Sincerely Serendipitous
By Aubrey Simone
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. The author, Aubrey Simone, retains all rights to any original characters and does not profit from the writing or posting of this piece.
~&~
He wanted her. And he wanted her badly.
The attraction had rolled in like storm clouds, and at first he withstood the rising winds and tense atmosphere with unmovable stoicism. He refused to acknowledge the fact that she enchanted him, denied that she was the singular most beautiful being he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. No, he, Lord of the Western Lands, could not admit those things to her, a mere human miko. Instead, he insulted her race, criticized her choice of company, and threatened her life, all while secretly coveting after her.
As more time passed, he began to turn his face toward the caressing touch of the building storm. He relished in the scent of the rain to come, and when the drizzle finally began to fall, he was so infatuated with the woman-child that he knew he could never turn away from her. He ceased trying to kill her, though he did not stop insulting her—he did have an image to uphold, and he knew that she was out of his reach.
However, he could not be content with banning himself from her presence completely; her scent was too intoxicating, her laughter too musical, and her passion too irresistible. So he joined the rag-tag group as they trekked across Nippon. He indulged in her presence, and although she was polite to him, he knew that she would never see him as she had once seen his half-breed brother. The knowledge pained a part of him that he had not known he'd had, but for a while, he was simply satisfied to be near her.
It wasn't until after the defeat of the hanyou Naraku that he began to admit to himself that he could no longer stand by and watch her. She had decided to stay in his era—the matter of her courting his idiotic half-brother had been settled when she used the bauble to wish the dead miko back to life—and his ward was constantly in her presence, so that not even staying away from the woman could assuage her appeal. Rin smelled of her, spoke of her, praised her, asked to see her, and babbled incessantly about her; he could not escape her.
She, the human miko who had annoyed him beyond reason, was a constant reminder of the very thing he'd despised about his father and yet he could not deny anything he felt about her. She aroused his body and his mind, intrigued his senses and invaded his every thought. He dreamt of her, fantasized about her and, in spite of her humanity, wanted to see his mark on her shoulder and his pup in her womb.
Multiple pups, he amended, making no attempt to sweep away the pleasure that the mental image gave him—to see her swollen with his seed would give him gratification beyond anything he had ever known, and to understand that it was she, the most powerful woman in all of Nippon, who carried his heir…he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Sesshomaru-sama?" The voice that interrupted his thoughts was gentle, and he looked down from the midnight sky to the pale face of his ward.
"Be silent, you stupid girl! Can't you see that my lord is attempting to enjoy his night in peace? Why, the fact that he—"
"Jaken." No glance was spared in the toad's direction, but the fear that rolled off of his plump frame was sufficient.
Rin smiled widely at the indication that he would hear her out and her kimono, a solid teal colored piece of fabric, rustled as she settled further back onto her heels. She smoothed a lock of brown hair behind her ear, and then folded her small hands in her lap. "Sesshomaru-sama," she began, "Rin would like to go see Kagome-sama and Shippo-kun again. Can Rin do that?"
He remained silent and thought on her request. She had just visited the village not a full moon cycle ago, but they had not traveled far from the growing hamlet and it would be no problem for them to turn back. He glanced at her, and was not surprised to see the pleading light in her eyes intensify. He inclined his head, and she squealed, bowing before promptly returning to torturing the bothersome Jaken.
Distraction gone, Sesshomaru returned his gaze to the skies and his thoughts inevitably turned back to the slip of a woman they always turned back to. Her figure danced about in his mind's eye, sparkling blue eyes and vibrant smile lending her the luminescence of a kami. She had long since retired from the scant scrap of clothing she called a 'skirt', but unwilling to be mistaken for the woman she had raised from the dead, she donned forest green hakama instead of the usual red.
Her choice set her apart from every other woman that walked the kami's green earth, and Sesshomaru could honestly say that he admired her all the more for it. She was independent, fierce, possessed a compassionate heart, and the level-headedness that she had acquired during her travels was just one more thing that solidified his next thought before he realized it.
This one shall court her.
Now, Sesshomaru was no fool. He knew that he had not been particularly pleasant to the tiny onna, and although she was forgiving, she would not simply agree to allow him the opportunity to be alone with her, as courting required.
Long ago, however, his father had given him an outstandingly valuable piece of information. "Winning a woman's heart," he'd said, "requires patience. They are extremely fickle creatures, prone to emotional turmoil and severe inner battles. If you ever find yourself pining for the affections of a gentle creature, remember this: you must listen, you must be patient, and you must woo her softly."
As a pup not even old enough to have experienced his first heat, Sesshomaru had tucked the words away and regarded them as nothing but the ramblings of an old youkai. But now, they held significant weight, and he hoped that his sire was right.
~&~
Baffled wouldn't have been a precise word, though not because it wasn't correct. No, baffled was a very appropriate description to how Kagome was feeling at the moment, but it wasn't outrageous enough. Bewildered wasn't good enough either, and neither was stumped or mystified or confounded.
Flummoxed works, her addled brain supplied. Instantly, the word stuck, and Kagome looked from the small roll of parchment in her hands to the nervous inuyoukai that had delivered it to her. "This is for me?"
"Yes, miko-sama."
"Are you sure?"
The inu nodded. "Yes, miko-sama, I'm positive."
"And you can't tell me who sent it?"
Here, the young male fidgeted, and Kagome tried to remind herself not to get too annoyed; the youkai was jumpy already and she doubted he would respond very well to agitation. "No, miko-sama, I cannot."
Kagome sighed. "Alright, I—"
"Kagome-sama! Kagome-sama, I'm back!"
Glancing over the youkai's shoulder, Kagome felt excitement course through her as Rin's smiling figure came hurtling down the road, hands waving and hair flying. Excusing herself from the courier, she jogged a small way and hugged the child to her as they met. "It's good to see you again, Rin-chan," she said as the girl pulled back and straightened her clothes.
"Rin is happy to see you too, Kagome-sama!"
Kagome smoothed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Where is Lord Sesshomaru, Rin?"
"He's coming," the girl quipped, rocking on the balls of her feet. "May Rin go find Shippo-kun?"
Kagome smiled. "Sure."
Instantly, Rin ran off, and Kagome returned to the courier, who shifted on his feet. "Are you sure you can't tell me who it's from?" she asked, frowning when the male nodded.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. What kind of letter is this? This youkai isn't from Sango, unless she has a surprise that she doesn't want to tell me about, and Kikyo and Inuyasha wouldn't have a reason to send me a letter; they did just leave yesterday, and—kami he's beautiful. Wait, no! Bad Kagome! You're supposed to be thinking about this letter, not about how absolutely gorgeous Sesshomaru is! Even though he most definitely is…too bad he's such a jerk.
Forcefully pulling herself away from the sudden turn her thoughts had taken, Kagome shook herself and smiled briefly at Sesshomaru's approaching figure before turning back to the messenger. "How long did it take you to get here?"
"Three days, miko-sama."
Kagome nodded. "You should go rest. The innkeeper, Katsu-san, will give you a room if you want one, and have her get you something to eat."
Some of the inu's anxiety seemed to melt away, and he bowed. "Thank you. Your generosity is greatly appreciated."
Kagome smiled and watched the youkai leave, nibbling at the inside of her cheek. She sighed and stuffed the letter into the sleeve of her haori, determinedly shoving any confusion she felt about it to the back of her mind as Sesshomaru neared. She smiled. "Hello Sesshomaru-sama."
"Miko."
"Are you going to be staying in the village while Rin visits?"
He looked at her as though the notion disgusted him. "No."
Oh no, Mr. High and Mighty couldn't possibly stay in a human village, she thought irritably, outwardly smiling even though she really just wanted to grab him by his chest plate and shake a little of that arrogance out of him. Biting back a snicker at the mental image, she disguised her mirth by turning her head and coughing lightly, successfully hiding her grin and managing to get rid of the urge to laugh.
"How have things been going in the West?" she asked after composing herself, watching as the daiyoukai looked around with barely veiled disdain shining in his eyes.
"The West is secure," he responded, fixing her with a bland expression. The barely-there inflection in his tone gave away the fact that she shouldn't have thought that his lands would be anything but secure. She wanted to roll her eyes, but politely refrained.
Resolved in the fact that she wouldn't let his apathy or his haughty attitude ruin her mood, she smiled and nodded. They stood in silence for a moment, and she couldn't deny the relief she felt when one of the village women approached, and, after acknowledging Sesshomaru, asked her for help.
Immensely grateful for the opportunity to get away from the stoic demon lord and doing her best to mask it, Kagome excused herself and set about doing the job of a village miko. The work varied in difficulty, and as she began her rounds, it seemed as though the day would go wonderfully; and then a group of children came screaming about a group of youkai attacking the men in the fields.
As quickly as her legs could carry her, she ran back to her hut and grabbed her bow and arrows as well as a short blade that Kaede had given her prior to her passing three months earlier. Quiver slung across her shoulders, she called for a few of the young women under her training to follow her, and they ran out toward the fields.
The low level youkai were easily disposed of, and after the last one had fallen, Kagome instructed that the injured be moved back into the village. Pulling aside one of the few who hadn't earned himself a new scar, she quickly deducted that the youkai were simply evil, hatred of humans driving them to attack the men who had done nothing to them.
Sending the man on his way, Kagome quickly returned to the long hut that made up the "hospital", immediately getting to work cleaning wounds and applying bandages. Unfortunately, a few of the men seemed to have been poisoned, and she worked furiously through the rest of the day trying to break the toxin's grip.
It was almost past midnight when the final poisoned man finally settled into sleep, and she thoroughly washed her hands before leaving the hut, giving the night miko explicit instructions to call her should any one of the three men show signs of getting a fever.
The village was quiet, and she ducked into her hut, tired but glad to see that Shippo and Rin had settled in for the night and were sleeping peacefully on the pallet they usually shared. She found her sleeping yukata, and was moving to undress when she suddenly remembered the letter. Pausing, she sat down at her low desk and reached into her sleeve, pulling the roll of parchment free and sighing in relief that it hadn't gotten crushed or ruined.
Looking at it, she supposed it was normal as far as parchment went. But why all the secrecy? She smoothed her fingers over the rough surface, and then sighed and shook her head. Oh, what the heck. I might as well read it. She broke the seal and unfurled it, inspecting the neat, evenly spaced characters with a bit of admiration before beginning to read.
'Kagome,
It is with trepidation that I put my brush to parchment, and yet I find myself inexplicably invigorated by the prospect—to think that you, one of such beauty and poise, would read the words of one as unworthy as I causes my mind bafflement.
Ah, but perhaps I should begin elsewhere, lest you think me a lunatic.
I have admired you, my lady miko, for many years, and while I am a coward for approaching you in this manner, it is my earnest hope that you allow me the pleasure of courting you in this way. Please understand that I cannot reveal myself to you yet, for I have not the courage required to face your splendor, but I swear to you that I will someday stand before you and proudly declare with spoken words what I endeavor to convey with these written ones.
For now, it is my humble request that I be allowed the pleasure of your response. The courier that I sent you has been told to wait for a reply; however, if you simply wish to refuse me, you have but to say so and you will never hear from me again.'
Kagome felt her eyes automatically go to where the next line should have been, and her mind jolted back into reality as she realized that there was nothing else to read. No signature, no closing remark, not even some sort of seal that she could identify with. Blinking, she frowned, and then reread the letter, her frown deepening.
"What the…?"
Her voice echoed softly around the hut, and glancing up to be sure that the sound hadn't woken Shippo, she rolled the scroll and carefully laid it on her desk, staring at it. Who was this man—or was he a youkai?—and why was he choosing to approach her now? What did he even want?
To court you, stupid, her mind supplied sarcastically. She viciously shoved the pessimistic voice to the back of her mind, and, before she could stop herself, was reaching for a small piece of parchment and her inkwell. She dipped her brush into the shallow dish she used specifically for the purpose of wetting it, and then spread her parchment and began to write her response.
~&~
Author's Note: Alright, so I know the last thing I need to be doing is starting another story (especially not a chapter one), but here's my reasoning: this idea wouldn't stop bugging me, its for the ever lovely r0o's Love Letters To... Challenge, and I'll be deleting An Artist's Touch and Children's Games from my story list. (Apologies to those of you who may have been waiting on updates for those).
Anyway, I will be updating Legacy, for those of you who are waiting for it, as soon as I can. I've been stuck on the chapter, and rather than just try to write through it, I want to try and let it work itself out. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, but I promise that I'll have it up as soon as possible!
On another note, since this may or may not affect my updating, my grandmother passed away. She was the most beautiful African-American woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing (mother and aunts aside, of course), and she'll most definitely be missed, but I know for a fact that she's in a better place, so I'm content.
Till next time!
~Aubrey