Vacancy
Sesshomaru knew this wasn't a good idea. He felt it with every creaking step up the half-sunken metal stairs hugging the wall of the decrepit complex. Kasugayami Heights, a misleading name considering how rundown the apartment building appeared — squat with a single floor occupied by the landlady while the upper ones were squashed on either side with the view of buildings, trash-ridden alleyways and fire escapes spilling over with waste.
He ducked his head beneath a window sill where a verdant fern outgrew its pot, warding away the canine at his heels from inspecting the ivy crawling up the wall. His nose wrinkled at the stench slipping past the cracks in the doorway, looking over his shoulder at the sniffing pup.
"Ah," he called, arching a brow when the pup's ears perked and coal-black eyes flickered to a pale greenish-yellow before returning to their normal shade. "Let's go."
He needn't look back to see whether the pup followed, hefting the duffle bag over his shoulder as a second pair of paws fell in line beside his footsteps. The second floor was considerably noisy — muted arguments, television static and the hiss of a tea kettle, a cat's yowling preluding the tell-tale crash of ceramic. Cracked concrete scribbled on with chalk drawings and old stains scuff beneath his boots.
A grimace settling on his face when something sticky clung to his heel and he glared at the gum threatening to seep into the soles' dark grooves. With a soft sigh, Sesshomaru shouldered off his bag and carrying case, propping them up against the rusted steel railing separating the walkway from an untimely demise to the alley below.
Fishing in his pocket for the calling card the landlady slipped into his hand, he suppressed a roil of disgust at the memory of her wink, and began to pick the gum from his heel. Around him, the city seemed to come alive and his ears twitched at every noise. The distant howl of the train rolling across tracks, a growl overhead from a passing serpent transport disappearing into the wispy clouds drifting past a blue-black sky. Glancing down, the string of lanterns lighting the land lady's porch lit up the brick walls of the surrounding buildings and the cars parked in the lot's faded parking lines.
Sesshomaru leant his elbows against the railing, flicking the ruined calling card's unbent edge between his claws, allowing his mind to drift. His father's estate would have easily encompassed most of this block let alone the entire street. It would've been less noisy and crowded, nature allowed to sprawl as it was meant to rather than be strangled in the cold steel of man. He frowned slightly, drawing back with his hand grasping the railing. With a tug, he could've pulled it free and flung it in the lot below. Shoddily made, it would only last for a few decades, and he hoped to not be residing in the building when it inevitably caved.
He tossed the card in a nearby trash can and lifted his belongings, starting up the next flight of steps. It was easier to fall in the rhythm. Step, step, step, turn, step step step, turn. Eventually, the doors began to blur together and he only noticed his destination was reached when the view of the lot was a lot further and the sky was closer. The cover provided by another floor of stairs was replaced by an awning and he glanced around, mentally counting back to how many flights he climbed as Ah and Un sniffed around the doors and windows.
Rustling around in his pocket, Sesshomaru pulled out a key and the note it was curled up in, thumbing the former and uncurling the latter:
Apartment 504 is all yours —
A sigh parted his lips. The landlady's attempts to flirt with him were going to be an issue already. Crumbling the note, he pressed his claws to it and let his poison erode it. "Ah, Un," the canines lifted their heads at the same time and turned to look at him. "504."
They looked toward one another then began to inspect the doors purposefully, eventually coming to one at the end of the hall. Sesshomaru followed along, thumbing the strap of his carrying case as he looked up at it. The door henge seemed to be intact and there wasn't a strange smell coming from it. All he could tell was the strange hint of flowers. Brow raised, he shifted the key and opened the lock, hearing the tumble of a deadbolt and the gentle chime of a chain.
Pushing the door open, Sesshomaru glanced around the narrow walkway and raised a brow at the genkan. It seemed recently swept without any dust or grime. He stepped inside and shifted slightly for Ah and Un to follow him. As he shut the door, the chain lock swung and he raised a brow at it, deciding not to lock it.
His boots pulled off and set aside, a nod to Ah and Un as they waited aside, following them with his eyes as they raced down the hallway into another room. Scanning the ceiling and walls for any blemishes or deterrents, Sesshomaru hummed to himself and followed after them. The hallway opened up to a sizable room where a kitchen comprised one wall, counterspace topped with aging wood and a sink dripping rhythmically to the scratch of Ah and Un's claws across the floors, an island counter separating it from what he assumed was the living room.
Sesshomaru raised a brow as he stepped inside, keeping his belongings close to him as he inspected the furnishings. The couch was an appealing albeit considerably aged shade of cream, a quilt neatly folded over its back adorned with sunflowers and orange-green tassels. A television sat upon a small shelf spilling over with cases depicting the faces of movie stars and video game characters, manga books organized by volume and series, and textbooks he didn't feel the need to look at too closely.
His eyes narrowed as he stared down at the chabudai folded in the corner, or the windowed terrace facing the western wall allowing a view of the sky. With how high the apartment was in its building, he could see over the tops of the neighboring buildings. It was appealing but he was gradually becoming aware of something.
Someone else was living here.
Almost as if confirming his thoughts, the deadbolt tumbled and he snapped a glare over his shoulder as the door opened. Ah and Un abandoned their search of the apartment, retreating to his side. Light spilled into the doorway with a gentle humming tune, interrupted by a soft 'huh'.
Whoever it was must have noticed that someone else was there as well, and Sesshomaru lowered his carrying case - loathing that he was unable to draw his sword. His claws would have been enough though.
Seconds passed achingly slow as he listened to the soft taps of someone removing their shoes and padding footsteps traveling down the hall. He sniffed the air, and frowned slightly.
A human. One that smelled of flowers, but human nonetheless.
Around the corner, a young woman emerged. "So you're the surprise she was talking about." She muttered aloud, and Sesshomaru wasn't sure if she was addressing him or simply speaking to the atmosphere. He thought back to the note and the landlady's insistence. Suspicion had already taken root but now he was certain.
Flicking his gaze over the woman, her dark hair fell well-past her was trapped beneath the hulking pack she hoisted up on her shoulders. An orange silk blouse with blooming sleeves revealed freckles along her shoulders and the black strap of her undershirt, blue jeans cuffed at the hem covered shifting legs and drew his attention to the dark lacquered wooden beads wound in an anklet.
"No offense, but my eyes are up here."
Sesshomaru rolled his gaze up to find her looking at him with a small quirk of the lips, revealing a sliver of teeth. "I wasn't told someone else was here," he said, refusing to smile in turn even for politeness' sake, suspicious as her eyes fell to Ah-Un.
"Neither was I." She murmured, thoughtful and quiet for a moment, til she said, "Nice dragon."
Sesshomaru's brows raised just as Ah-Un loosed a growl, glaring at the woman in apprehension and disdain. Their glamour was to make it easier for them to travel in the city limits and he took great pains in helping them maintain their freedom while upholding a semblance of normalcy. For her to have seen through it…
The woman's eyes remained alight, set in a youthful face, they were rounded and almost gentle in their observation of the snarling dragon. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," she reassured and the melody of her voice almost piqued his interest over the amusement at the thought that she could.
"Well, I'm Rin," she said. "No last name to give, really. It's nice to meet you."
He wondered how nice it could've been. Coming to your home to find that your landlady offered it to someone else - someone who was an unknown at that. Yet, she seemed unbothered, tipping her head to one side and sunlit brown eyes flicked in Sesshomaru's direction.
"And you."
The slight teasing edge to her voice pricked his curiosity and embittered him at the same time.
Rin pursed her lips, and the warmth that spread through him at the sight of her eyes waned when she glanced aside. "Not sure why no one mentioned, especially Haraiya," her voice dropped to a low murmur but Sesshomaru could still make out the words. "She's usually good about those types of things…" She huffed, a puff of a sigh with a shake of her head, a single plait whipped back and forth brushing against her cheek. Its green tie reminding him of the quilt across the couch's back and the trees he sorely missed.
"You'll practically have the place to yourself," She ran her fingers through her hair, the curled ends refusing to be tamed even between her rolling fingertips. "I'm usually not home for more than a few weeks at a time."
Well, at the very least he could be grateful for that. He wouldn't be there much either but the less interaction he had with a stranger after a hunt - the better. Sesshomaru turned his head away though he noticed the look she gave to him, likely expecting an introduction. The thought to brush her off crossed his mind but a chiding voice in the back of his mind reminded him of his manners, much to his chagrin.
"… Sesshomaru."
Rin perked up at that and smiled, blindingly bright, her cheeks rounding and eyes squinting. It confused him as much as it made his stomach turn. Not unpleasantly, he noticed, doubly confused when she shambled forward and crouched down - hunched slightly beneath the weight of her pack to address Ah-Un.
"And you?"
Sesshomaru blinked slowly. That smile. What was she smiling so happily for? Or addressing Ah-Un as if they could speak to her in this form. Or would for that matter. Strange, he decided. This woman was definitely strange.
Still, he felt compelled to speak, his mouth moving without his permission. "Ah-Un."
Three sets of eyes turned to him, one pair brown and inquisitive while the other two were coal-black and wondering. Sesshomaru considered their silent question and the size of the apartment then nodded, stepping aside. Rin seemed to notice something was amiss and he was almost impressed when she stepped back as Ah-Un joined together, growing in size and changing shape. Their true form taking up most of the walkway between the island counter and the couch back. Mane bristled and nostrils flaring as they stared down at Rin with slitted pupils and yellowed eyes narrowed.
Sesshomaru glanced at her, almost expecting some sort of exaggerated reaction only to find her standing and staring up at the scaled muzzles baring fangs.
"… Well, aren't you beautiful?" She said in a breathy whisper, and Sesshomaru recoiled. Ah-Un blinking at her with both sets of eyes then tipping their heads to the side, leaning down as she reached up to them.
"It's nice to meet you, Ah-Un. I'm sorry for startling you…" Her apologies were unneeded in Sesshomaru's eyes but Ah-Un regarded her with serious contemplation then leant down to her hands to his surprise. "I won't give you away to anyone, I promise…"
Ah-Un huffed, thin wisps of smoke spilled from their nostrils but they seemed appeased enough. Sesshomaru looked away to the small light set in the ceiling above the kitchen and the lamp tucked off in the corner of the living room. Most of her effects were sparse and neatly kept, or at least in their own place. While he had no need for a kitchen or entertainment, he didn't want to clean after someone else.
"Well, I suppose I know what the extra room can be used for now."
He looked back to Rin and saw her looking at him, a tiny smile on her face as she finished petting Ah-Un.
"Come on, this way."
She turned on her heel, hiking up her pack again. A number of charms and chains hung from it with talismans slapped over zippers and pockets. Was she a priestess? He narrowed his eyes, trying to find the reiryoku seeping off her but there was none. She seemed human - ordinary albeit strange.
A satisfied groan filled the silence and Sesshomaru glanced at Ah-Un, the dragon laid on their belly with their heads resting on their paws, tail curled close. The picture of comfort.
"You're satisfied with this?" Sesshomaru asked quietly, and the lack of a response gave him his answer.
Sesshomaru followed after the trail Rin left, following the scent of flowers down a hall too narrow for him to allow his carrying case to rock freely at his back. Rin seemed to have some difficulty herself but expertly slipped toward the door at the end of the hall, holding out her hand as she turned to face him.
"That one's yours," she pointed at one of the doors on the left directly across from the one on the right.
"Mm.." He glanced at the one on the right, noticing the sutras along the handle and pasted over the henge.
Rin seemed to notice then laughed. "Don't worry about those. We're not exactly in the safest part of town and I just wanted to be prepared in case."
Sesshomaru raised a brow at the reassurance but said nothing else, opening the door to his own room. It looked as if it hadn't been touched at all. The floors and walls bared, outlines in dust from furniture that may have been there but was moved out at some point. A window with a cracked frame, a faint breeze coming through.
"Whenever you start moving your things in, be careful of how narrow the hall is."
He glanced back at her in time to see her draw a finger over the sutras. Each one slicing in half and fluttering to the ground in ashes, vanishing before they could touch the floor. With her door cracked open, he could catch a sliver of her room. Colorful and decorated, a string of lights illuminating her as she stepped inside. Her eyes caught his own over her shoulder and she smiled, giving a little wave before she shut the door behind her.
Sesshomaru blinked slowly. What an odd woman.
Author's Note
Hey all, I'm back! So I know that some of you may have noticed that Feathers in the Wind is now capped at 15, and that'll be for the time being so I can focus on other projects! I really enjoy writing this and I'll come back to it some time in the future when my other projects in the Inuyasha fandom are wrapped up and I've got more free time - but please enjoy these last few and let me know what you think and what you'd love to see.