31_days | [Dec. 1st] [Inuyasha] Just like a Puzzle.

Title: Just like a Puzzle.
Day/Theme: Dec. 1st - Piece by piece by piece
Series: Inuyasha
Character/Pairing: Sesshoumaru x Kikyou
Rating: PG

Saying their alliance had been unexpected would be the understatement of an era. What a strange pair it was to behold - considering there could ever be anyone so brave as to stay in their way long enough to witness such a scene, of course.

He was the great youkai of the Western lands, known for his hate towards mankind and all weaklings, and yet, he kept a small, toad-like retainer by his side, along with a young human child he had rescued from death’s grip long ago. She was the former keeper of the Shikon no Tama, the once righteous priestess who had been summoned back from the realm of the dead and now clung to life with all her might - even though her revival had happened against her will. Alone, they were each powerful and deadly in their own merit, earning a mix of respect and fear from those around them. Together, they would be invincible.

If only the holy and the tainted could ever understand each other.

But understanding was a painfully slow process. It went far beyond the words they seldom spoke and the thoughts they never shared. It was a matter of feelings, and sometimes the lack thereof; they each had their secret reasons, a personal vendetta against a common enemy and their very own course of action when carrying out their equally private plans. What they had was a silent partnership, driven by the fake pretense of selfish motives. Their true bond lay somewhere else, a similarly self-interested, if somewhat childish, foundation.

They were both a couple of walking puzzles, and so they had an eccentric need to figure each other out. Although neither could ever seem to realize why, the miko and the demon felt the strangest urge to read the other with ease. Kikyou did not enjoy not knowing what he was thinking, while Sesshoumaru despised wanting to know whatever came across her mind – and the fact that he didn’t only further frustrated him. It made them both feel awfully uncomfortable around each other, and yet, it was the only thing truly keeping the two together.

It was indeed a controversial reason sustaining their union, as opposite as a miko and a youkai could ever be.

Realization eventually dawned upon them, and the duo figured while they could battle the strongest opponents together, their personal, vicious cycle would remain an exception. The only way out was to change strategy and join forces in order to complete the giant puzzle they were, step by step. It was a hard task to accomplish, and time certainly worked against them, but they enjoyed a good challenge.

They would make it a habit of playing around with the many fragments scattered on the ground, little by little, sometimes patiently, other times not as much. They rarely agreed on which one to try next, something that possibly came as a reflex of their oh-so-stubborn ways. Their attitude often resulted in nothing good, and then all of their work would be lost for the day - it was never a complete waste, though, just because they secretly loved making up for the time thrown away.

In spite of their best endeavors, they didn’t always manage to place any of them together, but they had better luck every now and then; those special occasions were the one thing supporting their attempts, and the only explanation they could possibly find for not giving up just yet. There was – or rather, there had always been - another reason, though it would only come to them much later, once all the pieces merged into one and the picture was complete at last, beautiful and fully visible in all its glory.

Just like a puzzle, it was always there for anyone to see, but it took a lot of effort and dedication until it could grow into something intelligibly meaningful, piece by piece by piece.