Author's Note: My first Shonen Onmyouji fic, so please go easy on me!
Brush pausing over the slips of paper that would soon become his talismans, Abe no Seimei tilted his head slightly, trying to pinpoint the sound that had caught his attention a moment ago. It had almost sounded like…footsteps, but considering the late hour, it was unlikely that anyone other than him and perhaps one of the shikigami would be up and about.
Candle flames flickered as he listened, but the sound didn't come again, and so the onmyouji went back to his work, carefully writing the ritual prayers across the talismans. He had started to run low, having banished a particularly troublesome minor demon that very day, so he had thought that it best to ready some more before he went to bed and get that chore out of the way. This was why he was still awake when it was fast approaching two hours passed midnight, if his internal clock was to be believed.
The quiet that usually came only in the middle of night enveloped him, occasionally disturbed by the sound of brush against paper and cloth moving as he shifted to dip in brush in ink so that he could continue writing. A soft breeze drifted through the partially opened window, causing the candles to flicker and the shadows to dance across the walls.
A soft exhale bordering on a sigh escaped him, and the lines in his aged face doubtlessly seemed more pronounced in the light of the candle flames as his shoulders dropped just slightly, his tiredness showing through as he drew the last line on the final talisman he planned to prepare that night. The twenty he had already prepared would have time to dry through the night, and hopefully he wouldn't have to redo any of them because the ink ran or some other such reason. No matter how much experience he had making paper talismans, it seemed that even he couldn't escape the bad luck that occasionally foiled their creation, he thought with a wry chuckle.
Fondly remembering several of his first attempts at making his own talismans, he set down his brush and pushed himself carefully to his feet, placing both hands against his spine as he stretched his back. After sitting in one position for so long, his muscles had gotten stiff, and it was important that he stretch before laying down to sleep at his age, he had quickly learned after one unpleasant and very memorable occasion.
Just as Seimei was about to turn and begin extinguishing the lamps, another sound reached his ears, different from the previous one that had made him pause in his work. It sounded almost…but it couldn't be, all of the children should be tucked safe into their beds at this hour, he told himself.
There was no reason why he should be able to hear one crying from his workroom, which was on almost the other side of the house from the family quarters…
Shaking his head at his imagination, clearly he had been awake for too long and he should hasten to bed before he began hearing even more unusual sounds. With a softly murmured spell, the candle flames extinguished at once, leaving the room in shadows as Seimei silently slid open the door to the hallway, only to be brought up short when he did so. Sitting right there against one of the wooden supports across the hall, curled into a ball and looking about ready to fall over, was his youngest grandson Masahiro. The child, barely four summers old, immediately perked up when the elder man stepped into the hall, pulling the sliding door closed behind him.
Dressed in a plain white sleeping kimono, young Masahiro managed to push himself to his feet and only trip over the hem of his robe once, eyes lighting up in happiness at seeing his grandfather. However, the faint tear tracks on the child's face ruined the happy image as he tottered towards the now-concerned old onmyouji, who knelt down to catch the boy when he inevitably stumbled.
Well, Seimei thought distantly, at least now he knew where the sound of footsteps and crying that he had heard had come from…Not that that was a great help in finding out why his grandson was out of bed or in the hall outside his workroom crying in the first place. He gently lifted his grandson into his arms as he stood carefully, shifting his precious burden so that the child was settled against his chest comfortably as he began to slowly walk towards Masahiro's room, teasingly asking the boy softly, "Now then, what are you doing up at this hour?" And where was Guren for that matter, he added mentally, since it was very unlike the shikigami to let his young charge wander around in the middle of the night even if they were inside the compound.
Almost since the moment Masahiro had been born, Guren had never been far for the child he had taken it upon himself to protect, and they were practically inseparable unless Seimei himself called Guren away, which the onmyouji rarely did. The old onmyouji chuckled under his breath as he looked down at the child cuddled against his chest, meeting Masahiro's eyes as the child quietly mumbled, "Had a *yawn* nigh'mare, grandpa…" eyelids drooping with exhaustion, it looked like his grandson was likely to drift off to sleep before they even reached the child's room.
"Really now? What was it about, Masahiro?" while it was true that the dreams of those with Second Sight sometimes contained glimpses of the future or flashes of insight, Masahiro was too young for his sight to have developed to that level.
The child yawned again before sleepily replying, "It was really dark – and scary! Didn't know where I was, and couldn't move…Was all alone, too…" The words faded as Masahiro dozed off, eyes falling closed as he leaned his small head against the old onmyouji's chest.
Seimei was both relieved and worried by that response, since sometimes the dreams of those with the Second Sight could contain glimpses of the future, though he doubted that Masahiro's was developed enough yet for him to be seeing the future. Still, he would have to keep an eye on the boy for a little while, just to be safe, although if Guren had anything to do with it, Masahiro wouldn't be alone unless something extreme happened to the shikigami. And even then Guren would fight tooth, nail, and hellfire to stay by the boy's side, Seimei suspected.
The pair arrived at the door to Masahiro's room, the older man prepared to enter the room and tuck the young child into bed when the little whined softly, tightening his grip on the onmyouji's robe as he mumbled, "Don' go, grandpa…" and Seimei's heart softened as he wordlessly turned and began walking towards his own room. It would take a harder man than him to refuse such a request from his grandson.
In fact, he would dare think that even Seiryu would have had a hard time refusing when confronted with those wide, innocent eyes and sleepy request. He chuckled softly under his breath as he shifted his grip on Masahiro so the child would be in a more comfortable position without breaking his stride, still moving unerringly towards his bedroom.
Unbidden, the few memories he had of Yoshimasa as a child rose to the forefront of his mind, and he felt a moment of regret that he had missed so much of his own son's life. The few memories of a young Yoshimasa he had usually involved the boy getting underfoot somehow, and he fully accepted the shame he felt upon the realization that he had only noticed his own son when the boy had caused trouble for him. After Wakana had passed away, everything had seemed somehow muted, as if life itself had become less meaningful and vibrant, like he was walking through a dense fog and unable to do anything but put one foot in front of the other. At the time, he had honestly thought that he would never feel joy again.
It had taken many years, but the fog had lifted, and he had been able to really appreciate his blessings once more. It had taken a bit longer to repair the gap that had formed between him and Yoshimasa, however, but he took full responsibility for the fact that it had even existed. And repair it they did, though not without difficulties, and Seimei was proud of the relationship he had gained with his son just before they boy had gone through the Coming of Age ceremony. Things had really only gotten better between them since then, the old onmyouji reflected, a soft smile spreading across his age-wrinkled face.
Several minutes later, he quietly slid open the door to his room, entered, and closed the door behind him. A whispered spell lit two of the lanterns placed around the room, casting a soft glow over the simple yet elegant furnishings and enabling Seimei to easily make his way over to his futon.
Carefully placing his young grandson on the bedding, Seimei went to get ready to join Masahiro in the realm of sleep. After all, he thought to himself with a quiet chuckle, he had been awake for far too long already.
Now clad in a white sleeping kimono, he resisted the urge to groan as he lay down and heard some of his joints pop at the sudden change from standing to laying. As if sensing that his grandpa was near, Masahiro wriggled closer to the new source of heat until Seimei chuckled and hugged him close as he pulled the cover up over them. True, it was unusual for children Masahiro's age to sleep in the same room as one of their grandparents, but the old onmyouji figured that no one had to know as he drifted off to sleep…
No one had to know until Guren woke up the entire household with his yelling upon discovering Masahiro gone from his room the next morning that is.
Author's Note: And done! One more plot bunny slain! *Head desk* only about ten more to go… . I've recently become interested in two new manga/anime series, so that probably isn't helping my bunny problem. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought! As always, constructive criticism is welcome!
On an unrelated note, I saw Rise of the Guardians last Thursday and loved it! Jack Frost was awesome, and Hugh Jackman as the voice of the Easter Bunny? Epic. I highly recommend you see it if you haven't already. ^.^