Here it is, the final chapter of what was supposed to be a short Halloween tale.
Special Thanks to LC Rose for her unwavering support of this story. You're the best!
xxx
Mirror, Mirror
Chapter Ten - Dawning
Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome slept in the bed next to him. He'd waited too long, slept too long in his mirrored prison to waste any more time sleeping. Carefully, he studied the details of her face, noting the subtle differences between this woman and her previous incarnation. If anything, he would say that she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Silken, ebony hair fanned in dark waves across her white sheets like spilled ink, tousled from the previous night's activities. Gently he wrapped one of the dark locks around a clawed finger, noting how the dawn light brought out its subtle, blue highlights.
Sighing softly, Kagome rolled so that she was facing him, the sheet sliding down in the process, revealing the creamy expanse of her shoulder and the swell of her breasts. A low rumble escaped his throat as he remembered how that skin had felt under his fingertips. He had taken singular pleasure in exploring her body, in discovering all the areas that gave her the most pleasure. He itched to wake her for the simple joy of looking once more into the depths of her soulful eyes. And yet, a part of him feared doing so.
Outside a new day was dawning, and with it, the unfamiliar feeling of uncertainty emerged. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen when she awakened.
He was no fool. He was a virtual stranger to the woman in the bed next to him. Though she gave herself to him willingly, he knew that things between them would not be so simple.
Golden eyes drifted closed as Sesshoumaru prayed to any kami who was listening that he would be granted a second chance at life with her.
xxx
Drifting up from the heaviness of sleep, a contented sigh escaped Kagome's lips as visions of the previous night fluttered across her mind's eye. Heat coursed through her veins the memory. Sesshoumaru had been both passionate and gentle, taking his pleasure from hers.
Eyes still closed, Kagome buried her nose in the pillows, inhaling the deeply masculine scent that was both foreign and yet deeply familiar.
"Mmm…good morn-" Kagome's greeting was cut short when her outstretched hand met empty space next to her.
Grey eyes flew open and confirmed what her hand had told her – she was alone.
"Sesshoumaru?" she called out tentatively, unable to mask the edge of panic that laced her voice. He would not have left, right? Not after last night, not after...
Kagome swung long legs over the bed's edge. Wrapping the rumpled quilt around her naked form, she yanked the bedroom door open. The moment she saw him, her fear vanished, but the tightness of an unnamed emotion gripped her, making it difficult to breath.
He stood next to a window, the golden light of the dawn setting his silver hair on fire. Dressed only in his hakama, his torso was left bare to her hungry eyes which took in every detail she had missed in the darkness and passion of the previous night.
Pale skin glowed, stretching over perfectly toned muscles, their power barely contained by the flesh that covered them. Magenta stripes, like those on his face and wrists, also curved over each hip, disappearing tantalizingly below the fabric on his waist.
He was probably this single most beautiful creature she had ever seen.
'And he's mine…' her soul whispered fiercely. Giving herself a mental shake, she cleared her throat and walked toward him. In the light of this new day, she needed reason, not lust – she needed to figure out what was next.
Amber eyes slanted her way, watching as she padded across the carpet to stand before him. She studied his face for a few moments before turning to watch the sun cresting the city skyline.
"Beautiful," she breathed quietly.
"Very," came Sesshoumaru's reply, though Kagome could feel the intensity of his gaze still on her. Blushing under the scrutiny, Kagome looked down, pulling the quilt tighter, a free finger playing nervously with a loose thread.
"I meant the sunrise," she whispered quietly, studying the coverlet's pattern trying to ignore the pounding of her heart.
"Hnn…"
Clawed fingers smoothed back the ebony hair that had fallen forward, obscuring her face. Kagome caught her lip between her teeth in a gesture of nervousness, searching for the right words for what she wanted to say.
"You are anxious," he observed bluntly.
Kagome simply nodded, continuing to look down. A gentle hand cupped her jaw, encouraging her to look at him.
"Why?"
Sesshoumaru's simple question opened the floodgates and all of Kagome's confused thoughts came tumbling out in a rush.
"There's so much I don't know about you…about us and our past together. I remember some things, but not everything. And I do…want to know everything, that is."
Kagome paused, turning to pace the room, unable to meet his eyes. Her brow furrowed as she plunged ahead, all of the bottled and confused emotions of the past week rushing to the forefront.
"I only met you, what, seven, no eight days ago and you were in a mirror, for crying out loud! We have barely two conversations – if you can even call them that, with all the touching. I have a crazy-ass nightmare in which I holding a dead child, you're tied up, and relive my own murder.
"Then, then my mirror freakin' explodes and you vanish!For a week! I thought I was crazy, that I'd imagined the whole thing…hell, I think my friends believed I was nuts…but it felt like someone had ripped my heart out. How could a hallucination make me feel that way?"
Sesshoumaru watched Kagome circle the room, a small smile gracing his lips. She was so much like the woman he remembered – passionate and effusive.
"And last night you just reappear out of nowhere, living breathing flesh. And somehow I end up back here with you. Heaven knows what Miroku thinks…"
She trailed off, she flopped down onto her couch, drained. Sesshoumaru made his way over to where Kagome sat, lifting and cradling her in his lap. Burying her face against his neck, Kagome absorbed the warming comfort her offered.
"I know this is not easy for you, koi. You are not the same woman, but you share the same soul and therefore the same memories."
"I'm scared, Sesshoumaru," Kagome whispered quietly. "I don't know you, not really, and yet I know that I can't live without you. That frightens me."
Gradually, her heart slowed, mind settling a little. A sudden, odd thought struck her as she sat nestled in his embrace.
"What was her name? For some reason I can't remember." Pulling back, Kagome looked up into his face.
He didn't need to ask who she meant. Sesshoumaru hid behind long bangs, concealing the pain that flickered through his eyes.
"Does it matter?"
"I suppose not. I was merely curious," she replied quietly, looking away, hurt that he would not share with her.
Turning her to face him once more, Sesshoumau gently swept away the tear that trailed down her cheek.
"Your name was Mitsuko. You were a miko, a priestess."
"Will you tell me? Help me remember us?"
Bending low, Sesshoumaru placed a gentle kiss against her lips. Pulling Kagome close, he began the long tale of their past. As Kagome listened to the deep rumble of his voice, she couldn't help but feel she had come home.
xxx
A/N: This final chapter was written for dokuga_contest's Oneshot Prompt #32, Wrinkle. Submissions were required to have a minimum of 500 words; mine stands at 1,238. I'm pleased to say that this piece placed third in that contest.
Thank you, everyone, for reading my little tale. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time...