Yeah!! Another response to Skye’s Weekly Challenge.
Theme: Wind
Minimum 800 words: 1201 words used
Thanks to Reannaleco for betaing
Penny for Your Thoughts
Kagome sighed. Sapphire eyes watched the sky as she lay next to Rin. The fire flickered over freshly chopped wood, courtesy of the ugly green imp. Thus far, Sesshomaru had said nothing to her since she begun to travel with them. He remained silent when he appeared at the edge of the village to pick his pack up, and that silence continued for the remainder of the day. But enough was enough. Sometime while preparing a meal the inu had left. The miko looked around and tried to feel his aura with no avail. Rin was tucked in for the night and she was left to consider her options, but keeping quiet wasn’t something she was use to. It annoyed her that she had yet to speak to the inu alone regarding her new position. There wasn’t any intention of leaving, because the miko felt she owed her life to the being that had brought her back. But he gave no reason for his decision, and that’s what bothered her.
Unable to fall asleep, Kagome decided to go for a walk, only as far as the lake for a drink. The miko reached for her flask and headed into the dense wooded area, following a deer trail until she reached the wide open lake. It wasn’t until she sat near the water’s edge that she realized someone was near. A quick look over her shoulder proved fruitless. Standing up, she let her aura flare as her eyes scanned over the area. Kagome sighed, figuring that she was either paranoid or imagining things, she let things be, but just as she turned around, she noticed Sesshomaru coming from the tree line. His pristine form glided over the uneven ground with grace.
“Miko,” he spoke softly, ensuring he had her undivided attention. “If your instincts tell you something is near, then you shouldn’t let your guard down.”
Stunned at his sudden appearance, she said nothing and simply stared. Instead of pressing the miko for her reasons behind her presence away from the camp, the inu covered the distance between them to stand beside her. Under the pale moonlight, the lake glistened. A vague reflection of the white orb seemed to move beneath the water’s surface.
“Sesshomaru, why am I here?” Kagome allowed her voice to fade into a whisper, fearful of breaking the peace of the serene scene.
The inu said nothing as moments passed. While waiting to hear if the stoic male would answer a shooting star darted across the midnight sky. Two pairs of glistening eyes followed the ball of fire and before it could vanish, the inu picked up on the miko’s voice.
“Make a wish,” she said with a slightly lopsided smile and closed her eyes to do as she had spoken.
After a moment, the inu chose to confront the woman. “What did you wish for?” His question was sudden, and surprised the miko.
“I can’t tell you that,” she said with a light giggle, “or it won’t come true.”
“This Sesshomaru has a better chance making your wish come true than a star sent from the heavens.”
Kagome smiled but bit her lip to keep it from showing. After a second she giggled and snorted in an attempt to hide the laugh. Sesshomaru looked to the woman in her fit and arched a brow in her direction. The gesture pulled at her last restraints. Though she knew it was rude to laugh since Sesshomaru didn’t know the truth and many people in the past explained things with religious reasons when nothing logical could be deducted. Still, it was made her laugh to actually hear from a person firsthand about such beliefs. A deep breath of air allowed her a few seconds to calm down and explain things.
“A shooting star isn’t really from the heavens, nor is it a star. It is a chunk of rock from space that’s been caught in our orbit. It begins to burn up in the atmosphere until there is nothing left, or there are only bits and pieces that harmlessly fall to the ground. At least most of the time it does, there have been a few cases that a meteor does some damage in its descent to the earth.”
“Hn,” Sesshomaru felt the need to accept what the woman said. Deceit didn’t plague her aura, and her confidence in the topic made him believe she really knew what she was talking about. “Then does it not seem even more pointless to make a wish upon a non-living organism?”
“It might seem silly to you, but you can never know something for certain until you try. Miraculous things happen sometimes.”
A sudden chill down the miko’s spine was caused by the light wind that settled within the clearing. Kagome wrapped her arms around her to keep the warmth from escaping her chest. Suddenly the cold she felt increase with the next violent blast of air and she couldn’t hide the shiver. Weight around her shoulders made the woman look up. Sapphire depths pierced the golden hues. The gentle glare prying and questioning his previous actions. Not to mention that she didn’t know how he had managed the task so quickly with his one arm.
“What is this for?”
“Human’s are so forgetful. The season is changing quickly. This Sesshomaru will take you to his fortress where you will be fitted for appropriate clothing,” he answered.
“Sesshomaru, I don’t understand why you are doing this,” the miko whispered and the small confession blew away in the wind, barely reaching the intended ears.
“The hanyou treats you less than what you deserve,” he offered.
It was a jolt of shock to hear the inu’s admission. It was something she didn’t expect since any answer from him was rare. However, she said nothing, as to not make a big deal over something he would probably think nothing of. Kagome let her gaze fall toward the trees on the other side of the lake. Their tops bent with the strength of the unseen natural force.
“You know, sometimes I wish I could be the wind,” she mumbled after a while.
“The wind,” he was asking but the tone most had in their inquisitiveness wasn’t lacing his tone.
“Yeah, because it plays an important role and so many things depend on it. It’s free to do as it pleases, demanding attention when it is around. Every person notices it, it’s impossible not to notice it, especially in the warm summer season when it brings about the cool breezes everyone wishes for,” Kagome sighed. A few seconds passed in a comfortable silence.
“You are like the wind miko. You help many people. They appreciate you when you are near. Most cannot ignore your presence because you have grown to be such a powerful Shrine Maiden. There are plenty out there who seek you, depend on you, and need you. ”
He said nothing else as he turned, leaving Kagome to baring his haori as she watched him walk away. With a smile Kagome went over her thoughts. She tugged the silk around her tighter as she thought over her wish.
–
I wish Sesshomaru would open up more.
–
**********
Ja ne
Angelic Memories
© 2009
edited 2010