Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to the creator of Inuyasha, Takahashi Rumiko-sensei. I’m a fan, writing for fans and that’s all that there’s into it. I’m making absolutely no profit with this. That much is painfully obvious.
Re-take
By Chie
Sesshoumaru was standing in the centre of the hall comprised of the deceased dog general’s enormous ribcage, to which his old mighty armour still was attached. The floor was covered by bony youkai remains, the various skulls and bones yellowed by time.
The daiyoukai did not appear to be the least bit troubled by the bleak and grim surroundings, nor about the fact that he was standing within the remains of his own father. All of Sesshoumaru’s attention was trained on the old and battered looking sword, which was right in front of him, almost like on a stand.
“I have finally found you, Tetsusaiga,” he spoke, gazing at the sword with a smug smile on his lips. “I have finally arrived here to the treasured sword kept within my honoured father’s corpse.”
The smile faded as he reached for the katana.
“Tetsusaiga… A sword that can destroy a hundred youkai in one swing…” he mused as his clawed hand closed around the hilt of the sword.
The mighty sword that had been made of his father’s fang. With the sword, he would also inherit his father’s spiritual power. Sesshoumaru could barely hold his excitement.
As he tried to pull the sword out, the air around the hilt suddenly crackled with violent power, and he let go of the sword. He gazed at his partly scorched hand dispassionately, his innate healing abilities already hurrying to repair the damage made by the sudden surge of power.
“I should have known… There is a barrier,” he muttered to himself.
“Sesshoumaru!” a gruff yell echoed in the hall of bone.
The demon lord turned his head towards the sound.
Above him, in the air, was his half-brother.
“We’re not finished yet!” he yelled.
In passing, Sesshoumaru noticed that his brother had also dragged his little human girl along. However, he had no time to dwell on that matter, as the half-demon lunged into an attack.
Sesshoumaru jumped out of the way of his lashing claws with ease, and could not resist the opportunity to taunt the fool.
“What is it, Inuyasha?” he asked, looking at the hanyou who was crouching on the ground and growling at him. “Did you come to dig your own grave?” he insulted, as Inuyasha’s attack had only managed to graze the spot on the ground he had been previously standing on.
“Or perhaps,” Sesshoumaru continued, “you came for the chance to possess father’s sword, Tetsusaiga?”
“Tetsusaiga?” Inuyasha repeated in confusion, his eyes travelling to take in the sight of the sword, the blade of which had been sunk to the stand it was resting on.
He had not even heard of the sword before.
“Keh!” Inuyasha huffed. “I’m not interested in some worn-out old sword!” he spat, his hand clenching into a fist. “Sesshoumaru, you bastard! How dare you keep screwing with me!” he yelled angrily as he again lunged forward, his blood-soaked claws aiming at his older brother.
Sesshoumaru’s expression was almost bored as he evaded the attack with a single side-step.
“Where are you aiming at?” he asked, half-amused, half-taunting.
Inuyasha cursed and sprang to another attack. He could not reach his brother, and instead crashed into the bone-littered ground.
“Heh,” Sesshoumaru chuckled. “Your fighting style is as childish as ever.”
Kagome, who had remained in the background, now grew tired of the hanyou’s stubbornness.
“Inuyasha!” she yelled, from her safe place aside the battle between the two brothers. “Just grab the sword!”
“Kagome...” Inuyasha turned to glance at her human companion.
“Sesshoumaru wasn’t able to pull that sword out, right? If you can pull it out easily, it would completely ruin his honour wouldn’t it?”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened in surprise.
Sesshoumaru remained silent, but the corner of his eye twitched at the insolence of the human girl.
Inuyasha turned to stare at the sword. Determination settled on his features.
“I get it…” he said. “It would really piss him off, huh…”
“As if you can do it,” Sesshoumaru scoffed. If a strong, full-blooded demon like him could not take the sword, there was no way a mere hanyou could.
“This is payback!” Inuyasha yelled as he grabbed the hilt of the sword. “Weep in misery, you bastard!”
Sesshoumaru frowned. The barrier that had repelled him, did not rise to refuse Inuyasha’s grip.
Inuyasha roared as he gathered his strength in a powerful yank.
Nothing happened.
“Huh?” Kagome blinked in confusion.
“I… I can’t pull it out!” Inuyasha blurted, baffled at the turn of events.
If Sesshoumaru was not the mighty daiyoukai of the West, he would have snorted.
“This farce is over,” the demon lord declared. “It seems Tetsusaiga was not meant for you after all.”
With inhuman speed, he was by Inuyasha’s side. Sensing his lethal intentions, Inuyasha had no choice but to leap back, away from the sword. However, Sesshoumaru followed him in pursuit. It was time to quit playing around.
“Now, be evaporated by my poison claws,” the demon said, clenching the deathly digits as Inuyasha’s back met with a wall.
“Dokkasou!” Sesshoumaru exclaimed, vivid green poison spilling forth from the tips of his fingers. Most of the deadly dose hit the wall, and the hard bone melted away like snow under the bright spring sun.
Kagome gulped, now really starting to fear for Inuyasha’s life. Sesshoumaru was really aiming for a kill.
Inuyasha managed to jump away from the sizzling wall. He ran with his demonic speed, but Sesshoumaru easily caught up with him.
“You will not get away,” the demon promised.
Kagome could not stay still anymore. She rushed forward, but lost her footing on the floor of bone. Struggling to get back up, she leaned on the sword cast in stone.
She raised her head just as Sesshoumaru held Inuyasha by the front of his haori and slammed the hanyou to the ground, his deathly claws poised ready for another poisonous attack.
“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried desperately. She got to her feet and ran forward in haste – and at that moment, the world stood still.
She noticed how the two brothers had frozen mid action, and were both staring at her in disbelief. Kagome blinked, and realised that somehow, she was now holding the sword in her hand.
The sword she had pulled out.
“Sorry,” she said nervously, trying to explain what just had happened, even if she had no clue herself. “It slipped.”
And then, in a blink of an eye, the deadly demon was suddenly standing right in front of her. Unconsciously, she clutched the old, battered katana closer to her chest, as her widened blue eyes locked with his predatory golden ones, shining with the soft promise of death. Time seemed to suddenly stand still as he reached towards her with his deathly claws. They found her messy black hair with ease and tangled with the glossy locks. He violently yanked her head forward.
Her lips crashed against his, and her eyes instantly fell shut in bliss as his dominating tongue invaded her mouth in a heated display of passion. She couldn’t bite back the moan that escaped from her lips, and she could swear that somewhere in the background, Inuyasha was laughing his ass off.
“Cut!” yelled an exasperated female voice.
Sesshoumaru and Kagome didn’t pay much heed to that as their long kiss continued.
“Enough!” the frustrated director screeched.
The couple finally sprang apart, although reluctantly.
Inuyasha was still snickering in the background.
“Seriously!” Director Takahashi had stood up and was now angrily stomping her foot. “What is wrong with the two of you today? This is already the 9th take!”
“I’m sorry, director. But ‘Kagome’ is simply too hard to resist,” the tall man said smoothly, his eyes still glued to the blue-eyed vixen.
The actress giggled and playfully slapped his arm.
“Oh shush, you,” she replied, while grinning like an idiot.
Director Takahashi heaved a heavy sigh.
“You two are professionals. I trust you to leave your personal business the hell out of my set! One more time from the beginning, please. And for god’s sake, stick to the script this time, will you?! ‘Sesshoumaru’ is going to try to kill ‘Kagome’, not instigate a make-out session!“
Takahashi rubbed her temples, feeling he dull and persistent headache starting to flare up. On days like this, she was dubious they would ever finish shooting this TV-drama, let alone ever get it on air.
“Places! Aaaand… Action!”
.
.
.
Fifteen minutes later, director Takahashi muttered a dark curse and felt a very strong urge to scream.
“Cut!” she yelled, when she recognised the tell-tale look in the tall actor’s eyes, signalling that he was once again preparing to make a move on her female lead.
“Enough. The both of you fit your roles perfectly, and I would be really sad and disappointed if I had to fire your asses, but don’t think I won’t if you two keep this up! The two of you are not the main couple of this show!”
‘Sesshoumaru’ glanced at ‘Kagome’ from the corner of his eye. Perhaps they should stop fooling around. After all, he would be taking her out for a dinner anyway, after they finished their shooting today. And he was planning to have her as the dessert.
Smirk lingering on his lips, he took his place as they prepared for the re-take of the scene.
The End (?)
Chie: I've had the idea for a while, but I always thought it would be too impractical to write out. But I though it'd work as a one-shot... and I think it does. However, now the plunnie is rooted in my brain and refuses to budge. So I guess I have to succumb to it and let it have its way. Stay tuned for Dramatic!