There was a light mist in the air when he first laid amber eyes upon her.
She rested atop the lip of an ancient, mysterious well, peering into its depths in such a crestfallen manner that it gave Sesshomaru pause as he was passing by.
The ancient part of him, his spirit – his beast – growled lowly in his mind, alerting Sesshomaru to something amiss.
He ceased movement, standing preternaturally still as he observed the woman.
Dark waves fell loosely down her back, light skin appearing nearly translucent beneath the gray sky. Striking blue eyes lifted to meet his.
Though he'd just bid his grandmother farewell into the afterlife – whatever that may consist of – it almost seemed as if this human woman's pain outweighed his own.
"Hi," she offered, her sweet voice soft against his sensitive ear drums, and a smile lifted her lips.
The more bestial part of him hummed in contemplation.
Unsure what to say, Sesshomaru remained silent, watchful.
"I'm Kagome," she said, shifting to face him more fully, though she didn't rise, nor did she bow to him. "It's good to see you, Sesshomaru-sama."
She knows who we are, his beast pointed out unnecessarily.
It wasn't that she knew his name that prompted him to speak, but that she'd addressed him with such a title.
"My father is Lord, not I," he revealed in a voice still childlike in its tenor, in transition to adolescence. "Why do you address me as such, human?"
It was her turn to stay silent, her smile turning down slightly, almost saddened. The look passed quickly, and she smiled brightly at him, standing.
"You're really cute, ya know?" She reached out toward him. "I just wanna pinch your little cheeks!"
Jerking back, he slapped her hand away before she could touch him. Her grin remained, though she huffed, a hand finding her hip.
"So you were always like this, huh?"
Dark, regal brows drew together slightly, trying to decipher her words and coming up empty.
What does she mean?
Could not say. Why do you not ask her, if you are curious?
"You are quite odd," he mumbled, ignoring his beast and examining her more closely.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't grateful for the distraction. He'd been particularly close to his grandmother. Saying goodbye to her was…difficult.
The woman's features changed as she watched him closely. Bright blue eyes dimmed, as if she knew what he was thinking.
Perhaps she did.
"You know something?" Her face lifted to the light drizzle just as the sun broke through the clouds. Colorful arches in the sky became her backdrop. "The world works in the strangest of ways, doesn't it, Sesshomaru-sama?"
He was struck by something as he watched her. Almost otherworldly, she appeared, as if the rain didn't touch her and light flowed through her being instead of around it.
Ethereal, and Sesshomaru nearly convinced himself he was in the presence of a goddess.
"You know of me?" He asked, voice soft as he glanced at the lush, wet grass.
"Yes."
She smiled, her eyes softening with affection, and Sesshomaru felt…an odd sense of déjà vu. He peered into her eyes, and somehow certainty settled within him.
You feel it, too, do you not?
There was something…something she wasn't saying, but somehow he knew she bore him no ill will.
I am unsure, boy. Remain steadfast.
He drew closer, sitting on the lip of the well.
"Yes," he said, and she sat beside him, brow lifted as he collected his thoughts.
"Hm?"
"The world does, indeed, work in strange ways."