Celestia [Sesshomaru fanfiction]

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Falling leaves fell with confident grace. As the gentle breeze danced among the green skin in summer's light, Sesshomaru stood atop a sole hill. He breathed the fresh air to soothe the aches in his muscles. His wound was a sting yet to dissolve - a vexing reminder of the battle he nearly lost. 

Sesshomaru couldn't recall the last time his thoughts were in disarray - when landscapes turned to intricate webs of tangled concepts, emotions, and disjointed fragments of reality. Then again, his mind had always been a labyrinth few could comprehend. Even he couldn't always understand himself. The wind escalated to a gentle push. Was that a gesture of nature beseeching him to leave? 

"Sesshomaru." 

The call to his name carried a weight he couldn't ignore. An echo from his past that had been concealed beneath layers of time; a spectral whisper Sesshomaru had hoped would remain dormant. Yet, there she was, a spitting image of the maiden lost through time. But to the sensation scourging his chest, Sesshomaru could not decipher. Too long had his heart hardened, deprived of such strong emotions. It was no wonder his mind was a tempest. 

His eyes spoke to her, a stare that demanded a reason for her disturbing his contemplation. Yuna pursed her lips, as if hesitant to speak out her mind. Fortunately, the unfavorable pause did not last long as Yuna took a deep, quiet breath. 

"I need new clothes." 

Sesshomaru trailed Yuna's figure from head to toe; he couldn't help but notice the impeccable state of her attire. Torn in many areas that left much of her vital areas vulnerable, she was lucky to have escaped the mountains with scrapes. Even her hair and complexion needed reviving; she was due for a bath. 

"And where would you suggest to find them here?" His response positioned Yuna's request as a spoiled front, or mere foolishness to think she would find such necessities in the meadow they stood - where nothing but floras and faunas inhabited the area. In many ways, he was right. 

"There's a village just down by the river." Or not. "I saw a bunch of them selling clothes and food." 

"Yet you returned without any at your possession." 

"I need money." Such a short, yet true statement should have left the prince baffled, but the only reaction he entertained was a shallow sneer. 

"And you believe I possess those trinkets you require?" 

She shuffled her right foot and spoke with an innocent look. "Well, yeah. You call yourself a wanderer; shouldn't you have some money to get food and other things?"

A yokai, much less a daiyokai, did not require feeble materials to survive. Though they could fill their bellies with food and clothe themselves in fine silk and jewelry, they weren't needed to function. A yokai's mana was more than enough to keep their hearts beating and their stomachs satiated. Only those who had dwelled themselves too deeply into mortal affairs must require such necessities. Regardless, Yuna raised a fair statement; were she to continue journeying with Sesshomaru in her condition, it would not only slow him down but also be an embarrassment. Any companion, human or yokai, ought to present themselves appropriately when standing before a prince. He noticed the pair of earrings Yuna wore; perhaps, they would do the trick.