Stolen Seasons V
The Silence of Snow
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Winter. The landscape reduced to blinding whites broken only by shades of brown and grey. A time for sleep and regeneration, a part of nature's cycle that Sesshoumaru was not entirely immune to. While he did not hibernate as other animals and youkai did, his body slowed slightly, redirecting energy inward. He had long since become reconciled to the process, realizing that it was futile, even dangerous to fight it. And so many a winter day was passed in the privacy of the network of caverns that served as home. This one day, however, he would traverse his lands, for he had a debt to repay.
The journey was thankfully short; the woman and her company had crossed his borders, making it an easy task to find them. He settled by the edge of a half-frozen stream and waited. She did not take long to appear, as he had expected. Several canisters dangled from her fingers; she had been sent for water. Her customary white-and-green clothing had been replaced by a somewhat heavier version more suitable for the cold. The darkness of the fabric was a relief from the brilliant glare of sun off snow and ice.
"Sesshoumaru!" she exclaimed. She had taken some time to notice him; only the vibrant red and yellow of his clothing distinguished him from the surroundings.
"Greetings," he replied simply. "I bring your payment, as promised."
She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you. I trust Rin-chan liked her present, then?"
"It has not left her side," he confirmed, unwilling to share any more detail. He felt disconcerted when the woman scrutinized him. "What disturbs you, human?" he finally barked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," came the quiet answer. The woman walked toward him; he stiffened as she laid her jacket beside him and sat upon it. "Something's wrong, isn't it? Will you tell me?"
"Nothing is wrong, woman."
She shook her head violently. "I don't buy that, Sesshoumaru. I haven't seen much of you, true, but I've seen enough. And I've spent enough time with your brother to recognize that tone and expression." A small growl escaped him and it surprised him to hear her laugh. "And I recognize that one, too. Is it something about the dog? Or are you angry with me? I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."
The effrontery of claiming to be able to read him! And to compare him to that disgraceful bundle of human emotions. "Nothing is wrong, woman," he repeated. "And I have killed others for less presumption. Perhaps I should repay you by not killing you now."
She sighed. "So much alike sometimes. I suppose you two get it from your father. Like two stubborn hedgehogs, both of you. But then..." her voice drifted off, leaving him slightly confused. What in the world was a 'hedgehog'? "Well," she said finally, rising once again to her feet and shaking snow off the thick jacket. "I'll get my water and go, then, if that's what you want." She knelt by the stream, breaking through the thin skin of ice and dipping a container beneath the surface. Completing her task, she turned to face him. "Look," she said frankly, "I can't force you to talk to me and I wouldn't even if I could. But two things before I go. One is that whatever you say to me or anyone else, don't lie to yourself. It'll only backfire on you someday. And you can trust the voice of experience on this one." She laughed ruefully.
"And the second?" Sesshoumaru asked in spite of himself.
She was silent and when she spoke, it was with a barely audible voice. "The second is... if you ever need someone to listen, I'll be here. And I don't betray confidences." She sidestepped away from him then and practically ran into the trees.
After several long moments, Sesshoumaru blinked. Winter must have affected him more than he had realized.
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It was a brief meeting, barely ten minutes after the woman had run off, completely forgetting in her ill-mannered fashion the bundle he had come expressly to deliver. As he did not wish to repeat this rigmarole, Sesshoumaru simply followed the woman back to her camp and dropped the bundle in her lap as she sat by the fire. He walked away before his half-brother could do more than growl and put hand to hilt. After all, he had no reason to remain. The debt was repaid; there was nothing else to say.
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