The Little Girl
Written for the Hostile Takeover Challenge for Secrecy.
The night was darker than usual, and the silver moon was ever luminescent, shining upon the lush green grass of the meadow. The breeze seemed to carry a soft, haunting tune, as a figure appeared in the darkness. Silver hair billowed across the air, as the figure turned his head to reveal a pair of golden eyes. Yet, his face was contorted in an uncertain expression, and the golden eyes, usually piercing, were dull.
His hands shook, while he seemed to buckle in every step he took. His sword remained at his side, as he staggered across the meadow.
He continued his wayward, slow walk, while his mind replayed images of the recent past, an image of a little girl. A girl that he was afraid of, in his own way. A girl who laid bare his weaknesses, with a simple, sincere smile. A girl who warmed his cold, callous heart with her trivial, ridiculous gifts, no matter how he refused to admit it.
The man thought about how his father would look at him as he was – a failure. A failure who kept himself away out of fear. He would mock humans for their meaningless feelings, yet it was him, a great demon lord at that – who ran away from them, for nothing other than foolish pride. An all-powerful demon who couldn't even admit his feelings to the little girl, of how he truly cared for her.
Until it was too late.
His thoughts changed ever wildly, to the previous night, when he returned from a hunting trip to greet the little girl… only to be faced by a sight that made his blood run cold. A demon, his talon impaling the little girl. The imp, and the dragons were nowhere to be found. Her brown eyes seemed dull, and it was clear that she was barely conscious.
He drew his sword just in time to hear a distinct sound of the demon pulling his talon out of the girl's body. He didn't know what had come over him then – but it ended quickly, with a rain of crimson that saturated the ground. In no time, he made his way towards the little girl, his heart tightening with every step he took. Her breathing seemed to slow down as he approached her, and the smell of her blood was strong in the air.
For the first time in his long life, it nauseated him.
He knelt beside the girl, and bit his lip at what he saw. Blood was pooling out of the girl, and he could smell poison from the wound. His arms slumped ever so slightly, and his face finally showed the tiredness that he felt from all this. He laid her body in his arms, wondering if he should admit what he truly felt for the little child. He bit his lip, though – he was a Lord after all.
Suddenly, she spoke. Her voice was almost lower than a whisper, yet desperate and guttural, as if she was fighting the Shinigami itself to simply speak.
"S-Sesshomaru-sama, I'm sorr-"
She did not even manage to finish the sentence, when her wet eyes finally glazed over. For a moment, he could not move. The smell of her blood, the brown eyes once full of life, now glassy and mirroring the distant moon, and the sight of her blood on his hands..
And he lamented that her last words was an apology. An apology to a Lord, who maintained his mask of coldness, towards a girl who only wished warmness from him. He mourned of how he still hid himself from her. His eyes were wet, and he found no reason in trying to lie to himself any longer.
He did love the little girl.
His little girl.
His Rin.
Xxx
For me, secrecy has many meanings. And brought upon via many reasons. Sesshomaru's secret was his love for Rin, and he laments about how he couldn't show it better (in this case, to tell her flat out). The mentality in this short piece is that he hasn't had time to think rationally yet, so he's in that early grief stage. I hope my subtlety came through. If not, boo to my skills! :')
All the same, I hope you liked this piece. Reviews are appreciated :)
-Art