Sesshomaru calmly sipped his tea as Kaede knitted in her comfy chair, humming a little melody to herself. That was one of the things he enjoyed about her: she didn't need to fill up the silence with mindless chatter. She was happy just sitting in her chair and sipping tea while gazing out the window or knitting her summoning circles [thankfully, she just kept knitting the one that summoned Sesshomaru and she hadn't dropped any blood on it].

"Soon, you'll be…home with me…once upon a December…" Kaede sang softly, holding up her newest creation to inspect it.

The melody brought back a memory of a child he knew, long, long before Kaede was even thought of, that liked to pick flowers while singing made-up songs to herself. She was a sweet thing, a soul he dared not try to persuade to come to Hell with him. Her soul was much too pure and she didn't deserve to suffer. He was content to watch her until her untimely death by a pack of wolves then he pointed her in the right direction towards Heaven. He wondered how she was doing now…

"The grass will need to be cut once more before winter comes" Kaede mentioned.

Sesshomaru had gotten pretty good at reading subtle messages from her. If she said there are quite a few dishes in the sink, that meant she wanted him to wash them. If she commented on how messy his room was, she wanted him to clean it up. And this comment about the grass meant she wanted him to cut it. "Where is your lawn mower?"

She looked up at him with a smile. "Out back, in the shed. Thank you, Ryuk, my dear"

The demon put his mug down and headed out back. Mowing the lawn couldn't be that hard but he didn't want an old lady doing yard work. There had to be some law against that.

The weather was fairly cool but he knew it would be warm once he really started getting into the swing of things so he took off his shirt [that Kaede bought him, of course] and tied it around his waist. He retrieved the rusty lawn mower from the shed, doubtful it would work but checked to make sure it had gas, the blades were sharp and everything looked ok anyway. He yanked the cord a few times and was actually surprised when it growled to life, vibrating like a plane hitting turbulence. He took it over to the lawn in the front of the house and began his work. At first, he actually had to put a little effort in pushing the mower; apparently, it's been a while since her lawn had been mowed and the long blades were making things difficult. At one point, Sesshomaru was concerned the old mower would break down and cough up its guts but it held on and cut the grass. As he was finishing up the front yard and getting ready to move to the backyard, he happened to glance up to see two older women grinning coyly at him from beside Kaede's mailbox, waving at him flirtatiously.

"Hiiii, Ryuk, sweetie!" one of them called.

"You need any lemonade, honey? It's awful hot out here" the other one said, her voice husky though the demon was sure that was a front to seem sexier.

"No, thank you" he called back.

The two women giggled, putting their heads together to whisper about something before stepping closer. The first one that spoke to him, a woman with bright auburn hair, lots of rings on her fingers and a nose piercing, approached first. She extended a dainty hand as if Sesshomaru was supposed to kiss it but the demon did not. He simply looked it then back at her.

She awkwardly put the hand down, cleared her throat and smiled. "Hi, baby, you remember me? I'm your dear grandmother's neighbor, Ayame. You're here to help out around the house?"

Obviously. "Yes" Sesshomaru murmured.

The other woman, a lady that had to be at least 50 with her faded [obviously dyed] black hair swept back into a ponytail, giggled, her hand over her mouth. "Well, aren't you just the model grandson? I wish my grandchildren were as strong…and handsome as you…"

Sesshomaru shifted away in discomfort, an embarrassed blush making its way up his neck. Ugh, why were old women like this? For all they knew, he could be underaged! "If you don't mind, I have the backyard to finish"

Ayame's companion [who had yet to introduce herself] waved at him dismissively. "Oh, dearie, you deserve a short rest. Come, we'll make you some sweet tea"

"I-" the demon started.

"We will not take no for an answer, young man" Ayame said, waggling a finger, "We don't need you passing out in this heat and worrying Old Kaede into a fit"

Sesshomaru barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead adjusted his stance so that his body language let them know he was ready to get back to work. Passing out in this heat? It was barely 80. "I appreciate it, ladies, but the sooner I finish this lawn, the sooner I can go inside. Good day"

"So polite…" Ayame murmured dreamily, "If only your daughter hadn't married that buffoon, she could marry Kaede's grandson, Jakotsu"

Sesshomaru was taken aback. Ayame's companion was a man?!

Jakotsu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Divorces are not that expensive, you know…I'd gladly pay for it for her…"

"Koga is not that bad of a youngin now, let's give him more of a chance to redeem himself"

"Two weeks is more than enough time! Ryuk, how is your love life? My granddaughter will be available in about a month"

Sesshomaru cleared his throat and offered a one-handed salute. "I bid you adieu, ladies"

He revved up the lawn mower before they could respond and made his way to the backyard. Why did old women always try setting him up with their granddaughters [or that one time, when one tried to set him up with their grandson]? What if he enjoyed being single [which he did]? Why couldn't he just be left alone?!

Jakotsu and Ayame watched him for a few more minutes [probably hollering at him to get his attention] then decided to just give up and leave, cackling like hens all the way back to where ever they came. By that time, Sesshomaru was mostly finished. He mowed a few more lines in the grass, obsessed with how neat it looked since he mowed it in straight, diagonal lines, before the lawn gave way to the dirt that led out into the woods. For a split second, as he wiped his forehead, he wished he had some lemonade or sweet tea. Pushing this piece of junk was a lot more effort than he thought it would be but he felt a sense of accomplish-

"Ryuk? Ryuuuk!"

Sesshomaru sighed and put his shirt back on as he made his way back to the house. He walked up to the kitchen window Kaede was currently hanging out of and put his hands on his hips as he regarded her curiously.

"Be a dear and help me cook dinner. This arthritis is hurting me something awful today and it would be lovely if you'd cut up the vegetables" the old woman said sweetly.

The demon only hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "Allow me to shower and I will be right there"

Ugh. He almost disgusted himself with how nice he was to her. He couldn't even bring himself to think a negative thought about her! It was like he was…a huma-

He stopped that train of thought quickly as the urge to gag made him press the back of his hand to his mouth. Whatever he was becoming, he hoped he never turned into that.

.

..

…

With dinner simmering and the table set, Sesshomaru was able to sit and enjoy a bit of tea [he felt like he was becoming addicted to this stuff] while they waited. Kaede hummed quietly to herself as she flipped through a really thick cookbook, mostly made up of pages she inserted with her own writing.

"With the winter coming, it'll be time to make my beef stew with mashed potatoes. You still like beef stew, right?"

Sesshomaru gave her a glance. Who ever stopped liking beef stew? He nodded once as he resumed his staring back out of the kitchen window.

"I know kids can be quite fickle. Once, when you were a child, you used to adore butterscotch! Oh, you would eat them until you were blue in the face!" Kaede said with a chuckle. She sighed happily and looked at the ceiling, smiling dreamily, "You used to run to me every time you came to visit, begging for butterscotch. I swore one day you were going to turn into one. And then…one day…you just didn't want them anymore…"

The demon detected a note of sadness in her voice, like she wished things were how they used to be and before he could stop himself, he found himself feeling…things about that sadness she let lace her voice. "It is not that I do not enjoy them anymore. I just simply…began liking other things and my palette craved for other candies"

Kaede regarded the demon curiously. "My, have you grown. Your vocabulary used to only consist of requests for food or money but now…you talk like a grown man…like you're educated. I missed so many important events in your life…"

The old woman would have bouts with nostalgia and depression like this at least twice a week. Majority of the time, she'd be able to get herself out of the rut by herself but every once in a while, Sesshomaru had to help bring her back, considering he wasn't all that comfortable with human emotions. They felt so strongly about damn near any and everything, it just gave him a headache.

The demon slowly put his mug of tea down. "You didn't miss anything important on purpose. You tried to be there and sometimes you weren't able. The fact that you tried is enough"

Then…it happened: her eyes began to well up. She offered him a shaky smile. "You always did know the right thing to say to make me feel better"

Sesshomaru expected to feel extremely uncomfortable but instead, he felt…warm. Like someone had just given him a much appreciated compliment. Oh, no! He was having feelings! Blast these humans with their contagious emotions!

He stood and took their empty mugs to the sink to avoid the awkward silence. Ugh, he had to leave. He couldn't do this anymore. He'd overstayed his vacation and now he was paying for it. Everyone was going to see the change in him when he went back. He considered telling her he had to go but figured she'd only beg him to stay or get all sad again and knowing how soft he'd become in the last few days he'd been here with her, he'd more than likely give in and stay anyway. No. He had to leave without her knowing. Something in his chest squeezed at the thought of how she'd respond to seeing him in the afterlife, knowing she'd probably remember dying of heartbreak and blame it on him leaving her with no explanation but that was a bridge he could cross when he got to it. She wouldn't be the first to see him in Hell and be pissed.

They ate dinner silently, only the clinks of forks hitting the plates audible. Kaede kept her eyes mostly on her plate, a look of contemplation on her face. She was a quiet woman, someone who stayed in her head even with company and observed more than she talked. Sesshomaru didn't mind that, hell, he even preferred it…but for some reason now, it bothered him.

"Why do you live alone?" he asked without even thinking.

Kaede blinked up at him and adjusted her glasses. "Well…after your grandfather passed, I just…I don't know, I just never thought to remarry or even date again. I know I'm technically free to do so if I wished but it just feels like cheating if I date someone else"

The demon frowned. That wasn't exactly what he was getting at but that brought on a new train of thought: was she lonely? She was one of the very few old women he didn't see have a bunch of cats living with her. Maybe she didn't like cats. They could be temperamental creatures that weren't as loving as dogs-oh! That's it!

"What if you were to get a pet?" he questioned.

"A pet? Why, I hadn't even thought about it. I guess a pet could be nice" Kaede murmured, standing with a bit of difficulty, "I'm going to get ready for bed. Eat as much as you like, you know I don't care for leftovers"

After she left, Sesshomaru began putting the food into containers and putting it in the fridge. He couldn't leave her here alone, knowing she was beginning to have difficulty walking and seeing. Everything told him he shouldn't care, just force her ghost out and drag her to Hell with him so he could get back to his duties but a little voice in his head said, "No. Make sure she's taken care of"

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Sesshomaru sent a thought to Jaken, the stable keeper back in Hell. 'Send a Hellhound to my location'

There was a brief pause as he was sure his thought message woke the little minion up, 'A Hellhound, sire? Do you care which one?'

'Send me Ah-Un'

It took a few moments before the Great Dane-sized, two headed hound stepped out of the fireplace with a burst of flame, its fur smoldering and smelling of sulfur.

"You will stay here and keep an eye on the old woman" Sesshomaru commanded, summoning his portal with a quick flick of his wrist.

Ah-Un gave him a questioning look, tilting their heads in confusion, more than likely wondering why the heck the general was commanding him to protect a freaking human.

"I will return to check on her after a few days. I shouldn't need to tell you to blend in" the inuyoukai said sternly then stepped through his portal, ignoring the tug at his heart. She would be fine. Ah-Un was more than capable.