Theme 30: Under the Rain

From her palace what was neither here nor there, Lady Inuko watched as Sesshomaru lay against the roots of the Gokshinbo. He did not seem to realise his position gave him a clear view of the well the Miko Kagome had descended in a few days ago, the well he still could not access, and if Inuko had not known with conviction that Sesshomaru did not do any such thing, she might have thought he was waiting for her.

Could he?

How strange.

It had been almost three months since she'd placed the soul of her older great-grandson within the body of her younger grandson. She'd watched as he first tried to resist the fate she placed him in, and then slowly, he began to settle down. Seeing his behaviour now was most fascinating, she was very pleased with his progress, but there was something missing. A small something.

"Aya" Inuko called and her attendant appeared beside her.

"Yes my lady"

"Do you still have it?" she asked, her eyes sliding to the side.

"Yes my Lady in safe keeping"

"Good, bring it to him. I believe now is the time he will finally learn to appreciate his father's gift."

X-X-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-XX

Sesshomaru usually slept without dreams, so when he suddenly awoke, but realised he was not awake, he knew whose work it was. "Aya" he commanded without raising his voice "Come out"

Before him, Aya materialised "Sesshomaru-sama" in her hands, was a very familiar fang.

"Why did you bring that here?" he said coldly.

"Are you not pleased to see it?" she asked daintily "A sword should be beside its master after all"

"While I am in this body, I am not the swords master" he said "Nor would want to. The only benefit to being here the sword Tetsaiga, return with Tensaiga at once"

"Lady Inuko wished you to have it" Aya said quietly "This sword was your father last wish, he wanted you to have it, and Lady wished to honour his death wishes as her kin. And she wished for me to tell you that you will never wield Tetsaiga, not the way you wish to."

Sesshomaru snarled, he raised his wrist to strike her down, and then stopped "Why?"

Aya blinked "You have learned patience…that is good, the lady will be pleased"

"I have learned nothing" Sesshomaru said firmly.

Aya lay the sword at his feet "Take it; it is your birth right. One day, you might find yourself in need of it"

And then the dream faded away, and Sesshomaru opened his eyes.

It was raining, the water dripped from his hair and into his eyes. Aya's dreams were so strong he had not noticed.

He took his hand off his knee and rested it in the grass beside him, but as he did his fingertips rested upon something else. Glancing to the side, he saw the Tensaiga resting by his side.

He scoffed inwardly "So, my honourable ancestor wishes me to carry this useless blade, does she not worry it will upset her ruse that I am Inuyasha?" he picked up the blade and it hummed softly, a different humming from Tetsaiga. Sesshomaru couldn't deny it felt strangely good to have it by his side again; he had had it for so long after all.

Suddenly a familiar scent reached his nose and he glanced up. The Miko had returned.

He stood, tucking the sword into his belt on his other side where it hung perpendicular to Tetsaiga and walked towards the well just as the Miko was pulling herself up.

"Upsi Daisi" she grunted, hoisting herself up. Watching her struggle irked Sesshomaru as she took so long and he grabbed her arm and tugged her out.

She looked up in surprise "Oh. Thank you Inuyasha"

"Hm"

She looked up "Urgh! It's raining. Great, just when I forget my umbrella" she glanced up at him "Were you waiting for me?"

He had been. Sesshomaru was unsure why, but his impulses lead him to wait for her and he decided to oblige.

Kagome smiled up at him "Yeah, I didn't think so either." She laughed.

The rain began to soak into her hair and her cloths, she shivered unintentionally.

Before Sesshomaru could even realise what he was doing, he had raised the wide sleeve of his Haori over her head to block the rain.

Kagome looked up in surprise, but not as much as Sesshomaru's.

"Um thanks" she said awkwardly "We better go"

Sesshomaru walked the rest of the way puzzling his actions.

Why did he wait for her? Why did he block the rain from her? Was this Inuyasha's doing, his heart?

but, though the sudden impulse had ended, as Sesshomaru watched the grateful expression across her face, he did not put his sleeve down.