Across the Divide by Drosselmeyer
Across the Divide
The sun has just set over the horizon when she senses him.
“Sesshoumaru.”
There’s no response, but even without looking Kagome knows he’s there. The knowledge is involuntary, unconscious. His aura is too strong and too deeply embedded in the forests to go unnoticed unless he pulls it in. And as of late, he never bothers.
Kagome shivers. Automatically, the pink, bubbling vitality of her own shimmers just underneath the surface of her skin. Though she knows he means her no harm, the intrusive presence of his power will always trigger the basest part of her that insists she fight.
It’s an unfortunate consequence of her heritage.
Closing her eyes, her brows knit as he sits next to her, her fingers opening and closing against her palm in an attempt to focus the spark of her reiryoku and push it back down. Slowly, excruciatingly, the disruptive wisps of energy fade to a simple whisper of touch and settle within. Kagome sighs, grateful when the overwhelming tension holding her in its grasp releases her shoulders.
“You are improving,” he says quietly.
A smile flits across her mouth, and she opens her eyes, turning to look at him. “But not quickly enough.”
It’s never quickly enough.
His eyes, a hushed, soft gold in the darkness, find hers. And she can see it there in the depths of his gaze—the wanting, raw desire that strips away everything about him that’s hard and cold. But they’re natural enemies. They are counterparts. And nature doesn’t want them to touch.
“I hate this,” she whispers, her fingers beginning to tingle again.
“Hn.”
His hand settles on her shoulder.
Her eyes widen, dread suddenly sinking into her stomach. “Sesshoumaru, no.” Shaking her head, she panics as the threatening static of her power flickers between them. “No.”
He doesn’t listen.
The night sounds of the forest disappear under the raging rush in her veins, and her heart pounds against her ribs. She wants to run. Wants to hide away and protect him from what she can’t control. But as he pulls her closer, the warmth of his body a needed comfort in the midst of her fear, something else—something stronger—weakens her resolve.
Anticipation.
Kagome licks dry lips. “Sesshoumaru—"
“Shh.” His voice, like smooth silk, soothes her frayed nerves as he tips her chin. “It will be alright.”
And when he kisses her, it is.
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A/N: This ficlet is dedicated to LadyoftheLemons. The prompt for the fic came from Chie’s list of challenges on Tumblr. Prompt: "It’ll be alright.” Thank you for reading.