InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tanabata ❯ Tanabata ( One-Shot )

A little one shot I came up with for a contest, it's another Sesshoumaru and Kagome pairing, if you don't like it, please don't flame, just don't even read it.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful characters of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takashi has ownership of them and I credit her for such a wonderful story to build off of. And I don't own Dance Dance Revolution, I just love playing it.

 

July 7th, Kagome studied the calendar with a frown. Was it really so close to her birthday already, she wondered as her blue-grey eyes flickered over to the much abused pink metal alarm clock that had served her so well these past three or so years during her double life as a school girl and as the protector of an ancient and cursed item called the Shikon no Tama. Unfortunately, the young woman thought with a frown as she stared at the completed sphere of the said item, they still hadn't found a way to purify the stupid thing.

 

`If I didn't know better, I'd think that this thing doesn't want to be purified.'

 

She stretched out on her bed, gone was the girlie girl pink that had almost become her trademark in her room, replacing it was a theme of pale lavender, navy blue, gold and a deep emerald green. Her curtains were nearly transparent and blew slightly in the breeze; she had thought of a color for each of her friends and had decorated her room accordingly, just so that she could feel close to them, even in her era. Lavender reminded her of Sango, elegant and brilliant, though subtle, like Sango's emotions were when it came to the person who she had chosen navy for; Miroku. His usually somber expression, well, she thought with a slight grin, make that his former expression, had matched the color well and she had chosen it.

 

Now, she'd have to find another shade of blue to match his much happier life with Sango and their year old daughter Yuri. Emerald green reminded her of the now not so little kitsune child she and Inuyasha had taken care of nearly since the beginning. Shippou, now beginning to take an interest in the young ladies, had put on a sudden growth and maturity spurt. Green was the color of his eyes and, she thought with a laugh of affection, the vibrant color and energy of his aura. Finally, the gold she had tastefully and sparsely placed around her room in the form of lamps and a bit from the stars, moons and suns on her navy colored bedspread. Inuyasha was the obvious person that, had anyone known her, would have thought.

 

`It's true though, gold does suit him, that's his aura and energy. But…'

 

It wasn't the actual reason she had chosen it, though, Inuyasha was a definite sharer of the color. She had chosen gold because it had reminded her of a certain youkai's eyes, more specifically, Sesshoumaru's eyes. Kagome's eyes drifted to the window as she made her way over, swinging her legs out before she grasped the roof above her and carefully pulled herself out of her room. For a precarious moment, it looked like she would drop to the ground below and surely either severely wound herself or even kill herself from the impact. But, Kagome had done this quite often before and was a seasoned pro at getting herself up on to the roof. Her hands found the certain spot she and Inuyasha had “modified” so that she could climb up easier and pulled up. Eventually, after one closer than comfortable call, she was up and sitting on the roof, a blanket was already spread out over the roof, ready for her to lie down on. Tonight was a festival, both in Sengoku Jidai and in her era. Tanabata, the legendary sad story of the weaver princess and her lover separated for all of time by her father on opposite sides of the Milky Way, except for one night where they could see and be together again. A bitter smile crossed her face as she stared up at the darkening sky; the brilliant crimson of the sunset gave her the future warning of an omen of change.

 

`The weaver princess and I have a lot in common. Both of us are separated by an unbreakable boundary.'

 

The old well had been acting up as of late, she thought to herself as she heard her family moving busily about below, getting ready for the festival no doubt. Houjou had come by earlier to ask her if she would go with him but, she had noticed Yuka's depressed demeanor and had done some fancy verbal footwork with Houjou until he agreed to take Yuka out in her place. They had actually both looked happier as they had left about an hour and a half before, followed by Ayumi and Eri. As for herself, she was already fully dressed and everything, all she had to do now was wait. The yukata was a beautiful one, a deep turquoise that set off her blue-grey eyes wonderfully with a light lavender obi and crimson ties. Her eyes scanned the heavens above, so far it was clear as crystal, the stars just starting to come out of their hiding place and bless the land below with their diamond like twinkling.

 

`I wonder if he ever even thinks about me. I mean, we've interacted more than a few times, some I've been the only one to talk to him.'

 

She could picture him at that moment, the ever stoic expression over his face like a mask to hide the ice covered heart beneath his cold exterior, the black armor and the white and crimson haori and hakama that was wrapped around his form. The Tenseiga would be in its sheath, as usual, and Jaken would be following him around like, well, a dog, if one could excuse the pun, she thought with a grin, complaining about the little human girl who also tagged along. Kagome sighed to herself sitting up as she raised her eyes to the darkening sky, a shooting star crossed her vision, her hands coming up together in a praying position, eyes closed as she wished for an opportunity to see him, on her territory, where he'd be the one at a disadvantage.

 

`Great, that's what I get for hanging around Inuyasha so much, I start acting like I'm the top dog around people, even in my thoughts.'

 

Still, she thought, somewhat melancholy as she heard her mother calling for her below, it would be nice, if only for one night, if they could meet, not as enemies or allies, but as two people. Kagome swung herself back into her room, Souta yelping in surprise and clutching his heart, having fallen on to his hands and rear as a reaction to the suddenly appearing form of his sister.

 

“Nee-chan, don't do that! You're gonna give me a heart attack for cryin out loud!”

 

Kagome's mother only smiled affectionately at her tomboyish daughter and with a mother's eye, appraised her daughter's appearance. As usual, the yukata did well to flatter her oldest child's beauty, then again, she was proud of both her children and told them so often. Still, she thought to herself, walking over to her daughter and looking at her again. Something wasn't quite right about Kagome's festive look…ah, there it was, she thought with a smile as she took the pins out of Kagome's hair, letting the long ebony tresses fall down to the small of her back and settle the way it wanted to.

 

“There now, that compliments you much better dear. Let's go before your grandfather becomes impatient.”

 

She smiled at her mother and teased Souta, who had dressed up especially nicely for his little “girlfriend” she and Inuyasha had helped him hook up with so long ago. Despite the amount of people, she was actually starting to have a good time, watching all the children try and catch goldfish with the thin rice paper covered paddle and eat the specially prepared treats. Although, she couldn't help but notice all the couples, specifically, the couples her age walking around, laughing and generally enjoying each others company. For a moment, she yearned for someone to love like that, despite the fact that she knew Inuyasha would never be more than just a very close friend, and it was sad too, he finally told her that despite the way he wanted it to go, he knew that the two of them would be nothing more than friends.

 

`Unrequited on both sides, who'd have thought of that irony? At least Kikyou won't try and kill him anymore…'

 

The wandering miko had released Inuyasha from his promise to descend to hell with her after seeing how much he was needed. Sango had commented on the miko's decision, which had been decided after Kikyou had watched Shippou begin to panic and cry when Inuyasha started to walk towards the miko to fulfill his promise. She had informed Inuyasha that the time was not yet right for him to leave with her before leaving all of them rather confused at her sudden change of mind.

 

`At least he can live peacefully now.'

 

Kagome thought smiling as she noticed one of the popular dancing simulator games that were actually a great workout. Eri, Yuka, Houjou and Ayumi were all playing against each other on two machines. For a moment, she felt a slight pang of envy that they were able to live such normal carefree lives, void of any paranormal encounters but, she shrugged it off, it was something her destiny seemed to revolve around. Accepting it with open arms was better than trying to run away from it was her opinion, though, there were times she'd like to run from it. Shaking her head and smiling, Kagome turned to go investigate some of the other activities going on when she froze at the sight of the one person whose voice had made her shiver when she even thought about him. A ghost of a whisper escaped her lips, his name into the wind as she stood there, at once lost in the crowd and swallowed up by it at the same time.

 

“S-Sesshoumaru?”

 

Elsewhere…

 

He didn't quite believe his eyes, or any of his superior senses to be correct, as he analyzed the surroundings he had found himself in. The air was filthy, revolting and even nauseating his stomach, a feat that had yet to be accomplished before that moment. Only a second before he had been watching Rin chase fireflies in the dark twilight, the next, he was in this unfamiliar land that reeked of human lives and toxins that he had never known before that very moment. A silent figure slipped in and out among the rare trees that surrounded the Higurashi Shrine as he moved closer to the sounds of laughing human below. Some kind of celebration was going on, he noticed by the way the men, women, and children were formally attired in their best.

 

A familiar scent reached his nose as he lifted his head, eyes scanning for the origin and found it in a crowd of people. That woman, the one who traveled for the longest time with his halfing disgrace of a brother, was watching him, more than likely frozen in place from his arrival. From the beginning he had known her to be nothing more than a simple idiotic human with less brain than aim with her bow. But, after the long three and a half years of traveling to defeat Naraku, she had grown into someone he could, not that he'd admit it, respect.

 

And yet, as time went on, she seemed to emerge at unexpected times in his thoughts, something that had never happened to him before, Kagura, had been the one who had briefly interested him, with her wild personality and desperation to be rid of Naraku, but, she had not plagued him with such mysteries as this girl had done. The odd attire, the way she spoke, the things she knew that surprised even some of the other lords he had spoken with on occasion. Her ability to find Naraku's whereabouts, even in a thick cloud of miasma, had been more than an asset not only to her team, but to the ones who also sought Naraku's demise. Her girl like innocence had matured, replaced by wisdom and a careful guard in her eyes, as if she were measuring up anyone who spoke to her. She had learned the hard way what it meant to take on such an onerous task as to destroy Naraku and reclaim the cursed item as her own.

 

Now, she was more adult that gangly girl-child. Well toned muscles, sharp intelligence in her storm hued eyes, and the long velvet looking raven tresses that fell to the small of her back. Clad in a powder blue and white yukata, she was simply but elegantly dressed among the many flashy kimono and yukata there. A small, nearly invisible line from her right eyebrow, over her eyelid and ending at her cheek bone was her only physical flaw, the lingering reminder that she had fought a difficult battle and retained a battle scar proving it. He smoothly moved from the trees, walking towards her before her stupor faded away and forced her to run from him. His name escaping her lips with that almost frightened expression in her eyes intensified his curiosity.

 

“S-Sesshoumaru?”

 

Of all the places to have a showdown of some kind, it would have to be in the middle of a crowded festival, with people oblivious to the threat and herself unarmed, Kagome thought in disgust as she tensed up, preparing for the worst to come as he finally made his way to her and looked down on her. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she looked up at him, caught her reflection in his eyes and froze, unable to speak. He looked down on her, noticing himself in her eyes and feeling himself trying to find out why she was not speaking. Finally, he broke the silence between them.

 

“You called me here, did you not?”

 

Kagome's face turned a rather becoming shade of pink as she fidgeted with a lock of hair, eyes finding something interesting on the ground as she tried to think of a reasonable explanation for somehow managing to bring Sesshoumaru to her era by doing nothing more than wishing on a simple shooting star. People jostled the two, receiving a rather dirty look from the pair who were being rudely bumped into.

 

`Yeah, that'll sound really convincing. “I kind of wished that you would be here so that I could see you on a shooting star and well, here you are! Funny huh?!” right, he'd believe that as much I do, unless…'

 

She reached into her obi, where she had kept the Shikon no Tama for the moment and scowled at the now innocently purified jewel, the magenta hue replaced by a pale lavender sphere, signaling the purification was completed. Kagome's voice sounded more than just a little sarcastic as she muttered something under her breath.

 

“Of course, instead of the wish working on a shooting star, the Shikon no Tama figures I'm talking to it and grants it. Whoever said this thing doesn't have a mind of its own is going to have to…”

 

Kagome looked up, realizing what she had said, aloud no less, and felt her face burn hotter than before. Great, she thought, now he'd more than likely call her an idiotic human or some stupid insult like that. Not that she didn't deserve to be called that right about now, but still, it was one thing to call yourself that and another completely to have someone else say it to your face. Cheeks aflame, Kagome took a deep breath and tried to look apologetic, and found that Sesshoumaru had his attention elsewhere, namely, the double dance off between her friends on the machine. To her surprise and not so little amusement, the taiyoukai had a rather curious light underneath the mask. His voice startled her as he titled his head slightly, trying to figure out the meaning of what the girls and one boy were doing.

 

“What purpose does that thing serve?”

 

She blinked, an idea surfacing in her mind but, how as to implement it was something else altogether. To her, it seemed like he wanted to try it, or, at least, wanted to figure out how it worked. Kagome suddenly realized something and frowned, looking back at Sesshoumaru before she finally spoke to him.

 

`Wait, Inuyasha kind of flipped out with all the sounds and smells, and he's a hanyou…wouldn't it be worse for Sesshoumaru?'

 

“Why isn't all the noise bothering you? I mean, Inuyasha's so sensitive to it that it's kind of surprising that you're not taking it worse than he does…”

 

To Kagome's surprise, a corner of his mouth twitched upwards, nearly giving her a heart attack as a low chuckle came from his mouth before he answered her, eyes still intent on the dance machines.

 

“A half breed does not have control over his senses, as a full youkai, my control is absolute and thus, I can tone them down to even a mere human's level if I so desire it.”

 

“Oh...”

 

Kagome said faintly, feeling a flush of embarrassment course through her veins, making her face turn an even darker pink than it had been. Mentally she was kicking herself for not realizing something like that. And, to her unfortunate luck, Eri had spotted the two of them and was making her way towards them, a rather evil glint in her eyes as she gave Sesshoumaru the once over before reaching Kagome.

 

“You little sneak! No wonder you wanted Houjou-kun to go with Yuka-chan to the festival, you were holding out on us! Well, introduce us, this isn't that hot tempered two timer you told us about, this guy's way too mature looking for that. So, spill it Kagome, who is this guy?”

 

With each words Eri said to her, Kagome could feel the urge to either kill her friend and throw her body off the nearest bridge or try and see if the Shikon would grant her one last wish and have the ground swallow her up rising. Her face burned, more than likely a red to rival Inuyasha's haori and hakama, as Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow at her and her friend.

 

`So not the way I wanted this night to go!'

 

“Eri-chan, this is Sesshoumaru, he's, Inuyasha's older brother.”

 

“His brother?! Ouch Kagome, what a way to get revenge on Inuyasha, go out behind his back and date his brother. Kagome-chan? Your face is really red, what would you call it?”

 

Eri asked, curious about the way her friend's face continued to deepen in its scarlet color. She was more than oblivious to the fact that Kagome was dying from humiliation inside. Sesshoumaru allowed himself to be entertained and spoke, startling both the girls with a statement, the girls were surprised for different reasons.

 

“Miko in Mortification. I believe that is the particular shade you are witnessing now.”

 

Eri giggled, she liked the sound of his voice, cool, sophisticated and down right sexy if she was to be forced to admit it. This guy looked like danger but, he seemed like the type to keep his cool, no matter what. She laughed and brushed her hair away from her face, looking at the astounded face of Kagome before shrugging and giggling some more.

 

`Lucky Kagome, this guy's a keeper.'

 

“Well, I won't keep you two from your date so, I'll catch you later Kagome-chan, and you're going to tell us everything that happens tonight later! Oh, and make sure you two go at it on the Dance Dance Revolution machines, it's fun and we need someone to beat Houjou and Yuka, they're impossible to beat!”

 

“I am going to murder her when this is over with.”

 

Kagome muttered under her breath as she hid her face in her hands. She should have known her best friend would find her, with Sesshoumaru no less, and make some kind of big deal out of it when it was nothing more than a total fluke. She glared at the man beside her, blinking for a moment as she swore he had been dressed like one of the men from her era before the armor and the large fluffy…whatever it was, appeared back in her vision.

 

`What was that?'

 

“`Miko in Mortification'?!”

 

Again with that obnoxious twitch of his lips, apparently her embarrassment amused him, not that it would surprise her or anything, and it would justify a lot of things about he and Inuyasha's obnoxious personalities actually. His attention had finally been torn away from the DDR contest and now roamed around several of the booths, some of which were food and others games to be played with odd prizes. He seemed more than a little distracted as he replied, eyes drawn back to the dance contest as a yell of disappointment could be heard after a couple stepped off, defeated, from the “floor”, Yuka and Houjou looked pleased with themselves.

 

“You seemed at a loss for words, so I answered in your stead.”

 

Kagome restrained the sudden urge to attempt to throttle Sesshoumaru, knowing it'd result very badly and probably wouldn't do anything in terms of getting on a more friendly basis with him. Her eyes moved from Sesshoumaru to the DDR machines and back again, a thought in her mind being brushed aside before it finally just annoyed her enough to just blurt the question out.

 

`Why's he so interested in the Dance Dance Revolution contest?'

 

“Do you want to actually try it out instead of just looking at it?”

 

Surprise flickered briefly over Sesshoumaru's eyes as he looked down at the young woman watching him, in the light of the festival, she looked more mature than she did in the day. She had asked him if he wanted to try something instead of challenging him or daring him to do so, like other youkai women and even humans had in his homeland. Then again, the girl had an advantage that he did not, she was familiar with the terrain and possibly this form of strange combat. Although, the prospect of defeating their opponents was rather appealing, how could he lose against two humans?

 

Yuka laughed and raised a questioning eyebrow, as did Houjou when Kagome stepped up to the platform, a rather serious Sesshoumaru beside her as she told him quickly about the rules and what he had to do. She smiled, though curious and more than a little irritated at her friend's casual manner of bringing another man as her date.

 

“You're gonna have to give it up Kagome, there's no way you'll beat Houjou and I with a new player like that.”

 

Kagome only flashed her best smile at the two of them, something told her that this would be a night to remember, and she'd be damned if she didn't make the most of it.

 

“We'll just see about that. Alright, let's start the dance off!”

 

Sesshoumaru had listened to the girl, watching the “screen” and following her steps as she moved, faster than he had ever thought or seen her move to match the correct arrows on the platform to get some kind of “score”. At first he had done poorly, at least, in his eyes, he thought the “steps” too slow for his advantage in speed. Kagome had stopped after the “round” had ended, declaring that their warm up was over. He found himself actually needing to focus on the flashing arrows instead of being bored with the lack of challenge.

 

Several times people stopped, an entire crowd swarming over and surrounding the two couples as the competition continued to increase, the music becoming faster, the strain even harder, and the steps even more complicated to do correctly, much less at all. Sesshoumaru caught Kagome's movements out of the corner of his eye; he had not seen the girl concentrate so hard since the last battle, where her arrow had merged with that of the miko of the dead's to bring down Naraku. She looked over at him as Yuka chose the next song, wiping off the sweat with her sleeve as she smiled in amusement.

 

“We're whipping their butts, just a few more rounds, and then we'll be able to proclaim ourselves the victors of this little competition. Now, just keep your eyes on the arrows and nothing will go wrong.”

 

Two hours later…

 

“Are you sure you're alright? I mean, that looked really painful.”

 

Kagome asked as she stopped to rest, the two of them away from the crowd of people and deep into the thick half forest around her shrine. There had been a small lake, or, pond really, she thought to herself as she walked over to get some water. Sesshoumaru stopped his own walking to sit down on the tall flat topped boulder. A few yards away from the dimly lit area, the moonlight streaming from the trees to hit the water and ground around them the only light besides the fireflies that seemed to hover about. His hand was a little tender from where he had struck the flashing screen in front of his eyes, thinking that it had been attempting to attack himself and the young woman beside him and receiving a sunburn like wound.

 

“A pitiful injury such as this is nothing. You needn't bother.”

 

He told her as he watched her brow furrow in concentration before a ripping sound interrupted the silence of the area. She had torn off two long strips of her yukata and soaked them in the water before caring them over in her hands, an apologetic expression in her eyes as she sat on the niche on a smaller boulder and took his injured hand carefully, expecting him to resist and looking surprised when he didn't. Kagome carefully wrapped the burned area, checking for any signs of glass or melted plastic shards before wrapping it and tying it gently, so that the wound wouldn't be chafed against if he had to use his hand. Her eyes landed in her lap as she tried to think of something to say.

 

`I know it'll be healed probably within an hour or something like that but, I didn't want to just let it sit there without trying to make it feel better first.'

 

“I know I didn't have to but, I wanted to. It was my fault that you were hurt after all.”

 

Kagome laughed slightly, her cheeks darkening as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes shining softly in the moonlight as she looked up at him, a gentle smile on her face as she spoke again.

 

“You know, I probably shouldn't have wished that you would come here and spend the festival with me, if I hadn't…you wouldn't have attacked that machine and gotten hurt.”

 

Sesshoumaru watched her expression change as she looked up at the moon above them, a more selfless and foolish woman he had never seen in his long lifetime and yet, something about her just seemed to soothe the wildness inside him, and Inuyasha as well, he thought to himself recalling how the hanyou usually backed down, still bristling as the girl interfered so many times in their conversations. Up to this point, he had not done anything that had no use or importance in more years than he cared to recall, the last being a child in happier days before his mother had passed on. That odd game that he had eventually destroyed after Kagome had screeched when it startled her by flashing, there had been no point to it what so ever and yet, he had been startled to find that he was enjoying himself, not having to watch his back or anything of that matter for once.

 

“…perhaps so, it was….interesting, to say the least.”

 

She looked surprised as he rose from his sitting position and turned to look at her. The moonlight only seemed to be accentuating his presence, making him more of a mythical figure than she knew he already was in her era. Kagome felt herself compelled to rise as well, walking over to where he stood, curious as to what he wanted or why he was looking at her that way.

 

`Interesting? He, actually enjoyed being here?'

 

“I'll try and find a way for you to go back if you're ready to.”

 

“..once more.”

 

Kagome looked confused as Sesshoumaru turned, facing her as they stood about a sword's length apart from each other. There was an odd look in his eyes as he seemed to wait for her to do something. Her eyes happened to fall to where he was standing and noticed the position his feet were in, surprise filling her eyes even as a burst of excitement and glee filled her with energy.

 

`He wants to go another round, only against me this time.'

 

“Okay then, you're on. Try and keep up with me!”

 

It seemed like there was no one else except for the two of them that night, both of them trying to watch the other and repeat it in a combination of a dancing revolution contest and a “follow the leader” game. The sounds of laugher from Kagome rose into the night, everything seeming to be a brighter, happier place, if only for a temporary amount of time. Kagome seemed to lose herself in matching her steps with Sesshoumaru's own, at least, until a new idea sprung into her mind. Since they seemed to be getting along pretty well, why not introduce him to the game of tag? She reached out and touched the breastplate of his armor before whirling around and dashing off deeper into the small forest, laughing.

 

“You're it!”

 

Sesshoumaru frowned to himself, he was `it'? What was that supposed to imply, he wondered as she peeked out at him from behind one of the trees, a look of puzzlement morphing into one of understanding and embarrassment as she walked back out, face flushed from their previous activity as she fidgeted in place for a moment before tentatively explaining.

 

“Sorry, I kind of forgot you don't know this game. Tag's really simple actually. One person is `it' and has to chase after everyone else until they touch that person, then whoever is `tagged' becomes the new person who is `it'. The game doesn't really end until the people want to stop.”

 

Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow at her explanation, were all humans as odd as this one or, was she an exception even amongst her own people? Such worthless play was what made the girl soft and weak, and yet, at the same time, it gave her a gentle light that invited others to share in her energy and allow themselves to relax when any other time they would be unable to. The moon continued to rise, the two of them ceasing the attempts to play any kind of physical sport in favor of just talking to each other.

 

She was currently lying on her back, staring up at the star dappled sky and at the full moon that illuminated the grounds around them. He was sitting beside her, though not close by, allowing himself to be closer than he normally would but, at the same time, giving a respectful enough distance so that he could continue to watch her without her feeling too strange. After a long moment of silence after a rather heated debate over how to judge someone's worth, Sesshoumaru found himself asking the young woman a question he had been unable to find the answer to himself.

 

“Why did you desire my presence this night?”

 

Kagome's face again pinkened, much to his amusement, she seemed to change her facial coloring when something embarrassed or angered her, before answering, and being careful to keep her eyes on the star studded sky above her. For a moment, she did wonder why her wish had been granted, why she wished to see him that night, of any others she had thought of him.

 

`Figures it wouldn't be an easy question to answer.'

 

“Good question actually. I think though, I want to tell you a story, if that's alright, then, if you still want to know, I'll tell you.”

 

When the silence remained, Kagome took it as a sign to start the story, a deep breath blowing from her lips as she began to recite the tale she had learned as a little girl and had cherished for such a long time.

 

“A long time ago, there was a young princess, the daughter of the Lord of the Heavens, as each day, because she enjoyed the task so much, she weaved cloth. Faithfully, never slacking or anything like that, just always continuing to do her best to please her father by doing her duty as a weaver. Before long, her people called her the `Weaver Princess'. So pleased was her father by her dedication to her duty, he invited a young man, a shepard of the stars if you can imagine, to come and see his daughter.”

 

A soft smile came on to her face as her eyes shone, like most girls, she enjoyed a good tale of romance as much as the next, although, she wanted more happy endings than she did tragic ones, due to her own experiences.

 

“Well, it was love at first sight, the moment the two saw each other, it was meant to be. After getting the father's permission, the shepard courted the weaver princess, eventually leading up to the two's wedding day. Happy, in love, and feeling freer than ever before, the two neglected their work and did nothing but play together, reveling in each other's company. Seeing as the two neglected their duties, the Lord of the Heavens became furious, disappointed that the two were so utterly distracted by each other that he separated them, creating a sea of stars to divide the two from each other.”

 

Kagome frowned, eyes darkening as she reached the least favorite part of the story she was telling, she had thought it unfair, even as a child that the Lord had split the two apart.

 

“After seeing how each of them seemed to have lost a part of themselves, the Lord relented, allowing them to meet once a year, if the sky was clear, then the sea would retreat enough for the two of them to be together once more for the remainder of that night. But, if the sky was clouded and stormy, the sea of stars would be too rough and wild for them to see each other, making them wait another long year before they could hope that the skies would clear on the one day that they could see each other.”

 

Her eyes darkened again as a sad smile touched her lips, she could relate so much with the story that it was almost frightening. She was divided by a barrier of not only time but, race as well. Knowing Sesshoumaru's intense dislike of most humans left her with very little hope, she had been contented to just watch him when ever they happened to have a chance encounter. And yet, she wished that she could even have just one day, one full twenty four hours to have him to herself for a little while, to try and prove to him that not all humans were like he thought they were.

 

`I remember as a little girl, it seems so long ago, when my mother finished the story, I was crying and I wasn't crying because I was sad for the two of them, I was crying because I was mad at the princess' father for daring to be so cruel and split them apart.'

 

“An interesting tale, does it somehow relate to the reason I am here?”

 

Sesshoumaru asked, contemplating a story his own mother had told him once, one very similar to the one Kagome had just enlightened him with. Something about a lord's daughter and a peasant's son wishing to be mated and being torn apart because of their foolishness and laziness, it truly sounded identical to the tale he had just heard. His eyes narrowed slightly as the young woman sat up, hair falling into her eyes and hiding her expression from him as she answered him, so softly that he had to slightly strain his ears to catch what she had said.

 

“It's the very reason you're here. Because the Lord, or in this case, the Shikon no Tama, `saw' my heart, it granted my wish, to bring you here. For how long, I don't know, probably only one night. Inuyasha'll be mad that I wasted the wish on something so trivial.”

 

Rin had lately commented on the frequency of seeing his halfling brother and the party he traveled with, going so far as to say that she thought that maybe the miko liked him. Of course, he had brushed it aside as mere foolishness, but, as he thought back, there had always been a time where he had caught the woman watching him with a wistful and often melancholy expression before she seemed to feel his eyes on her and turned away to yell at Inuyasha for some reason or another. So, the woman had finally allowed herself to confess her feelings for him, Sesshoumaru thought frowning as he watched the moon slowly rise higher into the sky. His senses informed him that it was nearly midnight, and the odd humming sensation in his very bones seemed to tell him that he had little time left in this strange world. He watched the skies before allowing himself to reply to what she had told him.

 

“Perhaps, your wish was not as pointless as you say.”

 

Kagome looked surprised, looking over her shoulder at the moonlit face of the one she knew she loved and yet, figured she would never have. She had almost begun to cry, unable to take the silence and the thought of him probably laughing at her stupidity, knowing he'd more than likely use it against her as a weapon to wound Inuyasha. Tears still shimmered in her eyes even as a soft and swift movement dashed away the one that had fallen down her cheek.

 

`What did he just say?'

 

“Wh-what?”

 

He seemed to have an almost intense concentration on the glowing sphere above them, amber eyes given an almost silvery sheen to them by the moonlight as he remained silent for what seemed like an eternity before speaking again. Moment by moment, Sesshoumaru's already fair skin seemed to pale and become translucent, as if he were fading away from where he sat.

 

“I do not believe that your wish was wasted.”

 

Kagome was unable to speak, watching as he vanished from her sight, only to reappear, nearly fully transparent as the moon reached its highest point in the sky. Her eyes glistened, a beautiful sapphire blue as she looked up into the almost painfully beautiful face of the man she wanted so much but, for his sake and her own, kept away from. She knew he was about to leave her and return to his era but, she knew that she would see him again, though not in her era or alone like they were now. This was a kind of tryst, she guessed at the word randomly, wishing it could work out so that no one would have any hard feelings towards one another.

 

`I really wish he could stay longer but, I should be happy with the time I've had with him.'

 

“Sesshoumaru…I just…”

 

The faintest touch, like a feather against her lips, silenced her from finishing her words as her eyes fluttered in surprise, the face of the taiyoukai so near to her own before she closed them, her hands pressing against a nearly formless chest as she allowed herself to give into her personal desire and kiss him back. Kagome and Sesshoumaru weren't alone; Kagome's mother watched them from a distance away, smiling to herself as she caught the image on camera, the light from the moon bright enough so that she didn't need the flash on.

 

`Well, she should have something to remember this night by.'

 

They stayed that way, until Kagome's hands slipped through his body and she dropped to her knees, one hand moving to softly touch her lips, to try and savor and impress the feelings she had shared with him for one moment into her memories forever, so that she could look back at them and recall it whenever she so desired, Her head tilted up, eyes opening as a tear slid down her cheek, glistening like a pearl caught in the moonlight before it dropped to spot her yukata. Though she cried for a reason known only to herself, she smiled whole heartedly, because her wish had come true, in some form. Sesshoumaru had come to her when she wished him to and, had shown that her feelings were not as one sided as she had so thought.

 

`I had my chance and I chose to take the risk, in fear of getting hurt and getting something positive out of it.'

 

Her words were soft as she spoke, standing up and closing her eyes, willing her voice to be heard through the barrier of time.

 

“Thank you…”

 

As she turned, noticing her mother waiting for her with a knowing smile, the moonlight seemed to grow even brighter and the wind picked up, tussling her raven hair around her face, as if informing her that he had indeed received her message. Kagome reached her mother's awaiting form, allowing her to embrace her and returning the gesture, smiling softly the entire time. Her mother spoke to her as she wrapped a large blanket around their shoulders, her arm around her daughter's as she walked alongside her towards the shrine house.

 

“Kagome, did you get the answers you were searching for?”

 

Kagome stopped as they reached their door, having been silent, lost in her thoughts before she was able to finally reply to her mother honestly. She turned around, looking back to the star sprinkled sky as she smiled again, her mother noticing how mature her baby girl had gotten and understood the girl completely.

 

`I'm glad, even if our time alone was fleeting, that we at least know that we feel the same way, even if we cannot show it.'

 

“I did, in more ways than one as well.”

 

She lingered a little longer in the night, watching as another shooting star shot past her, out of habit, her hands clasped in a praying position and her eyes closed, only, this time, there was a knowing smile on her face.

 

“I wish that someday, somehow, we'll be able to be together, in peace.”

 

With the stars and moon as her guardians, Kagome turned her back to the night and entered her house, intent on taking her usual nightly bath before going to bed, and hopefully dreaming of a certain man who's heart she now knew not to be as closed off and icy as she had expected.

 

This was a very long project for me, and I hope everyone can at least, if not like it a little, think about the story in itself. Kagome and Sesshoumaru knew their feelings, their own hearts and yet, because of this, they knew that their relationship was not able to be at that particular time. A tryst can last for a few minutes, hours, even days or months, it's a place in time where two people can be together and find out if their feelings are genuine.

 

Thank you all for reading this little piece of work,

 

-Hanyou