Innocence Dark by Aoko

Chapter One

The moonlight breathed long-forgotten songs of an ancient world. The melody lingered in his sensitive ears, filling him with an unidentifiable ache.

Sorrow, grief, longing--he heard them all.

Sesshoumaru gracefully titled his face to the moon and let the soothing light wash his frame.

A slight turn of his head landed a cool golden gaze at the girl who had quietly approached his side.

"What to do you want?"

His voice was low and calm, snaking through the air to brush by her porcelain cheeks. She turned gently, her arm lifting fluidly to gesture towards the moon. Sesshoumaru watched as her fingers brushed by the silver light. She became a broken fragment of the celestial stars.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?"

She had a fragile voice, a voice that felt as if it might shatter into a million pieces... just like her.

"Aren't you afraid I will kill you, girl? You know I can," he said, no emotion marring his beautifully sculpted face.

"Kill me?" She sounded as if she was amused. Her fingers curled up to curl the light in her hands. Her eyes fluttered close.

"Yes. You are a worthless human after all."

"...That I may be."

"That you are," he corrected her. A brief smile graced the corner of her rose-petal lips. Her long, black eyelashes fluttered open. He found himself staring into a swirl of blue and silver. Her small, delicate hand suddenly moved from its position to touch the blue streaks on his cheeks. She shivered slightly. He was cold to her touch. Sesshoumaru jerked away like lightning, causing his long, straight silver hair to flutter.

"You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were a girl," she voiced, attempting to strike a conversation. He only stared at her.

"You were too entirely beautiful to be a guy." She moved her arms to her back and gazed at the velvety night above.

"...I do not appreciate being called a girl."

She giggled then, the sweet laughter threading through the heavy air like crystal bells. She whirled around, causing the foreign garment she wore to spin elegantly. He watched the green fabric flutter, suddenly fascinated by how she made such a simple motion seem like a dance. Then he looked away.

"You have grown more human," she whispered. He shot her a sharp gaze, and his deadly claws flexed quietly. She seemed blissfully unaware of the danger her words brought.

"I never thought that I would see you like this." Wonder brought more radiance to her exquisite face. He moved then, wrapping a hand around her frail neck. A slight squeeze sent a trail of crimson blood to taint her smooth, white skin. He saw no fear in her eyes...only a question.

"Is it that bad to be human?"

His grip tightened for a split second before he loosened. She rubbed the tiny cut absent-mindedly. Then to her astonishment, he lowered his head and licked the wound. She stiffened as her eyes focused on his bent head. He closed his icy eyes and briefly let himself enjoy her clean, pure scent... She smelled like the cherry blossoms that flowered under the watchful gaze of the night.

The moment broke when he stepped away.

She remembered the brief impression of his lips on her neck, the ghostly kiss that left her heart to race. Blindly, she spun away from him.

He saw the violent blush on her cheeks and could not help but smile. She began twisting her graceful fingers nervously.

"I'm glad," she said deliberately into the silence. He slanted her a questioning look.

"I'm glad that we were able to enjoy this beauty together. I'm glad that for once we were able to see past all those masks and pretensions."

Her voice was nearly vicious. He merely raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that you know who I am, wench?"

She stepped closer to him, craning her head to meet his eyes. She was so petite... so tiny... He wondered at the strength beneath her fragile beauty.

"I know that you love the night like I do," she breathed into the cool air. She merged into the moon's haunting song, and he was only able to see her bewitching eyes. Sesshoumaru studied the blues and the purples of the darkness that gave them this sanctuary. Regretfully, she stepped away.

"It's time for me to go."

He nodded offhandedly, barely acknowledging her departure. A bittersweet grief took a hold of her face, but it faded away like the echoes of the mountains.

"I wish we were able to meet again like this."

"It is impossible. The next time I see you, I will try to kill him."

"Yes. And I will try to protect him with all I have."

So much regret...

There were secrets better left unsaid, untold. The fairytale could not break.

The priestess's footsteps grew quieter by the second. He could not stop the question from leaving his traitorous mouth.

"What is your name?"

She paused and then aimed a brilliant smile at his direction. He felt her purity and became more aware of their differences.

"Kagome."

That precious word feathered by.

"I am Kagome," she gave her name to him as farewell.

She left the youkai lord smiling into the night.

As the precious, innocent fairytale unfolded, another tale came to play during one lovely night. It was merely a meeting of two characters in the darkest night of the era. It was a story that was not as quite simple or immaculate as the story-book legend.

But it was a beautiful, hidden story all the same.