GLORIOLE
Now that he'd sat down across from her, he had the sinking suspicion that she hadn't had a plan when she'd urged him along, because now that they were both sitting silently, her illuminated by the warm orange rays of the sun and he seated in the dull shadow of the paper screen, she seemed unsure how to proceed. She eyed him warily, her chin raised as if appraising him as she poured herself a cup before she went to lean back against the wall.
"I ain't gonna' pour your tea for you," she finally said, almost like an insult, she nodded at the teapot between them.
Sesshoumaru blinked. He hadn't expected anything of the sort, but her adamant refusal was more than a little amusing.
"I had thought that was the implication when you insisted I join you." He almost misspoke the last part, having almost said follow, and he would be loath to admit out loud that that's what it had been, or that he'd done it without argument or reproach out of simple curiosity. He hadn't been interested in tea, but if she wanted to make something of it, he could oblige. "You've fancied yourself as a host, isn't it then your duty? Especially when treating your betters."
"My betters?" She stared at him, incredulous, blinking slowly as if she hadn't quite heard him, but her grin was still wide. She let out a sardonic laugh. "And what makes you think you fit in that category?"
He sniffed lightly. There was no one else around. "Wasn't it you who sought me out for my power?"
"For your strength, yes, but that was then and this is now," she loudly slurped her tea, smirking at him over the rim of her cup. "I never said you were more powerful than me."
"That is yet to be seen."
Kagura chuckled, a tinkling thing, but she quickly hid it behind the guard of her fan, tapping it against her lip, the tea cup forgotten on the floor beside her. He found the pretense ridiculous, that she hid her laughter behind thin paper but shouted her insults with a wide open mouth. "Yet to be seen indeed."
"Stronger, then," he said. He could concede that her abilities were certainly more utilitarian than his own, but would not let her believe that she so far outmatched him, he had no intention of fighting her, but even the implication of weakness rankled, and he would be remiss to allow her to continue such an insulting line of thought.
She laughed again, more a giggle. "Are you playing a game with me, Sesshoumaru?"
"What would be the use of that?"
"I wouldn't know," she hummed, finally dropping the fan and leveling a smirk at him, all red lips and white teeth. "But I'll say I prefer you playful than whatever moody attitude you've usually got."
He rolled his eyes.
"Don't think I haven't noticed that you never participate in any of the nightly games, drinking or otherwise," she snorted, and retrieved her cup, wrapping both hands around it, fingers intertwined as she kept smirking at him, one eyebrow raised.
"I've no interest in games." And even less in the games the guests liked to play, the foxes always wanted to play tricks, amusing to some extent, the performance of it, so long as he was not the fool being tricked. But the others had a penchant for making everything risque, nothing more than excuses for flirtation and petting. Most of his family shared his disposition and declined to participate, content to merely observe the undignified displays.
"Not even Go? I'd peg you for something boring and strategic like that, but it's not very fun at parties." She slurped at her tea again, loudly.
"That's hardly the same."
"You've got a fine face, you know," she shook her head and laughed again, "but you've got no tact whatsoever."
He ignored the compliment. What was the use of being tactful, she of all people should have known that much, given the way she always found a way to run her own mouth. He was content enough sitting there, oddly soothed by the sound of her laughter, but even her teasing would start to grate his nerves if she insisted on keeping it up.
"How about this, play a little game with me and then I'll leave you to your sulking." Sesshoumaru tucked his arms into his sleeves, waiting for her to continue. "I'll tell you three things about myself, one will be a lie, you just have to choose which one."
He quirked a brow, that hardly seemed like a worthwhile way to pass the time.
"It's about strategy, isn't it? You win if you're a good liar, and better at detecting them," she said, smiling at him expectantly. "No one else is around to eavesdrop, and it's not like we'll be sharing our deepest secrets, what's the harm?"
She wasn't wrong, and there was merit in the practice of telling lies and detecting them, but when he didn't respond right away she must have taken his silence for apprehension.
"If you want, I'll go first."
Detecting a lie was easy enough, there was always the miniscule change in scent: the pooling of sweat when there was fear of being caught, the quickening of a heart beat, the faltering of a gaze. He wondered what the point was when the truths would be obvious. He nodded once, watching her expectantly and waiting for a misstep.
"I know how to play the koto." She smiled, calm, gaze level with his. "I've never eaten meat." No change, she blinked serenely. "And I have twelve toes."
He glanced at her feet, where she had them tucked under her hip, covered in thick socks, then back up at her face, still smiling at him expectantly. It would make no sense if she had ten fingers and twelve toes. He glared at her, wondering why he'd agreed to this.
"You do not have twelve toes."
"Correct," she nodded and sipped her tea, "I made that one easy for you. Your turn."
He wondered if he should be insulted, he didn't need her to make it easier, but her truths had been rather innocuous regardless. He started the same way, keeping his face and posture calm. "I am two hundred years old. My left arm is not my own. Several of my markings are tattoos."
Kagura narrowed her eyes, her gaze flicking over him and pausing on his arm and then his face. He kept his arms in his sleeves.
"Your arm, isn't it?"
He nodded, cocking his head to the side, wondering how she'd known so quickly.
"Your left arm doesn't have marks, and Kohaku told me about when you got it back, remember?"
Sesshoumaru raised his chin. He'd forgotten. He hadn't had the tattoos replaced, hadn't seen the need to do so just yet, but if even Kagura had noticed the lack of them he'd have to do so soon. But still, she shouldn't be so nonchalant about―
"I told you, no one's around to eavesdrop, and it's not like it matters much if anyone overhears a name, does it? No one needs to know unless you make it obvious," she said, waving a hand. He supposed that was true enough, them having a previous acquaintanceship hardly held any consequence. He'd been furious with her the other night because of his fear of being found out, about Rin, but if there truly was no one listening then it made little difference where they aired their past and relationships.
He inhaled and nodded at her to continue.
"Ok," she inhaled, and spoke so quickly he nearly missed what she said next. "I killed the yourouzoku. The Dragon King asked for my hand. I have diverted a monsoon."
He leaned forward minutely. Perhaps she was right, there was some merit to this little game of hers, of watching her and trying to decipher any changes in her posture, but she was quite good, and he supposed the lack of consequences made the lying a bit easier. Lying for fun was different than doing so to live. But still, he thought over what she'd said. He knew the wolf tribes had gone nearly extinct, but hadn't heard how, hadn't cared to know, if she'd done it of her own accord he'd be surprised, and he could see no reason why Naraku would have ordered them dead, but it was much too specific. Now, the Dragon King was hardly known as faithful, so Sesshoumaru would not be surprised if he had, and the oni had already made some sly comments about her companions and their histories he'd soundly ignored. The monsoon, he'd seen her powers, but something of that magnitude…
"The monsoon."
Her smile widened. "Wrong."
His eyes narrowed. He'd have to remember that for later, if she was truly capable of such a thing, he had severely underestimated her. He watched her face, the play of light across her features―
"The wolves."
She shook her head, grinning. "Wrong again. Though I'm a little flattered that you think the Dragon King would take such an interest in me."
Not hard to imagine, but he felt some degree of trepidation knowing that she'd been the one to obliterate the wolves population. Chagrin, he realized, the more he thought it over, some divine karma that he at the time hadn't thought to enact.
"Hn? What's with the face?"
He looked back up at her, the two of them alone in the little room in a deserted part of the castle, he thought over the worth of telling her, and figured that it made no difference for the dead.
"The yourouzoku… accosted Rin."
She raised her head, staring up at him from beneath her lashes, all amusement gone from her features as she searched his face, a furrow in her brow.
"I'm surprised the rest have lived so long."
"It meant little to me, at the time."
"Well, if it means anything to you now, you're welcome."
She said it sincerely, no smile or twinkle in her eye, but he took little comfort in it. He hadn't cared then, and would be remiss if he suddenly started to now. Kagura nodded once, and the little tug at the corner of her mouth returned.
"Your turn."
Sesshoumaru thought it over, realizing that the point of the game wasn't so much the ability to tell a lie, but how convincing the lie was and how unbelievable the truth could be. He could tell a simple lie, or a fantastical truth, and it would simply depend on her own assumptions of him which one she chose. Again, he smoothed his features and steadied his breathing.
"I am betrothed. I have eaten humans. Inuyasha nearly killed me once."
The smile faded from her face, all amusement gone, and he wondered which statement was the true cause of it. She narrowed her eyes at him, gaze roving over him as she tried to read his posture. Perplexed, she leaned her head back against the wall, mouth pulled into a thin line.
"Maybe you're better at this than I thought."
"What is your guess?"
She licked her lip and he couldn't help but follow the movement as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
"The humans."
He felt the beginnings of a smirk.
"Wrong," he said, feeling a little mischievous, waiting for her reaction. But nothing came, and he wasn't sure why he felt surprised when her expression didn't change, if he'd merely told her the weather. Maybe he'd been visiting the human village too often, but Kagura was unperturbed, maybe a little curious, and he realized that the apprehension he felt stemmed more from the realization of their similarities rather than any guilt or disgust he'd expected from her. Kagura cocked her head to the side with a snort and shook her head, her smile returning.
"You're not engaged."
To say he was more than a little disappointed, he'd hoped that she would assume the latter option. "Correct. How did you come to that conclusion?"
"If I'd guessed the other one it would have been too much of a compliment," she said with a laugh, and reached for her cup again, taking a long and loud sip. "I'm curious how he got the better of you that badly, though."
"I'd blinded him. He'd just discovered the windscar." Even four years later, the insult still smarted.
"Ah, the infamous windscar." She said it almost fondly. "If it's any consolation he nearly killed me with it, too, the first time we met."
Now he was the one to tilt his head, wondering how someone strong enough to control a summer storm could be felled by such an attack.
"His girl was with him," she said, shaking her head, "at the time her powers were enough to disrupt mine, if he himself hadn't already been half dead he might have succeeded."
She turned to glance out the open window, her skin warmed by the setting sun and her hair briefly tussled by the breeze. He felt the chill dancing across the skin of his cheeks, but she seemed unfazed, a certain giddiness present in her posture, as if she was expecting something, but she looked altogether comfortable leaned against the wall with the cup curled in her hands.
"I heard she's back," she said, speaking as if she was discussing the flavor of her tea. "I can't imagine that the two of them are any less annoying than before." He quirked a brow at her and she shrugged. "I saw Kohaku, a few months ago."
He stared at her a moment, a little upset that the boy hadn't told him, but Sesshoumaru didn't respond. Just the mention of the miko had his hackles rising in annoyance, it'd been nearly a month since he'd last been in the village, but he already dreaded the reception he'd receive when he returned. Rin had a developed a penchant for chattering at him, but he could tolerate that much, at least she knew to keep her gossip to a minimum and the things she told him to the most important. The miko had no such tact, and would prattle at him about anything and everything, attempting to make family of him. Her husband, at least, knew better and kept a wary distance. Sesshoumaru let out a breath, barely a sigh, but Kagura noticed.
"What―"
"She calls me 'Onii-san'."
Kagura's eyebrows rose slowly as she processed that. "Kagome calls you…"
One glance out of the corner of his eye had a guffaw erupting from her throat, nearly spitting tea in the process as her shoulders shook.
"If you had said that earlier I would have thought you were lying!" She slapped a hand over her mouth and tried to stifle her giggles. He tolerated her laughter with a stern face, keeping his gaze level with a smudge on the wall behind her shoulder. It seemed an eternity before she calmed herself, breathing out silent chuckles.
"You an uncle yet?"
Sesshoumaru sniffed and glared at her, only to be met with another giggle. "The girl has only been back eight months."
"Soon to be an uncle, then?" she clarified. "I can't imagine it should take this long, considering how often they were throwing themselves at each other even back then, made me want to puke just watching them. 'Inuyasha!' this, 'Kagome!' that, fucking irritating."
"I tend to avoid their home for that very reason."
She laughed again, scooting forward to pour herself another cup. "Well, at least it seems we all got what we wanted, didn't we? In the end."
He hummed, supposing she was right. When he'd gone after his brother that first time, searching for Tessaiga he hadn't expected to lose his arm, or to wind up involved in Naraku's schemes, to take a human girl under his wing, to give up what he'd believed what his birthright in order to seek out revenge over a slight, to break a sword all for―
Kagura gasped, a soft little sound that piqued his ears and quickened his pulse. His eyes snapped up to see her clutching at her jaw, eyes screwed shut.
She coughed, and looked to be blinking away tears as she stuck her tongue out at him. "I left the pot on the coals too long."
He blinked at her, as she tried to soothe her throat, the sound of her swallowing against the burn too loud in the little room. She looked more upset with herself than injured, rubbing at her neck as if she could simply scrub the sensation away. It was several seconds before she looked up at him again, a furrow in her brow.
"You… alright…?" Her fingers still lingered against her pulse. "Your eyes, got a little…"
"It's nothing." He'd been surprised, is all.
Kagura gave him a quizzical look and a long once over, as if she didn't believe him. She opened her mouth to say something else, just as the sun dipped below the horizon, sucking all light out of the room save for the glow of the red hot coals in the stove, reflected and just as bright in her eyes. The temperature dropped just as quickly, the air no longer warmed by the sun, and there was a breath of silence, as if all life had gone out with the sun, both of them frozen in place, but then there was a shout, the sound of doors being thrown open, the castle reawakening with the darkness. Her hand fell away from her throat, and she reached for her cup again, tossing its contents out the window quickly before replacing it beside the stove.
"I suppose you'll be expected somewhere else." She stoked the coals, spreading them to douse the flames, but it only served to spread the heat with it. He hummed again, and reluctantly got to his feet and took a step forward, letting the subtle warmth dance over his skin. He realized only a little too late that he'd lingered too long when Kagura did the same. Her sleeves brushed his fur when she stood, her shoulder only inches from his chest, and the movement disturbing the air so that the only thing he inhaled was her scent, just as icy as the air outside, stinging the back of his throat when he inhaled.
She blinked up at him, angling her chin, and he realized her height meant her hair would brush his nose if she stood any closer. Her gaze briefly flickered over his face and her eyes widened by a hair.
"We should get going then." She ducked her head and took a quick step back, going for the door, she paused at the threshold to look over her shoulder at him. In the dark, he could hardly differentiate the colors of her face.
The air warmed with her absence, the coals still hot near his knees, but he hardly felt the warmth as she stepped out into the darkened hall and disappeared.
…
Kagura: *exists*
Sess: Boy, sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me
I wasn't originally going to write this scene, but I felt like I couldn't disappoint, I had some snippets of scrapped conversations laying around that I still wanted to include in this fic, so here it is. Hopefully it's just the right amount of lighthearted for the times.
Again, I hope you're all healthy and staying safe!
