InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Imperceptible ❯ Reflex ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this short ficlet… especially for the one who gets a second chance. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

 

A Debt of Gratitude: Many thanks to Fenikkusuken, who kindly endures brainstorming sessions with the ever-enthusiastic Scamp, patiently tidies up the little punctuational malfunctions Mr. Tentacular leaves in his wake, and gamely defends her choice in color palettes with Kita-kun over mochas.

 

This oneshot was originally posted to Live Journal on July 13, 2007.

 

oOo

 

Reflex

 

Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed slightly as they entered the quiet meadow. Rin, oblivious to all but the glories of a summer day, chattered in delight and chased a butterfly towards a nearby patch of wildflowers, but the taiyoukai kept his eyes trained on Kagome as she stepped lightly along a well-trod path towards a low, manmade structure. When the miko had agreed to show him how she traveled through time, he had not expected to be taken to such a familiar setting. He gazed about in mild surprise. I know this place. They were within his own territories, and he had passed through this very glade on more than one occasion. Noting the presence of Goshinboku, where it towered above the surrounding trees, he turning his attention back to what was obviously their destination. The unassuming wooden frame was already old, weathered by the centuries and overrun with clinging vines. This is not what I was anticipating. Why did the extraordinary so often insist upon an ordinary setting? The well certainly didn't look important. Sesshoumaru quickly dismissed that thought as erroneous—something did not have to look important to be important. Still, the taiyoukai was struck by the incongruity. How ironic that something so commonplace can do the impossible, bridging a gulf of centuries.

 

Kagome reached the Bone Eater's Well and turned towards Sesshoumaru with a smile. Inuyasha, who had hovered protectively at the miko's elbow throughout the short walk up from the village, leaned against the rough timber and crossed his arms over his chest. Brushing one hand lightly across the sun-warmed wood, Kagome gave the lip of the well a welcoming pat. “This is it,” she announced, eyes bright with anticipation.

 

The taiyoukai wondered with a fleeting curiosity if the miko was eager about the promised demonstration or if she was just looking forward to going home. Sesshoumaru slowly circled the structure, looking for any hint of the well's hidden abilities. He thought there might be a quiet kind of hum flitting on the edges of his senses, but there was really nothing about the place that would have drawn his attention. Indeed, he had passed this very spot during past patrols. He even remembered peering into its dark depths a time or two when he was little more than a pup—much as Rin was doing now.

 

“Oi, watch it, kid,” warned Inuyasha gruffly. “You'll fall in if you keep that up.” The hanyou hooked a finger into the collar of the girl's kosode, narrowly preventing her from upending as she teetered on the verge, trying to get a better look.

 

Unconcerned by the risk she'd just run, Rin turned wide brown eyes onto Kagome. “Kagome-chan lives in a well?”

 

The miko laughed softly. “Not exactly, Rin-chan. The Well is just the way home.”

 

“Oh!” Rin nodded, accepting the explanation matter-of-factly. “Is it far?”

 

“Yes, very far,” acknowledged Kagome.

 

“Can Rin go too?” asked the girl hopefully.

 

“No, Rin-chan. I'm sorry, but Inuyasha and I are the only ones who can go through this way.”

 

“Oh. Okay then,” the child sighed. “You're lucky, Inuyasha-sama,” she added, with an admiring look at the hanyou.

 

Inuyasha blinked, glancing quickly at Kagome before mumbling, “Guess so, squirt.”

 

Sesshoumaru chose that moment to leap up onto the Well's rim. Towering over his surprised companions, he stared impassively downwards. As he shifted his balance slightly, the wood creaked and groaned under his weight. Inuyasha frowned, eyeing the ancient timbers protectively, but Kagome stared up at the taiyoukai in confusion. “Sesshoumaru-sama, I really don't think you'll be able to get through,” she ventured apologetically. “The Well has never opened for anyone else before.”

 

The taiyoukai acknowledged her comment with a quick glance, then stepped off the edge, disappearing into the darkness with a trailing flutter of silver hair. She heard his boots strike the soil at the bottom and squinted into the gloom. “Are you okay?” she called uncertainly.

 

Inuyasha snorted softly. “Kagome, he's youkai.”

 

The young woman frowned slightly, then shook her head with a smile. “Right. What was I thinking? Silly me.” Kagome gave Rin a quick wink. “I just wanted to make sure Sesshoumaru-sama was still there,” she amended, then raised her voice slightly. “Are you still with us, Sesshoumaru-sama?” Inuyasha rolled his eyes expressively, but Rin giggled in delight.

 

At the base of the well, Sesshoumaru carefully scrutinized his surroundings, ignoring the commentary from above as he explored the floor and sides of the well-shaft. It was obvious that the miko had been here before, as had his half-brother. The marks of several footprints marred the uneven surface of the ground, and the tangle of vines on the northern face of the shaft had obviously been used more than once as a means of egress. The tremor of strangeness that had danced just out of reach while he stood on the surface was more pronounced here. The faintest remnant of power lingered around him, and he closed his eyes, trying to capture its essence, define its tambour, and memorize its effect on his senses. In his effort to focus, Sesshoumaru fought to tune out the distracting voices that drifted down. Does no one understand the value of silence?

 

oOo

 

“He's right there.” Inuyasha gestured vaguely as he slouched against the Well's rim, chin propped on one hand in an attitude of boredom.

 

“Well, I can't see him,” rejoined the miko doubtfully.

 

“Neither can Rin,” piped up the girl from her place, close beside Kagome.

 

The hanyou pointed towards his golden eyes significantly. “Then just take my word for it, cuz I can see him fine.”

 

“What's he doing down there?” Kagome wanted to know as one minute turned into another.

 

“I dunno,” shrugged the hanyou nonchalantly.

 

“I thought you said you could see him,” Kagome retorted, hands migrating to hips.

 

“I can see him,” Inuyasha sighed. “He's just looking around.”

 

“But why?”

 

“It's what he came for, Kagome,” the hanyou said as he tapped a claw against the sturdy wood. “Is it any surprise that he'd be thorough about it?

 

“Well, you've got a point there,” admitted the young woman. Suddenly, her whole face lit up. “I have a great idea,” she announced, eyes dancing. “He wanted to see the time portal in action, right? So let's show him what it can do.”

 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at Kagome as she hopped up onto the lip of the well and swung her legs over so they dangled inside the well's housing. “I dunno. You might piss him off, Kagome,” he warned in a low voice, then grinned. “The look on his face would be worth it though.”

 

Kagome smothered a smile, then turned to Rin. “I'll be right back, Rin-chan, so wait for me?”

 

“Rin will wait!”

 

“I'll bring you something nice, okay?”

 

The girl's eyes glowed eagerly. “Yes, Kagome-chan!”

 

With a mischievous twinkle in her grey eyes, the young woman leaned in close to Rin and whispered conspiratorially, “Watch this!”

 

oOo

 

Sesshoumaru felt his hackles rise as the air began to shift and change. Daylight was blocked, and the taiyoukai's eyes snapped upwards only to widen in complete shock as he registered the fact that the miko was falling towards him. Of all the foolish… Suddenly, power roared into existence. The hum that had previously been so weak as to be indefinable swelled up and hit Sesshoumaru with its full force. The intensity rocked the taiyoukai back on his heels, and he resisted the urge to wince as the portal's energy buffeted his body and soul. The four walls that enclosed the narrow space at the bottom of the Bone Eater's Well faded as the space seemed to expand and lengthen. The charged air filled with wavering bands of blue light that sparked and shimmered as they reached up to meet the plummeting young woman.

 

Despite the unsettling enormity of the transformation that was occurring around him, Sesshoumaru's only concern was for the miko. In such close quarters, he could not avoid her. The little idiot will impale herself on my armor. The taiyoukai reacted without thinking, shifting his body and raising his arm to catch the heedless female before she did herself harm. For less than a moment, their eyes met, and then Kagome disappeared, fading with the light and leaving him alone in the sudden stillness.

 

Slowly, Sesshoumaru lowered his outstretched hand and tried to calm his erratic heartbeat. She did it again, he thought with chagrin. Why did this seemingly ordinary human female have to keep surprising him with her extraordinary behavior? She'd seen him, he realized belatedly. The miko had seen and understood that he was prepared to break her fall, and he had read her reaction before the time slip had whisked her away. She… smiled.

 

oOo

 

End Note: This oneshot was written for the Live Journal community ebony(underscore)silks' challenge for Week 10—Falling Theme. 1,464 words.