InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Collected Works ❯ Repentance ( Chapter 38 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Title: Repentance
Author: LuxKen27
Genre: Drama
Universe: Canon
Rating: T
Warnings: Angst
Word Count: 300
Summary: Sesshoumaru suffers under the weight of Kagome’s human emotions.

Author’s Note: Part of the “Allegiance” series (sequel to ‘Oath’).

Entry for: dokuga_contest [Sess/Kag] Drabble #21, “Flash” (2nd Place)

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha concept, story, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media.

~*~

Not for the first time did he second-guess himself.

He remembered why, the last time he’d faced this ultimatum, he’d rejected it.

He thought the price he’d paid then – losing Rin forever – was beyond a fair punishment.

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Sesshoumaru lay on his stomach, head propped slightly on a soft pillow, hair spilling carelessly over the mattress. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his skin as he fought to control his breathing, the race of his pulse. Pain ravaged him, blooming up from his chest, coating his back and neck, arching across his scalp.

He never allowed himself to show weakness in front of his people. It had taken all of his willpower to control his stoic façade in public, but here…at night…in his personal chamber…he did not have to suffer in silence.

Kagome sat mutely across the room, curled into a ball, her gaze unfocused as she stared into the glowing fire pit. Her emotions ebbed listlessly, from melancholy to fear to loneliness to worry, each flowing indistinctly into the next as she lost herself in her memories, her regrets.

He was acutely aware of each subtle change. They came not merely as flashes – as had been the case with Rin – no, it was as he’d feared it’d be, constant waves of agony crashing down upon him.

He felt everything she felt, heightened painfully by his sensitive youki, and he loathed her for it.

If he was to suffer one human’s misery in this world, it should have been Rin’s.

He couldn’t suppress the shuddering moan that ripped through him.

Another swell surged over him when Kagome approached, sinking down next to him, hesitantly laying a hand on his shoulder. Her touch proved instantly calming, soothing the rush of his heartbeat.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.