It Happened in Glimpses by Rachel
Tragedy
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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He knew she had returned. Her scent pervaded the village as he passed by. He diverted towards her, curious to see if anything had changed. They saw each other at the same moment and she waved and called him "brother". Strange, to feel disappointed. Kagome had earned his respect and nearly his regard. It had been his hope that she would return. Quietly in the depths of his soul, he had also hoped that the time away would have opened her eyes to the hanyou's nature. Apparently not.
Considering her words either she was already his brother's mate or soon would be.
He turned away.
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His next visit was almost a year later. He did not suppress the thought that perhaps the hanyou had betrayed her by turning to the clay miko again, but neither did he entertain it. It was no longer any business of his.
Rin was bright as ever, chattering how Kagome-sama was teaching her from her futuristic books. He noted the change in suffix, but deemed it appropriate. A teacher deserved respect from their student.
As he left he saw her with the hanyou and was surprised to scent that the whelp was being true to her. He took a moment to study the pair. Her posture had improved, it put her head level with his brother's.
Again, he turned away.
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The first time he smelled Rin's menstrual blood on the wind he sighed and ordered Jacken to fetch what he had prepared. They arrived in the village as Kagome was leaving the old Miko's hut. She turned her head away and strode on without a word.
His beast stirred and his fists clenched. Ruthlessly he suppressed both reactions. It was not his place to comment, even though the sight of her wild inky hair tamed and pulled back into a miko's traditional style made his fur stand on end. Rin's downcast face claimed his attention as it brightened upon sight of him.
A hint of warmth was allowed to enter his tone as he offered his gift - a new kimono and a set of kanzashi pins. Appropriate for the woman she now was.
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She might have become a woman, but even months later Rin's way of chattering did not change, though its subject matter had. No longer did she mention 'books', her lessons had apparently turned to herbs and healing. It was appropriate knowledge for a female to have, so he did not comment. Word came that the slayer boy was sighted arriving and, noting his ward's blush, he made his excuses.
Outside he stood beside the older Miko as she watched the younger walk into the forest. Idly he wondered why she was not greeting the boy, and caught the look of unease on the elder Miko's face.
He reminded himself that it was not his concern and walked away.
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Kohaku stood bravely before him, Rin shyly at his side, as he requested her hand in marriage. The monk stood by smiling his sly smile.
He nodded in approval and, catching the canny lavender eyes, began negotiating. Rin would remain with the old Miko until the wedding, and after, until the slayer had prepared a proper abode in his village. He would contribute funds and goods to that end and further to assist the damaged village in its resurrection.
He was mildly surprised to hear that the monk would be officiating the ceremony. Even more unexpected, his inquiry was met with pensive and sour faces. Rin's disappointment was clear as she explained that Miko-sama had declined.
His beast rumbled. This change in address was incomprehensible. She had always insisted on the use of her name. Firmly he reminded himself that she was the hanyou's mate, and dropped the subject.
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The wedding was as extravagant as should be for the ward of the Western Lord. He watched from the edges as Kohaku and Rin made their promises to each other. His eyes roved over the gathered throng, though he told himself he knew not what he was looking for.
His half-brother was standing, arms crossed, in similar circumstances but opposite placement. Their eyes met over the crowd - gold to gold. The smugness of the half-breed was noted just as he caught her scent from the forest. She had not even attended?
His beast strained to surface at that scent crying that it had changed. The crowd cheered as the wedding was completed and he turned to walk away, dismissing the thought. She had mated the hanyou, of course her scent had changed.
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A tangle of snakes had invaded his lands from the south, so it was longer than he had intended before he returned to the village. The older Miko welcomed him into her hut and explained that construction of Rin's home in the slayer's village had been completed last month, so she had moved.
With no reason to linger, he stood and nodded to the elder Miko in thanks for the diligent care of his ward. She nodded to him in return.
Pushing the grass mat aside he came face to face with the younger miko and his beast howled. Chocolate brown eyes glared at him before she moved aside for him to leave. He continued without pausing, listening to his beast's continued snarls. Then he remembered.
Kagome's eyes were blue.
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Tension rose as he considered, resisting the urge to turn around and rage until his questions were answered. They had been small - the changes - gradual. Impossible to truly see in such small glimpses as he had previously witnessed.
But this…
He could no longer tell himself to leave it. Once out of the village he lifted his face to the wind, searching. The scent he was seeking was there, but too faint to track - in this form. Entering the woods he loosed the barest trace of his yoki, size would be a hindrance here. His beast emerged, larger still than any mortal dog, but only a fraction of his typical proportions. His nose, more sensitive by far, found the trace and he followed.
He found her among the roots of the Goshinboku. Clay, dirt and the scent of death still lingered in the air, though there was no sign of the shinidamachu that had once fed this form. Taking his usual shape he stepped closer.
Sapphire eyes like crystal gems stared unseeing from the cracked and frozen face.
Wind stirred the branches above and he felt her aura as it whispered Sesshomaru.
His composure broke and his beast howled to the unforgiving sky. Kagome.
A/N: If you are primarily a fan of tragedy the story can be complete here. For fans of HEA, continue to the next chapter.