Promise

[luxken27]

Well, I was certainly shocked to see that this actually won the contest it was entered into!



This is a sequel to Remembrance.

Title: Promise
Pairing: Sesshoumaru/Kagome
Universe: Canon
Word Count: 200
Summary: Sesshoumaru reluctantly honors a final promise.

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

~*~
The great taiyoukai did not mourn in public.

No one was surprised when he returned to his stronghold alone – they all knew she suffered from a strange illness, and that he had taken her out to die in peace. No one was surprised when he continued on about his business that day as if nothing had happened, wearing the same unemotional expression that was his signature.

This was the way it should be: a strong leader betraying no vulnerability.

No, it was not until he was in his private chambers…alone, again, for the first time in fifty years…that his determination faltered. He couldn’t bear to look down at the bed they had shared, much less return to it, with the knowledge that she was forever gone. Instead, after undressing, he drew the blankets from the mattress and wrapped them around himself, slipping listlessly down to the floor.

Her lingering scent encompassed him, and for a fleeting moment he could feel a whisper of her touch once again…sliding across his shoulders…down his back. He shut his eyes tightly, her final words reverberating through his mind, and he knew he was doomed to dream of her…and miss her...for many nights to come.

Comments

[landofthekwt.livejournal.com]

Congrats on your banner. Great story. You did a good job of showing how he felt about her. I felt sorry for Sess in the return from hell arc with the dead Rin where has just stated to Sessmom " You knew this would happen" and she asks him if he is sad. He cannot reply so Jaken has to tell her that Sess is sad. The whole family is emotionally dysfunctional. Sess cannot express his sadness over Rin and Sessmom cannot tell if he is sad.

[luxken27]

Yes, they are all ripe for the pickings!! That's why I like to pick on them :)

All of the characters have such rich, intriguing psychological profiles. It's one of the aspects that drew me so completely into this storyline.

[kmoaton.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! I loved this piece. You could really feel the sorrow and pain from his loss.

'This was the way it should be: a strong leader betraying no vulnerability.'

I really liked the way he kept a stoic face in public. That is the way we all know Sess, unemotional and seemingly unaffected.

'No, it was not until he was in his private chambers…alone, again, for the first time in fifty years…that his determination faltered. He couldn’t bear to look down at the bed they had shared, much less return to it, with the knowledge that she was forever gone.'

But the pain really resounded by the fact, when he was at home, he was truly alone and there was no way to avoid that fact.

This was really beautiful. Great work!

[luxken27]

Thank you very much! :) This was another continuation that came out of nowhere, LOL. I just had this image of Sesshoumaru curled in a blanket sitting on the floor, and I had to find out where it came from. It fit with the storyline I'd used for a previous prompt, so...tada!

When you only have a few hundred words to work with, you have to make every bit count.

And we all know Sesshoumaru would never allow another to see his weakness, especially not one who could take advantage of it. It's just another piece of his personality that I find intriguing and interesting to work with.