Celestia [Sesshomaru fanfiction]

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"You seem troubled."

I fiddled my fingers around the mint leaves that I plucked to chew on. Bathing had become a luxury and sweat from all the spars Sesshomaru made me go through was inevitable. The last thing I needed was a case of bad breath. 

"That would be an understatement." 

"Another nightmare?" He asked. I hesitated momentarily, unsure how much to reveal to Sesshomaru. He knew the dreams that bothered me, but never in detail. "No, it wasn't," I answered him. A new man had entered the realm and though I couldn't remember it in detail, the power I felt from him was unimaginable. 

Amid the grim battlefield, he emerged as a paragon of elegance and fearlessness. Each demon that crossed his path met a swift and graceful end as he wielded his blade with the fluidity of a maestro conducting a symphony, every strike a deadly note in a melody of eradication. His finesse made the impossible seem effortless, a dance of death performed with unwavering grace. Did such a warrior really exist in this period? 

"Do folks around here also hunt demons?" I recalled what Sesshomaru told me the day we climbed Mount Hebi - how humans had a contrasting aura to the demons'. The Mikos in temples were trained to perform sacred rituals to ward off evil spirits; Granny used to perform diligently for our shrine, too. 

"They do." The answer didn't really come as a surprise. We resumed training shortly after. My arms and legs burned with tenacity and adrenaline coursing through my veins. Every hit was a cataclysmic rhythm, screaming through my ears like howling wolves. The crescendo of our blades hitting was a familiar tune I couldn't quite grasp; the movements he taught me, though it had only been weeks since we began, was an inherent choreography. I had to admit, I was rather impressed with myself. Sesshomaru never would, but I knew he was too. Of course, that never stopped him from commenting on something that needed work.

"Your movements are still too predictable; you must think less of your next attack and observe your opponent's movement more." Our blades clashed again. "You're not exactly giving me an opening chance." He scoffed at my response. "You honestly believe your enemy would allow such foolishness to happen?" He parried my sword out of Tenseiga's range. "Also," I continued, "you didn't let me have breakfast before we sparred." I could only hope Rin and Jaken hadn't devoured all the fish we caught. 

"You think soldiers in battle do not eat their fill before entering battle?" Sesshomaru's voice plunged into a deep alto. "Many could not even bid their final farewell to their loved ones before their departure to war." I sighed. "Yes, but I am still new to this, and we're not in a war now, are we?" The prince remained unamused as I sheathed my sword. "Just give me some time to fuel up and we'll go back to training, okay?" It was his turn to sigh. "Thirty minutes."

Relief lessened the tension knotting my limbs and the anticipation of roasted, crispy fish was all that filled my head...until I saw the basket completely empty.