Of Sinners and Saints by Hedda

Introduction

Written for Dokuga Contest's Weekly perfection. Prompt: Hail - 400 words. Won third place. =) Originally posted on March 7th 2011.

Enjoy

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Sesshomaru watched the old man rummaging through a wooden box, frantically searching for something. For a priest, Father Daniel seemed fairly unorganized. In his office, hymnbooks were scattered all over the place as were sheets of paper. A strange assortment of tea cups were lined up on the shelves which were hanging aslant on the wall.

“Bishop Crouch spoke highly of you,” he chirped happily.

“I never had the honour to meet his Excellence,” Sesshomaru replied.

Father Daniel chuckled while he continued to create chaos. He now was emptying the box, trying a more systematic approach. Sesshomaru kept his polite smile in place, even though he had the urge to scream. His talents would be wasted in a place like this.

“Oh, I never asked you where you come from. Your name is exotic, yet beautiful,” Daniel said.

“Thank you, Father. I hail from the eastern lands,” he stated.

“That is sort of… vague.” Father Daniel looked up from his task.

“Hn.”

Sesshomaru walked towards the window and let his gaze wander. Vague answers were the only ones he was able give without lying. Moreover, despite his remarkable memory, he was sometimes uncertain himself were he originally came from. Born in a palace high in the sky, he had roamed the lands of eastern China and western Japan. He had travelled through the Mongolian plains and had scaled the Ural. He had lived for centuries in European metropolises, every thirty or forty years he abandoned what he had built under great efforts. This was the sinner’s destiny. He would never have a place to call home, again.

He watched children play on a lush meadow, oblivious to the evils that awaited them in the world. He didn’t flinch, when he felt Father Daniel’s hand on his shoulder. He turned around and faced the smiling man. It was then, when a scent caught Sesshomaru’s attention: The scent of decay.

Sesshomaru averted his gaze. If envy wasn’t considered a sin, he would be jealous of them. Humans were pitiable creatures, weak, twisted and often far crueler than any demon could be. However, they were given the most precious gift: Mortality. They would meet the Lord; they had a chance of entering paradise. Even if he would die one day, he would be sent straight to hell. And still, he would do his best for these people.

The path of the penitent man.