Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.
Orange
Kaede heaved a sigh as she checked the stew again. At least, she had done something today, even if it were only re-sewing her old kimono for some other girl to use, and making the stew. Both under the close eye of Satsuki, but the head woman had been nice, and didn't make her feel stupid.
Suriya entered the hut, flashing Kaede a smile. "Satsuki-dono told me you were making supper tonight—it smells wonderful. And look—Hajime gave me an orange. We'll share it after the meal how does that sound?"
Kaede's effort to control her reaction failed: she adored oranges, only having had part of an orange maybe three times in her entire life. She also detested the headman's son with every ounce of her loyal heart. "Hajime's bad," she declared. "He got real mean and nasty after Kikyo-ane-sama refused his offer to marry her."
Suriya's expression sobered. "I've heard about that, Kaede," she said. Removing the lid from the pot, Suriya took a long sniff, before looking back. "But, I still want to help him, if I can. I know how it feels to lose a dream."
Kaede looked away, not wanting to talk about him. Suriya served the stew, and they ate in silence. After, Suriya peeled the orange and gave half to the girl. Kaede was rather surprised to see Suriya match her own graceless finger-licking to retrieve every bit of flavor. Nevertheless, Kaede couldn't quite keep herself from saying,
"I bet you had oranges a lot, growing up."
Suriya shot her an admonishing gaze. Kaede flushed and looked away. "No. Father rarely spent money on so-called 'fripperies'. We were—well, not wealthy compared to most of the other samurai families."
Kaede refused to admit any curiosity, but, after a silence, stiffly apologized.
Author's Note: This piece was written for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes, for the prompt 'Control.' It was originally posted on July 19, 2011. It won first place. (10/5/2011)