Beneath my boughs by Hairann

Adulate-Charm

Title: Beneath my bough

Author: Hairann

Challenge: IY's Unsung Hero's Epic Drabble Challenge

Rating: T

Warnings: Angst. Not a happily ever after story.

POV: The God Tree

Summary:Beneath my boughs they meet in secret, they meet in silence.  The destiny they have in store unknown to them, they can't help but fall in love, unaware their time together shall be short.  Their story I shall tell, for it is all I can do.  The rustling of my leaves can not warn them.  The swaying of my branches does not alter their course.  Blindly they walk to their fate, both intertwined with the other.

AN: Visit http://community.livejournal.com/iy_unsung_heros/1007.html#cutid1 for more information on the challenge itself.  For this, I am doing 100 drabbles, each using one prompt.  I will finish up ten before posting another chapter so you have more to read at once.  Between each drabble the new prompt and word counts are listed.  Enjoy.

Prompt: Adulate

Word Count: 297

She lived a sheltered life; protected and guarded. Everything already planned for her the day she was born. Born of poor parents barely able to feed themselves, the knowledge of her being the bearer of great power was a blessing upon their hearth. Mere days after she had taken her first breath in life, she was given to a shrine to raise and teach the holy ways. No childhood was she given, but surrounded by rules and regulations. Instead of dolls, she received scrolls. Where there should have been laughter, there was silence. A child's smiles turned to lines of concentration.

He lived an uninhibited life; free to roam and grow. Though his adult life too was planned, his childhood was his own. It was no secret that one day he would have to take over in his father's place as lord, but for now he had all the freedom he could desire. No one watched over or dictated his every move, stunted his life with orders. The great plains were his playground, the twinkling stars his guide. This whispers of the wind, the howls to the moon, the swaying of the tree boughs; his music of the night.

They day they met, was a day like any other. The sky was clear for miles around and the sun shone brightly. This day, this very moment in time foreseen generations before, but long since forgotten. The love they would soon be consumed with, would be the end of all else. It would destroy everything they knew. Had they listened to the words of those far wiser than they, what was to come could have been avoided. But love listens not to reason or logic. And so what started in mere adulation, would soon blossom into the Apocalypse.

Prompt: Amity

Word Count: 299

As the sun shone through my boughs, casting shadows on the ground below, the young girl that fate foretold ran as the wind through the forest. Behind her, shouts of her name could barely be heard before being swept away on the wind. Knowing she had lost her keeper, the girl giggled to herself as she broke free of the darkened forest only to gasp in surprise at the sight before her.

Not long before, the boy that fate foretold had raced through the woods himself, though none had chased after him. He wound in between the trees as the wind lightened his step and no sound from him was heard. Left and right he zigzagged, around the trees and over the hills, no destination in mind. His starting point long since forgotten. Where he was, where he would be did not matter. Only that he raced the wind through the forest.

Now below, in the shadowed undergrowth, their eyes met as he awoken from his nap. Umber filled with surprise and curiosity. Gold filled with intrigue and wonder. A slight attraction sprouted to life as she moved inches closer, her soft hand reaching out as though not sure he was real. "I am Kagome," she whispered as her fingers brushed his pale cheek.

"And I am Sesshoumaru," he replied, his eyes unable to look away from hers as their bodies moved closer, their minds unaware. Until a call of her name was heard, shattering the spell that had befallen them. Not wishing for her keeper to find him, the girl gently brushed his cheek once more, a bright smile adorning her serene face, before she bid him goodbye and rushed back toward the one who sought her. Unknown to either of them; their amity had just been borne.

Prompt: Animalistic

Word Count: 296

One day bled into the next as the young girl sat upon her window sill, staring out into the darkness of the night, unknowingly seeking his form in the shadows. Since her escape from her keeper, she had been forbidden to leave her room and unable to get him out of her mind, she could do little else then hope to get just a glimpse of him. From where she sat she could see much of the forest that surrounded her home, but try as she might, she could see not but shadows in the darkness.

But even as she sought him, he watched her under the cover of darkness, hidden within the forest surrounding the shrine. Golden eyes glowed in the night as he watched her lean out her window to breath in the fresh air. Then almost silently, brought to his elven ears upon the wind, he could hear her sweet voice whispering his name, calling out for him. Unknowing he moved to answer her call, but stopped himself just short of being seen. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of the talisman blocking his path.

And in the darkness of the night, their ritual was repeated again and again, unknown to all but them and me. The trees surrounding both of them whispered to me what I could not see for myself, telling me of the story that shaped around them, the destiny that they created for themselves. The girl; locked away in her towering room and unable to escape. The boy; barred from returning to her side by the barrier that surrounded her. Each feeling the pull to be together, neither knowing the reason why. Much too young were they still, to understand their most basic, animalistic desires.

Prompt: Astray

Word Count: 300

Worried the priestess to be would go astray from her chosen path, her keeper never left her side. Constantly watching over and forcing her to bury herself in her studies. Though she knew not the reason for her wandering attention, she knew it would not bode well for the elders to learn she was losing her grip on her and decided it would be best to reign in what little freedom Kagome had. Day in and day out, she sat behind her desk, creating talisman after talisman, garnishing them with words of protection. Soon her fingers cramped around her brush and she could see strokes even when her eyes were closed, but still was unable to rest.

From his place within the trees, the boy could see all that happened within her prison-like room. Each day from dawn 'til dusk, he watched the painful expression mar her face, wishing there was something he could do to give her reprieve. Remembering the talismans nearby, much like the ones she was forced to create, the boy smirked impishly as a plan formed in his mind. He took the last step before breaching the barrier of talismans, grinning in satisfaction as bright balls of pink lightning fell from the sky, tossing him away as they connected with the scrolls.

As the alarms began sounding throughout the shrine, warning its occupants of a nearby demon, each priest and priestess was called to the front line to fight. And for the first time in days, the girl was left alone. As she made her way to the window, wondering what all of the commotion was about, she caught sight of movement within the trees. Before she even knew what she was doing, or how she knew it was him, she called out his name, "Sesshoumaru!"

Prompt: Barbarous

Word Count: 273

The girl watched as startled golden eyes turned to her, his lips curving into a slight grin when he noticed her standing in the window, before smiling and gesturing that she would meet him. Confident he would know the place she referred to without having to tell him, the young girl turned and rushed from her room, grabbing her cloak on the way. Her steps were fast and light as each took her that much closer to the one she wished to see. As though led by an unseen force, the unfamiliar path became easy to follow before her.

Far below her towering room, the young boy heard shouts from the priests searching for him and headed deeper into the forest, knowing it would not take long for him to lose them. As he picked up his pace, quickly disappearing into the surrounding forest, the boy could feel her heart beating as she too made her way into the trees. Each step they both took, he could hear her heart beat pounding within his elven ears. As the seconds passed, their hearts became in sync.

A flash of lightning split the sky, illuminating the area for them to see, unveiling their nearness to each other as she arrived where he was already waiting. Then the two, hiding in secret beneath my bough, remained undisturbed by the far off cries to slay the 'barbarous demon'. Some how, without understanding the reason why, they knew they would not be found as long as they remained in place. Almost as if that very spot were protected by magic, veiling them from those that sought the intruder.

Prompt: Bodily

Word Count: 297

"We do not have long," Kagome warned as she was pulled closer to him as he sought shelter from the rain that had begun to pour around them. "If they find me missing, they will search out this way. You can not be caught by them, Sesshoumaru." Seeing him nod in understanding, she couldn't help but smile at the boy before her, reaching up her hand to cup his pale cheek. "I may be safe from bodily harm with the priests, the same can not be said for emotional. I can not bare for you to be in danger."

"Neither of us need stay long. Run away with me, Kagome," he offered, as he placed his hand over hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. As he watched, praying she would do as he was and throw caution to the wind before his mind could regain control over his heart, he could see in her umber eyes that it would not be as he wished. He already knew the answer, the reason, just as she did. He could see it in her eyes as she, no doubt, could in his. They would never stop looking for her.

Thunder boomed above startling them, too engaged in each other to remember the storm until that moment. Seconds passed and lightning lit the sky for miles around, basking them in an eerie light as they lost themselves in each others' eyes. Umber drowned within gold. Gold into umber. The wind howled around them, picking up speed as it pelted the rain against their kneeling bodies. Knowing their time was up, the girl kissed his pale cheek gently before smiling and disappearing into the storm. Unable to move, unable to breath, the boy simply watched her go.

Prompt: Boomerang

Word Count: 292

And then, as though her feet were boomeranged back, the girl returned to her shrine, met instantly by her keeper. Quick to find an excuse to be out of her room, she claimed to have spotted the demon and went to warn a nearby priest. Unsure if she was believed or not, she was careful not to give her keeper any further reason to question her that day and resigned herself to the task at hand. As she was returned to her room, the talismans she had been working on brushed aside, the young girl was handed a bow and quiver of arrows.

The priests having since given up their search for him, sure he was no longer in the area, left the boy free to go back to his usual spot, watching through her window from far below. As he did, he caught sight of the constant stream of arrows she shot from her bow, each covered in increasing amounts of power. Without end, without break he watched her continue, her keeper replacing the quiver with a new one each time it was emptied.

And as she trained and he watched her, the winds whispered through the trees to me what was coming just beyond the horizon. As much as I may wish to change the fate of these two, my purpose is not to effect, merely to observe. And observe I do as the winds of fate change, moving against their favor once more. I know what is to come, it is not hard to foresee, and I know it will soon be upon them. Soon enough it will be too late to change what is to be, but it was never meant to be altered in the first place.

Prompt: Canonize

Word Count: 293

The season ended bringing about changes in the girl, her days as a child dwindling down, marking the coming of her womanhood. As the sacred day drew near when she would take her vow to place herself in the service of the Gods, even more than she had ever before, the young girl wished for her freedom. Life she had not chosen for herself was thrust upon her and in attempt to avoid becoming canonized, she ran. From her home, her keeper, her destiny, she ran. Straight to where she prayed to find him.

The days had passed him slowly since they had last met in the woods and without the constant eyes upon him as she had, he was able to watch her uninterrupted. He gazed upon her from just out of sight, day after day. Watched her in slumber each and every night. It was how he knew the moment she ran and gave chase, quickly surpassing those that wanted to bring her back, unnoticed. As she fled the others, he gave chase, following her twisting path under she stopped right where he knew she would.

Far behind where they were given the slip, the priests searched for the young girl as though their lives depended on it. And in a way, they did. She was their great hope for the future, the only natural priestess to be born to that generation. All the others would need be taught to learn how to find the power, she simply needed to be taught how to use it. If she could not be brought into the fold of goodness, they knew the balance could easily be tipped to evil. If they failed, there would be nothing they could do to stop the end.

Prompt: Carnal

Word Count: 271

Unaware she was being watched, the young girl sat at the base of the tree, placing her head into her hands as she sighed in exhaustion. Almost as if the words slipped passed her lips without her consent, she softly whispered, "Come to me, Sesshoumaru. Leave me alone for not a moment longer." Silently she prayed that the wind would whisper her words upon his elven ears and bring him forth, not knowing he was already there.

Hearing her soft spoken words, the boy could do not but stand and stare at her in silence. The first time they met was not so long ago and only a few spare times had they met face to face and yet here she was, calling out to him to save her, as though he were the only one that could. Here she sat, pleading, praying he would come to her side so she would not be alone. Him, above anyone else she could have called out for, it was him.

As though each of their bodies acted on their own, he began to move toward her even as she turned to find him there before her. Below my boughs they knelt as she pulled him into her arms and held him close, as though she feared he might disappear at any moment. Still unaware of what their bodies were doing, her lips began to close in on his before gently pressing against them, sending the slightest of shivers down his spine. As his more carnal instincts began to rise to the surface, he deepened the kiss and started the girl in his arms.

Prompt: Charm

Word Count: 294

As she pulled back, the girl found herself lost within his golden eyes, his charm hidden within their depths. She watched in him silence for a moment, unsure what had just happened had been real. But as she realized she could still feel his lips pressed against hers, she knew it had been. "I must leave, Sesshoumaru, before I am found to be missing. As much as I wish to stay here with you, I can not chance them finding you, hurting you."

Before the boy was given the chance to respond, beg her to stay for a moment longer, she pressed her lips against his once more, in a kiss as fiery as his had been. And then, soon as it had begun it was over and she was rushing from his side and disappearing into the surrounding forest. Knowing he could not stop her, as much as he may have wanted to do, the boy simply turned to watch until she could no longer be seen. Once it was so, he rose to his feet and began making his way back to his hidden spot where he secretly watched her.

And unmoving, I watched them go. I knew this would not be the last time I saw them, far from it in fact, and as I could do nothing to change what would be, I let them go. Their remaining days together, I knew to be few in respect to what they should have had, but I dare not be the one to tell them of their tragic fate. It was far better they lived believing their life would be long and full of sweet moments such as that, than to know the horrible fate that awaited them just beyond the horizon.