Stolen Seasons X
Falling Water
Lm. Samiko

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Rain. Sesshoumaru glared at the sheets of water from the shelter of a cave carved deep in this southern mountain. Rain was an annoyance, insofar as he was concerned. While it did not hinder his travel, rain would lay any scent he was following, leaving only those of vegetation and water. Its sound also played tricks with his hearing, deceiving his perception of others' movements. There was little he could do until it stopped and the wind brought hints of his prey.

Wait... His senses were far superior, even in this weather, and they told him that something was approaching. Several. At speed. At least one youkai. No, hanyou. Inu Yasha. Complete with his collection of motley refugees. Including Kagome.

The encounter proceeded rather as he expected, the humans, kitsune, and idiot retreating into a far area of the cave. Inu Yasha attempted his usual antics, restrained only by the rosary leash the woman had around his neck. Amusingly apropos. She had to do it several times before she was able to return alone to the cave mouth, where Sesshoumaru leaned against the wall, staring out into the rain.

"I'll have a lot of explaining to do," she commented, standing beside him.

He raised a single eyebrow. "Why explain anything? If they are your comrades, they should trust your actions."

She smiled slightly. "Normally, my actions are a little more comprehensible. Being on speaking terms with you isn't, from their point of view. But I don't mind. I should've told them a long time ago instead of making excuses. I think it's just a matter of figuring out what I should say."

"And what will you tell them?" The tiniest of twitches at the corner of his mouth were the only indications of a smile.

"The truth," she shot back. "But don't worry, I'll wait until you're gone so you don't have to deal with Inu Yasha."

"That is most considerate of you," he replied, again fighting down the twitch. "I would hate for the idiot to bring the roof crashing down on all of us; I have no wish to forsake shelter in favor of cold, wet weather."

"He would, too," she agreed with a grin. "It wouldn't matter so much if I were home. Strange, how much I love rainy days there. Not so strange, I guess. At home, I don't have to worry about finding a place to sleep or dry clothes or catching pneumonia. I can just enjoy it."

Sesshoumaru glanced at her, watching her watch the raindrops fall, hearing her quiet breathing as she listened to its sound against the rock face. He hesitated, then added in a low voice that he was certain that his half-brother wouldn't hear, "My mother... She loved the rain as well." He could feel her entire body change at that. Her head whipped around to face him squarely. A sharp intake of breath. Wide eyes. A tension that told him she wanted to move but daren't. "She said she had been born in it. When I was young, about the age of the kitsune child, she would take me out to 'dance between the raindrops.'" He shrugged slightly. "But in the end, rain is simply water and only serves to dampen the senses."

"What happened, Sesshoumaru?" It was useless to pretend he did not know what she meant, just as it was useless not to admit to the reason why he was saying anything at all.

"The rain isn't for dancing, woman. It is for running away from your responsibilities without leaving a trace."

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Author's Notes

There really aren't any today for the story itself. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. Your appreciation is encouraging. And to apologize for the long hiatus. There were two factors that went into this. One is RL. I've been busy with my studies and uninclined to take the time to format each chapter three times over (for my site, & single spark). Also, A Single Spark had a big hiccup. The past few weeks have been devoted to reposting Seasons and catching up to this point. So, I hope you'll forgive the wait. As summer vacation looms, I should become more regular with the updates.

Finally, I'd like to encourage anyone who enjoys this story to read my "Of Moonlight and Honor", which features our beloved Sesshou with an original char. And no, she's neither a MarySue nor a self-insert.