Stolen Seasons IV - Autumn Leaves
Lm. Samiko
.
Leaves were falling with abandon in this forest of the far north; even the air seemed tinted by the riot of flame-colours that covered trees and ground. Just mid-autumn, the scent of death and decay was not yet so far advanced as to be unpleasant. Sesshoumaru stood silently in the center of a small clearing, awaiting the arrival of the human woman. The wind played its fingers through his hair and clothing, the only hint of movement about his person.
He knew when she arrived; like many humans, she was either ignorant or incapable of stealth. She remained at the edge of the clearing for long moments, for what purpose he could not determine. Sesshoumaru turned and faced her, but moved neither forward nor back; he had summoned the woman and it was her part to come to him. But instead of approaching him, she stayed where she was, leaning against a tree. Her eyes sought his and did not waver when their gazes locked, jewel-like amber with warm, earthy brown. There was something different about her; Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he considered what it was.
No more than a second passed before he realized what it was. The woman was smiling. It was tentative, threatening to disappear at the turn of a moment, but it was there. And it reached her eyes, filling them with the light and warmth of late spring with its beginning growth and promise of later abundance, its unashamed, unabashed giving of itself.
The tip of an eyebrow quirked almost invisibly. It would seem he was becoming a sentamentalist. Hnh.
"Good evening, Sesshoumaru." The woman finally stepped from the trees, allowing the late afternoon sun to paint her in shades of rich gold. Her voice was low and he was once again struck by her mixture of politesse and impertinent intimacy when she addressed him.
"You have what I require?" It was not in his nature to mince words and unpleasant to exchange more than necessary with a human woman.
Her smile widened. "I would have known better than to come without it. I went back and bought it right after we spoke last time; I didn't know how much time you'd give. I've kept it, expecting you to come for the past several weeks." His eyebrow rose, perceptably this time, and she was quick to take the hint. She swung her pack from her shoulders and rummaged in it, producing her prize with a look of triumph. "Here it is!"
Sesshoumaru blinked at the thing several times, before taking it delicately in his hand. It was not a bear, as he had expected. The woman had brought him--or Rin, rather--a stuffed dog. A strange dog, at that. Heavyset, black and brown, with almost no tail to speak of. He looked back at the woman, whose hand went to her hair in a definite sign of anxiety.
"Um, it's a rottweiler," she began. "A breed that comes from the European lands far to the west. I know you said a teddy bear, but I thought Rin might like something... a little more, um, familiar. And he's dark, so he won't show dirt that easily. I hope she likes him. If she doesn't--or you don't," she added quickly, "I can get something else the next time I go home."
Interesting, that this human woman knew of lands far beyond her own purview, of things of which he himself was not aware. He squeezed the creature lightly, careful of damaging it. It was remarkably soft, made of material he could not identify, but which was definitely not animal in nature. "It is adequate," he replied. "What do you require in return for it?"
She appeared stunned, blinking rapidly several times. "Um, nothing really. It's perfectly all right. It's for Rin-chan, after all. As long as she likes it, I'm fine." He frowned and she babbled on in the same vein for a few moments.
When she silenced, he informed her that, "This Sesshoumaru owes debts to no one."
"Oh!" She bit her lip slightly. "I didn't realize you saw it that way. I should've known. Sorry." The focus of her eyes turned inward; it would seem she went completely inside herself when she thought. A poor habit for one who had spent as many years on the road as she. One needed to be alert, even at the best of times. Particularly at the best of times. "Wow," she mused. "I honestly can't think of anything I'd ask you for. And... asking for money seems so... crude." A human without greed? Did this woman come from a place that bred an entirely different kind of human? Hn.
"I know!" Sesshoumaru was startled as the woman suddenly burst out of her introspection. "How 'bout this? You take the dog back to Rin, see if she likes it. Then, after a bit, you can come back and give me whatever you think it's worth. Or you can bring it back and I'll get a new one or whatever. Deal?"
He rolled the proposal over in his mind for a moment. It was fair; he did not know the value of the thing now and would be able to evaluate it after a short time. And it showed that the woman respected him as a youkai of his word. As she should. "It is acceptable," he replied. He watched as she beamed at him.
"Great!" she exclaimed. "I'll look forward to seeing you again!"
Sesshoumaru had nothing more to say and simply turned around to vanish into the trees.
.
Author's Notes
"her mixture of politesse and impertinent intimacy": From what I recall, Kagome never addresses Sesshoumaru using an honorific, not even the generic -san. Doing so is usually a sign of a close relationship, such as between lovers.
Please press the review button! -- Lm. S.