Prompt: For Keeps
Word Count: 987
Genre: Dark Humor
Rating: T
Warning: Character Death
Date Posted: 5/9/10
He hid, watched and waited. True to his ilk, he was the epitome of stealth and discipline.
Considered 'evil' in a past life, his punishment was to endure this incarnation, diminished considerably from what he'd once been.
Though he was confined to this detestable reduced form, he realized he still held a force that didn't need size or strength. It was a simple power but there was none stronger, and used for the purpose he planned, those responsible for his downfall would not escape his revenge.
Bent on retribution, he continued practicing his skills of deception, manipulation, and death… putting nothing to 'good' use. In this manner, he created an endless cycle of birth, death and birth again as the centuries passed.
Now that all the pieces were in place, the wait was finally over.
A door opened. Timing it right, he slipped through it, unseen.
Her cell phone rang. She already knew who it was. Flipping it open, she saw she was right.
"Hello?"
The rich deep voice on the other end sent a thrill skittering down her back, as it always did.
"Miko. Are you leaving work soon? Females in your condition need to reduce their stress, eat regularly, and rest often."
Kagome sighed in an amused way while a smile crept across her features. He was so protective, but in such a sweet manner.
"Are you reading that book again? You need to give it a rest, to reduce your stress or it's gonna be toast! Mmmm… toast," she said, a playful tone evident in her voice.
"Hn."
"Okay, okay," she laughed, "Yes, I'm on my way. Oh! Can we go for cheeseburgers? Maybe with pickles, and milkshakes! Oh, I have such a taste for that!"
She heard him chuckle. "I can deny you nothing. Cheeseburgers and milkshakes sound good."
There was a pause. "The book said you would begin to have cravings…"
He smirked when he heard her snort derisively as she hung up. He hadn't told her the new car they ordered came in. He'd let her know over dinner. They could go pick it up from the dealership tomorrow.
Kagome packed up her briefcase and wished her co-workers a good weekend before heading to the parking lot. Her car, a cute little green VW Bug--only five years old--was due to be replaced any day.
Sesshoumaru wanted to ensure the safety of his family to the highest standards of the automotive industry. After much discussion, negotiating and compromising, he bought her a vehicle as close to a disguised tank as she would allow… a red Honda CR-V EX.
As much as she hated giving up her first car, she shared his concern. The Bug was small and had a terrible crash-test rating, more important now that they were responsible for a new life.
Kagome fondly spread her fingers over her expanding abdomen. After three years of trying, month after month of disappointment and heartache, they were finally going to be parents. They didn't know if they were having a boy or a girl… and didn't care.
She thought it rather cute the way his protective side kicked into overdrive, and how hard he held it in check. Naturally there were varying degrees of success. So she gave in to the new car; he had to win once in a while, right?
Tossing her briefcase into the back seat, she angled herself behind the wheel. Buckling the seatbelt, she turned the key and adjusted the music for her drive home in rush-hour traffic. Decent music was absolutely essential for calmly dealing with the competitive mentality of crazy drivers all making a mad dash to get out of the city at the same time.
She pulled smoothly onto the road and began heading home. Once she was away from downtown, the drive would become much more pleasant.
Suburban neighborhoods dotting the landscape left and right would gradually trickle away, as a denser tree-line began dominating the scenery. This was her favorite part of the commute and she looked forward to it every day. Not only was it beautiful in every season, but it was a sign she was only five minutes from home.
One last lane change for her exit would have her free of the concrete jungle.
Kagome turned her head to glance at her blind-spot. Traffic was normally heavy but today she never noticed if the lane was clear or not. Crouching on her shoulder, right in front of her face, was a huge black spider. She freaked out, all reason fleeing.
Fear rendered her brain useless as she flailed mindlessly at the malevolent enemy with one hand, sub-consciously yanking the steering wheel hard with the other.
Screams, screeching tires and ripping metal were the last things heard before a flash of light exploded and Death swept in.
"I'm sorry, the trade-in value is ruined."
Ridiculous. As if he cared about something so insignificant.
Sesshoumaru pulled Kagome closer into his arms, burying his nose into her neck and inhaling deeply. His worst fear almost came true today, but he would take steps to see this never happened again.
"Miko, the car is nothing. I am forever grateful to the gods you only scraped along a side rail. I would request you to take a class to confront your arachnophobia. Please. I could not bear to lose you to something so trivial."
Shaken by her near-miss, Kagome had to agree. Panicking, then purifying a common spider was a dangerous over-reaction on her part. Besides… he did say 'Please'.
Deep under the eaves of a quaint suburban house, a small white sac split wide open. Thousands of dark spiderlings poured out, scrambling forth quickly to escape each other's hunger and seek safe refuge. One of the hordes again, Naraku, cursed to be aware of both past and present, climbed a silken thread… his mind still bent on revenge.
A/N: This won a joint third place with Beermoney5! (If you like Sess/Kag and horses, go check out her The Sport of Kings!) Thanks for reading! :)
