In Plain Sight by Forsaken Tenshi
In Plain Sight
The characters of Inuyasha do not belong to me. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
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In Plain Sight
A Dokuga Contest Oneshot Entry
Theme: Minority
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“Sayonara, Mama!” Kagome called as she headed exited the house, worn yellow backpack slung over a shoulder. She stepped out from under the eaves and into the late afternoon sun.
“Take care, Kagome!” called her mother from within.
The girl skipped towards the well house but slowed as she neared the Goshinboku, mindful of the guest that stood before the ancient tree. He was a regular visitor, according to her mother: a wealthy young man who had over the past several years donated large amounts of money for the shrine’s upkeep. The first time she had met him a few months back, he had introduced himself as Nishimura Katsuro, heir apparent and CEO of biomedical engineering and research company Nextep. Various business magazines had hailed him as a genius for his financial acumen, and Nextep was predicted to flourish under his leadership when he took over.
Nishimura was a tall, handsome man with sharp hazel eyes and long black hair he kept tied in a low ponytail. He was quiet and respectful, with a sort of confident but weary wisdom about him that made him stand apart from the people she had encountered over the years. It almost felt as though she were looking at a human version of Sesshoumaru, but there was not a trace of youki that could hint at his being anything less than human, so Kagome simply wrote it down as coincidence.
Youkai in this era were nonexistent. Kagome had stretched her senses as far as she could to find one, but had ultimately failed. It was genuinely disheartening, realizing that an entire race had disappeared with the proliferation of humans. When she was home, the young woman often wondered what happened to youkai like Sesshoumaru. She could not imagine him dying of anything: to her, he was a pillar of strength that would never flag or fail. Even if he had survived to this time, he would be such a small minority of Japan’s humanoid population—barely a sliver. The thought was sobering and depressing.
“Nishimura-san,” she said, pausing by him and bobbing her head in greeting. She decided to see if she could nudge him to leave; the Goshinboku was in plain sight of the well house and vice versa. “How are you this afternoon?”
The young corporate heir turned away from his perusal of the Goshinboku to focus on the girl. Grey eyes stared back at him, a smile on her lips. He bobbed his head in reply and said, “Well, Higurashi-san.” His eyes flicked to her bag. “Schoolwork, I take it?”
Kagome gave her bag a cursory glance before nodding. “Yes. That and a few snacks for my friends.” Among other things, she added mentally.
“Hn,” he responded, turning to regard the Goshinboku once again. The pair of them stood in comfortable silence under the tree, savoring the favorable weather conditions that were unusual for that time of year. A gentle breeze twisted playfully by, fingering the man’s ebony locks. Kagome wished her hair was as naturally straight and silky as his.
“Does something trouble you, Nishimura-san? Mama says you’ve been visiting more frequently as of late.” Kagome tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears, watching as the young man turned around to face her once more.
“Nothing unduly troubles me, Higurashi-san. I simply find this place soothing after a full day of work,” he replied, head tilted to the side. “The shrine exudes a peace that is not often found in the goings-on of Tokyo.”
Kagome smiled. “Then I am pleased that you consider my home a sanctuary of sorts.”
Nishimura checked his watch and sighed. “I believe it is time for me to head home. Good luck with your studies, Higurashi-san,” he said with a small bow that Kagome returned. “I shall see you later.” He turned and made his way towards the torii that marked the entrance and exit to the shrine. Kagome watched as he disappeared down the steps that led to the street below and sighed with relief.
“Time to go,” she murmured to herself, entering the well house and jumping into the well’s dark depths.
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Contrary to what Kagome thought, Nishimura did not make it down to the streets. As soon as his head disappeared from her sight, he made sure no one was on the street before darting around the hill that the shrine sat above and vaulting quietly onto the roof of the main house. He watched as the young woman entered the well house, waiting until her scent disappeared on the wind. He sighed gustily, releasing a small amount of youki as he momentarily relaxed, his true appearance flickering into view for a second. His inky locks flashed pale silver, his eyes blinked burnished gold, and his ancestral markings on his forehead, cheeks, and eyelids winked in and out of existence. His secret was safe from her for a little while longer.
Lying back on the rooftop, he thought of the era in which he now lived. In this day and age, he was known as Nishimura Katsuro, financial genius and son of Nishimura Satoshi—who in reality was also himself with the aid of several different kitsune glamour spells anchored to an unassuming silver-chained bracelet, courtesy of Shippou. The bracelet allowed him to don various appearances so that he could be passed off as different people at any given time. Five hundred years ago, he was known as Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, a feared and respected warrior and inuyoukai lord.
Sesshoumaru gazed up at the sky, taking in the warm hues of the sun that slowly surrendered to the cool tones of the evening as he thought about the intervening years. After the death of Naraku and the completion of the Shikon no Tama, the humans began to multiply, expanding their villages and driving out lesser youkai from their homes and reducing their numbers. Within two centuries, most of the lesser forms of youkai had all but vanished, and the greater youkai, such as himself and others like the kitsune Shippou, had to be able to pass off as humans in order to survive.
A tiny minority in the whole of Japan, he thought, That is what we have been reduced to. Once upon a time, he would have scoffed at the mere idea of youkai dying out what with their superior abilities, but now, after having lived through it, he was grudgingly impressed by the ingenuity of humans in their desperate bid for survival. With their creativity, they built cities, eliminated disease, crossed oceans, and traversed through the heavens beyond what even greater youkai could inherently do.
Yet even then, none had captured his attention as much as Higurashi Kagome had. This young woman, on the cusp of adulthood, possessed a personality that had both intrigued and baffled him by turns. Kind and compassionate to all, but with an unyielding backbone of steel, the female was a walking contradiction. She had defied him multiple times, and yet somehow had managed to survive his temper. Many other creatures had suffered death at his hands for lesser deeds.
Sesshoumaru stirred long after the sun had dropped below the horizon and the moon bathed the earth in its glowing radiance. He had waited a long time. He could afford to be patient and wait a little more.