Notice
The sights and sounds of battle still sang within Sesshoumaru as he allowed himself to wander the grounds, but they were tempered by his father's words now.
Self-mastery is a must; that much made sense. It struck him as self-evident that one bettered oneself, or one died; but what did his father mean, 'know thyself'? Why did he always speak on such trivial things as compassion and empathy? There was no profit to be gained from giving those lesser than himself any consideration, and if they could not stand against him as his equal, then they were lesser. Why waste much time and energy on beings whose rightful place was under his heel?
The day waned on, finally bringing him the solace of moonlight he desired. It rose full and bright in the sky, shimmering like a drop of mother-of-pearl and bathing all the castle in its light. Pale shadows quivered, dancing along the ground and crawling up the walls as vassals and servants alike completed their assigned tasks for the evening.
Sesshoumaru continued his leisurely stroll as he observed the theatre of shades flitting about his feet and soon found himself around the rear side of the castle. Here, he knew, was considered the servant's area, stockpiled with the split logs for their fires, the cut stones for the castle, etc.; the pathway connecting the stables to the main building was also here, as was one of the servants.
For a moment, Sesshoumaru thought it odd, seeing how everyone else was already inside for the night, and it irritated him that this creature had disrupted his solitude. Still, he was curious, and he paused to observe the thing from a distance. It was ratty, to put it politely, its clothes roughly patched and stained, but what drew his attention was the set of ears that sat atop its head; white with black tufted tips.
'Ah… This must be the half-breed whelp Rekkonji mentioned some decades time ago…'
Its state of neglect made perfect sense to him now, and a wicked smile curled across his lips. He allowed himself a moment more of silent gloating as he watched it gather a few split logs from the woodpiles, stuffing them into the fire pit along the castle wall that heated the baths.
'Clumsy, loud, inferior creature, he sneered to himself. If I wanted to, I could have killed it twice over already.'
He shifted to leave but paused again as he saw the creature pull back its sleeve and reach deep into the flames. Did it mean to injure itself to avoid work? He wouldn't put it past such a wretched thing, but then he saw it; the flames turned black. He frowned, nose twitching as he took stock of the servant's scent. It was, indeed, just a half-breed female, and thus should possess no such ability; yet here he saw it with his own eyes. Inquisitive, he continued to watch.
****
Kuroihi urged the flames higher, waiting for the tell-tale steam to begin rolling through the wood slats that were the windows to the bathes. As it did, she withdrew her hand, and she watched the black hue gave way again to angry red and yellow. It was a simple enough trick, but Fuyutoka hated it when she used it, so it wasn't something she frequently did. She had been tired tonight, though, and was already behind on her chores, so she took the risk. Finished, she made her way toward the castle entrance.
It happened all at once, the shifting in the shadows in the near distance, her inner demon suddenly snarling and making her hair stand on end. Something dangerous was near, something she'd missed, and she froze as recognized the figure that now stepped from that darkness.
Panic shot through her like electricity. Fuyutoka would castigate her severely enough for being seen in the first place, but to be seen by the general's son, the one person the overseer had been painstakingly hidden her from all these years.
'Gods, why; anyone, please, couldn't it have been anyone but him?!'
She was torn between throwing herself to the ground to grovel in hopes he would be lenient and simply bolting into the castle to hide, her body rooted indecisively to the spot. He tilted his head slightly, freeing her from all doubt, and she dove for the door.
"Stay."
The weight of authority in his silken tone dragged her to the ground face firmly in the dirt. Slowly, Sesshoumaru made his way towards her.
Kuroihi froze.
There was no denying it now; she'd been caught. Of all the people to see her, it had to be the general's son. She more felt than directed her body-ghostly and disconnected- to twist to the ground in a bow that faced him. Conditioned as she was, even though her instincts screamed at her to flee, she had no desire to move again without his express command.
"Come here."
The weight of his words seemed to shift the world around to his whim. Kuroihi again felt her body move almost on its own to obey.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes down at the creature before him, searching for any justification for the power he had seen it display. Its heritage alone should have disallowed the ability, and judging from the state of wear and neglect of this creature, it should have possessed no powers whatsoever. The thing could easily have been wearing this same set of garments for decades, the hands and fingers were scarred and calloused, and its hair was woefully tangled and frayed.
'It shouldn't be possible for such an insignificant creature to be able to channel energies in such a manner, and yet.'
'Ask if something's wrong,' she thought to herself as the moments ticked by, 'it's not a breach of protocol, I can ask that much. No. Not this time, not with him.'
His mind quickly ran through several scenarios that would justify what he'd seen with his own eyes; all of them he dismissed. It was a puzzlement, this one, and it seemed he would not find the answer here, no matter how pleasing the scent of terror it exuded was to him. Still, the creature belonged to his father, not himself, so he quickly cast his eyes about to find the reason for his summons, settling on the ashes spilling out from the fire pit it had been tending. Perfect.
'Just do it, you coward!
She drew breath to speak. Sesshoumaru, however, was quicker.
"Fool." he breathed, his tone biting. "Clear this mess."
He let the words sink in for a moment, then disappeared into the castle in all his silent grace.
He would inquire within about this hanyou's abilities. Father surely had the answers.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone