Tears of the Snow Princess by Lilith-sama

Winter.

Disclaimer: Meh no own Sess or Kags. How I wish I did.

Snow drifted amongst the strong December winds. Everything had been covered with snow, allowing not even the slightest bit of green grass to be seen. White had enveloped the lovely landscape, and would not release its hold. A stinging cold followed the snow, evaporating the dim cool of fall. The bitter arctic stillness held everything in place, creating a dome of tranquility over the living of the woods. It kept everything so pristine and calculated that it was sometimes too magnificent to watch.

A man stood in complete silence, his black coat and pants contrasting against the crunchy white snow beneath his feet. He watched his surroundings with the eye of a hawk, finding peace in watching the bitterness of winter. This was the time when he felt most comfortable with his self and the world about him.

Although he stood in the eery white around him, his mind remained in a whole different plane of imagination. Though he could not exactly forget the snow that he stood in, he could overlook it and think about something entirely different. The landscape was beautiful enough, in itself, but he found his mind tracing to another beauty in particular.

His mind was smitten by a beauty that not even the landscape could surpass, which could only mean the one on his mind was extravagant. No one, he believed, could pass the beauty of the woman that had wormed her way into his heart.

It was odd for him, to say the least, to fall for a woman, but his heart betrayed his senses. His beating heart was the one to blame for his lack of spine, and mind. It was the love that he held for this woman that kept him blinded from everything else.

He clearly counted himself a fool, to fall to the evils of love. But it was even worse to give it to the most simple girl he had ever met. And her simple ways had entranced him so. The vision of her never wavered in his mind, and he never thought to push the thought of this woman away. He was completely content thinking about her, and would do nothing further in the relationship they held.

When he had first met her on that warm morning, she was doing the laundry out in the front of her yard, wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a large cotton t-shirt. He had watched her for a short while as he walked past the mailbox, trying to locate his younger brother's home. He had special information about his father's whereabouts and health that he had needed to know. He was the only one who even knew where his brother lived, so he had to deliver the information face to face with his brother.

But, yet, he didn't expect a young woman to be found in the front of his yard. When she had turned to look at him, he could feel the blood flow stop at the sight of her face. Her porcelain skin looked smooth and unblemished while her cherry red lips caught his wandering eye. Her eyes were lined with thick stunning lashes that captured her sapphire eyes well. Her nose sat cutely against her features, a piece of raven black hair dangling in front of her nose. He wished he could swipe that hair away with a loving hand, but immediately dismissed the idea once she had looked him over.

When she spoke, that was the first moment he knew that he had reached heaven. Her voice laced with the air about her, filling the silence with a music that would never cease to amaze him. Whenever he talked to her after that day, he would always relish in the way her voice intertwined with the nature around her.

He frowned slightly as a light wind pushed his abnormally long silver hair backwards. Perhaps he had been thinking too much of her. He had only been reminded because of the snowy landscape that filled his eyes and mind. She always favored the snow as much as he had, making him giddy with excitement that they had something so uncomplicated in common.

But that day was one of the better. After he had become acquainted with her more and more, he found that she belonged strictly to his younger brother. And the thought had saddened his hope as he saw how lovingly she would gaze at him. She would never gaze at him with that much affection, and he knew she never would. She remained solely to his brother and to no one else.

Though, that wouldn't mean that he hadn't gotten to know her. He had. He got to know her very well. She had even remarked once that he knew her like the back of his hand, but he could only disagree. The woman that had stood before him held much more secrets that he would never be able to find out as long as he was in the position that he was in.

He cherished her friendship as people cherished night and day. He had always found her company more comforting than comfort itself. He promised he would never allow himself to botch up that relationship they had, though he somehow knew one day he would it would all backfire on him.

It all started that tragic day when he had entered town on a business matter. He had enjoyed the silence of the empty seat in front of him in the restaurant he had decided to meet his client at. Since they had not appeared yet, he took a look at the others about him. Though he would never admit it, he was secretly shocked to see his brother sitting tables away with another woman. She was pretty enough, but nothing compared to her beauty. His brother was clearly a fool to betray her in the way he had.

So, he took the most logical way to that circumstance--he told the woman that he held affections for what he had witnessed. And, in return, she completely snuffed him saying that his brother wouldn't do something like that.

He gave a long heavy sigh as he noticed a female deer lapping water at the lake's rim. Soon enough she was accompanied by a young buck, which greeted her before turning to the cold water. How he wished to be one of those deer, with her at his side.

That day had burned so deeply into his mind and would never stop from coming to the front. That was the day he last spoke to her, a year ago. One whole long year had passed and he had yet to get in touch with her. He knew she disregarded his advice to break away from his brother, but he held a slight hope that she had listened. That hope had evaporated long ago last winter along with all the cheerfulness that his life once held.

"I let her go." He whispered to himself, though his words vanished into the cold. No one would hear him. No one would listen. Only the land here would share the sorrow that his heart felt for the woman he no longer could see. "It's for the best."

He selfishly wished it weren't for the best. But she was as happy as she could be last time he saw her, and he could never take away that happiness. She would be forever out of his grasp.

His eyes rested to the deer that he had noticed before. Had everyone around have a match beside him? The animals that surrounded him all had a partner of some sort, like those two fortunate deer. Would someone accept him, some day? And would it be her to accept him?

At that moment, the deer that he had been aware of shot their heads in the air in alarm. Their smooth coffee coats bristled at the sound of movement and dashed off together through the trees. He remained still as he watched them, hoping for a sign that he could escape just like they had.

"Sesshomaru?" His shoulders tensed, as he remained his sight to the spot where the deer had stood. He couldn't find the strength in him to turn around to face her, even if he wished he could.

"Yes?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. She remained still behind him as another small draft of wind past the two with a soft moan. More than a minute later, she stepped up in the snow to stand beside him. The two watched the sacred dance of the flakes dancing above the frozen ground before he had the guts to glance at her.

Her coat was in tatters; cotton seeping out of the deep gashes in puffs. She didn't seem to mind, though, as she shivered. Her eyes remained straight ahead as his had been minutes before, thinking thoughts that revolved the same way his had been.

"It's nice to see you again, Kagome." He finally managed to say, making her go rigid before him. He could hear a faint sniffle from her as she decided to reply with nothing. He skimmed her facial expression over.

Her cheeks seemed sunken and her eyes red from crying. Her clothing was not the least bit impressive with odd gashes everywhere. He was alarmed to see some blood trickling into her thin pants fabric.

"Have you been in a fight?" He asked softly. "You look like a mess." He noticed her shivering had increased as her eyes glazed with fresh new tears. She remained that way for a moment before catching his golden gaze with her own. It seemed the dam had broke at the simple gesture, for a waterfall of crystal tears streamed down her dirty cheeks as she bent her head to the ground.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed as she brought a frozen hand to stop the flow of tears. "I'm sorry!" She repeated over and over until he enveloped her in a protective hold, allowing her tears to dirty his coat. The warmth that radiated from her body put him completely at ease. When was the last time he had been so close to a woman?

He held her for minutes as the cold numbed their flesh, making goose bumps raise on their skin.

"It took me so long!" She wailed. "I never knew!" His eyes shone with pure sorrow. A broken woman.

"Come." He mumbled as he pressed his lips to her forehead in a soft, delicate manner. The skin was freezing to his lips. She had been out in the cold for far too long.

"Why can't I be happy?" She whispered as her sobs reduced to pitiful whimpers. "Why can't I?"

"Because you do not allow yourself to be happy." He answered. "Let's go inside and clean you up." She remained beside him instead of following his orders. Perhaps she was too numb to even move. Snow began to fall from the heavens upon the two lonely people that had been betrayed so much.

"Snow." She mumbled as she caught a simple flake at the tip of her exposed finger. "They say that the snow is the snow princess's tears." She smiled sadly as she glanced over at him, her tears glistening in a soft light. "Today they are my tears."

"Today they are our tears." He took her outstretched hand in his. "Not yours, but mine as well."

The two trudged through the thick icy substance together, hand in hand. Snow played softly from the sky, blanketing the disrupted ice with new. The marks that the two had made were covered for no one left to find. They never existed, as far as weather was concerned. But the princess knew as she sat up in her heaven of snow that they had shared their sorrow with her. She knew they understood how she once felt.

"Yes..." The wind moaned with the voice of the princess. "The tears that I shed are for you, my dears...for you and only you..."

Fin.

***

This was a completely spur of the moment piece. I really don't write many stories like this, but it felt right at the moment. You know when you have those sudden inspirations that you just have to write? Perhaps this was one that struck you as odd, but I had to write a winter piece. And I absolutely adore the snow princess that I have in a manga of tales.

And, if you would like to know, I thought of this while I was walking my dog out in the snow.

I hope you liked. Simple clear one-shot for your enjoyment. Review if you wish, but I honestly find that no reviews for this are needed. This is simply in the spirit of the change of weather.