The Walk by ItsyBitsySpider

The Walk

The Walk
Characters: SessKag
Description: It was a walk down the road.  Reminiscing, talking...  They loved, they cared.  It was just another day, spent walking in the rain.
Rating: K+
Warning: Mild angst.  I hope r0o doesn’t dislike me for this one (it has a happy ending!  … sorta)

xXx

He stood there on her doorstep when she opened the door, ready for another morning jog.  For a moment, they just stared at each other.  It was raining, he was wet.  His clothes weren’t very practical.  She wondered where he’d been (it’s amazing that this was the first thought she had) and then she wondered if he was going to get sick like that.

It was still raining.

“I’m going for a jog,” she said.  “I can make it a walk.  Want to come along?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, but then he nodded, golden eyes warming a little.  “Yes.  I would like that.”

She smiled a little.  “Okay.”  She hesitated.  “I don’t think we ever really talked, right?  Or properly introduced ourselves...”  Blue eyes sparkled as she held out her hand.  “I’m Kagome.”

He peered down at her hand, then grasped it gingerly, as if afraid he would break it.  “I am Sesshomaru.”

“Let’s start over?” she offered and took her hand back.

Tired golden eyes closed with something akin to relief.  He nodded.  “Yes.  Please.”

She stepped off the stoop then, starting to walk.  “Alright.  So, Sesshomaru, what do you like to do?”  She didn’t look back, over her shoulder.  She knew he’d do as he pleased.  At this point, if she expected him to come, he might decide not to.

His voice was right behind her when he answered, sounding as tired as his eyes said he was.  She couldn’t help but smile a little sadly.  “I like... to figure things out.  Puzzles, jigsaws.”

Kagome smiled again.  “Yeah?  You seem like the type.”  She reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulled out a miniature Pac Man game.  “Do you play things like this?” she asked.

“Those are for children,” he scoffed.

Kagome giggled.  “I am a child, aren’t I?” she teased, chancing a glance back at him.

He walked along behind her, hands in the pockets of his slacks.  He was wearing a business suit, had she mentioned that?  It was impractical.

As if agreeing with her thoughts, it started raining harder.  Kagome stopped and tipped her head back, spreading her arms wide.  She laughed and spun in place.  “Isn’t it wonderful?” she said softly, knowing he’d hear her.

“The rain?” Sesshomaru asked, sounding skeptical.

Kagome grinned and opened one eye to peer at him on her left.  “Why yes!  It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is full of pollution,” was his disdainful answer.

She sighed in exasperation and lowered her arms while she turned toward him.  “It’s beautiful, Sesshomaru.  It’s a miracle.”

“It is simple.  Have you not heard about the water cycle?  Do they not teach you those things in school?  Or perhaps you are daft.”  He sniffed and looked away, nose in the air.

Blue eyes narrowed on him.  “Tell me, Sesshomaru.  When the snow melts, what does it become?”

He blinked, taken aback.  “Water?” he ventured, confused by the sudden change of topic.

She laughed.  “No!  It becomes Spring!”

“What?”

She laughed and shook her head.  “It’s about optimism, Sesshomaru, and looking outside of the box.  If people only ever answer ‘water’ you know that they aren’t imaginative at all and so you can’t take anything they say seriously.”

His eyes narrowed.  “Are you saying that you will not be insulted because I am not imaginative?”

“Yup.”  She giggled and started walking again, knowing he just had to be irritated beyond compare.

Silence fell between them, and aside from his occasional annoyed glances, it was peaceful (and even those were peaceful, because he wasn’t trying to kill her).  Eventually, though, she just had to know.

The truth.  “Sesshomaru?”

“Hn?”  He glanced at her curiously.

She lowered her gaze, swallowing.  “Where are they?  What became of them?  Have they lived happy lives?”

He sighed, but understood.  “He is dead, but he was happy.  With her.”

“So he was able to marry the one he truly loved,” she murmured thoughtfully.  “Who would think that my previous incarnation would give me so much trouble?”  Her following laughter was bitter and relieved.  At least he’d been happy.

“What about Shippo?  Rin?  Jaken?  Or Miroku and Sango?” she asked next.

He shrugged, pausing to lean over and pick up a penny from the ground.  He held it out to her without comment and she took it.  “Shippo married a human, Rin a demon.  They were both happy.”

Kagome smiled, knowing the truth.  “It was sweet of you to allow my kit to marry her.”

“Hmph.”  He refused to meet her gaze.

Still smiling at him, she walked a little ahead, backwards.  “And the others?”

“The hoshi and taijiya were married, as you know.  They had ten children,” he remarked, sounding irritable.

Kagome laughed at that.  “Ten?  Wow, someone was busy.”

“Indeed.”

Blue eyes twinkled.  “Is Jaken still around?”

“Of course.  I cannot get rid of him, even if his usefulness ended.”  He shrugged (it seemed to be a habit of his).

Kagome bit back the knowing grin she wanted to give and instead turned back around before she ran into something.  Lucky she had, or she would have trampled the little gray rat standing frozen there.  As soon as it realized she wasn’t going to step on it, it scurried away before Sesshomaru could.

“You’re kind.”  The statement was soft, but full of heart ache.

She stopped and looked at him.  He walked ahead and refused to stop.  “What happened?” she whispered.

“I had a mate.  She and my unborn child are dead.  They died fifty years ago... yesterday.”  He stopped but didn’t turn to look at her.

Kagome covered her mouth with a hand.  “Oh, gods,” she murmured.  “I’m so-”

“Do not offer grievances that you do not mean,” he snapped, turning to glare at her with an ice-cold gaze.

She bristled and stomped up to him, poking his black-clad chest.  “I do mean it, Sesshomaru!  It’s horrible that your wife and child died!  It’s horrible and unfair and sad and I don’t-”

He covered her mouth with a hand.  “That is enough.  I believe you.  Do not cry.”  His eyes were soft again.

But it was too late.  She was already crying like a baby.  “How have you managed?” she whispered.  Her heart broke into little pieces to fall with her tears at their feet.  For him.  For his mate, his child that would never feel sunshine.  “I would have died.”

Sesshomaru’s warm golden eyes surveyed her as he gently cupped her face with both hands and brushed away her tears.  “I was waiting for you.”

‘Me?’ she mouthed, unable to say a word under his gaze.

He nodded and kissed her forehead.  “Yes.  You.  In all of my years, I have never met anyone more willing of my respect.  You cry for me even though we have only ever been enemies.”

Kagome was stunned.  “Really?  You respect me?” she asked, hoping.

“Yes.”  He sighed and looked down into her eyes.  “I have waited centuries for you.  I want you to kill me.”

She stepped away, eyes wide with her horror.  “What?!  No!  I won’t!”

“I can kill them!  Your family!” he threatened.

But she saw right through him.  He was desperate, panicked at her refusal.  Did he hurt that much?  “Sesshomaru...”

“No!” he snapped, grabbing her by her shirt and lifting her.  “Do. Not. Pity me!”

“I respect you too much to pity you!” she retorted, slapping him.

He froze, then sank to his knees, leaving her on her feet again.  As soon as he let her go, she knelt in front of him, searching his face.  “I don’t want to kill you, Sesshomaru.  I want to help.”

“You can do nothing,” he said heavily.  He looked down, would not meet her gaze.

She sat on her heels, starting to cry.  “Really?  Really?  I can’t do anything?”  When he didn’t answer, she gritted her teeth and climbed to her feet.  “Sesshomaru, look at me.  Look!”

His eyes flickered to her face and away again.  She reached out carefully, then nudged his chin up.  “Let’s start over.  Would you like that?”

Around them, the rain fell like pebbles, tapping against the cement and soaking it.  Cars occasionally passed, their occupants wondering at the couple (“Is that Taisho Sesshomaru?”).  The clouds mourned a tragedy, but the sun hoped for a brighter future.

The rain ceased when he took her hand, the sun returned when she helped him stand.  “Yes,” he whispered.  “I would like that.”

xXx

To Naomi, in exchange for an awesome Dokugasona.