Hidden in the Stars

"Give me your money and you won't get shot."

You have got to be kidding me. After the day I had the last thing I needed was this. I had been rudely interrupted from my musing by a Taiyoukai who had just decided to pay an unexpected visit to my time, been covered in green goop and forced to clean it up when the one responsible sat back and did nothing, and had been forced to endure the glares of envious female eyes as I walked down the streets with that same Taiyoukai, who, of course, just so happens to be the most gorgeous creature any female in my time has ever laid eyes on even with one missing appendage; and now this.

Whoever decided that my life should just be one giant running joke, I will have you know I am not very amused by it. What could I have possibly done in a past life to deserve all of this? Crap! Why did I have to go and mention past lives? It's just not fair! That is supposed to be a figure of speech! No one is actually supposed to know what they've done in past lives. That sort of stuff is for weird psychics and crazy people; or for very unfortunate teenage girls living at ancient shines who just so happen to be the one and only, ever so lucky, guardian of a sacred jewel that brings nothing but trouble everywhere it goes. Sigh. Well, bitching about it isn't going to solve anything, I may as well continue with the story.

The guy was obviously either very, very stupid, or completely insane. I think I'm inclined to believe a little of both. After all, who, without a few screws loose, would stick a gun in Sesshomaru's face? Sure, the guy didn't know that Sesshomaru is a demon. But seriously, if you saw a seriously built, nearly seven foot tall man, with one arm, and some very noticeable tattoos; walking down the street, would the first thing on your mind be to walk up to him and stick a gun in his face? I mean the idiot probably didn't even make it up to Sesshomaru's nipples for crying out loud!

Of course, that idiot's jumping out of nowhere and shoving the gun forward made me jump behind the only thing there was available for cover; which, unfortunately, was Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru spared the mugger a barely appraising glance before turning slightly to look at me. I nervously met his gaze, but refused to release my hold on his shit, or to relinquish my hiding spot.

"Woman, are you aware whose person you are currently assaulting?"

"Ummm yours?"

"And what am I?"

"A bulletproof shield?"

"ENOUGH!" The mugger's raspy voice roared out, making me eep and duck behind Sesshomaru again. "I'm the one with the gun here, so you two had better start doing what I said! Hand over your money NOW!"

I could feel Sesshomaru's muscles tighten beneath my hands and I knew that things were about to get ugly. I couldn't let him kill a person right in the middle of Tokyo, so I gave his shirt a slight tug to make him look at me, pleading with him with silent pleas to spare the man's life. He raised an eyebrow almost as though saying 'you have got to be kidding me' but I shook my head and answered.

"Please Sesshomaru, don't"

If I wasn't so close to him I never would have known, but with my hands still gripping his shirt firmly, I could feel his heavy release of breath as he sighed.

Sesshomaru turned back to face the mugger, setting him with a glare frigid enough to make even the most bloodthirsty youkai run for the hills. He barely moved, but in an instant the air was singing with powerful energy and the fetid stench of poison reached my nose.

The mugger was stunned for a second, but his obliviousness soon turned to fury, and he squeezed the trigger of the gun. But nothing happened. He looked down to the pistol and I followed his gaze. Before our eyes, the barrel and handle separated. They had been cut straight though, and the end pointed in our direction slowly slipped away from the sizzling juncture and clattered to the ground.

"Leave." Sesshomaru's icy command cut through the stilled air around us.

The attempted mugger stood frozen in his place for a moment out of fear and disbelief, but he quickly dropped the remainder of his devastated weapon and turned to flee.

Sesshomaru turned back to me then. His agitation was rolling off him in waves. I'm guessing he didn't take too kindly to me making him spare the life of someone who had threatened his. After all, I'm sure that there aren't a lot of people who can say that they still have their lives after threatening Sesshomaru. In fact, I could probably count the number of them on one hand.

He shifted his eyes from mine, glancing meaningfully down at my hands which were still gripping tightly to his shirt. I let out a few short, nervous giggles, mumbled an apology to him, and released my hands from his shirt; only to move them to fumbling with the hem of my skirt.

"You fear guns."

Astute observation there Sherlock. Oh, and thank you for reminding me.

Sure I travel to the feudal era and battle demons which breathe fire, lightning, poison and even wolves (Have you ever seen a wolf, like a real live wolf, come out of something's mouth? No? Yeah I didn't think so. Well I have, and let me tell you it is not cool. It may sound that way, or even look good in a picture; but to actually see it, no that is not fun); but a gun is something totally different.

A gun I something men invented to destroy each other. A gun is not natural defenses like those possessed by youkai. Guns have been crafted for only one purpose: to take lives; and we had done it. We, humans, had made that thing. We have destroyed countless thousands using them and the technology spanned from them.

A gun is what took my father from me.

"Yes, I fear guns."

"Why?"

He had not picked the right time to be inquisitive. I wouldn't tell him, or I couldn't.

"Why do you have markings on your skin, golden eyes, and silver hair?"

I walked around him and continued down the sidewalk. He didn't press the matter, and I was grateful.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"We are going in there?"

I looked up at the rounded white building. It was lighted up wonderfully against the night sky. The night was perfect to come here, there were no clouds and the stars were shining brightly.

"What's wrong with it?"

Sesshomaru scanned the building again, his gaze pausing slightly on the line of people at the door.

"OOhhhh," realization struck. "You don't want to go in cause of all us puny little humans wondering around." He looked back at me and I swear I saw him scowl from my mocking of him, but I ignored it and continued. "I don't know if you've realized this, but the world is full of humans in my time. Besides," I added offhandedly, "It's not like we just go in there and ask everyone nicely to leave and expect them to do it."

I have really got to learn which thoughts need to be voiced aloud and which ones need to be kept to yourself. I could actually hear the amusement in his voice when he replied to me.

"Then perhaps courtesy should be replaced with something more reliable."

"Don't you even think about it! You can't just go in there and…Sesshomaru?" He had just vanished, gone before I had even finished blinking.

"Sesshomaru!" I called after him, but after realizing it was useless, added in a quieter voice that I knew he could still hear. "Just don't kill anyone."

I sighed and brought my hands up to massage my temples.

"…3…2…1…"

"DEMON!"

"MONSTER!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

And the doors to the observatory burst open, scattering people in every direction.

I watched the fleeing people for a moment, then rolled my eyes and marched forward to confront the youkai. At least I felt like things had gone beck to normal; well, as normal as ones life can be when they are constantly putting themselves in the middle of youkai rampages.

I pushed through the doorway, being jostled by the last few people making their escape, and walked into the grand entrance. Standing right in the middle of the room, beside at least 10 demolished displays, currently snapping his massive fangs through a wonderful model of the solar system hanging from the ceiling, was the inuyoukai that had been the bane of my existence for the past three days in all of his glory.

He ripped the model globe of the sun from its hangings, one final aggressive display, before he turned to me.

He was…not intimidating. He was very far from it actually. Even though he was fifty feet tall, he had a bright yellow ball caught between his oversized teeth and his pitched tongue was hanging out to the side. Ok, so the drool dripping from his mouth had acidic properties and was dissolving the ground at his feet. But he was still a fifty foot dog, holding his pretty yellow ball, sticking his tongue out and drooling.

I laughed.

He growled.

I laughed harder.

In fact, I laughed so hard I gave up on standing. I sunk to my knees and clutched by stomach to allow the laughter to pour out.

I could feel the drifting away of his tremendous power as it focused itself again. I knew he had transformed back into his humanoid appearance, but still I couldn't contain myself.

"Woman."

His threatening voice still couldn't deter me. I had so many pent up frustrations I simply had to get them out. I tried to stop laughing, but every time I did, I would hic-up painfully when a thought of him chasing a ball the same way I trick Inuyasha into chasing those sticks would flash through my mind.

"Kagome."

That did it. I snapped up so quickly to gawk at him in disbelief that I actually pulled something. He wasn't looking at me (go figure) so I got off the floor and absently brushed myself off as I fumbled my way over to him. When I got to him, he was looking at a monitor on the wall displaying an incredible view of a dark nebula.

"You…you said my name…"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I…" I stumbled over my words. Why did I bring him here again? "I wanted to show you what can be done and how much more is out there waiting for us."

I lead him to the viewing room. Inside, the walls were covered in massive screens displaying arrays of shots from galaxy clusters, to planets and their great rings and moons, to gas clouds and nebulas lit in stunning colors; and straight above us, the ceiling displayed the image of the magnified stars the telescope above was currently settled on.

"These images are pictures of what lies beyond the stars we can see with our eyes. We have discovered wondrous things that no one had ever imagined, and there is still so much more within the vast reaches of space for us to discover. Man has left this world and gone into that space to explore. He has been to the moon, walked on her ground; seen the earth as we can only see the moon. One day, we will reach those stars as well."

He wandered around the room, moving gracefully from one bright screen to the other, pausing every so often to study the image or to read what was written beneath. I too took some time to gaze up at the stars. In my time, the stars are so dulled by the bright lights of the city, it is not often that you can sit back and truly enjoy the view. But here, here I could see the sky in a way that Sesshomaru would never have even dreamed of, and I found myself truly appreciating that for perhaps the first time.

-Beauty never known

-A new universe revealed

-Still just beyond reach

Have you ever had poetry recited to you? Truth is, I hadn't either (because Miroku's attempts to woo me into having his children don't count!). I was shocked at first. I had never imagined Sesshomaru to be...well…not a complete stiff. Not like reciting poetry is terribly exciting, but still it is quite moving and requires a lot of thought; thought that before then I never would have imagined Sesshomaru wasting considering it had nothing to do with killing anything.

But like I've said, Sesshomaru never does anything I expect him to. I was so touched by what he said I couldn't help replying in kind.

-Stars in the heavens

-Beautiful as they may be

-Still they are alone

When he looked at me then, there was something different about him. He seemed so relaxed; more so than I had ever seen him. And though I may have imagined it, I could have sworn he was smiling.

For a moment I was lost in his eyes; finding something there much more incredible than the views of the universe surrounding me. My heart sped its rhythm in my chest and my ears were ringing with high pitched sirens.

High pitched sirens?

Oh crap!

"The cops! We have to get out of here!"

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Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnn……

Another chapter for the books.

Until Next time.

ShadowsWeaver1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters I am about to weave into my web of chaos. Any and all definitions have been taken directly from Wikipedia the online encyclopedia because I am far too lazy to do any further research to support my Inuyasha obsession.