Hogoshamaru Week 2021- DAY TWO: Modern Day AU
Sesshoumaru is Rin’s protector, and always will be.
To celebrate this profound platonic bond, I wanted to share an excerpt from my story PROMISE IN THE PARK:
(sorry I didn’t have time to make anything new! but I still wanted to participate XD hope that’s ok.)
Summary: A troubled Sesshoumaru seeks refuge at his favorite park, where he meets a little girl with troubles of her own.
Rated T for implied abuse
With her chin on her knees and her gaze going right through the little ducks, she didn't acknowledge the tall stranger looming at her side. She must have truly been distraught not to take note of his imposing form, he decided. He knew he was stealthy, but at that distance, a man of his stature and status was impossible to ignore.
"Are you alright?" He almost felt bad for disturbing her. He knew how valuable his peace was, and he was loathe to rob it from another. When she turned to finally regard him, that distant gaze went right through him just as easily. The hollowness of it was chilling, and reinstated his resolve. Something was wrong here; he could feel it.
"Where are your parents?" he tried again, tilting his head in concern... but she returned her inattentive gaze to the pond.
"I came here by myself." Her reply was listless, with her chin still resting atop slightly scraped knees.
"This One as well," he offered, also shifting his gaze to the bathing waterfowl. "I often come here when I wish to be alone."
Despite what that implied, he forwent awaiting invitation - which seemed about as likely at the moment as him asking permission. He could sense her brief flash of annoyance as he fluidly claimed the empty space beside her, though he appeared as oblivious as the flittering ducks his eyes were trained on. The familiar feeling of scrutiny, and subsequent awe did nothing to distract his laser-sharp, deceptively disinterested focus.
"Why do you talk like that?" she asked, finally showing interest as her somber spell appeared to have broken.
"This One," she parroted, but not in mockery.
She watched as Sesshoumaru made himself comfortable, unhurriedly removing his professionally prepared sandwich before placing the box aside.
"Where I am from, that is how people speak," he informed her simply. "I suppose it is uncommon these days."
"Where are you from?" She adjusted to face him more fully. He did not respond in kind, but discretely managed to observe brown eyes widen in curiosity.
When he shifted his attention back down to her, he heard her soft intake of breath. She held it until he mercifully replied.
It was clear to him that the girl had manners when she waited for him to swallow his modest bite before firing off another question. "Everyone talks like that there?"
The subtlest twisting of his mouth so easily relayed his sudden displeasure, and he looked down at his lunch with disdain. "Not everyone." He tore a portion of bread away without transferring any to himself and made happy ducks absolutely ecstatic.
"My parents were especially strict, of course they would simply call it 'traditional.' My manner of speech is a byproduct of that traditional upbringing." Sighing softly, he readied another piece of his lunch and aimed it at the pond. "I suppose we can never escape our past fully, no matter how far we go."
Whatever he'd said, it appeared that her brief reprieve was over. As if remembering herself, the girl resumed her previous posture, knitting her resentful brows together and drawing up her knees once more. "I hope that's not true," she uttered softly. She sounded as if she was warning the fates.
She reminded him strikingly of himself in that moment, but Sesshoumaru could not fathom what he would possibly have in common with an 8-year-old girl.
He supposed she exuded a maturity rarely seen in one so young. Solemn and reserved, her turbulent eyes told another story. And then there was that obvious defiant streak kept just scarcely contained beneath her skin.
She was independent... but maybe it only seemed that way because she was there on her own. She was a tad thin, but not dangerously so. Her groomed appearance and nicer than average clothing proved that someone cared about this girl- or at least cared for her. It wouldn't make sense why anyone with a vested interest in the child would allow her to venture on her own. Anything could happen to her in this city these days - a reminder he was not pleased of at the moment.
She was fortunate he came upon her, before a man of less honorable intentions.
"What brings you to the park alone today?" he asked casually.
"Ah." With his undesirable lunch relocated to more appreciative bellies, he opened his wet nap with his hands and set off on cleaning them fastidiously.
His apparent lack of interest seemed to relax the tension in her shoulders a bit. At least, that was how it appeared out of the corner of his eye. The liberating strangeness of being ignored was something he remembered well, and a staple of a child with overbearing parents.
"The same," he answered while inspecting his handiwork. Sanitized to his liking, he discarded the napkin.
"Aren't you too old to run away from home?" The way her brow creased sharply in obvious confusion was cuter than he would ever admit aloud.
It took work to keep his lips from twitching in amusement, so he opted for a distraction. "Are you hungry?"
Without waiting for a reply, he rummaged past a bottled water and what was surely a very bland apple. When he produced a large, chocolate chip laden confection and extended it to her, he recognized the covetous nature of her gaze. Her response pleased him - someone should get some enjoyment out of his lackluster lunch. He was sure someone out there worked hard on it, and he absolutely despised waste. Between her and the ducks, his conscience could rest easy.
"I don't eat chocolate," he assured her.
Small fingers twitched as she lifted her hand, only to withdraw it before reaching the cellophaned treat.
"Kagome says I'm not allowed to take things from strangers," she all but pouted, and he recognized the resentful tint she used earlier. Resentful, but resigned, and that was just enough to let a smirk past his defenses.
'Even with no one around, she adheres.' It was the marker of a good kid, of good character. The similarities were just piling up.
It was also the marker of something else - a mentor worth honoring. Worth emulating and admiring.
"Kagome sounds very smart." He pulled back the rejected cookie lest he tempt her into forgetting her convictions. And, he supposed, before setting a dangerous precedent. Little brown eyes followed as he placed it back inside the box. "Your sister?"
He noted the past tense, the sad tone, and put two and two together. "What happened to her?" he asked carefully.
"My dad fired her. I hate him."
That went without saying as well, as her expression darkened in a way that nearly startled his eyebrows into his bangs. 'Impressive.'
"Is that why you ran away?" he ventured evenly instead, but she didn't answer. Not with words.
When she strangled her encased legs so tightly he thought she may lose circulation, she revealed something she surely hadn't intended to.
The brave face she put on kept her fear well concealed, but what he could now see helped him detect her self-soothing pose for what it was. Curling in on herself for comfort just as she had in the womb – when she was at her most vulnerable and employing freshly forged instinct for the very first time. Ignorant of the world and what lay in wait; she only had herself to allay any discomfort. Or so it had seemed.
In reality, she was being cared for and protected by her mother all along - unaware that a being she'd yet to meet was helping her thrive from afar.
So where was that woman now? And how in god's name had she allowed this?
When she hugged herself even tighter, the collar on her checkered dress strained enough to reveal another piece to the puzzle. It was just a fraction of skin poking out above her shoulder, but it was all he needed to solve this abhorrent riddle. He made sure to remain composed even as he felt his nails puncturing his palm.
"Where did you get those bruises?"
She stiffened tensely despite his soothing timbre, hunching her shoulders almost to her ears. Unable to form a response, panicked eyes shifted uncertainly to his... only to find them regarding her impassively.
While he tried to determine just how much damage she kept covered up, and where, he retained his stoic mask as he'd become quite adept at by now. A rabid demon inside him was frothing for justice - he always was - but becoming excitable would do no one any favors, least of all her. Not yet.
There would be a time for that - oh yes, there would - but for now, his cool visage and calm demeanor would prevail. The last thing he wanted was to upset her further.
After holding her gaze meaningfully for long, patient seconds, he mercifully removed it from her all together. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
He wished she would. He wished he could tell her that she was safe with him - that she could trust him. But those things must be proven through demonstration. Earned.
Respecting her space and her privacy was a necessary start, one she'd had violated plenty already – most recently by him, when he encroached upon her bench and invaded her solitude.
An ill feeling was settling heavily inside his stomach as guilt twined with emotions he'd left for dead long ago. Reanimated after enough dormancy to forget their voices all together, and he was no more grateful for the reminder than he was prepared for it.
He was scowling deeply when the silence stretched too long, and he braced himself for what awaited him when he chanced another look at the child he shared a bench with. Even still, when he did, she managed to startle him anew.
He hadn't anticipated her to be leaning so close. He certainly hadn't prepared himself for her silly, gap-toothed grin. He could think of none to rightfully claim catching the stoic man off his guard, but he must have made quite the picture. Soft giggling snapped him out of his stupor enough to remember himself and correct his appearance, but it was already too late.
It seemed the morose girl did have the capacity for happiness. That he had brought it out was a very warming feeling. Perhaps now he could understand his own mother's reaction to his rare moments of levity.
He knew better than anyone how difficult it was to express joyfulness, let alone actually experience it. Until very recently, he would accuse any who could of simply not paying attention.
He did not fault the cynics for their bleak outlook - he even occasionally walked among them - but it felt like defeat to just accept the world how it was. He had never been good at simply accepting what he was given.
He was fully intending to play it off like it never happened, but a slight tug at his lips betrayed their secret exchange. He bowed his head slightly. "Mine is Sesshoumaru."
Her genuine smile encouraged his own, and he saw her eyes drift down to the box sitting between them.
"Now we're not strangers."
The covetous gaze returned and lingered tellingly, prompting him to reach again for the cookie she had refused. This time, she was quick to relieve him of it.
He watched on fondly as she made quick work of the wrapping. "I hate my father as well."
"You still have a father?" Her incredulous question was mumbled around chocolate and sugar, as a third of the huge cookie was somehow already missing.
The tactless honesty of children was something he'd grown to appreciate over the years. If you wished to know the cold hard truth of how you appear to the world, simply ask a child, and they will tell you. No sugar-coating, no ass-kissing. In his world of ever-increasing boot-licks with neither spine nor shame, not only was that honesty refreshing; it was invaluable.
He would not be where he was today without it, for how could anyone trust you if you lie to even yourself?
And if you can't bear to hear the truth from a mere child, your perception is the least of your problems.
Still - for his age - he thought he looked phenomenal.
He smirked his amusement while she tore into her cookie again. "He died. Long ago, but it has not softened my opinion of him. Some things can simply never be forgiven."
"What did he do?" she asked, and he found another thing he liked about children. They did not feign sympathy. He did not mourn his father, and neither did anyone else. If they really knew him, they would not think he wished them to pretend to.
"He was cruel," he admitted easily. "He hurt... This One's mother, before I was grown enough to protect us." Sesshoumaru clenched his fist tight upon his well-tailored thigh as unwelcomed memories floated to the surface. "It was terrifying how strong he was," he recalled darkly, "but then one day, I was stronger."
"And then he couldn't hurt you anymore?"
He could feel himself smiling ruefully. "He couldn't hurt anyone after that."
"My dad is strong too." The regret was clear in her tone as she slunk down into her seat. "And cruel. I don't think I will ever be stronger than him."
"Then you must simply find someone who is, and ask them help you." His advice was matter of fact, knowing.
"Kagome already tried," she grumbled. "But even the police won't help me."
"Why not?" He turned sharply, arching a high brow.
"Because they're afraid. Everyone is afraid of him."
"Is that why he fired Kagome?" Sesshoumaru ventured. "Because she told the police?"
A quick nod from the girl affirmed his guess. "She got really mad at him. She's the only one who isn't scared of him, and that's why he hates her. But he still made her cry when she had to leave," she recounted sadly. "Then, he got mad at me."
And he was quite sure he already knew what that had entailed. Containing all of his rage forced an edge to his tone that he couldn't blunt.
"She died when I was little," Rin said softly, powerlessness stripping away her accelerated maturity and finally showing her true age. "He was really mean to her, too... and my big sister."
"Where is your sister?" he asked for good measure, but the haunted look she betrayed left little doubt in his mind. He narrowed his eyes. "What is your father's name?"
Before he could turn to the owner of the excitable voice, Rin was on her feet to receive her. He quickly followed suit.
Paying no mind to the dampened grass - or its effects on her thin leggings – the woman kneeled to envelope Rin in a hug that exuded relief as if trying to transfer it. She hugged her back fiercely, yet mindful enough to keep the rest of her cookie out of her long, silky tresses.
A fleeting smile spelled the end of the reunion, as Rin's attention shifted back to the tall stranger watching quietly within grabbing distance. Realizing this, Kagome's eyes widened in a start, despite the small, pleasant smile on his handsome features.
"What are you doing with this man? Get away from him!" she demanded, maneuvering between them protectively while using her body as a shield. "Did he bring you here?"
He straightened when she stood, and though her hands were keeping tabs on her very unconcerned charge, her distrusting eyes never left him.
"He saw me sitting by myself, so he sat next to me!" the girl explained, prompting Sesshoumaru to as well.
"Did you give her a cookie?" She asked incredulously, and Rin whined her displeasure as Kagome snatched what remained of it from her hand to inspect for herself. Her suspicious glare tinted thickly with disgust when it returned to him. "What, do you creep around the park looking for lonely kids to lure back to your van? I have the authorities on speed dial, just so you know!"
He only had time to lift a brow as the irate woman fumbled for her cell phone, presumably to prove her claim. She paused scrolling a moment to shake the cookie in the young girl's face.
"And what have I told you about taking candy from strangers? You know better than that."
"He's not a stranger; he's Sesshoumaru!"
Her frantic search slowed to a stop, and for once, he felt relief as he watched recognition's life cycle inevitably bloom - albeit a bit later than he was accustomed to. "... Sesshoumaru Taisho?"
He knew he didn't need to answer by the pretty shade of pink she suddenly sported, and couldn't help thinking she would prefer if he were the degenerate she'd assumed.
"You must be Kagome," he said, bowing at her slightly. "Rin has spoken fondly of you."
She quickly returned the gesture, a little lower and longer in deference.
"I'm sorry, sir," she breathed guiltily. "I'm just kind of freaked out. I've been looking for her for hours, I was worried that..."
"No need to explain," he assured her, letting his disarming smile do its work as it fell into place effortlessly. "I saw her here alone, and we began talking about our fathers."
Both looked down to the girl in question as little hands disappeared into the large handbag Kagome carried. She seemed to know what she was looking for, and eventually helped herself to a small device with long earbuds dangling off the side. She put them on with practiced ease and began excitedly working the buttons as she reclaimed her seat behind them.
"That son of a bitch always gets away with it," she hissed.
Sesshoumaru's attention returned to the seething woman. "and those damn cops are too cowardly to stop him. He's going to kill her one of these days, just like her sister, I know it!"
"I will not let that happen." Despite the absolute certainty of his tone, Kagome seemed hesitant to believe him. He was eerily calm when he spoke softer. "Tell me his name, and I will ensure he never hurts anyone ever again."
Read the full one shot (AO3)
