Fandom: Inuyasha
Pairing: Sesshoumaru/Kagome
Prompt: # 18. Alone in a crowd.
Title: Fortune.
Word Count: 573
Rating: PG
She looked just as he remembered.
And judging from the way her eyes shone as she gazed up at Tokyo's brilliant display of New Year's fireworks, he was certain that she and his younger brother's comrades had yet to encounter the final battle with Naraku. She was still young and idealistic, and could still manage a few precious moments of awe as she celebrated the promise of a new beginning. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, a sensation that he had only barely become more accustomed to over the centuries, Sesshoumaru sensed with unsettling clairvoyance that this New Year would probably be the one in which Inuyasha defeated Naraku, and the well would be sealed forever.
Sesshoumaru realized that the humans around him were embracing and laughing, sharing in their first displays of affection of the decade. Kagome—the name surfaced to his mind as if from a long-lost tale—was still staring skyward, enraptured by the lights.
Without knowing why, Sesshoumaru made his way to where she stood, alone in a crowd, and made no other introduction than, "It would be a crime for anyone to suffer a year of loneliness for having had the misfortune to not receive a kiss on New Year's."
Kagome eyed the dark-haired stranger skeptically, raising a delicate brown in a characteristic is this guy for real? gesture that he was surprised to recognize, yet he could tell that she sensed no harm from him.
"I don't believe in superstitions," she replied playfully, offering a challenging smile. "Or in kissing strangers."
Sesshoumaru's features remained placid, but there was a definite gleam in his eye. Kagome pondered this momentarily, stricken by the feeling that a secret divided them, and that if she treaded too fiercely, the moment would fall apart. She tried to study him in the illumination of the fireworks, but found that the roaring cheers and the knowledge that he had actually taken a step closer only clouded her thoughts further.
"In that case," Sesshoumaru whispered, carefully taking hold of her chin and trying to remember the last time he had acted so gently. "Perhaps an exception could be made." Kagome knew it wasn't a question.
With a sudden certainty, she rose onto her toes just slightly, gingerly placing a palm on his shoulder for balance, and felt the thundering crowd dissolve out of focus as the stranger leaned down to seal the kiss. It wasn't a particularly long one, and the gentleman did not initiate any further bout of passion, but Kagome still felt unnerved by the distinct jolt of electricity that coursed through her at the contact.
Sesshoumaru finally lifted away, forcing himself to ignore the heat that had risen in their bodies, and stepped back. As he watched her regain her bearings, he knew that he would return to Tokyo later in the year to find her. For the sake of my own curiosity, he convinced himself. Kagome looked up at him curiously, and offered small smile. "Thank you, sir, for helping me to ward off bad luck." Sesshoumaru bowed his head graciously and began making his way back through the crowd.
It was only after he had disappeared from her view that he heard her whisper, "And may you have a year void of loneliness, as well."
Sesshoumaru looked back to her, knowing full well what she would endure in only a few short months' time, but her gaze had already recaptured the lingering fireworks.