A/N: [First fanfic of the Valentine's Day 30 Theme Challenge] My hands hurt like hell after typing this... I really enjoyed it, though. I had so much inspiration when I was writing it so I'm pretty proud at how it turned out. w

Hanako, Masanori, and Kasumi are © to sunnofabeach (on deviantART); Sesshōmaru is © to Takahashi Rumiko's InuYasha; Story is © to moi~

Prompt #1: Time

"In time, all things grow old and weak, but my love for you only grows strong and better with every second of every day." – Unknown

Time. Such precious time. That was always something Hanako had.

The clock of her life would tick away, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. Seconds would change to minutes. Minutes to hours. Hours to days. And so on…

Two centuries had passed before Hanako knew it or even realized it. She wasn't the type to worry too much about the future, though. Some of the littlest things in her life gave her the greatest of pleasures.

One particular memory gave her the most pleasure of them all. It was when he first entered their castle as a guest.

It was exactly one hundred years when Hanako met him. He was taking a short walk to his guest room when caught the young girl by surprise that evening.

It felt as if the moon stopped orbiting and all the stars dimmed and lit up at the sight of him, as if they were blinking.

He was a dashing man – a dog demon, to be exact – of great stature, silky, silver-white hair cascading in such a graceful manner down his back.

His eyes…an intense golden shade like the sun itself, lashes that were long and elegant like a woman's. They were accompanied by a piercing glance that could shoot straight through a man's heart, deep into his soul.

To be perfectly honest, a maiden like Hanako had never gazed upon such a man of such perfect beauty. She gawked in his direction, her mouth slightly agape. She was at a loss for words.

The gaze didn't last long, though. Only about a few seconds before he turned his eyes ahead to keep walking.

Hanako watched him leave, her heart slightly broken at the sight of the mysterious man's back to her. Her heart was beating at an erratic rate and it only increased as he got farther.

"No…" She begged in a whisper. Her heart pushed her to speak louder, her body encouraging her to pursue him.

She reached out a pale hand, her fingers just an inch away from his perfectly clawed hand. Softly, she touched his hand as the words finally left her mouth. "Please wait!"

That was when he stopped walking, remaining silent. He turned his head slowly as he fixated his gaze on the girl. Hanako felt successful in getting his attention but looked down when she felt something warm.

Her hand was holding his, her fingers intertwined with his limp ones. The girl's face blanched and then flushed a bright crimson at the sudden contact as she quickly retracted.

"P-Please excuse me."

Instead of a response, the demon merely stared at her, his gaze never leaving her face.

Looking back on it, it was such an awkward first meeting for Hanako. It mortified her just to think about it. The blush slowly returned to her cheeks as she looked down at her hands.

She hated herself for not speaking to him after that time; she wouldn't normally be so nervous around a man, for she has spoken to various men in her lifetime.

But for some reason, this man managed to strike her dumb with one glance alone. It frustrated her for becoming so submissive by him yet at the same time, she felt exhilarated by his presence alone.

Hanako pressed a finger to her lips, thought crossing her mind. In her feminine heart of hearts, she imagined kissing him. What would those lips feel like against hers?

"Lord Sesshōmaru…" she silently whispered.

Would he ever return? Even after all these years, would he want to come back to her?

~ ღ ~

Sesshōmaru could remember such a memory. The soft touch of her fingers padded against his, giving his hand a gentle, unconscious squeeze. It was unusual that his mind would even consider remembering something he would normally consider "insignificant."

The girl "Hanako" was a bit younger at the time of their first meeting. He didn't think much of her, for she was more of a child at the time. Now, that a century had passed since that night, he wondered.

How has she grown? She must have developed into a decent woman if she was under Masanori's care.

He knew it had been one hundred years since he went to visit Masanori and his wife; though he was on a quest for the Tetsusaiga as well as the head of the half-demon Naraku, he was around Masanori's castle. It would have been impolite not to stop by.

Despite being aloof and distant, Sesshōmaru still had great pride in his status a "lord," being the son of the great Inu No Taishō.

"Ah! Lord Sesshōmaru!"

The front gate guards bowed to him, commanding the lookout to open the gate doors and inform Masanori of his arrival.

Servants bowed as he passed until he was escorted to Masanori in the garden. His wife was standing beside him and when Sesshōmaru appeared before them, they greeted him with smiles.

"Greetings, Lord Sesshōmaru! How have you been?"

He remained stoic and taciturn in his response. "Lord Masanori, Lady Kasumi. It's been a while."

There was a chuckle from the lord and lady who led him deeper inside the garden and towards the castle. "We have been waiting your return so it's always nice to see you're still as lively as ever!"

Masanori gave a command to the servants to prepare a feast in honor Sesshōmaru, although the dog demon refused. He merely said that he was in the area and had to be on his way.

Just then, Hanako had received word about Sesshōmaru's sudden return. She had her maid fix her hair and makeup while another servant chose a more elegant kimono to wear.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him again. Her secret prayers had been answered. She thanked the gods for blessing her with another chance.

Word spread to Hanako that Sesshōmaru had entered the castle and she hurried out to meet with him with her ladies-in-waiting following behind.

More and more, her heartbeat increased in pace and her courage slowly drained from her. She bit her lip and scolded herself to calm down.

You have more class than this! she had told herself inwardly. Just greet him in the same manner you greet a lord.

Hanako was led to the porch in front of the garden, greeted by her parental figures. Then she saw him. His golden eyes greeted her first. The red color returned to her cheeks.

It's been so long – so much time has passed since I've looked upon you. I've prayed to the gods for another moment like this…and now…

There were so many things she wished to say, so many things she desperately wanted to scream out to him.

But a bow of her head and a smile was all, soon followed by a "Welcome back, Lord Sesshōmaru…"