Puzzle by Vixeria Snow

Puzzle

"Why do you show such emotion?"

It was a relatively simple question, but one that bewildered him to no end. The raw emotion pouring from behind her closed eyelids as she rested, reclined against the roots of a hollow tree. Her face was relaxed, but tears escaped, trailing down to the peak of her dainty chin. Even while fast asleep, her sentiments broke forth for all to see.

He knelt before her on one knee and reached forward to place his fingers beneath her chin. He caught a few of the tears but did not wipe at them. He allowed those few tears to trail over his thumb and around his wrist. And for a moment, he felt connected. He watched them glisten and shimmer in the afternoon sun.

When her friends, the monk and the slayer, had their first babe, he watched as she handed it over. Tears had slid, and hiccups ensued, and he could only assume she had been upset over its birth. Though, he hadn't the faintest idea why.

Again, as she leaned over his brother, begging him not to slay him. She shed her tears over his fallen body, and he presumed it was because she thought he was dead... at first.

When he watched in silence, by coincidence, as she held her kit close to her chest, tears softly sliding down her face as she gazed up at the stars, the kit fast asleep in her arms. And for what, he wondered, why she showed a look of what he presumed to be anguish.

But why now did she weep? For what purpose?

He was startled slightly when her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes went wide as she stared up at the demon lord. "Sesshomaru...?" She asked, unsure. Nervous. She didn't make a move of any sort even to try and wipe away her tears. She looked at him. She could feel the tears as they dried on her skin but resisted the urge to wipe at them still.

"Why do you mourn?" He asked.

"I'm not mourning," she said, confused.

"For what purpose, then, is your tears if not to mourn?"

"It's because.." her voice trailed off for a moment as she thought back to whatever dream she'd had. "I was happy." She offered him a soft smile as she sat forward finally.

His brows furrowed as he attempted to understand. He stood from his kneeled position, flicking his hand to rid himself of the dried saltwater on his skin. "You, woman," he commented, "are an enigma."

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I apologize for such a short chapter. I caught Covid last week and now I'm in the middle of just trying not to die. I managed to finish this much and hopefully it's enough to satisfy this particular prompt. I wanted to get what I could uploaded even if it's not at 100%. Perhaps the next time I participate I won't be so deathly sick. :/

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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