Love Amidst War by Decente Renko

Fateful Meetings

To avoid confusion: The story begins when both Sesshoumaru and Kagome are very young, so think short and innocent (not naïve, innocent). Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Sesshoumaru roamed the borders of his father's land. He had little to occupy his time until he reached his fifth decade in life, and then he would begin training with his father, Katsuro, Lord of the Western Lands.

Despite his lack of fighting skills, Sesshoumaru wandered alone. War had not ravaged the land for centuries, and no one seemed to want to disturb the peace. However, Sesshoumaru had overheard his father speaking with the wolf youkai Yukio, who was both the Lord of the Southern Lands and an ally. Lord Susumu of the Eastern Lands, a bear youkai, seemed to be trying to provoke a war. The bear's motive, though, were unknown.

Sesshoumaru's walk brought him to the edge of the Sentoraru Forest. His mother told him stories about the creatures that supposedly inhabited the large, central forest whose borders touched all four cardinal Lands. Supposedly, they were the unofficial sovereigns and protectors of the forest, which came to be known as the Central Lands.

The beings were not youkai, his mother cautioned him, but similar. They were called Earth Angels.

His mother had never seen one, and could not tell him what they looked like. Neither could anyone else he spoke to about the matter. Only vague references could be found in the numerous texts he searched through, and some contradicted each other. Not a single depiction could be located. Sesshoumaru himself had walked by the forest many times and never seen anything unordinary. He began to doubt such creatures existed, and that his mother was merely reciting myths.

"Who are you?"

The delicate voice that spoke startled Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts, and he quickly turned toward the speaker. His golden eyes rose to see a girl sitting on a branch of a nearby tree. He wondered why he had not sensed her presence before. He may be untrained, but he was not unaware.

The girl appeared to be about his age. She was certainly his size. Her pale complexion rivaled his own, but her midnight tresses contrasted his silver mane. Her hair brushed just past her shoulders, as his did. Bright blue eyes watched him with curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked in response, still irritated at being caught off guard.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to surprise you. I was practicing hiding my aura." She jumped down from her perch. "My name is Kagome. What's yours?"

His eyes widened as soon as she was clear of the cover that the trees provided.

On her back was a pair of small, white-feathered wings.

"It's not polite to stare," Kagome said with a giggle.

Sesshoumaru blinked and frowned at her.

"You're Sesshoumaru, aren't you?" Before he could question her, she continued. "Only the inu royal family has that color hair," she said, approaching him. "It's really pretty."

Sesshoumaru huffed, but his ego inflated slightly at the compliment. He had always liked sharing the same hair color as his powerful father. "It's not as long as my father's, but I'm growing it out."

Kagome nodded in understanding. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Sesshoumaru," she said with a bow.

"Don't do that," he snapped. "It gets annoying."

Kagome blinked at him, confused. "Do what?"

"Bow, and call me 'Lord' and stuff."

"Oh, okay," Kagome said cheerily. He was surprised but pleased when she did not question him or protest. A thoughtful look came over her face, and she tilted her head slightly. "How old are you? Shouldn't you be training?"

"No, I have another ten years before I am half a century. Then I start training." He paused. "How old are you?"

She flashed him a dazzling smile. "I just reached half a century." Suddenly she grabbed his hand and began pulling him through the trees. "Come on, let's go play!" she declared excitedly.

He did not object and allowed her to lead him to a field of multicolored flowers. As he watched her run around amongst the array of vivid plant life, his attention was drawn back to her wings. He had never seen a demon with feathered wings before. He knew the bat demons of the North had wings, but theirs were not feathers, but skin.

Sesshoumaru was lost in thought, and so did not notice what Kagome stopped frolicking and began to sneak up behind him. He fell to the ground when she tackled his unsuspecting form.

He growled and rolled her off of him before standing to brush off his white outfit. Kagome laughed and stood to help him. Her joviality was contagious, and he found he was grinning despite himself.

"No fair," he claimed. "You are still hiding your presence."

"Oh, I forgot," she said laughing.

He knew the moment she made her aura known. Her scent of fresh rain immediately overcame the fragrance of the vegetation that surrounded them. He felt muscles that he did not know were tense suddenly relax. The mysterious strength and power that she radiated made his skin tingle.

"What are you?" he asked without thinking.

She simply laughed again. "I'm an Earth Angel."

- - - - - -

"Mother!" Sesshoumaru called out as he sprinted down the long hallways. Servants hastily moved out of his path. He did not care if his behavior was inappropriate for one of his status.

Sesshoumaru threw open the doors and found his mother sitting in the garden with a cup of tea. His mother barely had time to set aside her drink before Sesshoumaru flung himself into her arms. "They're real, Mother! They're real! I met one!"

His mother, Naomi, released a quiet chuckle at her son's antics. She was delighted to see him so happy and excited. "Calm yourself, Sesshoumaru," she said soothingly, the smile still on her face. "And then tell me."

Sesshoumaru looked up at his mother, from whom he had received his lean build and facial structure. "I was walking along the border again today, and I met an Earth Angel, Mother."

"Really?" Some of her wonder and excitement leaked into her normally calm and quiet voice. When Sesshoumaru nodded, Naomi encouraged, "Tell me more."

Sesshoumaru readily related his meeting with Kagome. When he finished, he asked, "Will I learn how to hide my aura, too?" She nodded, and Sesshoumaru appeared satisfied with her answer. "May I see her again, Mother?"

"I don't see why not. But you should speak of this to your father during the evening meal."

"I'll go ask him now," Sesshoumaru decided, and raced away.

"Sesshoumaru! No!" Naomi quickly stood and chased after her son. Thankfully, she caught him before he reached the bedroom door. "Sesshoumaru, do not disturb your father right now, okay? You'll see him soon enough," Naomi admonished gently.

"But--"

Sesshoumaru was cut off by the sound of the door opening. A demoness he did not recognize exited into the hallway. Her clothes and hair were rumpled, her skin flushed, and her lips swollen. The unknown female walked passed them without so much as a glance. His mother attempted to pull him away, but he silently refused to move.

His father then stepped out of the room. Katsuro's white and red clothing was as pristine as ever, but Sesshoumaru was far from stupid. He finally allowed his mother to lead him away.

A/N: To those who are reading my other Inuyasha story, I will be updating that soon, hopefully. The idea for this story was a haunting distraction. Now, I will be able to focus. Thanks!