The Tangled Web that is Time

Chapter One

Grey clouds blanketed the winter sky, giving the morning a hint of gloom. The gardens along the winding paths of the local park had frozen beautifully during late autumn. The park was almost serene and vacant, except for a few joggers and the occasional dog walker. Sesshoumaru lit another cigarette sending puffs of smoke to curl and dance in the chilly air. He sat alone on a stone bench as he did every morning and sipped on hot sencha leaf tea. He would lose himself in thought, just staring out into the gardens thinking of whatever it is Sesshoumaru thinks of this early.

Smoking was something he picked up about eighty years ago and found that he just couldn't put them down, but why should he? Its not like they could kill him or anything. A chilly breeze blew a strand of his long hair over his lit cherry, breaking his daze when he smelled burnt hair. He gave a heavy sigh as he tucked it behind his pointed ear with his left hand.

A little girl holding her mothers hand pointed a little finger at him and smiled as they walked past. Most children did point at him. He did kinda stand out, being a daiyoukai and all. Even after five hundred years he remained the same. The flawless youkai with long silver hair that reached his knees, and beautiful markings of magenta and periwinkle that stood out for the world to see. And why shouldn't the world see them? There are people out there with much weirder shit than that on their faces. The only thing he hid was his youki. Of course his attire was different. He replaced his armor and silk for a white button down shirt with long sleeves and unbuttoned cuffs over faded jeans, and he no longer carried Tokijin and Tenseiga at his side, he still had them of course, just not at his hip.

"Its damn cold." Sesshoumaru stated to no one as he flicked his cigarette butt.

As he lowered his amber eyes to his tea, they immediately shot up in alert to the sound of laughter. A womans laughter. It was so distinctly familiar and haunting, and an old air filled him.

It was a group of four human girls, and they were all laughing and giggling, but he could only hear hers, the girl with the yellow backpack...that disturbingly yellow backpack. "This couldn't possibly be..."

Flashback...

"Sesshoumaru, are you so weak? Or has this Naraku become to much for even you? (evil laugh) Sesshoumaru who thought he was immune to shouki, is now paralized where he stands. The irony..."

-:Naraku pulls tentacle from Sesshoumaru's chest laughing evilly:-

"NOW DIE KNOWING YOU ARE BELOW THIS NARAKU!

-:Naraku's lance of concentrated evil draws energy of crackling purple and black as he readys to deal the death blow and rid the world of his most threatening enemy:-

Sesshoumaru is cheated, only being able to watch and curse in his head...then he saw her...

...his brothers companion...running with out stretched fingers as her hair trails wildly behind her...tears gleam in the sun and splash him on the cheek as she begins a wailing cry...Everything seems to be in slow motion as she stops in front of him at the same time to meet the lance...in her heart.

screams can be heard in the distance...

Intense rays of pink and blue explode from the girls chest, swallowing Naraku, making him non-existant to the world, thus destroying him in the blink of an eye...all so quickly...

Sesshoumaru is instantly free to move, but keeps his eyes on the girl in front of him, who turns and looks at him as the colors dissipate back into her wound that only now bleeds and pools at her feet...

Inuyasha and the other humans are nearing quickly and screaming her name...

She keeps eye contact with him almost as if saying something...then wavers, and falls into his brothers arms...dead.

The others scream her name...KAGOME...KAGOME...KAGOMEEEE!...

oOo

"Kagome" Sesshoumaru says outloud, ending his flashback. He couldn't help it, it came out of his mouth unconsciously.