Walking in Moonlight
Prologue: How Far We Have Come
The warmth of a summer night made the air damp and thick. The silence of the dark forest broken by the lazy murmur of crickets and the like while larger creatures went about their nightly rituals as they rustled through grass and branches. But even these creatures fell into temporary stillness at the passage of another figure through their natural habitat, resuming their activities only after the intruder had passed a safe distance.
She picked her way slowly through the forest, her path lit only by the half moon and the smattering of stars above that glinted within the dark strands swirling around her face. Even without the dim light, she could have walked the same path with her eyes closed. She'd made the trip so often that she practically knew every step by heart. Her excitement increased the further away she went from the village full of prying eyes and the closer she came to her destination. For her, it was a sanctuary where she could be free of the judgmental attitudes that frowned on humans and youkai mingling with one another. She needed that space where the two of them could exist without any worries of battles or the continuing hunt for the shards of the Shikon no Tama and focus only on basking in the presence of each other.
A soft smile touched her features as she recalled the violence of their first meeting, a confusion of swirling emotions and helpless attraction as they were unwillingly and unconsciously drawn to each other, time and time again, no matter how much they tried to deny or ignore it, wished that it wasn't real. After all, they were from quite different worlds with separate goals in mind. Hers ultimate aim had been to fulfill her responsibilities in order to return home while his had been the quest for power. With nothing in common, even their personalities clashing drastically with each other, they'd tried to keep an emotional distance between them. But no matter how hard they had tried, it was all to no avail. Fate seemed to conspire against their initial wants as they were constantly thrown closer and closer together as thoughts of him had constantly filled her mind despite how hard she had willed them not to. And she knew that it was the same for him for he was the type to fight against emotional bonds to anyone, perceiving them as foolish weaknesses that would lessen him in the eyes of his enemies.
She frowned at that thought as it hit a little to close to home. Neither human nor youkai would approve if they knew how truly close they were. Intermingling between species was viewed in a harsh light, which was why they had to rendezvous in secret when they wanted to express to each other how truly close they had become. He'd told her that the more who knew, the more dangerous their lives would turn as others would see her as his weak point and come after her to get to him. She would be used as a hostage by enemies to blackmail him into doing what they wanted and which would, undoubtedly, lead to their eventual demise. Even though she had power and skills that could protect her, she wasn't invincible. There were only so many opponents she could face off with at a time. If the number of enemies was too great, they could eventually wear her down until her strength was gone and could be easily taken, an event that he had said that he'd do anything to prevent. And so she had consented to her silence about their relationship. She hated the secrecy because she wasn't at all ashamed of her feelings for him. To her, they were completely natural no matter how disgusted others would be if they knew. But she had agreed because she hated the thought of being used to harm him even more.
To keep him safe, she'd do just about anything.
She had told him that, too, she remembered and almost laughed out loud when she recalled his stunned expression. He'd been struck speechless at the thought that anyone would try to protect him, no one having done so before. But that very surprise had made her heart throb in pain when she realized how devoid of love his existence had been until then.
Until her.
She had been determined then to always show him how much he meant to her whenever possible, no matter what appearance of their relationship they gave to the rest of the world. She wanted him to know that someone was always thinking of him, always loving him, and always would despite how many hardships came their way and tried to separate them. Thoughts of him were always close to her heart no matter which era she happened to be in at the time.
The path upon which her mind had wandered made her even more eager to see him, to admire how the moonlight turned his hair to glistening silver, to be able to hold him in her arms without having anyone remarking on it. She was tempted to quicken her pace but knew she'd be scolded again if she were injured in her haste. The last time she had shown up with scrapes on her knees due to her carelessness in her desire to meet him, he'd looked so sad as he told her that any pain to her caused the same to him. That look had pulled an unending amount of guilt from her until she had promised to be more careful in the future. Anything to remove that look from his golden eyes. It was only when she was alone and away from his distracting presence that she had realized how skillfully manipulated she had been.
And to think that he'd once told her that he was the one wrapped around her finger!
She shrugged ruefully. One thing was for sure. Their relationship was never boring. Not all the fighting they did in public was for show to throw others off the scent of what was between them. Some of its heat sprung from the very real disagreements they had on various issues that they failed to see eye to eye on. She supposed that it was only to be expected since they were raised so differently, in separate time periods no less. However, none of it mattered in the end because they were both in perfect accord about their feelings for each other. They'd struggled hard through obstacles, jealousy, and people getting in their way in order to reach the point they were at now. She cast her mind back to events of the past and all that had occurred.
And remembered.
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So who is the guy she's going to meet? Even I'm not too sure at the moment. All I know is that it'll center around Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru. How it'll end up is anyone's guess. Although I suppose I'd better get some idea of how I'll want it to flow in order to handle how the next chapter should come out. (^^)
It's my first Inuyasha fanfic so any feedback on what you think of it so far will be highly appreciated.
Prologue: How Far We Have Come
The warmth of a summer night made the air damp and thick. The silence of the dark forest broken by the lazy murmur of crickets and the like while larger creatures went about their nightly rituals as they rustled through grass and branches. But even these creatures fell into temporary stillness at the passage of another figure through their natural habitat, resuming their activities only after the intruder had passed a safe distance.
She picked her way slowly through the forest, her path lit only by the half moon and the smattering of stars above that glinted within the dark strands swirling around her face. Even without the dim light, she could have walked the same path with her eyes closed. She'd made the trip so often that she practically knew every step by heart. Her excitement increased the further away she went from the village full of prying eyes and the closer she came to her destination. For her, it was a sanctuary where she could be free of the judgmental attitudes that frowned on humans and youkai mingling with one another. She needed that space where the two of them could exist without any worries of battles or the continuing hunt for the shards of the Shikon no Tama and focus only on basking in the presence of each other.
A soft smile touched her features as she recalled the violence of their first meeting, a confusion of swirling emotions and helpless attraction as they were unwillingly and unconsciously drawn to each other, time and time again, no matter how much they tried to deny or ignore it, wished that it wasn't real. After all, they were from quite different worlds with separate goals in mind. Hers ultimate aim had been to fulfill her responsibilities in order to return home while his had been the quest for power. With nothing in common, even their personalities clashing drastically with each other, they'd tried to keep an emotional distance between them. But no matter how hard they had tried, it was all to no avail. Fate seemed to conspire against their initial wants as they were constantly thrown closer and closer together as thoughts of him had constantly filled her mind despite how hard she had willed them not to. And she knew that it was the same for him for he was the type to fight against emotional bonds to anyone, perceiving them as foolish weaknesses that would lessen him in the eyes of his enemies.
She frowned at that thought as it hit a little to close to home. Neither human nor youkai would approve if they knew how truly close they were. Intermingling between species was viewed in a harsh light, which was why they had to rendezvous in secret when they wanted to express to each other how truly close they had become. He'd told her that the more who knew, the more dangerous their lives would turn as others would see her as his weak point and come after her to get to him. She would be used as a hostage by enemies to blackmail him into doing what they wanted and which would, undoubtedly, lead to their eventual demise. Even though she had power and skills that could protect her, she wasn't invincible. There were only so many opponents she could face off with at a time. If the number of enemies was too great, they could eventually wear her down until her strength was gone and could be easily taken, an event that he had said that he'd do anything to prevent. And so she had consented to her silence about their relationship. She hated the secrecy because she wasn't at all ashamed of her feelings for him. To her, they were completely natural no matter how disgusted others would be if they knew. But she had agreed because she hated the thought of being used to harm him even more.
To keep him safe, she'd do just about anything.
She had told him that, too, she remembered and almost laughed out loud when she recalled his stunned expression. He'd been struck speechless at the thought that anyone would try to protect him, no one having done so before. But that very surprise had made her heart throb in pain when she realized how devoid of love his existence had been until then.
Until her.
She had been determined then to always show him how much he meant to her whenever possible, no matter what appearance of their relationship they gave to the rest of the world. She wanted him to know that someone was always thinking of him, always loving him, and always would despite how many hardships came their way and tried to separate them. Thoughts of him were always close to her heart no matter which era she happened to be in at the time.
The path upon which her mind had wandered made her even more eager to see him, to admire how the moonlight turned his hair to glistening silver, to be able to hold him in her arms without having anyone remarking on it. She was tempted to quicken her pace but knew she'd be scolded again if she were injured in her haste. The last time she had shown up with scrapes on her knees due to her carelessness in her desire to meet him, he'd looked so sad as he told her that any pain to her caused the same to him. That look had pulled an unending amount of guilt from her until she had promised to be more careful in the future. Anything to remove that look from his golden eyes. It was only when she was alone and away from his distracting presence that she had realized how skillfully manipulated she had been.
And to think that he'd once told her that he was the one wrapped around her finger!
She shrugged ruefully. One thing was for sure. Their relationship was never boring. Not all the fighting they did in public was for show to throw others off the scent of what was between them. Some of its heat sprung from the very real disagreements they had on various issues that they failed to see eye to eye on. She supposed that it was only to be expected since they were raised so differently, in separate time periods no less. However, none of it mattered in the end because they were both in perfect accord about their feelings for each other. They'd struggled hard through obstacles, jealousy, and people getting in their way in order to reach the point they were at now. She cast her mind back to events of the past and all that had occurred.
And remembered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
So who is the guy she's going to meet? Even I'm not too sure at the moment. All I know is that it'll center around Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru. How it'll end up is anyone's guess. Although I suppose I'd better get some idea of how I'll want it to flow in order to handle how the next chapter should come out. (^^)
It's my first Inuyasha fanfic so any feedback on what you think of it so far will be highly appreciated.