Chasing Sunsets by Aurora Antheia Raine

Her Essence

July 2012 GMDDN Prompt 1: Salty Dog

Word Count: 300

He was back.

It was an observation Higurashi Kagome couldn't help but notice. Three nights ago, he had been a newcomer at the bar she worked at, but now, he could be considered a regular - always seating himself at the same barstool in the corner. He was silent, almost brooding, but never troublesome. He was always aloof in his expensive suit, accentuating his long, silver hair and pale skin, but that's where the consistency ended.

Unlike other regulars she had, he ordered a different drink every night. He started simply enough: a dry martini, a screwdriver, an oddly feminine daiquiri - but now he had moved on to other unique flavors: the salty dog.

He sipped slowly, savoring the bitter citrus flavor of the cocktail and licking the remnants of the rimmed salt on his lips. She approached him slowly, her expression curious. Kagome jutted her chin towards his drink. "How is it?"

He frowned, setting the glass down. "This was not what I was seeking."

"I... don't understand."

Did she mix up his order somehow?

"The flavor is not her."

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows. "Her?"

He was silent for a moment as he drank from his glass, almost contemplative of his next actions. Clearly reaching a decision, he withdrew a slip of folded white paper from inside his suit and slid it across the counter towards her. Kagome wordlessly accepted it and unfolded the paper, revealing a short, handwritten note inside.

"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, but I can no longer be with someone who does not know or understand me. If I return to your side, it will be only after you have come to realize the flavors that make up the entirety of my essence."

"Can you find her answer from a cocktail?"

"I can... and I shall."