest he was feeling for the miko.
With that decision made, the demon lord turned abruptly, reminding himself not to leave in haste lest it look like he was running away, and took to the skies. He really, really hoped there were some lower youkai running around begging for slaughter. They would definitely find it today.
Sesshoumaru told himself he was sparing Kagome's life, but he wouldn't have been able to go through with it even if he hadn't had Rin as an excuse. No, that branch on the tree of time was long past. There was no branch in his future that would lead to the miko's death at his hand. Sesshoumaru was who he was due to the choices he'd made, and he was no longer truly capable of murdering the girl just because she was a nuisance. Each step had been a small one, but every movement narrowed the possibilities until he was stuck in the present situation, destined to behave exactly as he was currently behaving.
Kagome could feel the TaiYoukai's eyes on her as she walked away before he took off into the wild. The feeling made her shiver. She hadn't thought he would follow her and Rin down to the river. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised, considering Rin was his charge, but she'd thought they'd have some girl time, alone.
It would be hard to have carefree fun with the intense demon watching their every move. He set her nerves on edge. There was too much intensity in his presence. She felt expectant and wary, as if something big were coming her way, ready or not.
She couldn't deny she felt drawn to him. It was inexplicable, but she felt an affinity with the cold demon. It annoyed her to no end. They had no shared history, outside their brief meetings while the brothers fought and one night by an old well. The only thing he'd done right that night was choosing not to kill her. She should not be content in the company of a silent, dangerous demon who'd threatened to kill her several times and barely deigned to speak to her even when there was nothing wrong, like now.
It mystified her. She knew she loved InuYasha, whether it was stupid of her or not, whether they'd grown and matured differently, whether anything could ever come of it. But she felt something different with this cold youkai. She felt keyed up and supremely interested, but she also felt safe.
When she'd first met InuYasha, all she could think about was what she should say or do to impress him and get him to trust her. She tried being nice, she tried being sweet, she tried being saucy, she tried being independent, or dependent, or aloof, or coy, or anything that seemed like it would strike a chord with the hanyou. It never really worked. They were the best of friends but none of her actions caused him to let go of the dead miko from his past and move into the future with her. Kagome's efforts were worthless.
With Sesshoumaru, Kagome felt free. She didn't care what the demon thought of her because she figured she was fine as long as he didn't kill her. She didn't need or desire his good opinion so didn't censor many of her impulses, as long as they weren't likely to get her killed. She played with Rin the way she wanted to, laughed when she felt like it, was as relaxed and free as possible, and never had to worry about being offended. It was liberating and exhilarating.
Consequentially, when Sesshoumaru returned from taking his frustrations out on the locl wildlife, he was treated to a rarely seen sight, even amongst those who knew Kagome best. She was jumping around in the water happily, playing as a young woman without a care in the world would. She laughed eagerly and seemed thrilled to be where she was right at that moment, free and beautiful in the sun and water. It reached a note in the cold killer's heart that had never been struck before. It made him feel almost… tender.
He enjoyed seeing these humans acting so free and easy before him. He enjoyed forgetting for precious moments that he was a murdering Inu demon, responsible for decimation of villages and mass slaughtering of humans and demons alike. He could forget that he was alone through his life, supposedly because he preferred it that way, willing to sacrifice the dubious comforts of domesticity for power and control. He could forget that he hated what she stood for with her human limitations, and that she should be terrified of him if she valued her life.
It was the closest the demon had ever come to experiencing true peace and comfort, and he couldn't bear the thought of giving it up. This relaxation, sitting on a rock beside a river where two water sprites played gaily, had instantly become vital to his being, even though he'd existed for centuries without it.
Suddenly Sesshoumaru wondered what he'd done to fill his time before this. He killed things. He fought. He moved his muscles with a determined enjoyment. He protected his lands and his ward, and lazily went after his brother's sword. But where was his mind during the slow hours? Where did his consciousness go when there were no pressing matters to attend? He had a good idea where they would head now that he'd had this afternoon.
For a warrior like Sesshoumaru, these revelations were devastation incarnate. It should be impossible to be made to survive such upheaval and change over such a short period of time. It should be illegal to make a youkai set in his ways suddenly come face to face with such damaging shifts in perspective. And yet, the universe seemed to have no real qualms with putting him in this situation. It didn't have the mercy to drip these things on him slowly over the course of a hundred years or so. No, it was all of a sudden, all at once.
Sesshoumaru had a sudden thought. Was this just Fate's way of attempting to trick him into joining the fight with InuYasha? Was this just Fate's sick plan to ensure that the miko would escape the battle unscathed? He knew that, if aware of the upcoming confrontation, Sesshoumaru would have joined in, even if just to get his own piece of the evil hanyou's hide. He had his own scores to settle. But did Fate just want to make sure he'd be there from the beginning, acting as insurance for the miko's life? Were his feelings being manipulated by outside forces?
Sesshoumaru would not be a tool for anything, omnipotent or not. He determined his own fate. He walked his own path, and he would not be set up for such mockery and disrespect. He would not be tricked into anything he didn't want to do willingly. This he vowed to himself, clenching his fist tightly.
He settled back onto the rock, content that he'd sorted that out to his satisfaction. And he could be forgiven his ridiculous notions of control because relatively speaking; he was still a young, naïve youkai.
But, as before, Sesshoumaru did not know how Fate worked. He didn't realize that by staying where he was, continuing to watch the child and Miko playing in the water, he was solidifying his own dreaded future. Following the girl in the first place had made it almost impossible for him to resist watching. Watching made it highly unlikely for him to leave at any point.
Sticking around led to what came next.
Rin and Kagome were splashing each other violently, laughing as they each gulped and spluttered around a face full of water. It was hard to call a winner- both had seemingly endless supplies of energy, and neither was willing to back down from such an entertaining challenge.
Kagome lunged towards Rin, launching herself into close quarters. She began an offensive attack in earnest, splashing quickly with short strokes to drench Rin. The girl, not quite understanding the technique, was still trying to use forceful, big splashes. They were so slow and took up so much energy that it was soon apparent Kagome had the edge.
Rin sensed defeat hovering on the horizon and started inching towards shore, near the rock where Sesshoumaru sat, trying to beat a subtle retreat onto dry land.
Kagome caught her intention and cried, "Oh, no you don't!" Both girls launched into a full scale last ditch attack, heedless of where they were slinging water in their attempts to out do the other.
It wasn't until they were both laughing on shore, sitting back on their elbows and giggling weakly as they struggled to catch their breath, that they saw the consequences of their carelessness.
There, on what should have been a dry, safe boulder, sat one drenched and highly irritated demon lord.
Both girls saw him at the same time and let out identical 'Eeep!' of alarm. They knew they were in for it.
There was a silent pause, lasting one whole tense second, before both girls scrambled to stand with the instincts of prey about to come into close contact with an incredibly cheesed-off predator.
Kagome made it to her feet first and so was out of the way when Sesshoumaru sprang to life. With a playful and mock-enraged growl he sprang on Rin, pulling her up into his wet arms and slinging her over his shoulder. The girl gasped and laughed, trying desperately to free herself, but it was obviously no use. She was no match for the demon lord's strength, and was headed towards her doom.
Her struggles doubled as she saw that she was about to be dumped unceremoniously back into the river as payment for her crimes. She giggled, pled, and yelled, trying to avoid her watery fate. Nothing would appease the youkai, however, and in she went.
Rin landed on the water's surface with a great splash, immediately plunging through to the water's depths. She came up a moment later, spluttering and laughing, and caught Kagome trying to slink away unpunished.
"Oh, no, Kagome-chan!" she yelled, causing the demon's head to turn in her direction. "You have to get tossed, too! It's only fair!"
"Tattle-tale," Kagome shouted, sticking out her tongue at the water logged child, until she saw that Sesshoumaru seemed to agree with the girl.
Kagome let out an undignified squeak as the dripping dog demon began to stalk her slowly. She couldn't keep a grin off her face as she saw the look of pure playfulness in Sesshoumaru's normally distant eyes. It was thrilling and exciting, making him seem much more approachable even as it warned her that she was definitely in for it. She didn't dare turn her back on him, knowing he could pounce on her before she'd make it two steps away.
She inched back step by step, hands warding him off ineffectively. She tried bargaining with him, hoping to avoid a swift dunking.
"Ses.. Sesshoumaru," she stuttered nervously, "You just stay over there. Don't try to manhandle me like that, it was an accident!"
He advanced on her slowly, matching each of her steps with one of his own.
"Do you think you could stop me?" he asked with a predatory smirk, making the hairs on her arms and neck stand up. He was in full hunting mode, and she knew exactly who his prey was. She'd have better luck bargaining with a mountain lion.
"N.. no," she said again, glancing around for any hope of escape, "but you should stop right where you are! Getting you wet was just a mistake!"
"Yes, it was," he agreed, still maneuvering her where he wanted with every deliberate step, "but getting you wet will be done entirely on purpose."
He turned a little, steering her where he wanted her to go once more, until she realized her back was now to the water. She was trapped.
Sesshoumaru smirked in triumph as he slowly began to close the distance between them. His body was tense with his impending victory, his internal demon reveling in this teasing pursuit. He'd given in to his primal chase instincts and found himself enjoying it immensely. He liked stalking this miko.
With a final lunge that startled Kagome into jumping and yelping, Sesshoumaru leapt forward and caught the miko, swinging her fully over his arm. He shifted her until her stomach rested over the center of his right shoulder, making her struggles ineffective. His hand splayed across the back of her thighs and he tried not to notice how firm and soft they were. Her swimsuit left plenty of flesh available for his touch. He jostled her lightly when her legs thrashed wildly, delighting in the 'Umph!' of frustration she made when she realized she wasn't getting anywhere.
He stomped slowly to the water's edge with his wiggling burden, chuckling when he heard her protests as the river came into her view.
"Put me down this instant!" she demanded, breathless from giggling and fighting.
"As you wish," he said blandly, tossing her into the water without another word.
Kagome resurfaced, spluttering in mock indignation, glaring at the smug youkai on the shore. Rin swam over to her and put her arms around the girl's neck, too tired from laughing to continue treading water.
With a sly look to Sesshoumaru, Kagome turned to Rin and put their heads together. Sesshoumaru's demon instinct was stumped, but his masculine intuition kicked in right away. It was telling him that bad things happened when two affronted females collaborated against one hapless male. His advanced hearing was unable to pick up Kagome's words, masked as they were by Rin's piercing giggles. Purely male instinct told him to run. He stomped that down, telling himself that nothing two puny humans could do would ever hurt him.
Obviously, the poor male had a lot to learn about females.
Sure enough, Rin and Kagome soon put their plan into action, causing Sesshoumaru to experience a wholly unfamiliar level of paranoia. Their false airs of innocence almost curdled his insides with dread.
'Am I sure I don't want to kill them?' he wondered, as he watched the two girls turn away, pretending to be done with him. He didn't trust them half as far as he could throw them.
Minutes passed with nothing unusual happening. The girls were behaving as though nothing had occurred and as if they hadn't been dumped into a river by a vengeful demon lord. Sesshoumaru figured they'd finally seen sense and realized there was no point in trying for retaliation.
He was lulled back in to a false sense of calm as he sat back on the sunny rock, absorbing the warm rays as the two girls played. He even dared to close his eyes for a minute, dozing lightly.
Soon, though, he realized that it was quiet. A little too quiet.
He peeked around him to realize that he couldn't see Kagome or Rin anywhere. He sat up with a start, looking and sniffing around for any sight of the two girls. He couldn't sense them above land. Could they be in trouble under water?
He leaned over the side of the rock, peering over the ledge down into the water below, unbalancing himself slightly in the process. He was totally caught unprepared when two sets of hands shot out of the water, latching onto his haori and pulling him down into the water.
Sesshoumaru surfaced from the water, growling lightly. His arm was already wrapped around the laughing miko and delighted child he'd caught under water, trapping them to his body. He hauled them up alongside himself and dragged them to shore.
"That is enough water for you two," he rumbled low in his throat, shooting them a mockingly severe glance that only made them giggle harder. "You do not deserve any more play time today."
Kagome and Rin were thrilled with their success. It had taken a lot of patience to catch the demon off guard, and luckily the timing had been good. They couldn't hold their breath forever. It was perfect, and they shot each other smug grins.
Sesshoumaru dumped them both unceremoniously onto the ground at the base of a tree. With a wicked glance in their direction he shook himself free of excess water, droplets splattering them from head to toe. For a moment he resembled the dog he sometimes turned into. The girls threw up their hands and protested mightily; secretly pleased he continued their game.
He then sat down next to Rin without comment and leaned against the tree's trunk, turning his nose up and away from the two human girls as if completely uninterested in anything they were doing. With a studied air he began the long process of completely ignoring them.
Rin was having none of it. She yawned and stretched, worn out by all her water activity. With a small sigh she climbed into the TaiYoukai's lap as she always had, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes.
The youkai, familiar with the scenario, merely brushed the girl's damp hair to one side and continued to look off into the distance. He could still smell the distinctive scent of the miko sitting a little ways away.
Kagome saw that Rin's hair was still damp. She didn't want the young girl to catch cold and thought it should be off her neck. She stood up and moved over to her pack, removing a couple of towels. With practiced movements she began to dry her own hair, before moving forward to Rin.
She kneeled nearer to Sesshoumaru's side, intent upon getting close to the human girl in his lap. She looked into the demon's eyes as they turned to meet her gaze, hesitant and asking for permission to be so close.
His gaze was still softer than it had ever been, and when he saw the towel she held in her hands he nodded his head once in agreement.
Kagome moved until she was right behind Rin's head and gently began to squeeze the excess water from the dozing girl's hair. She was careful not to pull too hard or jostle the girl, intent upon letting her continue to rest. When her hair was as dry as it could get, Kagome motioned for Sesshoumaru to lift the sleeping girl away from his chest. She then moved the damp towel beneath the child for a barrier between the youkai's damp top and her head.
When that was done she leaned against the tree trunk herself, content with her situation. Her left side was only inches from Sesshoumaru's side, absorbing some of the heat he so readily provided. She was just inches from the back of Rin's head. She lazily reached across and pulled Rin's hair towards her once more, beginning to braid the damp strands together.
She turned her eyes from her mindless job to find Sesshoumaru's amber gaze once more meeting her own.
The jolt she felt this time was gentler, but much more powerful. It was insistent and tingly, but was no longer tinged with fearful excitement. It was simply a beautiful, pure feeling.
This time the sensation confused her a bit less. She didn't feel as frustrated with herself or her situation. When she lowered her eyes at last, unable to maintain such an intimate connection for any real length of time, she felt the day's activities catch up with her. She was worn out, sleepy, and fully prepared to take a short rest.
For the moment she was content to close her eyes, leaning back against the tree trunk as the drone of insects and the sun's gentle rays lulled her into a peaceful sleep.
She never noticed that her head was drifting slowly, slowly towards the demon lord's shoulder, or that said demon watched the progression with deep interest.
A/N: Couple quick points: I always respond to reviews when they're signed. Unsigned reviews have been lovely, and I feel regret that I can't respond to them properly. Leave your email address in the text and I'll drop you a quick line and answer any questions.
I have loved the reviews that include favorite parts. They are amazing. I also love all the support you've given. You have no idea.
We're at 4,000 hits and only about half way done with the story. Any ideas for what to do in celebration if we hit 10,000 hits in the next couple of chapters?
