Chapter 16: Shakedown
Sesshoumaru sat perched atop a fence post next to the old miko's hut, one foot braced on an upper slat, as he silently watched the miko several plots away while she worked in her small garden pulling weeds and murmuring nonsensically to her plants. Each time that day whenever he had attempted to approach her, he had been diverted by someone or something requiring his attention, eventually leaving him to stop trying altogether. Ironically, the interruptions had also magically ceased.
He suddenly felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and his gaze diverted from the miko to the surrounding village. There, he spotted his brother just on the other side of the nearest tanbo, arms crossed as he glared back, eyes intense and suspicious.
Never one to back down from any challenge, Sesshoumau met his brother dead-on, arching an eyebrow after a moment when the hanyou refused to back down. Two–three–heartbeats passed before the hanyou's ears finally twitched and he averted his gaze with a loud huff. Without another look back, his brother strode off towards the monk and slayer's hut.
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tanbo - rice paddy