Eye Candy by Sereia

Chapter 1

"What about this one?"

The miko held up another obi in a familiar shade of yellow, but Sesshoumaru shook his head. "If you are set on the indigo, you require something softer." Reaching past her, he pulled out one in lavender.

She seemed oddly disappointed, eyes lingering on the yellow, but eventually pulling the purple silk from between his claws. She hung it over the changing panel next to her kimono, and as he thought, the indigo patterns contrasted nicely.

Jewellery was next, her shoulders slumping when he waved off her first choices. "Pairing red accents would be jarring," he chided, offering up a kanzashi similar to that of her obi. "Are the colour combinations this vulgar in your time? Is this that you have asked for my help?"

There was a faint blush to her cheeks, and she shook her head. "Mama was always the one to help me. And I haven't worn a formal kimono since I was little." She fiddled with the beads of the kanzashi, avoiding his gaze.

"You miss them. Your family," he clarified when she shot him a confused glance over her shoulder.

"Oh, yes. Of course." She gathered the rest of her outfit, disappearing behind the folding screen. "Will you hang around for a few minutes just in case I can't tie it properly?" There was that odd lilt to her voice again, a frown pinching his brow.

She'd been acting strange since she'd asked for the favour of putting together her ensemble. It was an innocuous, human festival, but she'd convinced him not only to attend but to assist in her dressing beforehand.

He moved to the window, making sure to keep her hidden behind the panel, knowing how important her modesty was. "Is there a point to this gathering?" he asked.

"It's called Tanabata," she said, the obi disappearing from the corner of the screen.

Sesshoumaru scowled. "Does that mean there will be seven of them?"

There was a snort before her laughter filtered out from her changing spot. "It's not so literal."

"Explain."

Her laughter continued. "It's about star-crossed lovers. A princess and a cowherd. Her father doesn't approve, mostly because their love distracts them from their duties, so he separates them."

"A wise decision." A comb flew out from behind the screen, hitting him in the shoulder.

"It's true love, Sesshoumaru. Nothing can separate that." There was a flutter of silk. "Anyway, the princess spends all her time crying, and her father finally relents, allowing them to meet one night a year. Tonight." She stepped out from the screen, sunlight reflecting off her ebony locks, and for once, Sesshoumaru was at a loss for words.

She was beautiful.

A soft smile lit up her face as she spun in front of him. "What do you think?"

There was a slight incline of his head as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Acceptable."

The miko rolled her eyes. "I don't want to just be acceptable," she said. "I want to dress to impress!" She turned away from him, motioning to the loose knot of her obi.

He untied it, adjusting the angle before folding the silk into its proper place. "Are you wishing to impress someone specific tonight?"

Her hands paused in the act of brushing off the front of her kimono. "Maybe."

The idea of her marrying or even mating someone had never bothered him before, but he felt his ire rise, fingers quickly releasing her obi. "Try not to fall for the first male who offers you a dance," he said, heading toward the door.

He felt her surprise without turning around. "I'm a little pickier than that," she argued. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"I have better things to do than partake in a human's petty excuse to drink and make a fool of themselves," he bit out, not wanting to look any further into why he was put out. "Tell Rin I will see her after the next full moon." She didn't follow him as he left her hut, though he never gave her the chance, quickly taking to the sky.

..::**::..

"Oi! Asshole! What the hell are you doing out here?"

He ignored his brother's question, gazing out at the festival from a secure branch of Goshinboku. He'd tried to return home—there was a pile of missives on his desk that Jaken was sure to remind him of—but the image of the miko was burned into his mind.

The indigo of her kimono had brought out the colour of her eyes, though they'd never needed help to do so before, and he was chagrined to admit the idea of her frolicking with someone else annoyed him more than his father leaving Tessaiga to his brother.

When he'd asked her about having someone to impress, the wistful tone of her voice proved she did have someone in mind, and though he hadn't been able to walk away entirely, he wasn't stupid enough to watch it unfold in front of him.

Inuyasha jumped onto the same branch, kicking his folded knee out from under his arm. "I ask ya a question," he snapped.

"I am aware."

Golden eyes glared. "And?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, leaning back against the bark. "And what? I have no need to attend a human festival."

"You do when K'gome invites ya!" His brother was next to seething, knuckles cracking around the hilt of his blade, and Sesshoumaru slowly met his gaze.

"What does it matter who invited me?"

"It matters 'cause now she won't even come out of her hut! She spent all day picking out the perfect outfit, and now you're not even around to see it!"

He scowled at him. "I have already seen it."

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "Then why is she cryin'? Was it the wrong colour?"

He slowly got to his feet, already tired of his brother's tirade. "Why would the colour matter?" He jumped out of the tree, barely making a sound as he hit the ground.

Inuyasha was not as graceful, nearly losing his footing before yanking on the back of his armour. "Because she's tryin' to impress you! Didn't she explain the point behind this festival? You were supposed to go together."

His time in the miko's hut ran through his mind, as it had multiple times already, but things shifted, and he focused on the subtle changes in her scent, the colour in her cheeks that hadn't come from her makeup, and he flinched. "I have erred."

"No shit."

Straightening his shoulders to cover his shame, Sesshoumaru took a step toward the village, only to be stopped by Inuyasha's claws digging into his arm. He pulled away, youki flaring. "I need to rectify—"

"I ain't stoppin' ya," he said. "But if this is just a passing thing for you, I'll beat your ass into the ground to keep you from goin' back."

Sesshoumaru shook his head, then removed his brother's hand. "She is worth more than that."

His brother clicked his tongue, then nodded. "Glad we agree." He smirked, then took off, sprinting between trees and villagers until he came to the miko's hut. The salt in the air was potent, and he steeled himself before pulling the covering aside.

She was still in her festival attire, though her hair was loose, and she whirled away from him when he entered. "I thought you weren't coming," she said, wiping her face.

"I had not finished helping you get ready," he replied softly.

She waved him off. "It's alright. There's no point in going now."

"Were you not expecting a dance?"

Her shoulders hunched. "Not from anyone who mattered."

Never again would he claim his brother's observation skills were less than his own.

He found the kanzashi on her table, and she jumped when his claws ran through her hair, twisting it into an intricate knot at the base of her neck. "I'm not going," she reiterated.

"Then we will dance in here." He looked around, eyeing the various pieces of furniture. "It will be cramped, but we will make it work." She finally turned around, cheeks damp as she stared up at him in wonder, and he grabbed her chin, sliding his nose along the side of her jaw. "I apologize for not recognizing your suit earlier."

She choked on her laughter. "The yellow obi and red earrings weren't a dead giveaway?"

He raised his chin in the air. "I was too distracted by your lack of taste."

That earned him a punch in the stomach, but she finally relaxed. "And now?"

He smirked, thumb tracing her bottom lip. "I am still distracted." Her smile grew as she leaned into his touch, then met him halfway as he lowered his head. She tasted as sweet as she looked, tongue flicking out before slanting her head, and Sesshoumaru readily obliged, earning a soft moan for his ears only.

He would've liked to have discovered the other sounds she made, but she grabbed his hand, leading him out of her hut into the throng of villagers, the festival already in full swing. He caught his brother's gaze, Inuyasha giving him an approving nod, but his attention was quickly splintered as the miko placed his hand on her waist, intertwining the fingers with the other as she spun him around.

It was a human tradition, but one he was willing to continue—though he would see to it they would meet more than once a year.