For a Glimpse: ONESHOT

For a Glimpse

An Inuyasha one-shot.

If only I could see him once more, she thought as she wandered the hillside. I still want to be near him. I still want to play for him.

The princess wandered into the edge of the forest, looking for him.

I must know he is all right.

Aimlessly, she roamed. But to no avail. Alas, a youkai that doesn't want to be found shall not be found. So she stopped, sitting against a tree and playing her flute. After she finished the mournful-sounding song, she rose again and made her way back, knowing the others would be worried for her.

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He knew the human girl was looking for him. It was disgusting. Why did she insist on following him? Why did she care? He was a Taiyoukai; such a trivial thing as getting an arm cut off would not be his end. He was already able to walk around, hence the reason she was unable to find him. Luckily, she had finally given up. Now he could rest again.

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“Sara! Must you leave again? It's not proper for a young princess to be roaming around the countryside every day… there are bandits, and soldiers, and…”

“My good lady, I assure you I will be fine,” the hime told her.

Knowing there was no way to stop her, unless she was to tie the princess to a tree, the woman let her go.

Sara began to play her sad song, her flute's soulful notes unwittingly warning the demon of the woman's presence. He had been in a deep sleep, and didn't have the energy to flee, so he took to the trees. After a few minutes, she came into view. She had on the intricate, elaborate, expensive clothes that humans of royalty seemed to don. It pulled at his curiosity, but not enough to make him reveal himself.

She came into the clearing he had been using as a temporary camp, and seemed to notice he had been there.

“I must have just missed him,” she said sadly.

He watched her for any signs of malice, but what he heard next intrigued him.

“Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru! Where are you? I must know that you are all right.”

There was anguish on her face, and she still searched the area for signs of where he could have gone. Why was she going through so much trouble? Why did she seek him, and why did she care?

The young woman sighed. She sat, cross-legged, and played her flute for a few minutes longer - it was a strong song, filled with anger. Sesshoumaru knew he could have easily leapt away using the heavily grown trees, but instead he found himself stayed. After she had finished playing, Sara stood and clenched her fist around the slim instrument.

“I will retrieve this Tessaiga for you, my Lord. And I will destroy this Inuyasha,” she said angrily.

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru leapt down from his cover in the trees, his balance ever so slightly compromised with the loss of the limb. She gasped from the surprise; she hadn't expected him to be around, let alone appear in front of her! And he didn't seem very happy…

“Why do you promise your fealty to me?” he seethed. He had no need for a human servant, and yet he had been plagued by two in as many weeks!

Taking a step back out from her astonishment, she stumbled over her words before being able to answer.

“I-I-I… My Lord, I heard your pleas. You swore revenge on the one called Inuyasha, and you wanted to take back the Tessaiga… Forgive me, for listening to your-”

“SILENCE, human!” he raged. “What do you know of anything? This Sesshoumaru is the only one that may claim Inuyasha's life, and will not depend on a ningen to steal the Tessaiga away!”

“But… my Lord…”

Sesshoumaru glared at the human woman. But she knew she could not give up on him. If she could only prove her love…

“Sesshoumaru-sama, you are injured. If you would let me attend-”

“This Sesshoumaru will let no mortal attend to my wounds,” he said as he began to walk away. At that moment, Jaken caught up to his master.

“S-S-Sesshoumaru-sama! I have found you at last!” The little demon ran towards his master, tears in his eyes.

With a swift boot to the head, Sesshoumaru dodged the loving embrace. When Jaken regained his wits, however, he noticed the additional life.

“Sesshoumaru-sama? Who is she? Why is a human here?” He glared at the mortal, and she gazed at him with a critical eye.

“Hn. She is no one, Jaken. Let us go,” the Taiyoukai said, and turned to leave.

Glaring at the back of his stubborn head, Sara had the beginnings of tears in her eyes with his hurtful words. But she would not give up. Tomorrow, she would seek him out again.

Sesshoumaru stayed in the area, feeling her graceful aura slip away as the woman returned to her village. He would not alarm Jaken by looking back; he knew she would look for him tomorrow, but he would return to his own lands this very night.

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The next day, Sara fell ill. They prayed for her, and attempted to purify her, but to no avail. She was doomed to an early death, and many wept. At first, the princess was upset; she would not get to see her youkai again, because she would never be able to leave her bed. But as the black hand of death floated effortlessly towards her, she thought of a way to be with the great demon Lord.

She wasn't stupid; she knew he looked down upon humans. He was youkai nobility. She was of royal blood as well, but that meant nothing to the supernatural beings. With a great sigh, she asked those who prayed for her to leave her in her darkest hour. They argued, but she told them it was her dying wish, and they complied.

With a heavy heart, Sara called out to any demon that could hear. As they grew closer, she offered them her body in return for a long life and a status as a demon herself. Youkai of such low status will promise anything for such an opportunity, even if it is a lie. So as her heart pumped its' last ounce of blood, the demons prepared to take over the woman's body. As her eyes dimmed, they advanced, and soon, many demons became one inside a hime shell.

What they hadn't expected, however, was that the pure, loving heart of the young princess. It preserved her thoughts, and she remained in control of her body. And so she fled from the village.

And one day, when she was powerful enough, she would find this Inuyasha and gain control of the Tessaiga.

And she would do it for him.

Sesshoumaru-sama.

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A/N: I just wanted to say this really quick, before anyone calls me a hypocrite. I DO NOT SUPPORT NON-CANON CHARACTERS (Mary-Sues). I wrote this as an entry to a contest on deviantART about non-canon characters in the `anime' version of Inuyasha. And what better non-character to use than “The Woman Who Loved Sesshoumaru”? Sara always intrigued me, and she popped right into my head when the contest topic came up. That's right, Sara doesn't exist (just like Ayame). They're just characters that VIZ made up for `filler' episodes. So you'll probably never see me writing about either of them ever again. ^_^

E/N: Hime = princess

Youkai = demon

Taiyoukai = sorta like a `super' demon, or god.

-Sama = When they call Sesshoumaru `Sesshoumaru-sama', they are basically calling him `Lord Sesshoumaru'.