Celestia [Sesshomaru fanfiction]

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 "Are those real?" He asked. Yuna followed his gaze to her earrings and nodded. 

"Trade them for whatever it is you require." The ambers were tiny little things, barely the size of her own pinkie. The pair would do for food and new clothing. However, he felt Yuna's hesitation. 

"My dad gave them to me," she whispered. 

"Would he rather have you keep them, or starve yourself to death?" Blue eyes pierced through his golden ones, a deathly glare that would have set the prince on edge, but there were much worse things his eyes had seen. Yuna left without a word, setting her path back to the village. Suzaku, the sword they had barely been able to retrieve rested quietly on her back. Sesshomaru sensed its aura circulating its sheath and the girl; it remained to irk him seeing how readily the mighty sword had accepted her, though, it would explain her striking resemblance to the late maiden. Everything that stared before Sesshomaru was enough to confirm his theory, but a part of him refused to accept it. How could such a powerful maiden of his time, be reincarnated into a child? He took another slow breath and released it through his nose. Sesshomaru needed more evidence to stand before him. Only then, would he allow himself to accept reality.

♔♔♔

"How much can I buy with this?" 

The salesman eyed the single earring resting on my palm, perplexed by the gleaming gemstone. "They're real, I promise." I hoped the same would go for the smile I was giving. 

"If you say so," he said and traded my earring for three pieces of onigiri. 

"Arigato gozaimasu!" I bowed and went off to find a clothing stall as I took a bite of my first onigiri. It was a simple, yet melting bun of flavor. The first ever real food since falling into this period. My heart leaped with my belly as I hummed along the dusty street, only to stop after noticing a peculiar-looking tent. With clothes displayed! Jackpot! 

The old man running the stall bowed in greeting. "It's been far too long since I've last had a customer." I showed him my last earring. "Anything I can buy with this? It's an amber gemstone." 

He responded with a smile of his own, nodding firmly as he took the earring from my hand. "It's not every day one would trade a gem for what austere materials I have to give. Please, choose whichever interests you." Doubt ceased as quickly as it arrived upon hearing his words. But as grateful as I was for his hospitality, the frailty of his appearance couldn't be ignored. The dirt and grease on his ragged robe were unlike anything I had seen; sure, kimonos in my time exceeded the appearance of the feudal era, but this...this was just a worn-torn piece of garment. 

My long face caught the man's attention. "Do none of them interest you, miss?" He expressed confusion on his face, and it quickly changed into that of...worry?

"Dear me, I do apologize. Such rare gem is not worth the clothes displayed." Heat rushed to my face, shocked by the complete misunderstanding of my silence. "No! No! That's not what I meant, at all! It's just..." Passersby imitated the man's attire. How had I not noticed the solemn looks on their faces? As they roamed around, a piece of me broke for them, and for the state of their home. They were humble dwellings, constructed from weathered, sun-bleached wood and crumbling adobe. Many were thatched with dried palm fronds that looked far too thin and weak to pass as roofs. Fragments of what had been stone pavements scattered the wounding path, lined with dead lands. 

"Forgive me for prying, but, what happened here?" 

Grave were the man's eyes as I asked him my question. I was beginning to think I had overstepped. "For years, our village prospered in rich soil," he started. "Seeds of all kinds could be planted and grown. The river was our source of water and food. It nurtured the land and brought vegetation and living animals to our homes. Our supply was bountiful."