Greener Pastures by susie

Enough Eternity

An hour after dawn, the streets had just begun stirring to life as the earliest risers trickled out to make their morning commute.  The most devout spilled into the city, chasing out the last seedy stragglers, only to disappear again in a hurried bid to claim their seats for morning service. 

Across town, however, before the bustle of a city in full swing could offend his sensitive hearing, a sinister man entered a sinister shop with a very sinister purpose.   

“You're sure about this?” the shop’s owner asked. 

Across from him, the Western Lord’s elongated claws tapped the counter impatiently. 

“How long will it take?”  

Keen eyes gauged the daiyoukai carefully.  Despite his age, a long career of bartering kept his vision quite sharp in many respects.  But Sesshoumaru didn’t have any tells- and even if he did, lore passed down the old poison master’s bloodline made him centuries too intelligent to refuse him. 

“From the moment it passes your lips, you will have exactly twenty-four hours.” 

With a single, solemn nod, the customer seemed pleased. 

“Let me have it,” he demanded, gold eyes flicking to the vial in his possession.  They narrowed when the man pulled it back against his chest. 

“On one condition,” he said boldly.  

“Name your price.” 

Sesshoumaru’s breezy answer was at odds with everything he’d ever heard about the demon, which only piqued his curiosity further.   

The counter that separated them prevented him from leaning in too close- which was probably fortunate for him- but curiosity killed the cat. 

“Tell me why,” he asked ravenously. 

The demon’s muted reaction was enough to relay he thought him a fool- and maybe he was.  When the Lord of the West tells you to name your price and you use the excuse to pry, what else could you be? 

But apparently, these circumstances were odd enough to forgo a fabulous windfall. 

“The Lord of the Western Lands, the strongest demon to ever walk the earth, comes into my shop and asks me to kill him...” he recounted.  “I want to know why.” 

The horrible squeal of claws gouging his wooden counter caused the old man to wince.  The terrifying urge to retreat was stifled by the futility of it, and the knowledge that he’d lived a long, full life. 

But when he dislodged his fingers from the splintered wood, he made no moves to strike at him. 

“I have nothing to protect any longer,” he said bitterly, flattening his palm over the damage, “and memories are insufficient.”    

The power he'd long sought had ended up being his curse.  He’d achieved his goal only to be horrified to find that his father was right.  Now, he could only hope against hope that his poison was strong enough to finally end his suffering.   

“There’s always time to change that-” 

“All the time in the world cannot change that,” he snapped.  “I should know.” 

Tracing over the deep grooves, his tone dropped to something wistful.   

“Perhaps, if I am lucky, I shall be reincarnated into something stupid enough to be happy.” 

The red in his eyes receded somewhere the poison master was much more comfortable with.  After watching the display another moment, he gave an exhausted sigh. 

“I can’t believe I’m about to do this.  The kami will either sing my praises, or damn me for eternity.” 

Sesshoumaru straightened, holding out his palm instructively.   

Halfway to obeying, the man hesitated. 

“If you have anything left to do-” 

“There is nothing left.”  The sympathy in the old man’s eyes only deepened his scowl.  “Give me the potion.” 

Sesshoumaru popped the cap the second it was in his possession and lifted the vial to his nostrils. 

Seemingly satisfied with what he detected; he solemnly met the shopkeeper’s gaze. 

The far-off dong of church bells filled the breathless silence as he held the potion to his lips, and before reaching their count of six, the vial was tipped and every last drop of the bitter liquid was drained. 

When he was through, he gently placed it on the counter, expression just as empty. 

“Well.  That’s that,” the poison master sighed.  “What will you do with your last twenty-four hours, milord?” 

His breath caught when the demon lord sprouted an easy smile, a sense of peace washing over him.  Golden eyes gleamed at him in the low light as the demon’s shoulders relaxed, and then he shrugged. 

“I hadn’t considered it.” 

************** 

A/N:  I really wanted this to be done in time, but my best friend came back to town and I haven’t seen her in 2 years.  But I am going to finish this, and it won’t be terribly long XD 

Happy SessKag Week!