A Proposal Most Compelling

Prompt: It was a compelling and convincing argument and for that reason she chose to ignore it.

Universe: Post Canon

Genre: Drama, Humour, Romance

1,000 Words

Sesshoumaru dropped gracefully out of the blue sky, and landed effortlessly in the middle of the village. A few humans who'd been standing about staggered back, gasping or crying in alarm. Sesshoumaru ignored them, and flared his youki to announce his arrival. He caught the familiar scent in the air and followed it to one of the huts.

He strode in without a pause. The miko looked up from her cooking and stared at him, her blue eyes wide.

"Sesshoumaru," she said, her voice echoing her surprise.

He inclined his head in a greeting.

She bit her lip and shifted nervously.

"I'm sorry, Rin's not here right now. She's gone with Kaede-sama – one of the nearby villages was attacked –"

"It is of no consequence," Sesshoumaru cut in. "I have not come to see Rin."

"Oh." The miko glanced down at her cooking, looking all the more uncertain. "Well, Inuyasha went with them. To, um, help with the rebuilding and all."

He scoffed. "Again, that does not matter in the least, I am not here to see him."

"Right. Then, uh, why are you here, exactly?"

Sesshoumaru arched one regal eyebrow. Wasn't it obvious why he had come?

"I have a proposal to make," he announced.

"A proposal," she repeated. Then, realisation finally dawned to her. "Wait… Are you saying you're here to see me?"

He nodded.

"I – but, why?" she sputtered.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow rose again.

"Right. To make a proposal," the miko babbled.

Sesshoumaru hummed, feeling pleased; baffled as the miko was by his appearance, she seemed to be catching up quickly.

"Very well. Would you like a seat?"

Sesshoumaru lowered himself onto the cushion she'd indicated, carefully arranging the sword on his belt as he drew into a formal posture, his back straight.

"Can I get you anything?" the miko continued, fretting with cups and bowls.

"I do not require refreshments," he replied.

Her movements faltered. She picked the pot off the cooking fire and after she'd set it aside, turned her full attention to him. "All right then. I'm all ears."

"I used to be of the opinion that humans were despicable," he started. "Foolish, weak creatures who had little to offer to any youkai, save for being easy prey."

Ignoring the indignant spark in the miko's eyes, Sesshoumaru continued: "However, after I met Rin, I was forced to re-evaluate my suppositions. She was young and fragile – yet showed such tenacity and bravery. It caught me quite off guard; I began to see that even humans had their uses, and that some of them could even possess qualities I might admire. You are one such example."

"Me?" the miko asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"You are courageous and loyal. You seem well-versed in caring for the young. You are the miko of the Shikon, which makes your spiritual powers formidable. You are learned and appreciate cleanliness. And your scent is quite pleasant, for a human."

"Umm, thank you?"

Sesshoumaru inclined his head.

"Also, I admit at first I did not much care for hanyou either, but seeing Inuyasha, having had a chance to observe him on several occasions… he is uncouth and unskilled, but he does not lack in raw strength – indeed I would judge him stronger than some full-blooded youkai. And his mother was – apart of her social class – quite unremarkable. That made me wonder, if a daiyoukai of considerable power were to sire a hanyou with a mortal female, who herself was powerful, the results could be considerable. Do you not think so?"

The miko suddenly looked a little pale. "H-hold on…"

Sesshoumaru waited, while the miko's hands fidgeted in her lap. "What exactly is this proposal of yours?"

There was a somewhat desperate note in voice he did not quite understand, so he paid no mind to it, resolving instead to answer her question: "I wish to continue my line, and have come to the conclusion that you, Kagome, are a desirable prospect."

She stared at him, her jaw slack.

"You – You're saying you want a child."

He nodded.

"With me."

He nodded again.

She groaned and then muttered to herself under her breath – the only word he could make out of was "mad".

Sesshoumaru scowled.

His proposal was very compelling, and he had argued his case most convincingly, if he might say so himself! So Sesshoumaru was shocked to find that she did not immediately see the merit of his scheme and, in fact, seemingly disinclined to agree.

She rubbed her brow for a moment, as if trying to alleviate an ache, and then looked up at him.

"Sesshoumaru, we barely know each other."

"I do not see what bearing that has with anything," he replied, frowning.

"You don't – for the love of god."

The miko drew several deep breaths, while Sesshoumaru grew increasingly sullen. She was not at all reacting the way he had expected her to; she appeared neither honoured nor pleased.

"How do you imagine this arrangement would work, exactly?" she demanded to know.

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips. This was a problem he hadn't foreseen, but of course, as the miko was untouched and had not had serious suitors, her mother'd likely had no cause to explain the intricacies of procreation to her.

"The copulation itself is a simple procedure," he assured her. "The male will –"

"I'm aware of the technicalities," the miko cut in hurriedly, her cheeks burning. "I meant after the child was born. What would I get out of this proposition? Would we get married? Where would we live? Would you help care for the child or leave it wholly to me?"

Sesshoumaru stared at her blankly.

The miko sighed and shook her head. "Look, I'm flattered, but my answer's no."

Sesshoumaru rose stiffly and walked out of the hut without a backward glance.

Perhaps, he grudgingly admitted as he leapt to air, he had not fully thought everything through.

But this was just a minor setback. He would return – armed with a proper plan.