Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story. All rights are reserved for the respective creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi.
Author's Note: This is an old story of mine that I made way back 2006. And I'm not terribly proud of it. It's also posted on fanfiction.net.
Learning to Breathe
By Rikayu
--
He sighed somewhat frustrated as he leaned back casually against the railing of his balcony, the pouring rain soaking him and his clothes. He closed his eyes briefly and listened to the thunder of the raindrops as they collided into anything solid. In a way, it seemed to calm him, though only a little bit. His hair stuck slightly to his face as it began to weigh down from the rain. The 'former' demon lord, to say the least, was not in a very good mood.
Well, technically, he still was a taiyoukai. However, now that the world had changed, the title served only for what was left demon politics and some ceremonial purposes. He was still the same and still, as always, feared among demons and some humans, who, unlike the rest of the world, knew that he was not a mere legend.
Not much of his appearance itself had changed except that an enchantment hid his markings when needed. His white and red kimono, though was now replaced with modern clothes. But he was still indifferent and cold, secluded, and straight to the point in conversation.
The little girl who constantly was by his side was now gone, taken by time like all other living things. His servant remained in the old palace, which was hidden behind a concealing barrier in a still untouched forest.
But, time does affect a person, though most of the time especially in someone like him, it was barely noticeable. The taiyoukai was becoming weary...
Through the rain, he stared inside his room to the two swords he kept on top of an antique shelf. There was no longer the need for the weapons of the past. Despite some of the new conveniences this changed world offered, it became rather boring.
He closed his eyes again and tilted his head back, trying to seek comfort in the droplets that fell down on him, as if wanting to wash away all the problems in his life at the moment and get a chance just to breathe in a calming second of fresh air. A naïve tactic, but it seemed to work for a moment until everything just poured back in.
"Sesshoumaru..."
He slipped back into reality as he heard his name. He stared forward and into two blue eyes. He cursed himself for he could not move. He should have knew that she would have looked for him and found him eventually.
Her eyes flashed with turmoil of emotions as she tried to regain her breath. She was, like him, soaking wet, but dripping water all over his carpet, her wet footprints trailing all the way back to the door of his condominium. Her hair was a fuss, sticking to the sides of her cheeks as her wet clothes clung hungrily to her body.
Five hundred years, but she was still the same, just as he had remembered, just like she was when she traveled with his impotent half-brother. But now, there was no Inuyasha, none of her little friends, no one there to protect her. They were all gone.
The mutt was gone, the two humans also gone, and the fate of the two small demons unknown. But, she still stood there in front of him with a determined face, but an innocence that just pulled you to her.
The apprehension her person gave off greatly disturbed him. But the fact that he actually noticed bothered him even more. She was a human, a miko, no less and he was a demon. Why would he have reason to care?
"Sesshoumaru, I..." she tried to speak.
"Why are you here?" he bit in harshly.
The girl stepped back, her expression saddening, but her composure maintained. Then, suddenly, she glared and an irritated frown appeared on her face, she stomped over to him, the rain re-soaking her body. She poked him in the chest and glared up at him.
"You... you jerk!" she bursted, "How could you just leave like that?! Do you seriously know how worried I was about you?!"
Sesshoumaru was slightly taken aback. Worried? The girl's sudden change in attitude surprised him. Not a month ago, she clearly disliked him and even attempted to fight him. Now, she was worried about him because he disappeared for a while? The girl was just as confusing as ever.
"I am not olbliged to you in anyway. I will do as I please," he said, water dripping down from his bangs as the rain poured slightly harder down on them.
She raised a fisted hand almost as though to punch him, but instead, she banged both her fists against his chest, her head ducked down, her bangs obscuring his view of her eyes. A small choking sound escaped her lips and she continued to do so. After finally getting fed up, she just collapsed against him, his arms automatically wrapping around her to keep her up.
"Where were you?" she said, her voice barely audible through the rain.
Sesshoumaru stared down at the head of black hair against his chest. She was deathly still and silent after she spoke. Her hands clutched at his shirt tightly as she leaned against him, almost like if she let go, he would just disappear into thin air.
"What are-"
"I waited... But you never came... You promised me..."
Sesshoumaru was about to hear no more when his eyes widened as something dawned on him. For the first time in his life, a pang of guilt rang through his being.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kagome sat there quietly as she wipe away her tears. After a while of silence as she let go of so many things, she looked up at the man standing in front of her. She smiled gratefully and stood.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you..." she said, looking down at her feet.
"It's... all right," he said, then a brief moment of silence, "Look for me should you need to... Kagome..."
She blinked and stared up at him before her expression broke into another smile, "Thank you." Then, she hugged him, throwing the demon slightly offset. She then let go and ran, leaving the demon to stand there watching her.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A loud bang of thunder and a flash of lightning startled the girl in his arms, accidentally pushing him while he was unprepared. They toppled over the edge of the railing and started falling down next to the tall building. The demon lord regained his wind and rebounded up, landing on another balcony, pushing off, and then landing on the roof.
Kagome clung to him tightly, her body shaking in the cold hair. Then, he realized that she was sobbing, the fear evident in her voice and in her touch. He touched her shoulder but she didn't react, as if she didn't even notice he was there.
"Kagome..." he said to her, shaking he slightly.
The girl gasped and jerked away from his touch. She backed away from him, her eyes flashing with fear as images of Inuyasha's death shot through her mind. She clasped her hand over he ear and sank to her knees, her tears falling but mixing with the drops of rain falling on her face. She bent over and shook her head wildly.
"No... No! Please, stop.... Stop!!"
Sesshoumaru walked over to her. He knelt on one knee next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder firmly, trying to stop her from shaking. "Kagome..." he said.
Kagome stopped shaking and slowly looked up at him. Then, she broke into tears as she threw herself at him, the rain settling don to a soft drizzle. Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Hey," Kagome said, "You know, sometimes... this life's so... I don't know... so suffocating..."
"..."
"Hey! Are you even paying attention?!"
"..."
"Sesshoumaru!"
Silence.
"Sesshoumaru!!"
"Sometimes... it's just too hard to breathe because there are so many things in the past that linger..." he said as he looked out at the city from his balcony.
Kagome sighed and leaned against the railing just like Sesshoumaru was, "I guess you're right... But that's what learning to breathe is for, isn't it?"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-FIN-