#actually i was down bad for sesshoumaru

[starmocha]

Wait why am I surprised

This was what I was into at 11

I feel like I had just tapped into some potentially niche fetish genre with this outfit combo

[shinidamachu]

So I thought of something... I HATED Sesshoumaru in the beginning, reminded me of all my brother's bad traits back then (we are now best friends). It was after he adopted Rin he started becoming a better person, like some others become better people when they become parents. So it was the two of the, a father-daughter combo I liked, without the other, they aren't much. Just see the time Sesshoumaru kills a man and uses his arm while Ah-Un watches over Rin while they go to steal tessaiga and kill Inuyasha again. Now again, he's just awful. It's not before he appreciates human lives because she introduces her to the good sides of humanity (like some children introduce their parents to the beautiful and not cynical parts of the world), he starts to see that their lives also have their worth and becomes a better person. Some characters come as duos to be whole..!

You bring on some excellent, absolutely valid points.

For me, it comes down to the fact that I usually find stoic characters such as Sesshomaru – with very few exceptions – extremely uninteresting.

As a woman of color who is very passionate about everything I hold dear – my family especially – Sesshomaru is particularly hard to relate to. And everything I've said so far also applies to Kikyo.

I understand the appeal, it's just that he never did it for me. It feels like the very reasons why people love him so much are precisely the things that drive me away.

For instance, his character design is gorgeous, but I've never felt attracted to him and, even if I had, his cold personality would have nipped that in the bud.

Don't get me wrong: I absolutely love morally grey characters. Sesshomaru just didn't make it to the cut because he has the charisma of a water cracker.

The few things I actually enjoy about his character – the dynamic between him and Rin, his almost romance with Kagura, the unexplored idea of a relationship with Kikyo – aren't even about him per se, but about other characters.

Compare this to Inuyasha, a male lead who's actually interesting, charismatic and three-dimensional. It's not a secret that his relationship with Kagome is my favorite thing about him, but take that away completely – along with his character development – and I'd still be crazy invested on his journey as an anti-hero because that's how compelling and relatable he is.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, works just fine as an antagonistic side character, but to be honest, every time there was an episode centered on him I wish I was watching literally anything else. Toga and Izayoi's love story, Koga and the wolf tribe or just the Inugang doind whatever: any one of those sound way more appealing to me.

You say some characters come as duos to be whole and I agree, but it's also true that this can lead people to not care about them as individuals, which is exactly my case.

I guess people can interpret Sesshomaru as someone who was just seeking for his father's approval, but even this sounds more like headcanon than anything actually explored in the show. Sesshomaru feeling overlooked doesn't necessarily means Toga overlooked him.

He is biased and entitled and we never got to see Toga's perspective on their relationship, but the fact that he left Tenseiga to Sesshomaru shows that he knew his son well and loved him enough to give him what he needed instead of what he wanted, even if Sesshomaru couldn't understand his act of love for what it was at first.

It was never about Toga's legacy – because Tenseiga is just a part of it as Tessaiga – and it was never about his broken up family – because he didn't seem to give a shit about his mother. It was about Sesshomaru's hurt ego at seeing his half demon, "bastard" brother getting the sword he judged to be more powerful.

I'll give credit where credit is due and say that from all the Inuyasha characters who were supposed to be morally grey – Kikyo, Koga, etc – he was the one who had the best written redemption arc by far, Kagura being the exception.

I just don't think it's as perfect as people make it out to be. It was good and natural for where the story stopped – anything else would have felt forced–, but he still had a long way to go before I stopped seeing him as a lowkey racist, spoiled little brat.

Even if Toga had if fact neglect him and this fact had been properly shown, it still doesn't justify nor erase the awful things he did, especially to Inuyasha, who had to go through way worse stuff than daddy issues, mostly because of him.

Abandoning Inuyasha as a child and using the memory of his mother to steal the sword their father had rightfully left to him are just a few examples of why I think a fraternal relationship between these two is broken beyond repair.

It's great that Sesshomaru did become a better person – not that the bar was too high anyway –, but it shouldn't be on Inuyasha to forgive and forget just like that. Especially because Sesshomaru never even put on the effort to apologize and make things right.

[chimerabytes]

oh yeah I dont think I've ever even talked about Dr. Caballeron so I'm surprised his ship even won, but to run a quick history of him down in case someone hasn't watched MLP:FiM:

Dr. Caballeron, also known as Q. Q. Martingale, is- or rather, was- the enemy of Daring Do /A.K. Yearling. Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies were responsible for chasing down rare artifacts that Daring Do wanted to keep out of his hands.

Essentially, Daring Do is like the Indiana Jones of Equestria.

Eventually there comes an episode where Dr. Caballeron, under his pen name, publishes a book writing down his side of one of the latest adventures A.K. Yearling wrote about. He's tried multiple times to ruin her reputation, but in the end they are both bested by Ahuizotl publishing his own books. They decide to work together after that.

In that same episode, Daring Do works with Rainbow Dash to secure an item called the Truth Talisman of Tonituh. Dr. Caballeron, well... He convinces Fluttershy - taking advantage of her kindness- of all ponies to work with him, seeing that she and Rainbow Dash know each other well. However, Dr. Caballeron actually learns from Fluttershy's kindness, and they become friends. At the end, Dr. Caballeron and Daring Do finally promise to stop thieving relics from Tenochtitlan Basin, which Ahuizotl is actually the guardian of.

And this right here is why I love Dr. Caballeron so much. I love bad guys that turn into awkwardly adorable good guys while still having that gruff charm to them. (See: Megamind, Gru, Vegeta - or really a large chunk of the Dragon Ball cast over time in various timelines-, Sesshoumaru, among many others!)

Although after his redemption we don't see much of him again, it goes in hand (or hoof?) with the themes of the fourth generation of My Little Pony. Friendship is *definitely* magic.

Anyway uhhhh. Quick TL;DR: Yeah I like him. I liked seeing his gradual evolution over the show into a decent pony.

[mythicamagic]

Hello Myth! If you get a chance, this is in regards to the enemies to friends writing print list for SessKag -

• “Why did they stab you?” “Should I have asked for an explaination?”

There were a few on that list that could be hilarious if the roles were reversed 😂.

Thank you for all you do! ♥️

AN: University continues to kick my ass. If you see me posting fics for other fandoms instead of updating current stories, please be patient and understanding. I don't want to mess the current stories up and I think I've got some fandom burnout going on. I hope by trying some other stuff I can gravitate back to this ship after a break. I've written 42 Inuyasha stories this year and some of those are chapter fics XD Night Terrors, which is on chapter 72, was made this year. I never really thought about my output before haha. So yeah, just taking a bit of a break.

Warning: smut. This post is part 2 of the ABO fic you can find - here.

---

Sesshoumaru closed burning eyes, gritting his teeth so hard they ached. "Release this one," he commanded lowly.

"No! Please!" Kagome crushed her face against his chest, panting. "You're the only one that I want. It hurts! I need you close," she whined deliriously, shifting to stare at him with glazed eyes, hazed with arousal and heat. "It'll go away if you just fill me up, right?" her voice lowered into a needy rush. "Fuck me, Sesshoumaru. Make me yours, alpha."

Fuck.

His temples pounded. This was the miko unfiltered and lost in a haze of desire. She'd say anything- the pathetic, whimpering mess currently grinding against him completely at odds with the woman who had firmly asserted she'd fight him just a few hours prior. He needed to keep his head.

Kagome writhed and mewled upon the furs, rolling her hips suggestively, making his loins burn. Sesshoumaru's lips peeled back from spittle coated teeth, a fever rushing through his veins the more she begged.

"Just fuck me, please-!" she panted. "I want your cock, only yours-" Kagome sloppily kissed his collarbone in her haste.

It felt good. The attention, the begging, the scent of slick dripping between her legs. So wet and ready for me. His miko was so very accommodating. Soft yet strong. His mind was starting to slip. A rumble vibrated from his chest which caused her to moan and go for his throat, nuzzling her cheek against his scent gland. That slapped the Daiyoukai awake, hackles rising with a deep, bellowing snarl.

Red scorched across his vision. Sesshoumaru bit down on her ear in reprimand, sending a harsh growl directly into it.

She jolted, going still for a moment. "I-I'm sorry," Kagome whimpered. "I just want it so bad."

Releasing the shell of her ear, Sesshoumaru made the mistake of inhaling her hair.

The intensity of her pheromones actually caused him to stiffen and sway, unbalanced by the sheer magnitude.

Kagome quickly snapped back to attention- tugging at her clothes, yanking the opening of her white kosode open. She wriggled and desperately tried to get free from her miko robes.

Sesshoumaru panted softly, feeling his painfully hard erection strain against the confines of his pants. Practically choking on her delicious scent, he took the opportunity to try and rise again. Slim legs locked around his waist. Kagome gave a breathy purr, grinding against his erection.

"Alpha," she keened dreamily.

His temper spiked- grabbing the female by the hair and twisting her body to flip her over, shoving her cheek down against plush furs. Sesshoumaru pinned her with teeth buried against the material of her scarf.

"Be still," he hissed.

Kagome froze, "yes, alpha," she murmured dreamily.

No good. His hard cock weeping with pre-cum had found the curve of her ass, which remained perked up in offering, bowing her body in an enticing way that stirred all kinds of dark impulses while he loomed behind her. With a mere shift of his hips, the outline of his cock rubbed a path between her legs. It fit snugly in the gap of her parted thighs, and he thrust with a groan.

Kagome gasped and purred, "yessss."

His clothes were beginning to feel constricting. His skin blazed with a fever. Instincts howled, snarling within his heated blood to take what she offered. If this kept up, she'd trigger his rut- and they'd both be lost to the tide of impulse.

His pride would not allow such a thing.

Sharp canines dug a little tighter into Kagome's scarf, mouth closing down on the thin fabric. It would be so easy to tear it away and bite down, mangle her scent gland and bind them together while sinking deep inside what she so eagerly offered. She'd be warm and tight.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and shuddered, picturing Kagome's cunt clenching around him. He exhaled carefully through his nose.

Think. Later. Not yet. Have her later. Savour it. Must bind her wound, hunt, provide.

At odds with his thoughts, Sesshoumaru reached down and curled his claw between her legs, slitting a hole within her red hakama pants, hooking his thumbs into it to yank the material wider between her legs. Kagome jolted and mewled, evidence of her desire seeping through her innocent white underwear.

Sesshoumaru inwardly snorted. Innocent indeed. If she could only see herself right now.

Lifting his free hand to his lips, he closed his teeth over sharp claws, nipping down to blunt the edges. He then reached around her, sliding them under wet panties, rubbing at her clit and inserting a finger with ease due to her drenched walls. They clamped around the intrusion desperately.

"Mn! A-alpha...I want your thick cock- not this," she keened.

Sesshoumaru growled, squeezing his eyes shut so tight he saw stars. Gods, she'd be the death of him. He freed his straining cock from his hakama pants. "Silence, omega."

This would need to be carefully done.

He stiffly, and slightly roughly, began thrusting his finger, making a second join in. He curled them, using his thumb to stimulate her sensitive bundle of nerves with deft swipes and circles. While doing so, Sesshoumaru closed her thighs enough to snugly hug his erect cock.

Kagome shook and cried, taking him by surprise and bucking her hips. She fucked herself on his fingers and growled in frustration, trying to aim for his length instead. She even reached for it- and Sesshoumaru bit down into her shoulder.

"Ah!" the cry soon bled into a breathy moan. "J-jerk," she panted.

His lips curved even while he panted with need, starting to thrust. Interesting. She was a brat even while held within the disorientating haze of her heat. Sesshoumaru took to licking and sucking at her ear, remaining bent over her from behind, grinding against her. She smelled so fucking good. Her cunt continually clamped around his fingers, seeking more.

I could give her more, a dark part of him whispered.

Much more.

Sesshoumaru mouthed at her neck, panting wildly and thankful for the scrap of cloth protecting her scent glands. Any further stimulation and he'd lose it. He'd fuck her without sense or reason. Perhaps that sounded good on paper but Omegas had been known to die at the hands of feral, thoughtless Alphas fucking them to death. Add to that Kagome's species as a human and he could easily snap her bones with one careless act.

He continued thrusting his hips, growling, nosing at curling black hair and dragging his cock against her quivering pussy- his pumping fingers the only barrier. It was torture and pleasure all at once. He had to turn his head and bite into his own bicep, drinking bottled lightning. If he tasted just a drop of her blood or slick he'd lose it.

Kagome gasped, suddenly going stiff. A long, wailing pant escaped her a moment later, sex quivering as more juices coated blunt claws. The mere sensation crashed his own orgasm through him, releasing between her clenching thighs that hugged him tight. Kagome collapsed forward into a prone mess, rendered weak by her heat.

Sesshoumaru panted, bending after her to nose at her hair, nuzzling slightly. "Good," he purred in a thick voice, withdrawing slick fingers. "Good omega," and then a softer, "good little miko."

She whimpered faintly, "such a waste," he thought he heard her say. Her fingers twitched at her stained legs, gathering a swipe of cum on her thumb and drawing it close to her lips. Glassy blue eyes looked up at him.

The Daiyoukai froze. If he watched what she was about to do, he'd-.

Pulling away, he blurred outside in a whisper of silks. Fresh air assaulted him, and Sesshoumaru drank deep, panting wildly. Crimson eyes gazed unseeingly ahead. Instead of wiping off evidence of Kagome's orgasm on his pants, the Daiyoukai sank two fingers deep into his mouth, licking and sucking at the digits with feral grunts. His tongue twined between them madly, his cock twitching and hardening anew.

Want...her. Want to lock inside her. Need-

Sesshoumaru caught himself from entering the cave again, growling. How shameful of him to buckle as much as he had, no better than a common whelp. What he needed was to wait. Anticipate the time Kagome resurfaced briefly from her heat- which could last anywhere between a few days to weeks.

He erected a barrier over the cave, swiftly flying away into the forests at the base of the mountain. None would break it- but if a male entered the mere vicinity, Sesshoumaru would track them. Hunt them. Possessiveness beat inside his chest. Kagome was his now. She'd been his the second she'd willingly set foot on the mountain.

---

It hurt. Everything hurt.

Kagome cracked stinging eyes open, mouth dry as if she'd swallowed sand. Her head was swimming.

Water...

No sooner than she'd thought it, something cupped the back of her neck, urging her to sit up slightly. The rim of a cup was nudged to her lips. Kagome opened her mouth and drank, hands rising to grip the porcelain.

Golden eyes stared down at her, prompting salacious memories to come flooding back.

Kagome pushed the cup back slightly once she was done, panting softly. "Sesshoumaru," she rasped. "You...you didn't take me while I was under?"

"No."

"Why? I thought…"

She'd figured no one could resist the pull of Omega pheromones once they went into heat. With a glance down, she noticed bandages wrapped around her upper arm, binding her shallow wound. The evidence of cum was absent, and she felt free from sweat. Sesshoumaru had washed her.

Kagome blushed, noting she was dressed in a new purple yukata. Her scarf and wrist bindings remained in place. Wow. I never expected him to do this much.

Sesshoumaru lifted her from the furs, bringing her to rest back against his chest. Kagome's cheeks grew warmer at the intimate position.

"I-I can sit up by myself."

"Mn? Are you certain?" his lips brushed her ear while dragging over a platter of food. Blue eyes widened. Cooked meat. She blinked, confused by his continued consideration. "You collapsed and began saying very filthy things, miko," Sesshoumaru continued.

Kagome winced and blushed, picking up the slice of what she assumed to be pork, likely from a wild boar. "I remember. My mouth just ran away with me. I'd never usually say that to a guy- especially one that I'm not intimate with."

"It was the heat talking."

Kagome bit into the meat and chewed. An intense, sweet, nutty flavour filled her mouth. "Losing control like that is humiliating," she mumbled after swallowing. Though it had felt good at the time. Her stomach fluttered, remembering where his...parts had been, rubbing against her. She knew he'd likely been fighting difficult urges of his own.

Feeling a little strange, she touched her burning cheek and shook it away. Don't think about it. Don't think about his touch or the salty taste of his-

"A-anyway, you still haven't elaborated on why you didn't sleep with me."

Sesshoumaru's hand came to rest upon her thigh, and Kagome's entire body lit up in response to the casual touch. Alpha, it thrummed in response.

"You expressed a wish for the strongest male to beat you in a fight. Only he could mate you."

She froze, pausing mid-chew. Swallowing thickly, she looked down at the cooked meat, figuring he'd learned to accommodate human taste's through Rin. He'd also saved and protected the miko, even washed her. Despite feeling slightly uncomfortable with the whole grey area of her heat situation, Kagome understood why he'd touched her. It had been precise. Designed to lessen the strain of her heat enough for her to resurface. His own release had been part of that.

Sesshoumaru of all beings was actually being considerate.

"Miko," he said in a clear, firm tone.

Teary blue eyes managed to find him, "yes?" emotion was welling up in her throat. After all the fear, confusion and stress, his unexpected kindness rattled her like nothing else. Sesshoumaru was a creature of pride- she'd just never imagined he'd value preserving hers.

His exotic, handsome features were watchful. He didn't blink as often as a human, the gold of his eyes even seeming to dim or brighten with his moods. Kagome snapped back to attention when she realised his kissable mouth was moving, indicating speech.

"You are retreating into your mind and allowing the heat to overtake your consciousness because you are frightened," he patiently explained. "You think of the Omega as something separate from yourself, do you not?"

"Well yeah, I don't feel much like Kagome when I'm begging for you," she smiled weakly.

"Hn," he smirked, tilting his head to one side. "But thinking that way does not aid your struggles. Your instincts resemble my true form. Both are feral. Unruly and raw," his hand flexed wide upon her leg, lithe fingers splaying out. She briefly remembered those same fingers inside her and kicked her damn horny mind. "However," he continued in a lofty tone, seeming to ignore her arousal, "they are a part of us. Once you begin working with your impulses carefully instead of mentally shutting down and recoiling- you will learn control."

"That's a big ask right now but...I'll try," Kagome shakily exhaled, eating the pork. "How did you know I was hungry anyway?"

His lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Instinct."

"Har-har," Kagome twisted in his lap to catch his eye, heartbeat picking up in the wake of his glittering eyes and smile. Had she ever seen him smile in a way that wasn't a prelude to murder? He looked a little softer than usual. Pleasantly rumpled. She found herself stopping and staring at him again, sweeping an intrigued gaze over his features in a way she'd never done before. Sesshoumaru was strange. But it was a welcome strangeness in comparison to all the confusion she'd experienced.

She remembered the feel of him against her body while she'd been maddened with lust. How the hard, defined plains were so different to hers. And his scent- fuck. The outline of his cock snugly rubbing between her legs had been delicious. More than anything though, she remembered feeling...held. Secure amidst complete chaos.

His nostrils flared, gaze sweeping south.

Kagome squeaked and shakily stood, "a-anyway. My heat will probably worsen again soon. If we're gonna fight, we should do it now."

"My thoughts exactly," Sesshoumaru stood much smoother than her, which she kind of hated him for. He'd lost it a little too. She'd remembered that part clearly.

Wandering outside unsteadily, she sucked in a breath of cool night air. Moonlight bathed the trees and sleek mountain rocks in a luminous glow. "Do you think Alpha's will try to attack us while we're fighting?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Attack a Daiyoukai on the verge of falling into runt and an angry priestess in heat? I do not think any will be foolish enough to do so," his velvety voice lifted with amusement as he brushed by, stopping several paces away.

Kagome was surprised to find her bow and arrows waiting for her, propped up near the entrance along with her backpack. Her heart shuddered, squeezing. "Sesshoumaru?" she ventured quietly.

"Hn?"

"Thank you," Kagome murmured.

Golden eyes rover over her face, ever unreadable. It felt a little unnecessary to face him with a nocked arrow, as honestly, Kagome had ventured to the mountain for one reason; to mate. But Sesshoumaru's thoughtfulness wasn't something she intended to ignore. Few Omegas could claim to have chosen their fate on their own terms as he'd allowed.

Kagome's chest swelled with emotion even as she loosened an arrow that could potentially kill him.

Sesshoumaru easily dodged, leaping into the air and heading straight for her.

Raising a shield, her blood heated. The impact of hard claws lashing against her power should've frightened her. Instead, as they began a deadly dance of deflecting one another's attacks and constantly losing and gaining ground, Kagome felt previously latent instincts stir anew. There was just something about watching Sesshoumaru's muscled body twist and strike. How savagely he struck acid claws out to catch another glowing arrow, snarling as it burned his flesh before he snapped it in two.

That intoxicatingly sweet scent reached her nose, and Kagome could tell the fight- which may as well have been a mating dance- had begun affecting him too. She threw her weapons aside and took to using her hands. This lured the demon closer, lashing his poison whip out to close around her ankle and yank.

"Ah!" Kagome's back collided with the ground, briefly dazing her. Sesshoumaru sped in close, anticipating victory- before she raised both hands palm up, summoning a reiki dome around her that had previously severed the wolf demon's arm earlier.

The Daiyoukai chose not to avoid it. He snapped his fingers out lightning-fast and caught the edge of her energy before it could close over her like a protective shell. Blue eyes flew wide, gaping as Sesshoumaru's hands hissed with burns. His usually blank face contorted with pain, a snarl marring his lips.

Nonetheless, with a savage snarl that drummed her heartbeat furiously loud in Kagome's ears, Sesshoumaru forced her shied back- pinning the miko beneath him in an instant.

Kagome panted wildly, cheeks flushed. "Alpha," she crooned softly, before shaking herself slightly and trying to focus. "Sesshoumaru...your hands."

"Submit."

Red eyes glared down at her. Hot breath fanned over her scarf like a gaping furnace.

Her limbs turned to jelly, but beyond that, she inwardly relaxed. She'd fought while weak with her heat but Kagome felt satisfied. Her pride remained intact.

Kagome's fingers shook as they hooked over the edge of her scarf, dragging it down to expose the scent glands of her neck.

When his mouth immediately pressed to them in a lengthy kiss, Kagome let out a strangled gasp, back arching. She forgot to breathe, every single fibre of her being aware of the teeth hovering inches from their goal. A fresh wave of slick subtly pooled between her legs.

Just like that, she fell back into the sweeping tides of heat.

Limbs wrapped around torsos, crotches meeting and rocking.

"Take me inside," she breathed.

She didn't have to ask him twice. Sesshoumaru scooped her up and blurred inside. She was unceremoniously dropped onto plush furs, mokomoko thrown off one shoulder and hankimono tearing in his haste to be free of it.

Kagome yanked at the black ties wrapped protectively around her wrists. Growling, she gnawed at the edges when they refused to loosen. Sesshoumaru's teeth bumped hers aside, latching onto the material and tearing with a savage jerk of his head, revealing her left scent gland. He freed the right after that, pausing.

"What is it?" she panted, swallowing a whine and trying to keep lucid.

Sesshoumaru fanned heated breath over the right scent gland, gripping her wrist and staring. Scars licked dangerously close to the gland, red teeth marks jaggedly cutting from the inside of her elbow and wrapping up to Kagome's wrist.

She nestled in closer, seeking his warmth. "It's alright. I'm fine now."

"Inuyasha did this..." Sesshoumaru rumbled lowly.

"Yeah, during my first heat. He couldn't control himself...it wasn't fun," she murmured. "Luckily Miroku and Sango intervened when they heard the screams."

"He is young," with a dismissive tone, Sesshoumaru bent his head, lathering the scars with a hot wet tongue. "You are to be mine now."

"S-sesshoumaru," Kagome shuddered. "A-are you going to…?"

His lips twitched. "Use your words, miko."

She took a breath. "Are you going to bite me?"

Golden eyes caught hers, before looming closer. His mouth pressed hard and firm against her own, as though trying to convey more than he was saying. Kagome shuddered, breathing picking up as he pulled away with a low rumble. "I will do that and more," heated words were uttered in the space between their lips. "I will break you and sink my teeth into your neck. I will have you keening while mangling your scent gland while giving you my knot, filling your tight little cunt near to bursting with my seed. Is that enough detail for you?"

"Fuck," she panted with a laugh. "S-sure...sounds good..." Kagome swallowed. "Alpha."

Sesshoumaru gave another rumble. Maintaining eye contact, he slowly clamped his mouth over the scent gland in her wrist.

Kagome's back arched, a gasp choking within her throat, eyes flying wide as he sucked. She threw her head back and groaned. Her body flared alive. Pleasure flooded her core, every fibre of her being blazing in his hands.

She imagined it would be similar to the sensation of someone performing oral on her. Kagome panted, groaning as Sesshoumaru sucked and lapped at the gland, cupping her breast and squeezing for good measure.

Kagome saw stars, toes curling. But above the pleasure she wanted something else- to make him groan and shudder too.

Forcing herself upright, Kagome nosed at his cheek, before licking a path over his neck boldly, covering his own glands with her saliva.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Sesshoumaru bellowed out a harsh noise, pinning her down. Kagome gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs, a tongue forcing itself inside her mouth. He kissed her roughly, bitingly; Her action having sent him careening right down with her into rut.

The effect of the kiss was immediate; her limbs turning to mush. Her glands throbbed with pleasure, emitting a fresh wave of pheromones that laced with his and drew from him a muffled growl that resonated along her tongue. She opened her mouth wider and he accepted the invitation by swiping his tongue over hers, tasting her gums, her blunt teeth.

Her clothes were grasped and yanked, the material tearing with harsh sounds as claws cut them to ribbons. The world spun as Sesshoumaru grabbed her hips and flipped Kagome to land on hands and knees.

"Sesshoumaru!" she gasped.

Clothing rustled behind her as he disrobed, cool air wafting on her skin replaced with heated flesh plastering behind her intimately close. Firm fingers reached and grasped her chin with a hard grip. And then, she heard his voice, tinged with a guttural rasp of teeth and hunger sneering into her ear; "Spread yourself for me. You want it, do you not? To belong to me."

Her everything sang with pleasure. Kagome trembled, frightened by her consuming lust. She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded in his grip, "yes," she gasped, letting instinct loosen her tongue. "Ever since I caught your scent- it's all I've wanted."

Some baser urge had been waiting. Yearning for the source of that scent to hold her.

Kagome shifted her thighs to part wider. The sensation of air on her impossibly slick sex felt embarrassing.

"Do not be afraid," Sesshoumaru rumbled and nosed her ear, winding a strong arm around her waist, hooking it to cushion her stomach and hold her up as if predicting what was about to become of her. "I have you."

He then bit into the back of her neck and pushed inside.

Kagome screamed, the sound blurring into a hoarse groan. She trembled as more slick coated his cock, so despite the sensation of being stretched- of his length sliding in deep- it wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. She even liked the teeth buried in her flesh. The only pain wrecking her senses was the need. Her senses screamed, an ache swamping every inch of her body.

"Move-" she panted. "Oh God, please move, Sesshoumaru. It hurts-!"

Sesshoumaru drew his hips back, cock sliding out to the tip inside her- before slamming completely within to the hilt.

The noise she made wasn't human. Tears stung her eyes and Kagome rocked forward onto shaking arms. Saliva filled her mouth, and she began to feel less like a person and more like something possessed. Reiki stirred along her skin as Sesshoumaru moved, setting a rough speed that alerted her mixed up senses to danger. His youki, scent and aura practically choked her.

Reiki hissed against his abdomen where it rubbed against her lower back. Kagome gasped, trying to wrestle it under control-

"Enough."

The reiki disappeared, falling quiet inside her. Kagome's eyes flew wide, panting while her body was rocked and swayed. "H-how?" she managed. How had he done that? How had he commanded her own energy like it were his?

"I told you," a whisper in her ear threatened to undo her completely, full of teeth and smoke. His pheromones swallowed hers, filling up her mouth and nose. "I have you now."

Kagome shuddered and groaned, letting desire take over after that. She submitted all rationale thought willingly. There was no more Kagome. No more Sesshoumaru. Just the sensation of fucking and pleasure. She'd never experienced anything like it in her whole life. He felt impossibly large, impossibly deep, touching parts of her she hadn't been physically aware of before. But despite the discomfort, he felt amazing. Sesshoumaru held her and pulled her on and off his cock, meeting each movement with a thrust that struck through her core and shoved her against lush furs.

"Alpha!" she sobbed. "More, please- gah!- ah!- it's so good, so good, please!"

Was she crying? Her cheeks were wet. Kagome didn't know or care. She continued to be used like a rag-doll, the noises of their coupling and his deep, harsh grunts and snarls filling her ears. Kagome became limp, his hips pistoning, cock slamming rougher and deeper.

She became aware of something over the roar of pleasure.

Sesshoumaru was talking, muttering quietly.

"That's it, good girl. I knew we would fit together perfectly, miko. You are- hah- the one I wanted. The one I sought. So very perfect," his hand grasped her breast, teasing a nipple with a rolling claw. "Cum for me now, come for your alpha."

It seemed he'd given in to alpha impulses as well after falling into rut, saying things he usually wouldn't. His speeches weren't pleading and hungry like hers. They were almost reverent and gentle. Kagome was helpless to resist the assault on her senses, overwhelmed. She came with a lengthy scream.

Sesshoumaru purred in her ear, licking and sucking at her scent gland as he continued bucking. The thrusts steadily grew wilder and rougher as she clenched desperately around him. Hissing her name between his teeth, he took her hard and fast, revelling in the feel of her coming undone around him. He leaned over Kagome and sank his teeth finally- finally into her scent gland, pounding into her in short, sharp bursts. In one stuttering jolt of his hips, his knot pushed inside and he came.

The sensation of Sesshoumaru's seed flooding her left them both breathless and reeling. His cock throbbed and Kagome felt it intimately, panting. She shuddered when the Daiyoukai removed his teeth and shifted. The gesture jerked their joined lower halves and they hissed, gingerly laying on their sides together with him a heated source at her back.

They were painted in sweat, glistening and sated. Kagome didn't mind, reaching for his arm and lifting a burned hand to her lips. She dazedly licked and kissed at the burns, soothing them with her tongue for a while. Her neck blazed, gland mangled by his teeth. She was his now, body filled and teeming with his seed and youki.

Sesshoumaru nosed at her hair and crooned, the two lapsing into a tired dose soon after. Kagome closed her eyes, face still cuddled against his loose palm while she slept.

---

The clouds on the horizon were bathed in faint heavenly light from where the sun had sunk beneath the hills, its orange hue staining to endure.

Sesshoumaru awoke to the sound of his mate padding restlessly around the den, gathering his mokomoko and spreading it around their 'bed' in a circle. She then lifted some animal furs to her nose and sniffed, putting some back in the bedding before throwing others towards the entrance.

She grumbled softly to herself as she did so.

He clicked, eyes half-lidded as he watched her. Ah, she is nesting.

An unnecessary instinct, considering she was nowhere near birthing his pups, having only conceived just last night. Still, this was not uncommon behaviour after mating. She likely needed the reassurance of favourable smells and comforts.

Sesshoumaru only stopped her when Kagome grabbed his discarded hankimono and tried stuffing it into the bedding. "That is mine, miko."

Hazy blue eyes turned to him, and she whined. "Alpha, can't I keep it? It smells so good."

His cock stirred at her begging tone. With a hiss through clenched teeth, he wrestled his clothing free but traded her his crisp white underlayer. Kagome grinned and inhaled it deeply like it were her favourite scent in the whole world. She then dug through her nest to put it in the desired spot- near her head.

Noticing the amount of discarded furs, Sesshoumaru hummed, rising.

"Where are you going?" she murmured, body trembling slightly. She was still suffering from her heat.

"I will not be long. Stay behind the barrier," he touched her hip, giving it a slight squeeze. Kagome twitched and shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"O-okay."

Sensing her disgust with her own fragility, Sesshoumaru vowed not to be long, noticing her inner struggle.

He flew outside into the forest and returned less than an hour later, holding his kill and a bundle of new furs and feathers. Sitting by the entrance to the cave, Sesshoumaru flung the bundle inside, hearing a pleased noise from within.

Various digging, shifting and rustling sounds hinted at her rearranging the nest. He noticed the unwanted furs from earlier had now been kicked outside, and snorted.

Taking out a kiseru that he'd stashed at the den beforehand, Sesshoumaru lit the pipe and took a drag, clenching it between his teeth as he took sharp claws to his kill. He then cooked the meat while lazily watching flickering flames.

He had no taste for cooked meat of course, but this was for his mate. And Sesshoumaru was not one to do things by halves.

Eventually the smell lured his female to the entrance, who reached and grabbed his sleeve without crawling out. "Mate…come back in."

"The food is not done yet."

She panted a little, fresh pheromones flooding out. Sesshoumaru took a sharp drag of his pipe, the special tobacco working to dull the effect.

"You will need your strength if you are to survive me for the next few days," Sesshoumaru drawled.

She inhaled, and then frowned, shifting closer. "You're bleeding," concern leaked into her voice.

He grunted in response, unconcerned.

"Is that a claw?" she pointed to the bloodied thing on the ground.

"Mn, from a panther youkai."

"Why did they stab you?"

"Should I have asked for an explanation?"

Kagome fell silent, gaze probing against his back. Sesshoumaru rolled his shoulder, gaze hodded as he fought against the urge to take her again. "They came too near to the barrier," he finally allowed.

She was silent for a time, before the sound of her shifting closer reached his ears. "Can I clean your wound?"

"No."

The dismissal sounded sharper than intended. Sesshoumaru exhaled slowly, touching the bloody spot on his lower abdomen. "Wait for me inside. It will heal soon," his voice grew thin. "You will thank me later, mate."

"...Thank you for protecting me."

The usually argumentative woman drew away, and for a while he listened to her fitfully doze upon their nest. Good, he exhaled, muscles strung tight. He wanted her too much to be normal. His control was constantly fluctuating. Running a hand through his snowy white hair, Sesshoumaru took a long drag. This was going to be a long week.

---

When the food was served- Kagome brightened considerably. Blue eyes cleared as she ripped meat off the bone with blunt teeth, a sight that should not have been attractive. Sesshoumaru stared at her, watching as she chewed her food so viciously he almost felt sorry for it.

"I kinda feel a bit better," she acknowledged, a healthy flush on her cheeks, acting more self-aware again. He felt pleased to see it. "Do you uh...like the bed?" she gestured awkwardly to the nest while they sat opposite one another.

Judging by her hesitance, she felt foolish for asking. Sesshoumaru wondered if she even knew the reason behind nesting.

"The arrangement is acceptable," he said, not having an opinion on it.

Kagome hid a smile, clearing her throat.

Sesshoumaru inwardly smiled himself for having pleased her, soon thumbing the furs and examining them with a faint frown. "Looking at it again, this fur is not of an acceptable quality."

"It's good enough for me."

"'Good enough' is not...good enough."

Kagome smirked, "I'm a simple gal with simple tastes."

He arched a brow. "Nothing could be further from the truth, miko."

Giggling, Kagome slid her arms around his neck, urging him closer and nuzzling his cheek without a trace of shame. Allowing such a thing would've been unthinkable several hours ago. Yet somehow it felt right. Natural. Sesshoumaru leaned down and captured her lips again in a hungry collide, deciding a thorough bed test was in order.

"Mate..." he purred against her mouth, lost to sensation again. Clawed fingers tangled in her hair. "My mate."

"Yes," Kagome murmured, blue eyes remaining clear as she smiled shyly. It was surreal to speak it aloud. She hitched her legs around a lean waist. "Can we face each other this time?"

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru kissed down to her chest, pushing her loose yukata open to rove the flat of his tongue over a hardening nipple. "Keep your eyes on me as you take it all."

She shuddered, looking into burning gold eyes. She didn't know this man. His hobbies, his likes, or what he did on a rainy Tuesday afternoon- and yet his body felt familiar, energy dominating but protective.

"Yes, alpha."

Slit pupils dilated. "Good miko," he purred.

Sesshoumaru's youki flickered, summoning mokomoko to wrap around her waist and elevate her lower half slightly from the nest. He entered her slower this time, rubbing her clit with a clawed thumb and sucking at one of her wrists all the while.

With her fed and rejuvenated, they continued to move long after they should've stopped. Sesshoumaru licked and sucked at her quivering entrance, uncaring of his previous seed. Primal instincts weren't so fussy. He soothed her soreness and encouraged her for more, and Kagome was only to happy to give it, their throaty rapture ringing through the den.

---

Several hours later, Kagome lay sprawled atop a broad chest. What few traces of shame and embarrassment from earlier had long since been extinguished. Kagome now felt married to his body. She knew several of its weaknesses and had seen Sesshoumaru's expression break into hazy eyed, open-mouthed rapture. He'd held her in many different ways, body now paying the price from those unexpected positions. Her sex felt sore and aching, stomach feeling full from the sheer amount of times his seed had spilt inside.

Kagome smiled and kissed his cheek groggily, also aching in places she hadn't thought possible.

Sesshoumaru gave a rumbling purr in response, white lashes remaining shut. Her chest warmed, bursting with happiness. She wondered if the mating sensations were as strong for Sesshoumaru. Judging by his dishevelled state, she figured so.

Pushing the blissed-out emotions down, Kagome tried to think logically again, arms cushioning her chin while resting atop him. His words during their first coupling kept playing on repeat in her mind. "You still haven't answered anything," she murmured softly. "Why were you here in this mountain if you weren't looking for a demoness?"

"You are surely aware of the answer by now."

"But I just…" she chewed on her bottom lip. "It doesn't make sense. We barely know each other- and you hate the idea of having Hanyou children, surely? Why...did you come here for me?"

Sesshoumaru slowly opened brilliant gold eyes and gazed at her with an unreadable expression. Clawed hands came up to settle at her back. "I sensed you not long after you presented as an Omega. It was the sweetest scent this one has ever inhaled before," he mused. "I have sensed Omega's in heat in the past, and resisted. My will is strong. Unshakable. It is...a different case with you."

He paused for a moment and flicked his attention up to the ceiling to recall languidly; "I had to leave the village...if I had not, I would have mounted you in the street."

"R-really?!"

"Mn."

Kagome thought for a moment, "...why didn't you?"

His eyes flashed, lips curving as he suddenly sat up slightly to draw their faces closer. "Oh? Would you have liked to have been taken out in the open? I did not think you the type."

"Not what I mean," she blushed, pushing the heel of her palm against his leering face to make his head plop back down into lush furs. Sesshoumaru let out a rumbling chuckle that sent vibrations from his chest beneath hers right up through her stomach. His mirth soon died when her hand drew away.

"...You wanted my brother."

Kagome froze, whipping her head up to stare at Sesshoumaru with wide eyes.

Sesshoumaru looked back. "The moment I heard word that you had broken away from the village unmated, I followed. Noticing you head to this mountain was satisfying, to say the least."

"Thank you, for taking my feelings into account," she mumbled, glancing him over and smiling weakly as she stroked his collarbone and neck, mindful of the scent glands. "It's weird, huh? Never would've imagined...you and me. But here we are."

"Never?"

"Huh?"

Sesshoumaru arched a brow, giving a slow smile. "Not even in dark mid-summer nights when the air was too humid and your hand strayed beneath the covers did you ever think of me?"

Kagome stiffened and immediately flushed red. "Listen pal, I already had a guy to think about-"

"You are not answering the question."

"You first then!"

"I thought about it," he freely admitted with a lazy shrug.

Blue eyes flew wide. Every fibre of her attention zeroed in on his thoughtful features, muttering with a devil-may-care attitude. "True you are bratty and somewhat annoying-" her gaze flattened "-but you are... intriguing in terms of your will and powers. I have thought so for some time."

Kagome swallowed, the heat gathering in her cheeks feeling like a damn personal furnace. She reached into his hair to cradle the back of his head and kissed him just to shut him up, embarrassed but pleased. It was too soon to really examine actual feelings between the two of them, but Kagome felt safe. Safe, sated and excited- and that was more than she could've hoped for after setting foot on the mountain.

"I'm glad it was you," she whispered. "I don't know why. Maybe because I've seen you at your worst, but also how you've changed since our first meeting years ago. This uh...isn't going to be easy to explain to everyone and yet I'm..."

Happy.

She touched the scar on her wrist where Inuyasha had attacked her. Sesshoumaru had kept an iron grip over his control, loosening its leash just to take her before reeling it back in to provide for her, try to teach her how to hold her head above the waters of impulse. Kagome couldn't ask for anything more. She thought for a moment and frowned.

"Isn't it kind of disappointing for you that I don't have a true form? You have to stay in your inhuman one for us to have sex."

Sesshoumaru snorted, stretching out on his back and pulling her closer. "It does not bother me. I am satisfied," his lips curved. "Your boundless appetite has seen to that."

Kagome blushed and pushed at his shoulder, grumbling as he nuzzled and licked at her mating mark. "You came here to take control of your life again, miko. Once your heat is over, the voices of your friends will not drown out what we are now."

She blinked, before nodding decisively. It had been her choice. She hadn't wanted to live a life in fear and hiding.

"You will come stay with me."

Kagome jolted with surprise but grinned. "Seriously? What happened to valuing your status above everything? Is a human coming to live with you going to be okay?"

"There are many things I accepted when deciding to pursue you, miko," he grunted. "You will also be having my children. A village is no place to raise them."

"Snob," she rolled her eyes. Oh boy, they were going to butt heads a lot in the coming future.

"And you will-"

"Okay, okay, enough," Kagome straddled him suddenly, putting a finger to his lips. "Stop with the demands. We decide these things together, alright? I'll hear you out if you grant me just one thing."

"...What is it that you want?" he hummed, stroking her thighs. "I can give you almost anything."

The miko shot him a wicked smile that showed too much teeth, the wild tumble of her long curling hair and glowing blue eyes giving her an almost feral appearance. She arched tall above him like a conqueror and held his neck loosely in order to press her thumb against his gland in a possessive gesture that had Sesshoumaru choking on a sharp inhale, flooded with desire once more.

"You let me bite you too, alpha."

End

[cats-and-fiction]

Rin from Inuyasha?

Oh man you are unlocking memories!

Rin, I love her so much. She is a really good character in my opinion and adding her into Sessohmarus group was probably a gold idea.

She is just herself, traveling with this white haired dude that saved her and keeps her save. She is just living her best life thatn ever before. While I think she does understand dangerous situations happening in my headcanon she is just. Meh. I lived thru worse. Like being shredded by wolfes.

- When Rin gets older I headcanon her to be actually a pretty good fighter who stands up to herself. She does look up to Sesshomaru and does what he does. She is proud of herself and will say what she thinks when getting older.

- When growing up she learns how to use a sword and will wear something similiar to Sesshomaru. She is like the bad b*tch rolling into town and slaying the evil demons that torment the villager

- When growing up she shows alot of „childish innocence“. Like she will question Sessohmaru or Jaken about alot of things. She also enjoys playing, picking flowers, just being a kid having fun. Something that the two Yokai probably rarely or maybe never experienced

- Rin will make them both lay in a grassfield looking into clouds. They probably take a rest and she tells some stuff and when asking Sesshoumaru if he wants to lay there too since it‘s nice and soft he will do so but only after a longer time. Jaken will never do what a humans asks him. Tho when seeing his master do so he joins in. Jaken will also fall asleep.

- Sesshoumaru is more of a father/big brother figure to her. I imagine with him being around her for a long time and watching her grow up gave him a small soft spot in his heart for her. He doesn‘t want any human guy around her and when someone thinks he needs to talk to this beautiful woman? Just a meanacing tall man standing behind her and staring him down. It‘s hard for him to let her go have a life on her own with a family ok?

It‘s a bit of time since I watched Inuyasha and I really need to do it again. My favorite anime. I don‘t ship them and I ihnore whatever sequel is happening there. The ‚headcanons‘ are all over the place age wiss and more rambles but hope you still liked them?

[grayintogreen]

[gently pushes pause on “this is a Critical Role blog” except bold of anyone to assume that I won’t change gears once a week, depending on what’s airing.]

Okay, so DAMN this episode had everything and I’ve usually been waiting for the dub and just reading summaries and watching clips for Yashahime but I plan on writing a few fics in this fandom for Februwhump (whaaaat), so I need to catch up and what better way to do so than watching the latest because BOY DID IT HAVE EVERYTHING.

What’s that, Chris? You like your stoic badass characters who care for like five people total who spent an entire series being the most selfish fuck known to god and man and then came into the sequel swinging that character development to get FUCKED UP because they were PROTECTING their loved ones?? Oh okay, here you go. Like GODDAMN.

(Also I love how Kirinmaru called back to that Inu-Papa “women and children shouldn’t be on a battlefield” thing while Sesshoumaru is literally standing behind him, taking a fucking breather and not yelling at the girls for tagging in, like damn way to drink the respect women and children juice there, Sess. He was like “oh my GOD Moroha why didn’t you RUN it’s like dealing with Mini-Inuyasha over here” but still let her do her shit and only stepped in when Kirinmaru was about to nuke his family and called them brats.

CAPTAIN BLOOD PRIVILEGE OVER HERE LIKE “HEY HERE’S AN ACTUAL EMOTION BECAUSE YOU CALLED MY DAUGHTERS AND NIECE A NAME.”)

Points were deducted from this episode because while my mama-loving heart did break down into sobbing bitch baby tears about Moroha and Kagome, I am still tapping my GODDAMN WATCH over Rin not getting to see her daughters, like come on man. The girl just got out of a tree and now her babies are in the Netherworld and her husband is literally engaged in a callback to the Night They Met what with the unconscious sprawl in the woods thing.

(I don’t know what a haku is in this context, but can it be solved by dumping water on his head? Because Rin can do that. She can do that good.)

Incidentally, loving Rin in the preview just standing in her shift and bare feet in front of Jaken, Takechiyo (who she has NEVER MET), and probably Sesshoumaru’s creepily glowing comatose body so Kirinmaru can’t get past her like this girl. THIS ABSOLUTE FIVE FOOT NOTHING OF A QUEEN.

I feel like given the opening, we’re about to head into a “pretend to be the villain of the piece, get a corruption arc” thing with Sesshoumaru, which... YES. YES, I AM EXCITED ABOUT. As long as he doesn’t die. If Sess dies of this and the end result is not every member of the Doggo Clan tackling his dumb ass into the ground and loving him back into whatever his definition of sense is, then what was the point. He’s the only member of the Sesshomaru Clan besides Towa that still has a Get Out of Death Card Free card, and I STAND by my “Sess is gonna get revived by the Tenseiga” theory and you can pry it from my cold fingers. I wrote the fic. I spoke it into existence, which, uh, given how fucking bad I am at theorizing (like seriously I am the opposite of Apollo’s gift of prophecy- no matter how well thought out my theories are THEY ARE NEVER TRUE, BUT GIVE ME THIS ONE.)

Anyway. LOVE THAT SHIPPO IS FINALLY GONNA SHOW AT LONG LAST... and has not aged a day. I mean it’s been 18 years, but Teen Shippo was everyone’s theory for awhile. But I mean the HUMANS have barely aged in 18 years, even the ones NOT stuck in time displacement, so keeping Shippo still Baby makes sense.

Also BOY did this season (mostly the new opening though let’s be real) come for my entire life with the Riku/Towa. I was pretty content to just ship the Old Hotness and leave the kiddos to being cute and sibling-y and GOD way to hit a dozen of my tropes. I’m hoping “Riku dies if Kirinmaru dies” (which oh my god YASHAHIME THAT TROPE IS GETTIN REAL OLD) is gonna be the new Kohaku Will Die Without the Jewel Shard and that’ll get resolved somehow. Like come on, let Towa and Riku be the GNC as fuck ship of dreams.

Anyway, looking forward to at least ONE adorable family reunion next week... and also finding out why the fuck Sesshoumaru is how he is right now and what’s that gonna do.

[foxxyluvblack-95]

I honestly didn’t expect this Sess ship war for Yashahime to get so bad. It reminds me of the ship war for Sasuke and Naruto, especially when Boruto came out.

People’s main hang ups with SessRin is that they feel it promotes child grooming. I can understand how some may interpret it that way, but I really don’t agree. I’ve seen animes with that specific genre, they are BLATANTLY gross and I don’t get those vibes from SessRin, period. If anything, there are parallels in InuYasha that kind of imply that Rin was going to be a factor in Sesshoumaru’s life for a while. The episode “Forever With Lord Sesshoumaru” to me is a big implication. Another implication is Koga and Ayame:

Koga saved Ayame in a storm when she was visibly a little girl and Koga looked like how we first saw him. A teenager with about the same maturity level as InuYasha. Either way you look at it, demon or not, there was an age gap between them. Ayame and Kiga weren’t together all the time but Ayame would drop in randomly for visits to casually remind Koga that they were betrothed since she was a small child. Ayame started out as a little girl saved by Koga who made it her goal to grow up and marry him, and that’s exactly what she did. Koga’s knew her all her life, yet people aren’t calling him or the whole wolf clan child groomers? Hmmm...

From what I can see, Sesshoumaru dropped Rin off in the village to live with humans and he visited her occasionally. I just don’t see the Father-Daughter or Brother-Sister connection that y’all see. I simply see it as Protector-Protectee. Remember Sesshoumaru’s Dad was always asking Sesshoumaru if he had something to protect? Rin became that something. No where in InuYasha do we see Sesshoumaru forcing, coercing, or grooming Rin or any implications of that in any way, so WHY would y’all assume that was what could have happened in Yashahime if Rin is the Mom? That’s actually kinda wild y’all. Even with Rin, she never said “I’m going to marry Sesshoumaru” she always said that she simply wanted to be by his side. Now if she’s 16 (considered a young adult in the setting we’re discussing) and those feelings changed....what exactly is the problem with that? All the parents in InuYasha were teenaged so arguing about those semantics are very pointless. All this really boils down to y’all viewing Sesshoumaru as some old man in disguise when he is actually, by these standards, still a young-adult? Like mind you, Sesshoumaru is a pretentious brat, not some all-wise-all-grown-up mature man like his Father. That was the whole point of his character development. He has to grow tf up. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Now if by the end of his growing x amount of years later sees the now grown-up Rin who’s NOT A LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE, and his feelings begin to change...I just don’t see the problem with that.

Kagura was in my top 5 fav characters in InuYasha. And as a matter of fact, if Rumiko had written it so Kagura stayed alive even after Naraku died, and she ended up with Sesshoumaru, I would have absolutely loved it. Because I’ve written fan-fic about it. I’m saying this to say that I have shipped both SessRin and SessKagura. Which is normal in anime fandoms, you ship people together who you think would be cute, it doesn’t HAVE TO MAKE SENSE. It’s just for FUN. What I’m saying is that I would get behind these SessKagu theories if they actually made a lick of sense and weren’t just made to bash SessRin, lol. And SessRin is cute on its own, y’all don’t need to constantly bash SessKagu. And don’t talk down on my bitch Kagura, she will always have a special place in my heart.

Anyways, what I’m saying is everybody needs to take a damn chill pill and let the artists finish their work. Y’all so worried about this damn ship that y’all can’t even enjoy a beautiful story. If your ships don’t happen write some damn fan fiction or draw some fan art and move on with your life for goodness sake. Stop trying to make each other miserable. 🙄

[justafewsmallsteps]

Okay, with the new series announcement, I’ve finally been inspired to finish off this artwork and story that I’ve been sitting on for years. Call it a goodbye to my headcanon kids because now we have the real deal!!! 

Title: The Golden Girl 

Word Count:

3576

Rating

: G+

Let it be known that Mizuki adored her father. Anyone could tell by the way she followed him around and tried to copy his actions. 

She had his temperament and lack of patience, but in a cuter way (for now). Her big, shiny, golden eyes were just like his, and the black ears atop her head swiveled around just as his did. She loved it. She loved being just like him in every way she could; going around picking up big sticks to swing like her own Tessaiga. 

She looked up to him so much, it made Inuyasha’s heart ache. It did come with some new, dangerous territory though. For instance, he had one hell of a time trying to watch his vocabulary once Mizuki started speaking. He’d never forget the dagger of a glare that Kagome sent his way when their daughter babbled her first, “Damet” after dropping her snack. He thought he would be skinned on the spot. 

“She’s going to copy anything you do, so you have to be more careful!” Kagome chastised. 

“Why me?” Inuyasha asked in a grumbled whine. “She should be looking up to you! You’re her mother, ain’t ya?” 

Kagome frowned. “Mizuki thinks the world of you.” Her expression softened. “That’s what daughters do when they love their dad.” 

A pang of guilt seized his chest. In flashes he remembered another time and place, photographs and a stick of incense at the shrine tucked away in a private room; a young man with Kagome’s eyes. It was something that she didn’t talk about often, but her father’s loss still shook her sometimes. He took in Kagome’s glassy eyes and the pink flooding her nose. He reached around to hold his wife in his arms. “Okay,” Inuyasha mumbled as he kissed the top of her head. “You win. I’ll watch out.” 

So he proceeded with caution, tried to hold his tongue from cursing, and he did his damn best to be more patient than he’d ever thought possible. All for their family, for his wife, for his daughter. 

He never thought of himself as a role model. 

He used to think he was a freak.

But then Kagome came around, and then he had friends. He found a place in the world that accepted him as he was, and he held onto her with a fierce protectiveness. He even let her go once and was forced to find peace within loneliness. He did it for her, because even if he never saw her again, he’d love her. He’d live for her even without her there. 

But then by some miracle Kagome came back. The world was right. He belonged, they got married, and they were a family all on their own.  He didn’t think life could get better honestly. Then they had their first kid. When Mizuki was born, Inuyasha was sure that he’d never seen anything more precious in his life. He loved the dark ears atop her raven-haired head, and he nearly melted the first time she opened her honey-colored eyes. She was an existence made up of his and Kagome’s love. 

He wished she didn’t take so much after him though. She was just shy of passing for normal… 

“So beautiful,” Kagome had whispered, instantly washing away his fears and doubts. “Just like her dad.” 

Beautiful, huh? He hoped that someone would love his daughter like Kagome loved him. He also hoped that day was very far away, he thought warily. For now, he would make sure that his kid felt good about herself. He would never let Mizuki think of herself as a monster or a weirdo. He’d do his damnedest to build her confidence and surround her with love. 

And it worked out pretty well. Maybe too well if her ego was anything like his own. 

Mizuki really did love everything she had in common with her father. When they both heard a sound and turned the same way, she’d puff up with pride. “Mizuki hears it too!” she’d exclaim gleefully, making a point to wiggle her ears. 

It always made him grin. 

He never thought there could be a downside to her adoration. She loved him, she loved herself; everything was good. 

Then Shouya was born. 

Shouya, his son, who did not have his ears or his eyes. He actually looked a lot like Kagome, Inuyasha thought fondly. He had his mother’s nose, her human ears, even her adorable puffy cheeks. The one thing that made Shouya anything like Inuyasha was his distinctly silver colored hair. Yet somehow, despite being almost the opposite of his daughter, he was equally as perfect. Inuyasha had thought it was impossible to love anyone more than Kagome, and then Mizuki, and yet somehow his capacity for love simply grew as soon as he witnessed his son. 

And when Mizuki, at just five years old, laid her pretty, amber eyes on her brother... she burst into tears! Kagome was still bedridden and recovering, so Inuyasha flew into action. He tried to calm her down but she was inconsolable, and her crying triggered Shouya to follow. 

With two wailing children, Inuyasha and Kagome were immediately set to high stress mode. It was not the cute first meeting between new siblings that they had anticipated, dreamt about, planned for when Kagome was still waddling around as she told Mizuki all about being a big sister. 

Instead she cried. A lot. Loudly. 

Inuyasha had to pick up his distraught daughter and take her outside. 

“Kiddo, what’s wrong?” He asked, shifting her a little in his arms. 

Mizuki rubbed at the tears on her face and clutched to her father’s shoulders. Unable to form words past her sobs, she grabbed fistfuls of his hair and tugged, but Inuyasha didn’t pay any attention to the pain. Instead he did his best to soothe her, patting her back until she was reduced to hiccups. That night she cried and sniffled herself to sleep, leaving two very anxious parents. Thankfully Shouya slept soundly. 

It took a week of grouchiness and tantrums before anything productive happened. Inuyasha whined to his recovering wife about his daughter’s poor attitude and lack of communication. Kagome simply laughed at him. “Now you know what it’s like dealing with you.” 

Indignant, he scowled, “She’s a child!” 

“At least she has an excuse,” Kagome retorted cutely. 

Inuyasha would’ve been more upset, but having her humor back was a relief to him. She’d been exhausted and bedrested for the end of her pregnancy. Kaede had assured him that she’d be fine, but it still made him anxious to see her so putout. Shouya came out a fat, healthy baby, but even then Kagome didn’t get much time to relax. The newborn was up at odd hours and constantly hungry. It was the least Inuyasha could do to try taking care of Mizuki, though he hadn’t anticipated her moodiness. 

Whenever they were out of the house and away, she seemed to relax, but otherwise his girl was totally uncooperative. Miroku and Sango figured that she didn’t like sharing the attention. It was something they dealt with in the early days with their own twin girls. They shrugged and gave him their sympathy, but otherwise couldn’t offer much advice except for him to be patient and try to talk to her. 

The problem was Mizuki didn’t want to talk. As soon as he mentioned her brother she’d have a fit. Admittedly, he joked dryly to himself, he felt the same way about his own brother for a long time. The feeling had been mutual, probably. 

But Sesshoumaru was an asshole, and Shouya was barely eight days-old. 

Inuyasha sniffed the air as the wind passed them by. Kagome was waiting for them. “Kiddo, the sun’s getting low. We gotta go home to Mama.” 

Mizuki didn’t look up from her spot on the ground making leaf huts. “I don’t want to.” 

“There’s dinner at home.” 

“I’m okay.” 

He wondered how to persuade her. “Papa’s getting real hungry though. I might fall over if I don’t eat!” 

“Papa can fish,” she replied with no mercy. 

“So we’ll never go home again? I’ll never see Mama again?” 

She seemed to consider that. “Mama can visit us, but leave the baby.” 

Inuyasha folded his arms. “That’s your brother, ‘Zuki.” 

“I don't care. I don’t like him.” 

“So you won’t go home unless we get rid of your brother?” 

“Maybe Mama can put him back in her tummy.” 

He snorted. “That’s probably going to hurt your mother.”

“Then give him away to someone who wants a new baby. Far away.” She seemed set, and if Inuyasha knew anything about his daughter, it was that her stubbornness rivaled her parents’. Yikes. At least that was only half his fault. 

He figured lying would get him farther than arguing for now. It’d get him home at least. “Okay. We’ll tell Mama to leave the baby because you don’t like him. Then you’ll let us go home and eat? I can smell the food. Smells good. Can you smell it, little one?” 

Mizuki wrinkled her nose and sniffed the air. 

“I smell it too, like Papa! It does smell good!” she agreed with enthusiasm, but Inuyasha smirked. She had to be lying. They were far away enough that Inuyasha knew she’d have trouble picking out the scent, but she was always trying so hard to keep up with him. He decided to humor her. 

“You smell the stew?” 

“Yes!” 

“Wow, I’m so impressed. Let’s go get some. I’m starving!” He knelt down and opened his arms wide for her. When she barreled into his arms he was reminded of his great, unending love for her. He spun her around and squeezed her squirmy body as she giggled, then dipped her over to attack her face with kisses. 

“Papa, let’s go!” 

“Okay, okay. Let’s go.” He shot off with his usual pace when carrying his daughter. She liked to feel the bounce of his steps, laughing her way as they went up then down. It was slower than his run, but way more fun. He figured he should put her in the best mood possible when they broke the news that they were going to have to keep her brother around. 

“We’re home,” Inuyasha announced as they entered. 

Kagome was standing near the futon, rocking the baby in her arms gently. 

“Good timing. Shouya just had dinner and just fell asleep.” 

“I’m envious. Sounds like a good life,” he joked. 

Mizuki tugged on his arm. “Papa.” 

Right. 

“So Kagome, I have some bad news.” When she looked at him confused, he made sure to emote that everything was fine. He liked how easily they communicated. 

“Oh yeah?” she goaded. 

“Yup. Looks like we’ll have to get rid of the new baby.” 

“Oh no! That’s so sad. Why’s that?” 

Mizuki squirmed around and pulled her father’s face down. “Papa!” she whispered with urgency. 

He held up a finger, motioning for Kagome to hang on. She gave him a smile to show her amusement. He missed her face today. He hasn’t seen enough of her while he was out distracting their daughter. Speaking of which… 

“What’s up, kiddo?” 

She cupped her small hands around her mouth to relay her secret message. “Tell Mama you don’t want the baby! Don’t tell her I don’t want him.” 

“Mizuki, I’m not going to lie to Mama. You’re the one who wants him gone, so you should tell her,” he whispered back. He lifted his head back to Kagome, assuming she must have at least heard some of their conversation. “Mama, Mizuki has something to tell you,” Inuyasha proclaimed, full-well knowing he was throwing her under the bus. Poor thing. 

The girl seemed to go red in his arms, suddenly panicked as she faced the most intimidating figure in her (and his) life: her mother. 

“Is that so? What do you need to tell me, Mizuki?” 

“I--” She sputtered and her eyes began to water and she looked up at her father, silently pleading for him to take over. He shook his head. Of course he felt bad, but she wasn’t being very cooperative when he asked. Kagome was their best bet at getting some answers. If she could get him to open up, she’d manage a five year-old. 

“You?” she leaded. 

“I want the baby to go away!” she admitted quickly. Her mouth turned itself into a defiant pout, as if she was putting on a brave face. 

Kagome paid it no mind. “You do? Why?” 

She hesitated for a second before supplying, “I don’t like him!” 

“Okay, but why?” 

Mizuki whined; a true, genuine whine that sounded like a puppy. 

Inuyasha would’ve broken, but Kagome seemed unfazed. How could she? Did she have no heart? It amazed him. 

“Do you not like him because he’s a boy?” 

“No.” 

“You don’t like how he smells?” 

“No…” 

“Are you jealous?” 

Bingo. 

Mizuki ruffled and got even redder in the face. Inuyasha gave his daughter a reassuring pat. They already figured that was the problem, but it was a new feeling for her to navigate. 

“Mizuki, are you jealous that Mama spends so much time with Shouya?” Kagome asked softly. 

“No!” she yelped back.  

“Don’t yell at your mother,” Inuyasha chastised. 

She shrunk down, her ears flattening. It must have felt like they were ganging up on her, but the time had come for her unexplained tantrums to end. With pent up frustration and embarrassment, pools of tears began to stream down her face and she cried, “I hate him!” 

“You don’t have to be jealous, kiddo.” 

She wailed, and Shouya finally took notice of the volume, beginning to wiggle and fuss in his mother’s arms. Kagome motioned for Inuyasha to take her away so she could calm him down before he had his own fit. The baby was a heavy sleeper and not a huge crier, but he was cranky when woken up. They’d both be miserable with the two of them crying up a storm, especially Inuyasha with his sensitive hearing. 

As soon as he got out the door, he went into comforting mode. There was no use trying to talk to his little girl in this state. He bounced her up and down, shushing her and rubbing her back as she got out her tears and hiccuped. 

Inuyasha wracked his brain for the right approach. He had only recently come to terms with expressing his emotions. How was he supposed to tell a child to handle hers? “It’s okay to have feelings, you know.” 

Exhausted from crying, she slumped against his shoulder. 

“Papa gets jealous too sometimes. Is that what’s happening? You’re jealous?” 

She sniffled and slowly nodded. He could feel the heat and moisture of her tears seeping into his firerat. Probably snot too. 

Gross, he thought affectionately. 

“That’s alright. Do you want to tell me why?” 

He felt her shake her head. 

“And it’s not because Mama’s busy taking care of him?” 

Another no.

He was kind of at a dead end. She was jealous without much reason behind it. Was she capable of having a good reason? He searched the recesses of his mind, channeling the nurturing care of his wife. 

“Even if I love your brother, you know I don’t love you less, right?” 

“Okay,” she replied in a small voice. 

“Does that make it better?” 

Negative. 

Inuyasha sighed, feeling impatient and hopeless. 

Kagome emerged from the hut just then; Shouya once again soundlessly asleep and swaddled against her chest. She smiled at him sympathetically, knowing that crying was never his wheelhouse. He’d always hated when women cried, but Mizuki’s tears were a whole other level of unbearable. 

“The weather is nice. The sunset looks like it’ll be pretty,” she stated in a soft, even tone. 

“Wanna take a look, kiddo?” 

“The colors are pretty. The clouds are getting pink! Our favorite.” 

Mizuki shuffled a little as her father angled himself so that she could see from her place on his shoulder. She turned to rest her cheek on him, but otherwise kept sniffling. 

“Are you feeling any better now?” Kagome asked her daughter, placing a quick kiss to her swollen face. 

Instead of replying, she tugged at her father’s hair again, using it to cover her face. It was a strange, new behavior. Usually when she wanted to hide she’d simply turn her head into his shoulder. Maybe it comforted her though. 

“Not sure why she’s doing that,” Inuyasha murmured. “She does it whenever she has one of her fits now.” 

Kagome stared for a while before she let out the lightest gasp. When the hanyou looked down at her curiously, he saw the familiar expression of her coming to some kind of understanding. 

“Oh, Mizuki…” she cooed with sympathy. “You poor baby.” 

Inuyasha raised a brow and Kagome pulled away to laugh. Whatever it was, he knew she’d explain, but it was killing him to be out of the loop. 

“She just wants to be like her Papa,” she said with soothing empathy threading her tone. Kagome looked up at her husband fondly, taking her hand to cup his cheek. “From his golden eyes,” she ran her thumb across his eyebrow. Then she reached up towards his ears to stroke one until it flicked in response, “To his fuzzy ears…” she smiled brightly, “to his pretty, silver hair…” Kagome finished, loosely twirling a strand around her finger before turning her gaze to their son. 

It clicked for him then. 

“You’re jealous of your brother because of his hair?” 

Mizuki whimpered, the scent of collecting salty tears assaulting Inuyasha once more as she grabbed more of his locks to cascade down over her own head. 

Mystery solved! 

It was so cute and so stupid that Inuyasha wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. 

“Is that really it, ‘Zuki?” 

“I told you, she wants to be just like you,” Kagome reiterates, placing a soothing set of fingers to touch her daughter affectionately. 

“Keh!” Yet somehow he was blushing. Maybe it had to do with the way Kagome was beaming at him, prettier than any sunset. “That’s stu--silly. What a silly reason to be upset.” 

Mizuki huffed in anger. 

“I mean,” he faltered. “It’s sweet. It’s very sweet.” Finally feeling like he had a hold on things and the world made sense again, he mindfully moved back his daughter’s sagging body from his shoulder, some of the hair getting pulled along with her. “But you don’t have to be jealous, little one. You’re great just the way you are, you know that?” He nuzzled their noses together. 

“B-But I want to be like Papa!” she sobbed, pushing back. Not even her snotty nose or blotchy crying face could detract from how wretchedly adorable she was. 

Kagome thought her heart would melt. “Papa is pretty great, but baby, you are so much like him! You don’t have to have everything be the same.” 

It didn’t seem to matter. “Why does the baby have Papa’s hair and I don’t? It’s not fair!” 

Both Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged looks. It was clear that Mizuki wasn’t going to get much consolation from her mother on this issue. 

Finally, an idea popped into Inuyasha’s head. 

“You got my eyes though, don’t ya?” He asked, looking right into her honey colored irises. They were even more intense at this golden hour. 

“Yeah…” her ear twitched along with her sniffle. 

He grinned. “Then you see the same way I do. You see everything I do, right?” 

“Right,” she agreed. 

“When I look at you, I see the most perfect little girl in the world. Beautiful eyes, cute little ears and nose, pretty hair like her mother, and the best smile. I see all that. You see it too?” 

Mizuki’s eyes watered again, but she nodded. Kagome took the time to brush back the hair stuck to her face. 

Inuyasha prodded his daughter more. “You see it, kiddo? Just like me?” 

“Yeah.” 

“That’s what I want to hear!” He pulled her from his body and hoisted her into the air. It was one of their favorite things to do. He spun her around and tossed her until she was nothing but an exhausted heap of smiles, and the stars began to twinkle in the early evening sky. 

Later that night when she was about to sleep, Mizuki looked at her brother for a long time before turning away with a curt, “Goodnight baby. We won’t give you away.” 

Kagome snorted back a laugh and had her husband put her to bed. Crying, laughing, and letting go of a grudge all in one day really took it out of their poor toddler. Still, seeing Inuyasha fumble through feelings and childrearing-- it all felt so surreal. It felt like home, and she’d never been more content with her life. 

Once the kids were both asleep and tucked away, Inuyasha sat behind his wife and finally held her close, his head sitting on her shoulder. He inhaled her scent to re-center himself. 

“Tough to be a dad?” she asked teasingly. 

“She’s a lot to handle.” 

“She’s just like her father.” 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but let them fall shut as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck. 

Kagome turned her cheek and pressed her lips against his bangs. 

“Perfect to me,” she added. 

Embarrassed but happy, he simply tightened his arms around her. “Yeah, yeah.” 

[flowersforone]

Yashahime's writing is so awful that I had to make some theories to contend with the badness and general OOCness. It's a coping mechanism.

Towa and Setsuna actually just spawned from the Grim Comet which itself is from the Void. Any memories of them being Sesshoumaru and Rin's children are just implanted to cover up their true origin. Sesshoumaru and Rin only started acting like they were married after the twins manifested themselves in the world. The twins are unholy beings from the Grim Comet capable of warping reality, which is why everyone from the original cast is so out of character and why they just sort of breeze through everything with no real gravitas in their quest. Towa and Setsuna's real purpose is eliminate Kirinmaru because he's the only one is the only one who knows the truth. Moroha will eventually team up with Kirinmaru to set the world right and defeat her "cousins." After which Moroha will rightfully become the main character, any trace of the twins or Rin and Sesshoumaru being a couple will be erased from history, and everyone will act like themselves.

Alternatively, it's all a dream but it's Lum's dream. You see Shonen Sunday exists in the world of Urusei Yatsura. It's the late 2000's, Lum and Ataru eventually settled down and had a kid or two. She's going through her kid's stuff and she comes across their manga library. She reads Inuyasha and that night she dreams up Yashahime. Which is why she and Shinobu have a cameo appearance in the Yashahime manga.

Are these theories completely off the wall? Yes. Do I care? No.

afaic one of these is true and you cannot change my mind.

[boycottyashahime]

Hello! Anti-Sessrin person here. You said if this couple becomes canon it will ruin Sesshomaru's character development. I would love it If you could elaborate on that because you're always so eloquent and smart. It's ok if you don't feel like it, though. Have a nice day!

I've actually been looking for an excuse to sit down and write out a cohesive post on my thoughts about this. Contrary to what the shippers want to believe, my interpretation of Sesshoumaru and Rin's relationship doesn't have anything to do with my moral objections to child grooming. I happen to think there's plenty of evidence for a filial interpretation in the text.

First, I'd like to preface my little essay here by saying I'm going off the manga alone. I haven't seen the anime in a long time, because I dropped it when I got a little tired of trying to reconcile the inconsistencies between the two mediums. So, if you read this and have an impulse to say, "hey, what about that thing in episode such-and-such...", keep in mind that I probably just don't remember what you're thinking of.

So, let's go back, alllll the way back, to Sesshoumaru's first appearance. Here's a guy who tears off a dude's head for no other reason than to get the attention of his subordinates to demand a boat. Here's a guy who's spent a long time looking just about EVERYWHERE for his father's remains, not to pay respects, but to plunder them. Here's a guy who feels ENTITLED to rob his dad's grave for treasure he deserves simply for being his father's son.

Sesshoumaru begins his journey as a selfish, spoiled, entitled brat. He doesn't fit the usual profile of a kid throwing a tantrum on the street because he wants the expensive toy sitting in the window; he's very posh and very reserved, but fundamentally, his motivation comes down to the simple fact that he wants Tessaiga. It doesn't even really have anything to do with respect and admiration of his father, otherwise he wouldn't have been so eager to rifle through dear old dad's bones to get at a sword when he had another heirloom right there at his hip. Only Tessaiga was representative of the sheer destructive force he wanted to wield, so he ignored the fact that his dad didn't seem to want him to have it.

This is important, because at first, Sesshoumaru doesn't seem to think of his father in terms of the guy's intentions or the steps he takes for the sake of his sons. Like most rich spoiled kids, Sesshoumaru views the Inu no Taishou in terms of his prestige and how that priviledge can be appropriated for selfish ends. Sesshoumaru wants Tessaiga not because he needs it, but because it's a birthright, and reinforces his legitimacy. When it's clear that Tessaiga seals Inuyasha's youkai blood, keeps him from going berserk, Sesshoumaru loses interest in Tessaiga - it's just a crutch for Inuyasha, and there's no prestige in taking it from him or using it for himself.

Sesshoumaru doesn't start to REALLY consider his father's intentions for the swords until later in the manga, when it comes out that Tenseiga was originally part of Tessaiga, and Inuyasha was meant to get the Meidou Zangetsuha attack eventually as well. It's at this point that Sesshoumaru starts to question if daddy actually HATED him, to give him a rather neat power disguised in a lame shell, but only to develop it so Inuyasha can have it instead, even after Inuyasha already got Tessaiga in the first place. It kind of looks to Sesshoumaru that Inuyasha gets all the powerful cool shit their father left behind, and that there might have been some favoritism coming down HARD on Inuyasha's side.

Above, you can see Sesshoumaru has two interlinked but distinct issues that are addressed throughout the story - his lack of compassion and empathy, and how tied his identity is to his father's favor and prestige. These two are somewhat separated in the narrative; there's a kind of pause in Sesshoumaru's development while a bulk of the middle of the story deals more with other characters and their development, but there is a little bit of a thematic connection between the two halves.

We'll start with the development of Sesshoumaru's compassion since, well, that's where the story begins working on his character. Right before Rin shows up, Toutousai let's Inuyasha's group in on the sword Sesshoumaru carries around and what it does, indicating that Tenseiga requires a compassionate heart to function. A bit ham-handed, but RT isn't very subtle most of the time, so we'll allow it. This sets up the next few scenes in which Sesshoumaru is unable to move and must play captive audience to a little girl doing the literal opposite of what he's used to. Sesshoumaru's habit is to show up and kill things, with no thought to the years of history, relationships, thoughts, emotions, etc that he's snuffing out. But while he's reclined injured in the woods, Rin demonstrates actual LIFE and the preservation of it, that part Sesshoumaru never gets to see. It's made all the starker by how BAD Rin is at caring for herself, let alone the strange monster she found in the woods. She does exactly nothing to help Sesshoumaru, despite how hard she tries, and is even injured by others in her attempts. She is the very picture of vulnerability, the opposite of the strong and capable Sesshoumaru.

This is a stark contrast, because anything less wouldn't be enough to create the necessary awareness of Rin's struggles that Sesshoumaru needs in order to use Tenseiga on here. And I know I've said this before, but I really cannot stress enough how obvious I think the symbolism is when Sesshoumaru uses Tenseiga for the first time; a phallic object gives life to a child, and the object's owner looks after that life throughout the rest of the story. He's not very good at looking after it, and it's clear that he's not sure about taking responsibility for Rin at first, because she pleaded for him to come back for her when he and Jaken left her behind to requisition a sword from Gaijinbou. To me, it's reminiscent of a teenager who knocked someone up, and ended up having to learn to give a crap about the result.

But, even if you don't accept that symbolism as particularly significant, Rin being a child, and human, and weak, unable to survive on her own, are important characteristics to how Sesshoumaru's compassion develops. Sesshoumaru is one of the strongest characters in the series, and he rarely has to worry about his own safety. And since he's in the habit of just murdering everyone he comes across if they're in his way, he's never had to worry about the safety of anyone else, either. When Rin comes into the picture, though, Sesshoumaru is faced with the uncomfortable reality of vulnerability in general. Through her earnest and incompetent attempts to foster survival in a world that can and does crush her, she's opened his eyes to how the disadvantaged, those without a powerful youkai lineage to rely on, have to struggle.

Rin herself has nothing to offer Sesshoumaru within this context of supreme vulnerability. She's not a friend, because she can't offer mutual support or use a skill to their benefit as a team. She's not a lover, because, well, she's a child and sexual/romantic attraction are conditions that wouldn't allow Sesshoumaru to extend his compassion beyond just her. As a mostly helpless kid, Rin has to rely upon Sesshoumaru and his power to survive, and Sesshoumaru employs his strength to keep her alive, getting nothing but a sweet smile out of it all. She gets all the benefits, he has all the obligations. This is PURE compassion - using one's advantages to another's benefit because you care about them, and not because you derive something from it as well.

This is why making Rin into Sesshoumaru's lover is a REALLY thoughtless take. It puts conditions on the compassion and muddies the message.

Moving onto Sesshoumaru's continued character development in the latter part of the story, the sword drama starts back up with slow, when Toutousai shows up and offers to reforge Tenseiga into a weapon. Sesshoumaru discovers that because he got angry enough to break his primary weapon in defense of Kagura's honor, he's triggered the next evolution of Tenseiga into something that can murder. Which is what he wanted at the beginning, yay! I want to point out here that Toutousai says Tenseiga noticed a change in Sesshoumaru's heart - anger for the first time for the sake of another. This implies that what Jaken said about Sesshoumaru getting tangled up in the fight against Naraku because Naraku kidnapping and using Rin to manipulate Sesshoumaru hurt Sesshoumaru's pride is actually accurate; he just really hated the thought of Naraku trying to use him, even if it was a failed attempt.

After going through HELL to develop the Meidou into a full circle (literally), Sesshoumaru then learns that the Meidou belongs to Tessaiga and Inuyasha, and that it's supposed to be handed over. Now, part of Sesshoumaru's angst over this idea, I think, is not just "did daddy love Inuyasha more?", but also the assumption that Inuyasha would have to KILL him in order to retake the Meidou Zangetsuha into Tessaiga. Thinking that your father meant for your little brother to kill you at some point to take your stuff is a pretty disturbing thought, to be entirely fair to him. This is why, when Sesshoumaru jumps into the meidou to take back control of the Naraku-possessed Tenseiga and breaks it deliberately, he spends the rest of the time in there moodily resigned to disappear. He genuinely believes that his father meant for him to die at this point, and even after they get out of there, he seems genuinely depressed.

This is Sesshoumaru's lowest point as a character. He's lost something he thought his father had meant for him, at his father's own wish, and he can't help but question why his dad would give him something just to take it away and give it to Inuyasha. It looks for all the world like favoritism, and since the Inu no Taishou is dead, there's no asking him what the hell the meaning of all this is.

This is all leading to one of the most infuriatingly ridiculous scenes I have ever seen in a manga - when Magatsuhi has crushed Sesshoumaru and everyone thinks he's been killed/absorbed, Magatsuhi is blown apart and rendered unable to reform by the shiny new sword clutched in Sesshoumaru's newly regrown arm. I could talk your ear off about how having Sesshoumaru stop being an amputee is erasure of consequences for his actions, or how being given back an arm is kind of a slap in the face for actual amputees, and where the mother f*ck did that sword come from anyway, but that's not what this essay is about, so I'll just keep all that to myself. The point of this is articulated by Toutousai when he says that Sesshoumaru had to let go of Tessaiga and his father's heirloom to stand on his own as a daiyoukai.

We've already gone over how Sesshoumaru is one of the most powerful characters in the series, who rarely has to worry about his well-being. He's just really strong without having to try. Sesshoumaru had already learned that he didn't need Tessaiga ages ago - he knew this when he learned that Inuyasha needed Tessaiga to keep from tearing himself apart eventually. But when he thought he had been passed down something from his father that was truly meant to be his, only to put all this work into it so that Inuyasha could have it, that embittered him again. It's not that he wanted the sword necessarily, but the thoughts and consideration of his father, who seemed to be putting everything he had into Inuyasha.

But his previous experiences protecting and considering someone (in some cases, multiple someones) weaker than him should have tipped him off. During the very battle in which he got his new arm and sword, he was actively helping those around him avoid Magatsuhi and keeping them close because he had a plan and the strength to carry it out. He was willing to take the extra step to protect Inuyasha and friends before trying to take care of Magatsuhi though, and that was the point. He put everyone else's needs ahead of his own, even Inuyasha's, and he did it without even thinking.

Toutousai just articulated what Sesshoumaru should have already intuitively known by that point. He never needed his father's heirlooms, the swords, his dad's power. They were unnecessary for him from the start. Inuyasha needed a leg up, because his own BODY could kill him after a while. But Sesshoumaru always had the capability of being great on his own. He just needed to finally separate his ego from who his father was and become his own person; stand on his own as a great youkai. While I don't agree with the execution, I can get behind the big lesson - don't rely on your daddy's wealth and influence to prop you up, and do the work to build a personality and identity of your own.

Which is ANOTHER reason why making Rin into a lover would be a thoughtless take. It would walk back Sesshoumaru's final lesson about being his own person apart from his father.

So, there you go. A comprehensive post regarding my take on Sesshoumaru's character development. I could add in a bit about Sesshoumaru coming to understand his father's consideration and the lengths he went to for the sake of protecting Inuyasha by having to give similar consideration to Rin, but I think this post is long enough, and that one statement on that aspect pretty much sums it up. Let me know if you would like me to elaborate on any of this, or if you would like to argue any of the points, I'm up for it. Might take me a minute to respond, mind you, but hopefully it won't take as long as it did to draft this behemoth.

Take care.

[ichika27]

My thoughts on Yashahime

I’ll make an actual post about Yashahime after the series is over and maybe a bit more (like my thoughts on SessRin as a whole) but for now I’ll be rambling about something I couldn’t stop thinking about since last night.

So... Sesshoumaru’s a dad now, huh? I mean, I knew since they announced the sequel series but it didn’t hit me that yeah, this really is happening until I saw the latest episode (ep. 15) and seeing him with his kids. Like, I watched Inuyasha as a kid and never really imagined that there’d be a time where the word “dad” or “father” would be used to describe him. The guy is stoic and almost emotionless so to think he’d become a dad or would get married at all was a surprising and strange thought. But he’s gone a long way from being the antagonist character he was introduced as at the beginning of the main series and now he has a family and I just... can you imagine all the slice-of-life shenanigans?

I’ll put the rest of my ramblings under the cut to save space...

Sesshoumaru is a serious person who has trouble showing emotions or even admitting he cares about people. Episode 15 shows him seeing Rin after she gives birth and then seeing his kids for the first time and there’s no change in his facial expression although we know as the audience there’s something underneath that. Rin knows and trust him and Jaken does, too of course. Sadly he was not able to watch his kids grow closely especially Towa who was forcibly time-travelled to the future and grew up on a different family. The twins don’t remember him and Rin at all either.

Like, imagine how awkward it would be after all the life-threatening stuff and them trying to be a family again. The kids are teenagers now, too and have their own personalities so it might be extra awkward. Towa probably would have to deal with meeting her biological parents and having them not be the Higurashis and the personalities are different, too (esp. her dad). Setsuna has to deal with having a family period and her memories of Towa would probably return at the end, too but still she had her demon slaying upbringing and always being in battle mode and such.

Anyways, imagine Setsuna being with her mom. She already feels kind of weird whenever her sister that she doesn’t remember shows affection now she has a mom who would probably do the same lol.

And Sesshoumaru is serious and such but his daughter Towa is kind and affectionate. I couldn’t stop thinking about this scenario: Sesshoumaru noticing Towa is using a broken sword all this time and one day comes back to give her a new one and Jaken would explain that his Lord Sesshoumaru had it made specifically for Towa. I can just imagine Towa being happy cause “Wow new sword for me?” and then saying thank you to her dad and hugging him and Sesshoumaru not knowing what the heck he should do and just... staring. Rin and Jaken would watch happily of course as they know he’s not unfeeling and-

And and and Setsuna being like Sesshoumaru (well, almost) would act tsun but she probably would wanna do family stuff, too.

And I want to see the twins interact with Jaken! He would be so overprotective of them while Sesshoumaru isn’t around. He’d be pissed if anyone even looks down on them and Towa would ask him to stop cause that’s totally not it and Setsuna would just sigh. Towa would be so nice and polite and would actually talk to Jaken nicely (the guy needs more appreciation!). He would totally tell the twins about their parents and how amazing their dad is hahaha.

I ship Setsuna with Hisui, by the way. The two have been working together for years and clearly Hisui cares a lot for Setsuna (every time there’s a fight he seem to be watching out for Setsuna a lot). I wish they’d show flashbacks of how the two became close as coworkers/friends at least. Anyways, imagine Jaken seeing the two close and has suspicions but doesn’t trust Hisui enough (even if he is Kohaku’s nephew as he doesn’t know the boy well yet).

Also, I was kinda disappointed at episode 14, I think, with the whole Towa’s smartphone thing as Setsuna didn’t know what it was and stuff. I mean, they showed Towa’s phone works it’s basic properties only without internet (someone pointed out that they could’ve been charging it with the bike like they showed in one of the uh, I have no idea what it’s called. Scene shows up every end of OP). The camera works, too and I was hoping Towa would take a picture of the three of them. I know it’s no big deal but she probably also has photos of her adoptive family on that. Just imagine her taking that photo and every time she opens it she could see photos of her family and once Rin and Sesshoumaru are with them she’ll have a family photo taken and another one with her aunt and uncle and cousin Moroha. I mean, it’s cute... I think it’s cute!

The later the twins could accompany their dad on whatever adventure he gets to and when they get home Rin is there to welcome them all back. Or just Sesshoumaru coming back home and he now has a wife and two kids waiting for him and that wasn’t a thing before and maybe even Towa would try having bonding moments with her entire family.

Also, Inuyasha and Kagome are trapped at the grave of Inu-no-Taishou so the new trio would probably go there, too. Imagine them seeing their grandpa’s grave. Someone on twitter made a joke about how Moroha might want to sell her grandpa’s corpse and I know she probably has a line she wouldn’t cross but it would be funny if the twins look at Moroha suspiciously with Moroha being outraged that they even thought she would do something like that.

Oh and the twins meeting their grandmother! I’m sure as heck Sesshoumaru’s mother wouldn’t be surprised he had hanyou kids. She totally saw it coming after Sesshoumaru saved Rin from death a second time. I wonder if they’ll get along? With the way Sesshoumaru’s mother talks and the twins personalities it makes me wonder how conversations would go.

Of course I still want Kagome to be able to visit her family and properly introducing Moroha this time around. I just want family bonding about them! And Moroha showing her great-grandpa that she kept the kappa’s foot all this time and really does appreciate it and how it helped her in battle.

Of course, Seshoumaru and Rin meeting the Higurashis - Sota, Moe, and Mei. Towa introducing her two families to each other! Mei would be happy to see her two big sisters again and Rin would be talking to Moe and thanking her for raising Towa and there’s Sota who probably would be talking to Sesshoumaru about Towa and how she grew up and Sesshoumaru would act aloof and all but he’s totally listening and is proud of his kid. That said Kohaku would also tell Lord Sesshoumaru about how amazing Setsuna is as a demon slayer.

I know the above is unlikely but still... just imagine! That’d be sooo nice! After all the crap they went through they’d just be happy together.

Also I just imagine the reunion after the trouble in the series with Rin getting her kids back and Sesshoumaru watching over them not saying anything and Jaken is crying tears of joy saying how his Lord Sesshoumaru is happy that his family is together again and Moroha looking at her uncle and is like “He is?” cause the guy isn’t smiling at all on the outside lol.

I couldn’t sleep last night just thinking about these. I know it’s probably OOC for many of them but just let me have my fun hahaha.

I’ll make another Yashahime post sooner or later cause I’m enjoying the series so far. I’m excited for the next episodes! And holy crap I didn’t realize how long this would be!

If you read my ramblings this far, thank you! I do hope it wasn’t that bad of a way to kill time haha.

[setsuna-maru]

Rin in Every Episode of Inuyasha: A Retrospective

I decided to start this series because I feel like Rin’s been getting a bad rap lately, particularly since the premier of Yashahime and even more so now that she’s been revealed to be the mother of Towa and Setsuna.

For that reason, I’ve decided to do a retrospective of every episode in Inuyasha in which Rin appears, in order to explore her wonderful character.

I originally intended to do her introductory episode in one post but it got pretty unwieldy so I divided it into two parts. This is Part 1.

Episode 35 begins with Sesshoumaru at pretty much his lowest point in the series. Inuyasha has already cut off his arm and taken his father’s heirloom sword, the Tetsaiga, and now, his younger brother has come out on top, again. Sesshoumaru is 0-3 at this point. The battle against Inuyasha that takes up the first third of this episode sees Sesshoumaru barely escaping with his life and badly wounded. This episode is titled The True Owner of the Great Sword! and the Tenseiga initially displays it’s loyalty to it’s reluctant master by engulfing him in light, saving him from Inuyasha’s attack.

(It’s also been suggested that the sentient Tenseiga purposely transported Sesshoumaru to the location he convalesces in, knowing he would meet Rin there and allow him to develop the compassion needed to wield it, although that’s a theory for another day.)

Enter Rin

Rin’s first appearance in the Inuyasha anime occurs at 10:29 of Episode 35:  The True Owner of the Great Sword! The first indication of her presence is a couple of seconds earlier in the form of some rustling bushes.

A moment later, we get our first glimpse of a young human girl peeking out from behind a tree.

Sesshoumaru attempts to scare her off and it cuts to her reaction. Up close, we can see that Rin is not a well taken care of child. Her face is filthy and her kimono is dull and worn.

Though Rin is startled at first, she quickly regains her composure; her expression morphing from fright into steely resolve.

Rin doesn’t speak in her first appearance and her muteness actually adds to the strength of her characters introduction. Writers are always told “show, don’t tell” and by letting Rin’s actions speak for themselves, the audience see’s Rin personality revealed through her behavior and is left to guess at her motivations.

Back to the scene; Rin cautiously approaches Sesshoumaru, despite his threatening action. Maybe she’s aware that he’s too seriously injured to be a real danger to her but she probably doesn’t know enough about demons to know that for sure. Regardless, here she is showing her bravery, compassion and curiosity overcoming her own sense of self-preservation.

This entire scene is less than 15 seconds long but it already teaches us so much about Rin’s character. It leaves a bold impression: A tiny, defenseless human girl willingly approaching one of the most fearsome yokai in the Sengoku.

The next scene in which Rin appears seems to take place later that night and in it, Rin’s intentions become clear. Having left water for the injured Sesshoumaru, she returns with food. Again, we’re getting a good picture of who Rin is as a person through her actions alone. She’s the type of kid who will find a wounded but dangerous demon in the woods and decide to take it upon herself to take care of him. 

(It’s also worth pointing out that Rin is a poor orphan with little access to food and still chooses to share whatever sustenance she can find with a complete stranger.)

As Rin turns to leave, Sesshoumaru speaks to her–it’s implied–for the first time. He tells her that he doesn’t eat human food and she should mind her own business.

Rin and Sesshoumaru’s first meeting is reminiscent of the ‘stranded together’ or ‘locked in a room’ tropes where, as a result of being trapped in the same place, two characters are forced to interact who might otherwise had never had an opportunity or willingness to bond with one another.

While Rin isn’t trapped there, Sesshoumaru certainly is and had he been fully mobile, never would’ve found himself have been in a position where he’d be conversing with a random human girl.

Rin leaves and we next her catching fish in ravine. She’s discovered by the village men and beaten for stealing. She passively accepts the beating, not struggling or putting up any resistance and there’s a definite implication that this is something that’s happened before and that she’s used to.

This is also the first scene where we're told about Rin’s backstory and what happened that cause her to be in the state she’s in. Unlike the mostly “show, don’t tell” nature of the rest of Rin’s story in this episode, it’s one of those clunky exposition dumps where the characters tell each other information they should already know for the sake of the audience. We hear from the villagers that Rin is an orphan as a result of her family being killed by bandits. They also reveal that this incident occurred in front of her and is the reason for Rin’s muteness.

We see Rin limp away and in the next scene, she again approaches Sesshoumaru with an offer of food. He again declines, despite Rin’s wordless insistence. When we see Rin’s face again, her eye is swollen shut and she has bruises–the result of her beating by the villagers.

Rin is disappointed by his refusal to accept her help but a moment later Sesshoumaru does something that would’ve previously seemed unbelievable for character; earnestly inquiring about someone else’s welfare.

Rin’s face really say’s it all.

This the breakthrough moment. Sesshoumaru let’s his guard down, if only slightly, and attempts to make a connection. A connection to a human girl who won’t stop trying to help him no matter how uninterested he tries to make himself seem. This moment is Rin’s patience and persistence paying off.

Sesshoumaru tells her that it’s okay if she doesn’t want to talk. Again, Sesshoumaru being gentle and reassuring to another person is not something we’d gotten even a hint of from him before this. Rin stares at him in disbelief for several moments before her face breaks into a huge, toothy smile—the first one we see from her since she was introduced.

This confuses Sesshoumaru, who doesn’t understand why something as simple as asking her how she got the bruises on her face would warrant such a reaction.

It’s probably not a stretch to imagine that Rin’s reaction isn’t just because it’s Sesshoumaru specifically whose asking her this. Considering how she’s been shown to be treated by the other villagers, this might be the first time in quite a while (since her family was killed at least) that anyone has expressed an interest in her well-being.

But yeah, while Rin may not be aware of it, it is pretty special that Sesshoumaru, Sesshoumaru, hater of humans, will murder you for looking at him the wrong way, biggest asshole of the Sengoku not named Naraku, is the one who ends up showing this poor, neglected orphan the slightest bit of humanity.

Anyway, that’s a wrap for now. I’ll continue my run-down of Rin’s first episode in Part 2.

[risingfire17-the-weeb-trash]

Inuyasha boys rated on smashability 1-10

So I’m like secondhand obsessed with this series thanks to @noviceotakus-blog​, even though I’ve only seen 1 movie and don’t plan to watch more, and I noticed there were a lot of hot characters, so I had my bestie send me a list of the main characters and I looked them up so I could rate them on a scale of “would never smash” to “oh god yes please smash”

Inuyasha: I mean, he’s got a cool character design, but he also looks like a pissed off high schooler, but Novice tells me he’s centuries old so I guess it’s ok? 5/10, would probably be higher if he looked older.

Sesshoumaru: Ok forget snack, this guy is a full course MEAL!!!! I will straight up eat him!!!! 10/10

Naraku: Ok so I heard enough about him to know he’s a terrible human being, but like, he’s HOT!!! I’d be so down for a one-night stand with this guy! I’ll take a few points off because he’s a terrible person and because I bet he would be selfish as all hell in bed. 7/10

Miroku: Probably the closest here to what I would actually go for in real life, and from what I hear he is a total sweetheart and also a pervert lol um yes sign me up! 10/10

Hojo: I’m guessing one of Kagome’s friends from her world? I’d probably end up shipping them...I’m a huge fan of urging the protagonists to avoid the dangerous other world shit and go with a normal person. As for smashability, I bet he’ll look cute when he’s older but right now he looks 12 and I’m not a pedo. 0/10 Sorry bro

Bankotsu: That smug look is kind of annoying. He looks like he’d talk up his bedroom game and end up being really mediocre. He’s aesthetically pleasing though, and has good taste in swords. 6/10

Renkotsu: He doesn’t necessarily look bad, he’s just not exactly my type. The tattoos are kind of cool, and he looks like a doctor? 4/10

Ginkotsu: Um, no. Cool character design, but no smashability whatsoever. 0/10

Suikotsu: So according to Novice this guy has an alternate personality where his body actually changes shape??? Um ok cool but it this form, dude is hot! The hair, the angsty eyes, the claws! Would smash 9/10

Mukotsu: Ew, no. Also he looks like a rapist. 0/10

Kyokotsu: Once again, ew, no, looks like a rapist. 0/10

Manten: And again, ew, no, looks like a rapist. 0/10

Ginta: He looks like a child, maybe when he’s older. 0/10

Gantenmaru: He looks like a drag queen and he slays Yas gurl! Not bad looking, not exactly my type 5/10

Koga: Great hair, great eyes, looks like he’s good with animals, probably a tsundere...I’m for it! He might not let me near tho T_T 9/10

Edit: Novice forgot to tell me about some boys, so here’s more

Jakotsu: He looks like a yandere and I LOVE me a good yandere 2D boy! Only downside is he looks just barely legal so I’m going to dock a few points. 7/10

Hiten: Looks kind of evil but that’s never stopped me! Honestly not bad looking and he’s got a cool outfit 7/10

Hakaku: He looks like the slightly less better looking twin of Ginta? Looks like a teenager, hopefully he fixes his hair before he grows up 0/10

Ino no Taisho: So this is Sesshoumaru’s dad??? OMFG I SEE WHERE HE GETS HIS LOOKS I’M DROOLING!!!! 10/10

[mythicamagic]

As usual... I can never just choose one... soo here are my top choices you choose one. Lol

1. Are you flirting with me?” “You finally noticed?

2. The worst thing is, that even after all of that, I’m still in love with you.

3.that ship has sailed. i’ve had my one great love already

4. we’re just…friends.” “friends don’t do this type of shit!

5. Did you just slap my ass?” / “Actually, I firmly grasped it.” 

Why did I decide 2 of the hurt/sad/angst.. idk.. i suppose im glutton for punishment. Dont hurt me too bad if you choose to do one of them myth.

Decided to do a part two for - this ask. 

I chose;  The worst thing is, that even after all of that, I’m still in love with you.

---

The air felt crisp and clean, biting at Kagome's cheeks as she wound her scarf tighter around her neck. Winter markets were so much fun. The vast array of cute little items on display made warmth light up her chest, even as the candy and children's toys reminded her of a certain fox she'd left behind in the past.

Kagome smiled at Ayumi as she prattled on about something or other.

She shouldn't feel guilty. Shippo had barely visited the village in the last year she'd been there. Everyone had moved on. Including herself, somewhat. She'd been so wrapped up in her whirlwind romance with a certain Daiyoukai- the feudal era had been irreparably damaged as a home for her the second they'd broken up.

But she missed her friends. Dearly.

She shook herself. It was too late to go back on her choice now. The well had sealed shut for good.

Ayumi stopped to grab some hot chocolate from a street vendor, allowing Kagome a moment to warm her hands, rubbing them together.

Snowflakes gently danced about like powdered sugar, kissing Kagome's face as she turned- almost bumping face-first into a muscular chest. Fresh scents of wild forests and thunderstorms filled her nose, and she stiffened.

He smells the same.

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek, blue eyes narrowing. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"Haven't the faintest idea of what you mean," he arranged his features into mild innocence, which was near impossible due to his smiling eyes.

"Riiight," she muttered, wishing Ayumi would hurry up.

Sesshoumaru gazed down at her, a pink gift bag in hand. Kagome grit her teeth, hating that she wondered who it was meant for.

"I did not intend to run into you here, before you accuse me of anything," his silky voice caressed her hearing once more. It sounded so lulling, designed to draw her back in. "Did you take my gift home with you or did you throw it away?" he asked, deceptively casually.

"Home. But don't think that means anything- it's not the plant's fault you're trying to worm your way back into my life."

The Daiyouki smiled to himself, obviously absurdly pleased. He began pursuing the street vendor's items right beside her, gazing at children's toys with a touch of gentleness in his steady gaze. Kagome was prepared to ignore him- until he leaned down, breath fanning 'accidentally' over her cheek as he picked up a doll and straightened.

"Do you remember Rin? And the other children-"

"Don't," Kagome said, unable to move away. She hated the thrumming of her skin so much. The way it cried out. Hated him.

Her skin flared alive, body humming with hunger. Like a shot of adrenalin to the heart, Kagome dipped her chin into her scarf to try and mask her escalating breathing due to his proximity. When they'd had sex- so many years ago- it hadn't been like human lovemaking.

He'd wired new pathways within her system via his youki. Sometimes she felt like it still lived inside her, having made a home for itself. They hadn't mated, but she felt irreversibly changed by it.

Kagome made a faint noise, squeezing her eyes shut.

Resist him-

"Kagome?"

Oh thank God.

"Ayumi, let's go," she said abruptly, facing her friend with an urgent look in her eyes.

Ayumi tilted her head slightly, eyeing Sesshoumaru curiously. "A-alright?"

"You do not need to leave," he turned, exuding a magnanimous air. "I am the one who intruded on your time, please continue," he gestured to the market, ensnaring Kagome's gaze with his own. Unblinking, unable to hide his more animalistic habits even after so many years.

"I hope to see you some other time when my presence does not disturb you," he said softly, walking away.

---

When entering work that Saturday, Kagome could already sense the buzz in the air. Someone had generously donated some priceless artefacts to their museum. The previously undiscovered finds that shaken everyone due to their rarity and mint condition. No one could stop talking about it.

Kagome's blood ran cold the second the items in question were described to her. Pushing through the crowd that had gathered, she stared in horror at the display case.

Itching for a fight, she immediately stormed to his office downtown, opening the door to reception and letting herself in. "Is Sesshoumaru here?" she burst, stopping in front of the secretary's desk.

"Mr Taisho?" the woman blinked, obviously thrown by the petite, angry miko currently glaring at her and using his name so informally. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No. Just tell him Kagome is here."

She was let into his office soon enough, trying to keep a lid on her crackling reiki. Sesshoumaru glanced up from his computer. "Miko? What a pleasant surprise."

Kagome slammed an article atop his desk. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped.

He raised a brow, briefly flicking his attention to the contents. A photo of red and white silks, coupled with polished spiked armour sat in a display unit. "Something wrong? It was just a donation, given in good faith."

"Donated to my workplace!" Kagome seethed, groaning and burying her face in her hands. "Don't you realise I'm going to have to see your things now every day? I've worn those clothes! I've slept in them as pyjamas! Are you trying to mess with me because you want me back?"

"That's a little dramatic, dear one, I'm not trying to 'mess with you.' It was just a donation," he rose from his seat, face inches from hers. "And if I wanted to romance you, I'd go about it much differently."

"Don't 'dear one' me," she snapped. "You could've donated that stuff years ago- or to a different museum. But no, you had to give it to mine."

"My gift was not meant to distress you, but," he rounded the table slowly, fingers dragging over the wood. "It does make me worry, seeing you so worn thin. Is something else going on? Separate from...us?"

Kagome stiffened, avoiding eye contact. Things with her boyfriend had been strained as of late, and the Daiyoukai's sudden appearance back into her life wasn't helping matters.

"There is no 'us.' I'm frustrated and exhausted, that's all. Don't make things even more complicated by asking about that stuff."

Sesshoumaru lingered close, and Kagome didn't shy away. The one person she couldn't bear to be near was also the only being who could offer some semblance of comfort to her due to his familiarity.

"This one meant to give you something," reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a business card, handing it over. Kagome immediately froze, staring at the name. "You miss him," Sesshoumaru murmured. "The kit lives in Kyoto now with his wife and children. Call him."

Tears pricked her eyes, and Kagome bowed her head. Full lips crumpled into a wobbly line.

"If there is something I regret more than our parting, it is that you felt compelled to leave. The fault lies with me."

Shaking her head, a saddened laugh bubbled up her throat. "It was my decision to break up, and it was my decision to leave the Feudal Era. Don't...blame yourself for that part."

"You did not do anything wrong," a long-fingered hand reached out, blunt nails losing their glamour. Sharp claws stroked dark curling hair back from her neck. Kagome's breathing hitched. "When we were together- you did not do anything wrong. We were both so young. It was foolish of me to act as I did, but I think it is now... that we are in the right place for something more."

Kagome shivered, body warming to him. Intuitively, the brush of fingers on her neck made her foolishly anticipate a kiss- sorely disappointed when it didn't come. "I'm not," she forced herself to say. Seeing the disappointment darken his brown eyes, she sighed. "I miss you," Kagome admitted quietly, turning away to escape from his touch. "I miss how... we were. I'm terrified of that, though. I was...under the impression we'd be together. Permanently. Then you had to go and tell me you needed 'pure' heirs to continue the family bloodline."

She laughed bitterly, loosely holding her arms. "The worst thing is, that even after all of that, I'm still in love with you."

"You are frightened that I will hurt you again."

Kagome nodded mutely. She then forced a giggle, giving a weak smile. "Besides, you may not like me as I am now. I'm more jaded than before."

"I like what I see very much," moving closer once more as though experiencing a gravitational pull, he stopped inches away. "I have missed you too," he muttered quietly, genuinely. She could feel him inhale her scent through her hair. "Very much."

Her mouth suddenly became dry. "I'm with Natsuki-"

"Leave him," a rush of passion entered his voice as Sesshoumaru swept closer, backing her into the desk. The wood dug into her thighs, their hips meeting. "This one is not interested in being 'the other man' in an affair. Nor am I interested in watching you remain with someone less than ideal," he snorted, resting his hand over her wrist and grazing his thumb over it.

"Y-you don't know anything about it!"

"I could smell your scent. It was not bright and cheerful even before I re-entered your life the other day. His feels...murky on you. Unhappy."

Kagome swallowed thickly, glancing away. "Observant as ever," she admitted softly.

"Or perhaps you did a poor job of hiding it," backing off a little- he rested his hip next to hers beside the desk, remaining near but barely touching. And yet everything felt so close. "You've changed. But you're still the same at your core, miko," hot breath fanned over her neck, teeth ghosting over the shell of her ear. "If you permitted me, I would not be reckless with your heart again, as I was in my youth."

Her palms traitorously slid up, sliding over firm muscles- running across his chest. He felt warm. His heart was beating fast. Was he nervous? Such a thing sounded impossible.

She bit her lip, secretly longing for the sensation of silks under her hands again instead of the modern cotton of his shirt.

"I don't know that I believe you," Kagome met his gaze, rewarded with the golden glow of his eyes instead of human brown.

"I've gotta go," she said reluctantly, forcing herself to pull away. "I need to be at work."

"Very well," he hummed, unmoving. "But if you...need something. You know where to find me."

He sounded almost desperate for an excuse to talk with her. Giving a curt nod, she let herself out of his office with a long breath, shaking her head. Sesshoumaru's static youki haunted her steps for the remainder of the day.

[sesshousfur]

So if Sess and Kirim aren't the bad guy do you think maybe Sesshomaru's big dilemma this time is which daughter to give up? If Rin has been hurt and Sess is using one daughter to keep her alive and the tree do you think it will come down to him desperate to save all of his kids? He 'lost' Towa, might be losing Rin, might eventually have to lose one regardless.

I mean his children are the protagonists of the show after all so I think it'd make sense to mix their goals with his, even if they might clash in the end. Giving Sesshoumaru an actual dilemma that challenges his character beyond what we have already seen or perhaps more importantly, a dilemma that would force him to evaluate his own feelings more than he ever has—like wanting to save one daughter and maybe having to choose one of the other two over the other in the process— would grant us... insight into his character like we've never gotten it before, I think. Obviously it'd be a tragedy but it could have the potential to turn into a tragedy that people love watching because it hurts so good (especially if Sesshoumaru dies for one of his daughters in the end). If that makes any sense lol & if delicately and well written, of course. Not that Yashahime has shown how well written it is so far. We haven't really seen much in terms of character depth from any of them so I'm not sure I can even expect Sunrise to pick up their game like that. But I am expecting them to finally show us more of what Sesshoumaru is up to in the 2nd half!! If the leak was true and the season finale will reveal who the mother is (or a very clear hint at her identity)... I'd say they have to give us at least a little more about him than what we have right now.

[grayintogreen]

I was not technically tagged, but at least two people on my dash were like DO WHAT YOU WANT NO ONE IS YOUR GOD, and you know what? They’re right and valid. 

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

96! And 90% of them are from just this year. Can’t wait to find out what the big 100 is gonna be. Any one of my WIPS could be Disney’s next 100th fic.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

455,024 (also mostly from this year...)

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

In my entire life??? Since I was twelve??? I don’t even know, man. I wrote a lot of ooc crackfic and fic for cartoons when I was on FF.net, and then I was on LJ and wrote for a TON of different fandoms, but on AO3, I have written for Critical Role (so much CR), Yashahime/Inuyasha, Guardians of the Galaxy, His Dark Materials (TV), Steven Universe, Bleach, Alias, Supernatural, Dollhouse, Pushing Daisies (the last four were all transferred here from LJ, though)

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

- turning wine back into water (Critical Role, de-aging fic with plot, 30457 words)

I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE HOW POPULAR THIS FIC IS. It beat out two of my super popular GotG fics that have been up since 2017 BY A LOT. Apparently, there was a market for the Mighty Nein being adorable cocktail brats and saving the world. Thanks, Liam’s Quest!

It is probably one of the most wholesome fics I will ever write too. I love it.

- Sunshine Came Softly (Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket and Mantis friendship, 3188 words)

THIS FIC STILL GETS HITS EVEN TODAY. It was written right after I saw the movie so it hit hard and fast on the hype train. 

- Mine Is Just a Slower Sacrifice (Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket-centric, 2248 words)

BOY YOU CAN TELL THESE FICS ARE ANCIENT BECAUSE I HADN’T DEVELOPED MY TITLE NICHE YET. where are the lower caps and Seanan McGuire lyrics!!

Anyway, this was written probably IMMEDIATELY after I saw the movie and had to process Rocket’s emotions during the last moments, because of who I am as a person. For what’s mostly a character study, it got some mileage on it.

- they drink dreamers up like brandy (Critical Role, 1625 words)

Back to Critical Role! I wrote this one when I was in a fucking blind post-finale haze and producing massive amounts of Kingsley content and I wanted to write a silly fic about Caleb being tiefling catnip. 

- if adversity breeds character (we’ve character enough for two) (Critical Role, Beau and Molly-centric, 1824 words)

I feel like most of my most kudos-ed CR fics are Beau-related, which is funny because I never really wrote her EVER. I guess I need to write her more often. ANYWAY, this one got jossed immediately after 141, but I needed to write Beau and Molly bantering and I couldn’t get her flipping him off after revealing her card is Rumor out of my head.

(Incidentally my sixth most kudos-ed fic is my Fjorester next gen fic, WHICH I WAS NOT EXPECTING AT ALL. IT’S A FIC BASED ON MY OC FANCHILDREN!! I’M VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT THAT!!)

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Usually!! There are times when I forget and then it’s been so long that I never go back, but I like responding to comments. They make me so happy and I want to make sure the people who take the time to comment know that I see them and appreciate them. Especially if they give me long comments. You long commenters know who you are and I value you and also flail incoherently in your direction.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

God, probably this church takes no conversions simply because, like, the whole ending scenes are MISERABLE AND FULL OF ANGST and then it has the hopeful ending that is actually a bullshit lie.

But second place probably goes to what couldn’t i offer, what couldn’t i give, which is just misery porn in disguise as a character study. Sorry, Cree.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Okay, so back in the day when I was a tineh fanbrat I wrote a lot of self-indulgent crossovers featuring my friends and I in true Mary Sue format being ~saviors of the world~ alongside our favorite fictional characters and after I grew out of that, I very rarely did it again, because as someone who can only write AUs if they’re high concept and can only write crossovers if the canon welding is pristine, it’s difficult.

I have ideas for some! I just haven’t written them yet. Or they’re sitting in Google Docs partially written.

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not to my recollection, which is insane, because I’ve written some things in my youth that deserved it, but also I was a kid, so maybe I definitely did not deserve it. Don’t send hate to kids!!

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

The first smut I ever posted on AO3 involved some fucking American Gods flesh horror shit, so that answers your second question.

Basically, yes, but I write smut to facilitate character development in a way that regular story beats can’t, mainly with characters who are in some way deeply fucked up and have unbalanced dynamics. 

So basically chances of me writing smut that isn’t Creecien or Lucigast? Very low. (I haven’t written Lucigast smut yet but I will. Inevitably.)

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that anyone’s told me, but one time when I was a teenager someone ripped off an entire group messageboard RP I was in and tried to pass it off as a fic they wrote.

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that anyone’s told me!

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I tried and it did not work out, because of (non-wanky) reasons, but it’s just not something I’d be very good at. I was the kid who wanted to work alone on group projects. I’m bad at group work.

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

That I’ve WRITTEN??? Because that at least narrows it down significantly. Sesshoumaru/Rin hands down. It’s a good dynamic and they’re fun and sad at the same time. 

My self-indulgent ass does also enjoy writing Creecien though. I’m putting it out there because I want it.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

GOD POOR SUPERNOVAS OF ALL SOUND AND LIGHT. THAT FIC COULD’VE BEEN A CONTENDER, but I unfortunately posted it RIGHT BEFORE the White Diamond episodes aired and it became so jossed by canon so fast that I gave up on life with chapter two half finished. I need to delete it but I can’t bring myself to bury my shame.

15) What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and meta-narrative and character-specific stuff. I go into every story with CHARACTER FIRST mentality, which is how I end up writing so many damn character studies or why my word counts explode. I’m just out here naval gazing because I love character stuff SO MUCH.

I’ve been told I’m good at fight/action scenes too, which... Shocks me, but I think watching and playing a lot of D&D stuff has really improved how I write fighting and action sequences.

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

[whispers] too much naval gaze. dial it back, bitch. 

I get really caught up in character stuff and forget to do important things like ADVANCE THE SCENE OR DESCRIBE THE SCENE OR LITERALLY ANYTHING. I also don’t think my prose is all that great, but I’m pretty sure every writer feels that imposter syndrome bullshit, so /waves hands. All I’m saying is I have seen some writers on AO3 who are writing some fucking vivid imagery and stringing flawless sentences together and weaving introspection and description together like beautiful baskets and they are stronger than any US Marine and I salute them and wish to be them.

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Iiii try not to. There’s times where I want to throw in, like, a little Zemnian for Caleb flair, but I try to stick to things that are either untranslatable (like German compound words), common phrases (like please or come here), or insults/curses/ pet names. Things that I don’t think Google will fucking lie to me about.

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I think it was a Sailor Moon crackfic about Haruka being forced to enter a beauty pageant which was just a blatant rip-off of Ms Congeniality and oh my god was it awful. I don’t even wanna talk about it.

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

this church takes no conversions, probably BECAUSE it’s my little red-headed stepchild of a fic involving so many things that are just never going to make it popular (backstory fic, fic that is almost 85% headcanon, doesn’t involve popular characters, etc.), but godDAMMIT I love that fic so much. It was fun and I use every bit of that headcanon in almost everything like it’s my job.

shattered stage is a close second, because it was such a crazy concept for a fic that I PULLED OFF SOMEHOW and is this wonderful mix of crazy plot and character and lore and my three favorite tieflings having to work together. And also Jayne Merriweather as the main villain. 

A lot of love went into both of those fics and they are my babies. this time next year we’ll see if I add Creedemption and shoot at fate to this list- probably. All of my epic long fics resolve to be my babies because I spent so much time on them, and I have to love them and cherish them because I raised them into gigantic wordy attempts to write a doorstopper.