Four Seasons by animejunky78
Winters Past
Title: Winters Past
Author: Animejunky78
Prompt: Seasons Challenge-Winter
Genre: Romance, Angst, Tragedy
AU/CU: Canon
Rating: K+
Warnings: Sesshoumaru is a bit OOC
Word Count: 1804
A/N: This is the first of a one shot series for the Seasons Challenge at Dokuga.com. Takes place after Naraku and the jewel are gone. This one is light on the romance.
Summary: As the snow falls around them, memories of the past surface, as well as feelings.
Winters Past
Little snowflakes fluttered down to the earth in an illusive dance of random graceful moves. As they landed they softly melded with the mass of white that blanketed the ground. The evening sun reflected oranges and yellows that swept over the trees giving their bark an etherial glow. As the sun continued to dip farther, the entire forest turned otherworldly in its winter garb. A small wooden structure lay silent at the heart of this enchanted forest, with a tall stoic protector watching over it. It wouldn’t be long.
Just then the energy of the time slip tickled his senses. The one he had been waiting for had arrived. He remained at the edge of the clearing, out of her sight, and his youki suppressed and out of her senses. Waiting. Soon a delicate hand reached up and over the lip of the well; quickly followed by another. With a bit of a struggle and a small amount of grunting the person pulled them self from the depths of the dry well. A young woman of nineteen or twenty, pulled herself over the edge of the well. She swung her legs up and over. They were well muscled from great exercise. She was lean and fit with porcelain skin. Her hair was the color of ravens feathers, and smooth and shiny as fine silk. She tossed it over her shoulder and it floated like silken threads in the soft breeze. Most striking of this young woman were her piercing blue eyes. They contrasted with her hair so dramatically, the affect was hypnotic. The woman sat on the edge of the well and gave her boots a little tug. When she stood she stretched her arms over her head and gave a contented sigh. A warm smile crossed her face, and she slung the great yellow pack onto one shoulder. She pulled at the collar of her coat that was a fluffy white material that her observer had never seen before. Come to think of it, he had not seen the strange blue material that the body of the coat was made of either. It looked rough and not very warm. The young woman began to make her way toward the village that was near by.
“Kagome.” A familiar voice came through the trees where she had been headed.
“Hey, Inuyasha.” The girl called as a red clad inu-hanyou jumped from the tree line.
The young hanyou stopped in front of the raven haired woman. She smiled up at him in a way that their unknown observer envied. His heart ached for a woman to smile at him in that way. His beast fought to attack the boy, but the stoic controlled man refused. Insisting to his beast that that was not the way. With his composure returned he looked back at the pair across the clearing form his location. The hanyou had taken the monstrous bag over his shoulder, and the two began to walk into the trees. When the pair were gone, their silent watcher exited the trees and approached the small well. He ran clawed fingertips over the rim of the battered well. Feeling ever rough edge and threatening splinter, until he felt the small bit of warmth left from the woman. He rested his palm over the spot where she had sat mere moments before. The scent of the woman still hung int he air. He inhaled what he could of her scent, sending a thrill through his body making his beast struggle again. With that he left the clearing, heading in the opposite direction as the woman and the boy.
Kagome had returned a few days before and the group had not left the village. With Naraku and the jewel gone, there was no need. If she had to admit it, she missed their travels sometimes. However, with the snow and the harsh unpredictable nature of winter, it was better to stay in the village. It had grown and prosper since the final battle. Rin had come to live in the village, which she enjoyed immensely. The girl was terribly sweet and the most adorable thing. Lord Sesshoumaru came to visit her often, which she enjoyed as well. She had found him to not be as cold as she originally thought. As a matter of fact, he was a lot more interesting then she thought. Highly intelligent, well mannered, and very caring; towards Rin that is.
Before she knew it she had wondered out to the forest. It seemed that her feet always took her ‘home.’ Before long the God tree came into view. Another one of her warm compassionate smiles spread across her lips. The Goshinbaku was ‘home’ to her, it stood in both times and symbolized life, home and family to her. She stood before the great tree then bowed in respect. After a moment she sat at its base with her legs folded beneath her. She leaned her head back against the trunk and closed her eyes. After several minutes of silence she spoke; keeping her eyes shut tight.
“How are you dad?” She said to no one. “I miss you.”
“I wish you were here right now. I could really use your advice.” She sighed heavily when she finished, then tilted her head sideways. “How do you deal with a man when you don’t love him?” Her voice was lined with angst.
“You tell him as much.” A deep voice said suddenly.
Kagome’s eyes flew open with shock at receiving an answer. To her great surprise Sesshoumaru stood no more then five feet from her. She blinked in bewilderment a few times before she scrambled to stand up. She gave a deep bow as her cheeks turned crimson in embarrassment.
“Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama.” She said weakly.
“Who, may I ask, were you talking to just now?” His tome was cool and monotone as usual.
“My father.” A little giggle accompanied her answer.
“But no other human is here.”
“Yeah.” She started awkwardly. “I talk to him sometimes. You know, when a girl needs some fatherly advise.”
“So, why not go back to your time to converse with him?” A slender brow raised questioningly.
“I can’t.” Her mood turned sad. “You see, I lost my father when I was young.”
The demon lords eyes widened minutely. She had lost her father. Pounded through his head. His heart ached again, although he did not show it. Instead he turned his back to the small miko.
“May I ask who this man is?” He asked suddenly, making the woman stop breathless for a moment. “The one you do not love.”
“Well...Inuyasha.” She stammered as she said his name, and rubbed the back of her neck as if to ease some pain.
“Best to simply tell him.” He advised.
“Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama.”
“Why do you return then?” His next question shocked her completely.
“Well...To protect the ones I love.” The stoic lord turned to face her, with one brow lifted high into his bangs. “I guess I can’t do much. I’m not strong or fast or even very good with my powers, but I will do all I can to protect the ones I love from whatever comes to harm them.”
‘Sesshoumaru, do you have someone that you wish to protect?’
His fathers words echoed through his head. The night his father asked him that he had responded that it was ridiculous. Although, over these past few years he had grown to understand his fathers words. He now understood that protecting someone was to love them, and to love someone was to not be alone. When you are no longer alone, you are complete. Rin had helped to fill some of that void in his life, but a part of it remained. Kagome was concerned over the youkai lords strange silence. Sure he was silent most of the time, but this felt different. It felt pained. She began to reach out to him, but stopped herself.
“Are you alright?” She finally asked.
“I lost my father in the winter.” He suddenly said.
Shocked at his strange admonishment she was unsure of how she should respond to him.
“I’m sorry.” Was the best she could manage.
“I remember it clearly.” He continued. “I had said things to him.”
“Oh?” Kagome reseated herself in front of the tree.
“Terrible things.” He turned away. “I didn’t think he would have really died that night.”
“You couldn’t have know that.” She tried to reassure him.
“I should have.” The demon lords voice dripped with self loathing; something she never imagined she would see from him.
“Lord Sesshoumaru.” She stood up and moved close to him. “No one, human or youkai, can ever know those types of things.” He turned to face her. “We can only deal with the pain of these things.”
Kagome lowered her eyes to look at her hands, who’s fingers were tightly woven together. Her aura turned sad and hurt before she lifted her head again. When she did her eyes were filled with tears.
“Souta had just been born. Not more than a few weeks old. I was jealous of the attention that he got. So, I decided that I wanted a candy. I threw a fit until dad agreed to go out and get me one. Dad...never came home.”
The tears began to stream down her face as she let out a loud cry of anguish. The young woman cried for several minutes with a silent youkai watching her, a look of hurt on his face as well. When she finished she wiped her face with her sleeve, and sniffed a couple of times.
“I’m sorry Sesshoumaru-sama.” She managed between sniffs. “I’ve never told anyone that before.”
“I suppose we have both opened up to one another today.” He started softly, and a warmth was visible in his eyes. “Thank you miko.”
He turned and walked away from the miko. She stared after him quizzically. Perhaps he had meant that he told me something private as well? She sat at the base of the tree again thinking about what the youkai lord had told her. Her mind drifted far away as she relaxed. Before long little flecks of snow began to drift down from the sky. As a snowflake rested, and promptly melted, on the tip of her nose; she got up and began making her way back to the village. Her spirits lifted and feeling a weight was removed , her muscles relaxed.
In a nearby tree the same stoic figure watched her return to the village, changed as she was. A light breeze lifted his silver hair in a dance. Sesshoumaru, do you have someone you wish to protect? His fathers voice rang through his head again.
“Yes, father.”