AVARICE
"Oh, I like these."
Kagura feels silly saying it, but the situation itself is ridiculous to begin with, so what's a step further? As it is, the man behind the table is scared shitless. She doubts that his fear of her would be muted by how simple minded she sounds, the man behind her, though…
Probably a bigger contributor to the traveling vendor's dumbstruck expression. The village has gained a certain reputation for all things mystical, and even the merchants that wander through have begun to wise up, but there are still the few who haven't that come through selling their wares. Kagura on her own can pass as human, but Sesshoumaru is much too ostentatious to go unnoticed.
Regardless, the vendor just nods limply when she holds up the sapphires to the light. She grins, and pulls the jade beads from her lobe, replacing them so that she can admire the tear drop shaped gems in her ears. She's always worn green, to contrast with her eyes, but the blue reflecting in the sunlight does look quite nice…
"What do you think?"
She glances back at Sesshoumaru, joking, and as always, his face is neutral, but his gaze flicks to her ears and he gives an almost imperceptible nod.
Her grin widens, and as much as she's loathe to do it, she asks: "How much?"
The man tells her and Kagura reaches into her sleeve to retrieve her coin purse―it hardly matters that the money is stolen to begin with―but before she can count out the payment she hears the loud clink of metal on wood, and when she looks up she catches sight of Sesshoumaru's claws pulling away leaving two golden coins in their wake.
"It's taken care of."
And he's walking away before she can say anything, leaving her and the dumbstruck merchant with the same expression.
…
She tries it again, a little while later, during a summer festival where merchants have come from the countryside to sell their wares. They're more accustomed to the way of the village and its oddities, so she gets less stares this time, but she does have to wait to time it just right―
"Oh, this is absolutely, beautiful," she coos, holding up a midnight blue obi, splattered with white dots, patterned to look like stars. "How much?"
The woman tells her, and once again, before Kagura can lift a finger there is already money being deposited in the smiling woman's hand. Without a word, Sesshoumaru is already walking away, leaving Kagura to stare at his retreating back, thoughts racing through her head.
…
She doesn't bother with "thank you"s, because if that's what he's looking for then he wouldn't run away so quickly, and she doesn't offer to return the favor, because he's never asked anything of her and she doubts that a few gifts will change that now. It doesn't matter what his reasoning is, Kagura is not a humble person by nature―Sesshoumaru of all people should know this―in fact, even she would call herself quite selfish.
Which is why she keeps doing it.
Soon enough it's not just the odd traveling merchant, or a street vendor. She finds that his generosity―if she can call it that―does not stop with silently buying her trinkets. The presents are just the start, because once she sees the crack Kagura is more than happy to exploit it.
She says she needs a new tie for her hair. One appears.
She says she would like an inner robe made of silk. A courier delivers it the next day.
She says she wants a golden bangle, studded with rubies. It's several days, but before long a jeweler comes, bearing several golden circlets in an ebony box.
It's flattering, but Kagura is selfish, and she pushes their games to new limits.
She tells him she wants a kosode made of violet silk and silver threads. He has a seamstress taking her measurements the next day.
She tells him she'd like a castle near the sea. A warlord falls to his death from the cliffs, and the humans are reluctant to stay in such a cursed place, leaving the palace empty save for the furnishings.
She tells him―
And he never tells her no, never denies her, never questions her whims, and from what she can tell never wants for anything in return. She is not his mistress or his lover, and yet she can bend him to her will easier than any kept woman ever could. And while Kagura, as greedy as she is, is reluctant to question it, there is only so long this can go on before she asks.
"Why're you doing all this?"
Sesshoumaru stops just as he's placing her newest little gift on the dining table, a bronze mirror from the mainland, and he raises a brow as if he doesn't know what she means. It surprises her how easily she's learned to read him.
She scoffs and waves her hand at it. "You know what I mean."
"You don't know," he says, voice almost laced with wonder, "and yet you're more than willing to exploit it."
"Why wouldn't I?"
He stares at her, thinking, and then he moves to sit beside her, hands on his thighs as he watches her. There's a snicker in her throat, but the strangely serious expression on his face stops her from voicing it.
"I failed." His face is still neutral and the words are sure, meaning he's thought about this enough times to say it so bluntly. "I had assumed that you were seeking some sort of redress on my part."
"Failed what?" She doesn't understand, she's never known him to be a failure…
"That day in the field." What day―? Oh.
She stares at him, a little dumbstruck, but then she has to stifle a laugh.
"You've been feeling guilty over that?"
She leans forward and dares to smooth her knuckles over his cheek. He keeps her gaze and doesn't flinch away, so she closes the distance between them until they're almost nose to nose.
"Oh, dear Sesshoumaru, I've never faulted you for that." The truth. He doesn't move, but his eyes flicker across her face when she changes the position of her hand to gently cup his cheek. "But if you're trying to make it up to me…"
Kagura leans back, pulling him with her until he has to brace his hands on either side of her head as he hovers above her. She grins.
"I'm a little greedy, so I think I can come up with a few ways."
A smirk tugs at his lip as his eyes light up, and Kagura―
Never has to ask anything of him again.