CONVECTION

Poison flowed beneath his claws, kept resolutely in check despite how prettily he knew the oni's neck with dissolve.

On edge, he'd resumed his place beside his uncle in the main hall, he hadn't allowed himself to relax since Kagura had gone off to wherever she'd gone. Evidently, to change her clothes, though her robes were still a blinding blue that contrasted sharply with her eyes. Eyes that were surprisingly playful, despite the way the oni had snapped at her like she was some common bitch; she'd already worn his patience thin, so it wasn't hard for the beginnings of a snarl to pull at his lip.

"The pleasure is all mine, m'lord. May I?"

He schooled his face despite the way his hackles rose at the deferential term, the way it nearly angered him as much as the oni's attitude. He said nothing as she sat beside him and turned his gaze away to the middle of the room, only giving her the briefest nod to indicate he'd heard her and wouldn't snap if she sat beside him.

She'd accused him of being angry, which wasn't far from the truth, though he felt more frustration than rage. He could handle surprises well enough, but this was less a surprise than a shock, a wrench in his plans of going through the festival without incident. While Kagura was not stupid (she had said as much), there was still an air of unpredictability there. Not something he needed to fear, but something he could not control.

For the short time they'd been acquainted, all those years ago, she'd surprised him more than once. The first when she'd come to him because of his strength and then screamed in his face, the second when she'd still offered him aid despite his multiple refusals, and then the third…

A memory he didn't like to recall.

His eyes drifted left, and somehow it was still there, in the back of his mind, branded there as if it had just been yesterday. She caught his stare and her smile grew wider, all red painted lips and white teeth and happier than he'd ever thought he'd see her.

Not that it was something he'd worried over, her happiness―or lack thereof―was of no consequence to him.

But still, it was an odd thought. The Kagura that he'd known before, when she'd been nothing more than a tool in a malicious game, full of spite and rage that at times had been directed at him. And there she was, sitting beside him so calmly, a smile on her lips and laughter in her lungs. He'd never heard her laugh before, and decided that he didn't find the sound altogether unpleasant.

Perhaps he wasn't altogether upset at her arrival either, less angry or frustrated, and simply unnerved…

The companions she'd surrounded herself with didn't concern him, more an annoyance than anything. The oni had already worked his last nerve, too sly for his liking, and if not for his uncle's obvious interest he would have already told her exactly what he thought of her and her little entourage. Then there was the kitsune seated with one of his cousins, Kagura had been playful with him, and a small thought had him wondering if there was more there than simple camaraderie. And then the last, the bird. A karyoubinga, they'd explained. An angel amongst demons, a fact that they'd found no lack of irony in and had gotten them several mixed stares; neither woman nor man, something his uncle had been sorely chagrined to hear. It had gotten him a small chorus of mocking laughter, though the oni looked positively chuffed.

Sesshoumaru tuned the conversation out, choosing not to listen to the stories of their escapades across the country and the mainland. It had been several years, and she had made the best of her freedom, it seemed. Not as if it mattered.

He kept his thoughts to himself, his gaze level in the center of the room and ignored when red eyes swept over him. He'd made his appearance, he could tolerate the nightly nonsense for another hour or so before it would be acceptable to disappear. He only glanced up when there was a sudden movement, the oni jumping to her feet with a ridiculous flourish.

"You know, gentlemen, why don't I show you a treat?"

Kagura groaned softly, and when he turned he caught the shared glance with the bird beside her, a look of disdain clear on both their faces as the oni twirled the sleeves of her furisode and snapped at the men of her troupe. They moved to action, sliding away from the woman they'd been conversing with going to the center of the floor with their leader. She whispered something to them, and within seconds the kitsune had conjured a biwa and a koto for the two of them.

It was something of a spectacle, watching her move in a semblance of a dance. Sesshoumaru focused on the music, an easier feat than ignoring the woman's movements. Not even Kagura seemed enthralled by her dancing, looking completely and utterly bored to death. At least they had something in common in that.

There was muted clapping when she finished, her companions slid off back to the side, the instruments vanished in a puff of smoke as Momiji wandered back to them, a smile on her tusked face.

"Momiji, I've forgotten how wonderful it is to see you dance," Gajou crooned when she sat down beside him and generously refilled his glass, tittering proudly and placing her palm to her cheek as she blushed prettily under the compliment.

"Of course, you know my dancing skills are what makes our troupe so high in demand," she said with a laugh. It grated Sesshoumaru's ears.

"I thought Kagura was your most prized dancer."

Her head nearly swiveled off her neck, with the way the oni snapped up to look at him incredulously. Kagura choked and stifled a laugh behind her fan.

"Well, yes, of course," she floundered, his uncle was quick to interject.

"Oh, don't take it personally, Momiji, Sesshoumaru never knows when to hold his tongue," he said with a laugh, "and besides, he was so enamored with Kagura's dancing, how could he?"

Once (or twice, he hadn't kept count), he had very nearly killed his half-brother. He hadn't succeeded at fratricide, and he didn't know the word for uncle-killing, but he wondered if he should try his hand at it.

"Oh, is that so?" Kagura crooned, grinning like a cheshire at him.

"Of course. Your dance had my nephew looking more attentive than he has all evening."

Kagura's eyes glittered in the light, positively glowing with mischief as she slowly turned to him and held her fan over her mouth.

"Did my performance stir even your stone heart, m'lord?"

He scowled. At the implication and the deference. She'd flattered him before, but had always spoken as if they were equals. He didn't like whatever persona she was trying to play. He chose his next words carefully, as a denial or an insult would be the same as an admission.

"...It was adequate."

"Hn, I suppose that's the best compliment I can expect from someone like you."

"I think he means it was the best he's seen in a long while," Gajou guffawed, raising a brow and hiding his grin behind his cup, "my nephew is not one for many words, at least not anymore."

"Oh, not to worry, I've gathered that much on my own." Her chuckles were irritating even hidden behind her fan. He felt her eyes swipe over him several times rapidly, but wouldn't deign to indulge it.

"One has less use for words when they're capable of speaking through other means," he said smoothly, flexing his fingers against his thigh. His uncle was moderately tolerable compared to the rest of the family, but if he continued his incessant prodding that might need to change. Gajou's eyes followed the movement of his hand and let his grin widen, flashing his teeth.

"Careful, Sesshoumaru, I may be old, but even a blind dog still has fangs."

"Now, now, m'lords, no need to fight over our account." Kagura's voice rang in his ears, surrounding him. Irritating. The last straw.

He put his cup down with a little more force than he'd intended, which earned him a surprised look from the party.

"I'll be retiring." He didn't owe Kagura or her companions any explanation, but Gajou would question him later if he left without a word. And judging by Kagura's expression, she would have something to say to him, but wisely watched him go in silence. Jaken followed after him briefly, but stopped once Sesshoumaru very firmly sent him back to check after his uncle and anyone else who might need his assistance.

He'd arrived far too early. Nearly a century of avoiding his clan and he was already tired of them after less than a full day. His frustration was only soothed by Kagura's appearance, because if he'd come any later he would have been more upset to find her already in attendance. Walking in with her already laughing and drinking with his uncle and cousins would have been far more maddening than confronting her while she still hid behind a mask.

Too many things coming back for him at once. As aloof as he kept himself, his preferred method of dealing with things was simply to ignore them.

And he would do just that.

He made his way up the stairs that crisscrossed the castle until he came to a veranda on one of the upper floors. The clouds had moved on hours ago, taking the icy rain with them; the sky above clear, stars twinkling amid a brightening night sky. He was high enough in the castle that he could see down the valley below, barren for the season, nothing but mountains of grey and white. The sun had begun to rise, it's meager light enough to illuminate the sea beyond the trees.

The sound of soft footsteps reached him before her scent.

"I see you've decided to follow me."

Kagura scoffed. "Are you really that upset about it?"

He looked back to glare at her, his lip curling. "Why come here, Kagura?"

"Not sure if you mean here as in on this veranda next to you or here as in..."

His gaze hardened, which only earned him a smirk from her.

"Stop looking so upset," she said, teasing, "I would think that you'd have lost that attitude years ago. You got everything you wanted, didn't you? You're so cranky."

"Watch your words, Kagura," he said, putting as much bite into his words as he could. "Don't think that our history makes you a friend."

She leaned back, blinking at him. Behind them, the sun must have breached the horizon, the sky blooming with light just as a smile erupted on her face, followed by laughter and her waving a hand in his direction as her shoulders shook.

"Oh, please," she chuckled, "Save your snarling for someone who deserves it. We may not've known each other well, but I at least know better to be threatened by you."

"I have half a mind to change that."

"Pff," she rolled her eyes, "sure, Sesshoumaru."

She was correct in one thing, she'd never had reason to find him a threat, he still felt the obligation to voice it, but knew there was no point. The last star twinkled above the horizon, the sky swathed in lavender above a tumultuous, freezing sea.

"The whole world and you decide to come back here."

"I told you, I was invited."

"Invitations mean little if you're ordered where to go."

She looked up at him, incredulous. "What are you talking about? I have my freedom."

"Yet you allow your mistress to order you around."

"My mistress?" she scoffed. "If you mean Momiji, she ain't my anything."

"You follow her."

"I accompany her, it's different."

It would only result in a fight if he said what other things "accompany" could stand for.

"How long do you intend to remain here?"

She rolled her eyes and tapped her fan against her chin, an annoying habit, but he found it preferable to when she hid her face behind it.

"Ready to be rid of me?" She asked and raised a brow. "I'll be here as long as you, I suppose. Though it doesn't look like that's much of a consolation. My apologies for making you suffer my company."

Her gaze tickled his face, and he knew there was the beginnings of a scowl there, but that was more because of the realization that he'd arrived weeks too early than the fact that she'd be flitting around him the whole time.

"It's not so bad, is it?" She asked, fanning herself. "We were never enemies, afterall."

No, they hadn't been. Begrudgingly, he could admit to that much. He took a breath, inhaling that scent that despite the stinging cold air was so much like a summer rain. He watched the horizon, the sea hardly visible beyond the naked forest, the fading blue of night as it faded to pinks and purples, the warmth of the rising sun behind them little consolation for the icy chill. When he glanced back he was met with eyes as vibrant as fresh blood and a smile as sharp as a flame.

She'd been smiling a lot tonight, and he found that it wasn't something he minded.

"Did you ever find an answer?" The question escaped his lips before he had a chance to stop it.

"Hn?"

He nearly bit his tongue, but Sesshoumaru had never been one to back down. "For your revival."

"Ah, still curious even after all these years? Careful, I'll start to think you've been pining after me." She laughed when he narrowed his eyes at her, her smile turned sly. "It's a long story, maybe a tale for another night, if you'd like to hear it."

He nodded slightly, an agreement, or his way of wishing her a good night, or a good morning. Human civilities that didn't matter much for those who rarely slept. He turned and began to walk away.

"Sesshoumaru?"

He paused.

"I don't expect you to return the sentiment, but it is good to see you again."

He glanced at her over his shoulder. In the light of the rising sun, her eyes were a molten crimson; her usual inky black hair haloed and glowing in the soft rose colored reflection of the sky. She wasn't smiling, her lips just slightly parted, the gloss shimmering softly in the dull light…

He turned sharply on his heel, leaving her alone on the veranda with the sound of a snort and soft laughter ringing in his ears.

Gajou: those robes look great! And i bet they would look even better on sesshoumaru's floor

Sess: ...are you hitting on kagura for me?

This chapter was supposed to be apart of the last one but then i added a lot more to chp 2 and decided to split it up and wound up with this sort of floundering thing… oops, i feel like i wrote kagura for so long in BF that now i don't know how to do sess...