A Distant Promise – Mini-Chapter # 25
Blushing, fidgeting, stammering.
Something was seriously wrong with the priestess today, Sesshoumaru thought. In the past, she had been mouthy and overly-confident, willing to defend her friends in a fight to the death, even if she did not have the skills to do so. Her bashful behavior today was wholly out-of-keeping with his memories of her.
Because he had never seen Kagome act like a shy schoolgirl, Sesshoumaru found the change vaguely amusing. He let it continue for quite a long time, before he asked her what was wrong.
She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, "I was just wondering…"
"Well, that is I had a question…"
"You see, I hope this doesn't sound too…"
After her third failed attempt to carry on a conversation, he started to wonder if the problem was more serious than it first seemed. Perhaps the miko had suffered a nervous breakdown, and this was her manner of showing it? But no. Obviously, she simply had an uncomfortable request to make of him, and she did not know how to phrase it.
Rubbing his nose in exasperation, he sniffed imperiously. "Ask your question, miko."
Her eyes grew large and liquid, and for a moment, the taiyoukai had trouble looking into them. Blatant concern was written across her features. "I was wondering about Satoshi's mother," she finally concluded.
The sounds of the tiny restaurant faded away, as the reason for her discontent became clear. Naturally, she must have noticed that Satoshi had only one parent. He wondered if she had tried interrogating the kitsune, or if she had skipped over Shippo and decided to go straight to the source. Secretly, he hoped it was the latter, since the idea of a nosy fox-demon discussing his personal affairs rubbed his fur the wrong way.
"She is dead," Sesshoumaru replied blandly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," came the blue-eyed woman's heartfelt reply, accompanied by another blush. "Do you miss…"
"No."
His interruption startled the priestess right out of the sympathetic rut that had entrapped her. She stared. Strangely, he found himself needing to explain his brusque dismissal. Not that it mattered, surely, whether this woman thought of him as insensitive and cruel. It was simply that… he… Well, in any case, he would clarify.
"Satoshi was the product of a mutually beneficial arrangement between two powerful taiyoukai," Sesshoumaru stated coolly, "Nothing more."
But his words only worsened the situation. Now, she began to pity his son instead of the deceased mother. Whispering, as if nearby customers might hear her over the cacophonous background noise, she asked, "Does Satoshi know that?"
Yes, his son was aware of that fact. But intuition told Sesshoumaru that it would be a very, very bad idea to inform the miko of this. Children in the modern era were pampered and proudly touted for their achievements. Love was an all-important concern. Arranged marriages occurred less and less often. And this was the culture in which the miko formed her beliefs and opinions.
Instead of answering her loaded question, he sidestepped. "Satoshi never knew his mother. But rest assured, he has always been well-cared for."
It did no good. She was determined to quietly torment him on this subject. "There is a difference between caring for and taking care of a child."
"Rin did both," Sesshoumaru replied dismissively. Of course, right about then he felt the hot water close over his head. He had slipped, for the first time in years, and allowed Rin to enter not only his thoughts, but also his dialogue. That did not bode well. How had this ridiculous conversation started again?