LίghT YëaRs

LίghT YëaRs
Chapter 2 – Forever

Eight years prior…

Two weeks ago, Sesshoumaru and his half-brother have just transferred from Osaka to Tokyo, the bustling heart of Japan. Home schooled was what they used to undertake, but at that point, InuTaisho decided to send them off to an actual school to mingle with the crowd. It will do them some good instead of cooping up in the house all day. Many friendships were established since their relocation. However, it seemed that only Hiten, Kouga and Miroku were sincere. The rest of those so called ‘friends’ gave the impression that by befriending the Morimatsu, abundant rewards would follow. A great bunch of hypocrites they were.

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A ten-year-old Sesshoumaru was strolling in a quiet park not far away from his house; when chanced upon, stumbled onto a big spider at the foot of an ancient oak tree.

“Help!” said the tree. For a moment, Sesshoumaru was astounded.

A talking tree?

Perhaps what he was hearing was a trunk call. But no, there was in fact a rather frightened child not older than he in the foliage.

“Help! C-c-creepy-y s-spiderrr!” She wailed.

Sesshoumaru lifted his head; big cerulean eyes with tears threatening to burst forth caught his eye. The sunlight shining through the canopy of leaves made the girl’s form looked hazy, akin to an angel descending from heaven. That girl seemed to call out to him. Taking a step forward, he unknowingly squashed the eight-legged ugly creature under his right foot, ending her traumatizing episode.

The young human child looked down from the tree in awed, ‘My savior’. Her crying diminished almost immediately, reducing to sniffles. Cautiously, the child began her descent. Despite the cagey downward gradient, she slipped. Sesshoumaru strode forward, successfully breaking her plunge, sending the pair tumbling to the ground.

Having this lovely angel sitting on his stomach in this manner was indeed highly exciting and interesting, the young demon found himself transfixed. Overridden by heavy embarrassment, the culprit responsible for this situation was muttering her apologies one minute, yet within split second, she overcame her discomfort, childishly giggling and hugging her rescuer.

Loud commotion had drawn InuYasha, Kouga, Miroku and Hiten to the scene. “What’s going on here?” asked a bewildered InuYasha. His eyes grew so wide that it looked as if it was going to pop out of his sockets. Finding a human still breathing and kicking after sitting on his half-brother was not an everyday sight.

Both of them rose to their feet. “Kagome Higurashi,” she said sticking out her hand. The cerulean eyes that seemed so trusting and innocent shined with gratitude at him.

“Sesshoumaru Mo-” he was cut off as Kagome pulled him into another hug squealing, “Thank you Sesshou-kun!” The inu youkai scowled at the familiarity and trust this female child flaunted. Didn’t she know that this Sesshoumaru could effortlessly kill her in a single swipe for the disrespect? Didn’t she know better than to place her trust in a youkai? Despite these thoughts running all-around in his mind, he found that he liked the sound of her mirth. His annoyed expression fell.

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As promised, a few days later after their first acquaintance at the park, Kagome went over to Sesshoumaru’s house to play with her new friends. There were only a few residences in the vicinity. This was no house. It resembled more like a smaller version of a castle she saw in those fairytales and legends storybooks.

‘The richest neighborhood in town… I feel so out of place,’ she thought as she walked up the paved lengthy driveway lined with artistically manicured bonsais.

Kagome was directed to Sesshoumaru’s room by his longstanding butler, Saya. Thanking the hospitable elder gingerly, she quietly set foot into the designated room. It was huge. Dark curtains were drawn blocking out all light. Kagome blinked a few times to adjust her sight in the dim room. A huddled figure in the corner caught her eye. Sesshoumaru had his knees bent and his head buried in his crossed arms, sobbing quietly. She was shocked. Sesshoumaru was not one who showed many emotions even though he felt them. Hastily, she ran to him and put her arms around his shaking shoulders.

The distraught demon heard her gasp softly and clutched him tighter. Besides his father, he had never allowed anyone to touch him in such a personal way. But now, in the absence of his father, she was the only one to comfort him. A strange feeling deep down inside him was brewing. He discovered he wanted her warm hugs and reassuring words. Although it had only been a few days since they’ve met, Kagome learnt many about her saviour and her heart ached over his distressed.

Sesshoumaru’s mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to him, his birth had taken a toll on her already ailing body. A year later, InuTaisho remarried a feminine human named Izayoi. She was no cruel stepmother. She treated Sesshoumaru like her own. In many instances, Izayoi, surrogate mother to Sesshoumaru, doted on him more than InuYasha. Many conflicts arose because InuYasha felt unfair that his own mother was more loving towards Sesshoumaru.

Growing up, young Sesshoumaru was influenced by outside his family circle to despise humans for they were weak lying, scheming vile creatures. Great demons did not associate themselves with the weaker race, belittling their eminence. Despite his inner turmoil, he did not hate Izayoi for she was not weak. Izayoi managed to triumph over raising a stubborn Mr. Prefect and an impetuous Simpleton without losing her sanity. She had his respect and conviction.

Sesshoumaru pulled Kagome into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, with her back flushed against his chest. Resting his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her unique peachy cherry blossom scent had calmed him slightly. Kagome just sat there, drawing irregular imaginary patterns on Sesshoumaru’s hands draped across her waist. No words of comfort were needed. He couldn’t hide from her. She could see through him. And she knew…

“Lonely?” Kagome asked, breaking the silence. Without waiting for his reply, “I’ll always be here for you…forever” Her last remark denoted more than any relationship liaison he had.

With that forged the beginning of an amazing friendship, knowing each other pretty well. He needed friends and Kagome was fast becoming one. They would go out of their way to hang out together. Sesshoumaru had found a kindred spirit in her, strengthening his feelings for her from that moment forth. He often wondered how he was able to overcome the whole ‘I-hate-human’ and ‘I-am-Your-Highness’ fiasco with Kagome. She unlike many others found great ease in mixing with demons. Not to mention she saw through his ice persona. These two extremists were a good pair because she was outspoken and uninhibited and he was not. Maybe she had to be that way to compensate for her race and size. Maybe that’s why she’s so strong about what she says.

‘Princess, she was his princess.’ And they have been inseparable since…

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“Only Baileys please.”

Sesshoumaru and Kagome gave their orders and the counterman punched the choices into the computer in front of him. Kagome paid and walked over to an empty table. Along the way, she saw their reflection in a mirror and thought, ‘I like the way we look together.’

Sitting down, Kagome took a spoonful of ice cream and accidentally daub a smudge of Oreos on her nose. Her chum reached over and removed the gunk from her face with his napkin.

Voices of those females and their choruses of ‘Sess-chan’ still rang through his head. Those girls possessed all the typical, most irritating qualities that had ever been present in all the females he had ever known. Their adoring, superficial smiles and shallow conversations never ceased to frustrate him. They always expected so much of him to begin with. To those girls, Sesshoumaru was the perfect divinity. A demon who could accomplish anything and be anything he sought; overcome any obstacle and act cool without even trying. The perturb demon let out the breath he had been holding.

She smiled. “Thanks. When I was a little kid, I always had a milk moustache on my face. My mother used to say I look good in the food I wore.”

Sesshoumaru chuckled. While Kagome though to herself, ‘He should laugh more often…’, he was looking at Kagome’s wistful expression questioningly.

Out of all the females he knew, he respected her the most. As they grew up, he was more drawn to her; her strength of mind grew more attractive to him, admiring the physical and spiritual beauty he had seen in her. She was the only sane one in the group, and it made her special to him.

Looking around suspiciously, he caught two human males from the next table staring intently at his buddy. Sesshoumaru out of curiosity returned his gaze to her. The female protagonist was holding the spoon vertically; her pink tongue was leisurely licking from the base of the shallow part to the tip of the spoon blissfully enjoying her treat. This consuming manner was sensually erotic. Sesshoumaru could only look on at what seem to her was an innocent act, yet conjuring naughty thoughts in his mind what her little soft pink tongue would feel like all over his body.

The possessive youkai growled low in warning at the males, wrapping his arm around her neck, indicating the sign to back off. Blissfully unaware of her context, she unconsciously moved a little closer to him, content with the warmth he emanated. His thigh against her own was firm, his arm every so often brushing her own was soft with the fabric of his sweater, and his entire being smelled of the forest with just a hint of lilac, the way the park near her house always smelled. It was wonderful.

She spoke subtly, “I’m rather jealous. Any girl would be foolish not wanting to go out with you.”

Blinking, Sesshoumaru sat up upright, studying her with unfathomable eyes, flattered and pleased by the compliment, which he usually ignored. But coming from her, that’s a totally different matter. Leaning in closer, he whispered slyly into her ear, “What about you?”

His breath hitched as he waited for her reaction. “Shh...” the girl whistled and winked, blowing air across his cheek, sending little shivers up his spine. “It’s a secret.” She pouted innocently. “Here… let me help you with that,” digging into his eight-scoop ice cream, happily indulging herself even though she could feel her face heating up in embarrassment. ‘Did I just flirt with him?’

Sesshoumaru could have sworn that he saw a blush crept across the dark-eyed girl’s pale features.

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‘Liking a person is very heart wrenching. I can know his likes, his habits. But his feelings towards me I can never figure out.’

The sound of the door opening told Kagome that her dear sister had arrived. She put down the writing implement she worked with, squirming slightly, closing her journal, lest Sango read it.

“Yoz! So, Kags, what were you thinking about today in class?” Kagome looked up, awakened from her thoughts.

Before Kagome could answer, Souta shouted for her. “Onee-san! Denwa!”

Kagome rushed to stand up. “Be right back.”

Offhandedly, Sango looked through Kagome’s desk. Her eyes fell upon a black hardcover book with embossed carvings. Being extremely curious, Sango couldn’t help herself. Her fingers slowly inched towards that black book despite her mind flashing the ‘red danger zone’. After reading just a short paragraph, Sango understood everything. She placed the book back in its original place and resumed her position on Kagome’s pink bed, waiting for her return. Restlessly, Sango shuffled her legs, fidgety scraping against the tatami floor.

Finally, Kagome returned. Standing by the door, she narrowed her eyes on the pretty athlete fidgeting on her bed. “You read it didn’t you?” she solicited sternly. Somewhere in the back of her mind and the guilty look on Sango’s face presented her this conclusion. Guiltily, Sango closed her eyes and took a deep mouthful of air, feeling faintly worried as she await the wrath Kagome was about to unleash.

The calmness before a great and terrible storm.

However, Kagome’s anticipated fury was never released. Instead, she confided in her pal, her childhood friend since that fateful day in kindergarten when she lent Sango her color pencils and Sango stopped fat Molly the Mauler from bullying her.

“Every time he came on to me... flirted with me, I shied away. I would just step back and laugh it off. Did I really think he was just teasing me? Yes and no. Maybe he seriously did have feelings for me, but he acted on them so nonchalantly, as if it didn’t actually matter that he cared,” she confided, idly thumbing through the pages of her journal.

Her friend finally understood her predicament. Kagome was friendly and attractive and fun to be around, and guys got pulled in like moths to the flame. The only thing that kept guys from hitting on her constantly was because they had to go through the powerful and intimidating inu youkai, Sesshoumaru himself. Now, in light of everything that had happened, it seemed like forever.

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End of Chapter 2

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