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It's deep winter when he recieves news of the human wench's death. The cold must have defeated her. Humans are so delicate. He is unsurprised then, when he hears his pathetic half brother has been tossed out into the mercy of the wild. Humans, unbound as they are by the ties of family, are decidedly cruel.
They should have slit his throat and been done with it.
He searches for the child out of curiosity. Certainly, there is no affection for the wretched half breed. And definitely no concern. He wants to look into his eyes, and see how much of the cursed woman's looks taint the child. Perhaps he will kill him himself, and eliminate the stain of the half breed forever.
The snow falls in gentle ripples, piling higher in drifts at the base of trees. Sound is muted, and the snow smells crisp and clean. Sesshoumaru passes soundlessly, ghost pale in white surroundings, watery moonlight spilling over his hair. He stops just before a large tree, watching the shimmer of fire rat red inside its hollow.
His half breed brother pokes his tiny, cold reddened nose from the abandoned fox den and sniffs. Golden eyes in a face rounded by baby fat peer at him. "Pretty." The child murmurs stupidly upon spotting him. He clambors from his hiding spot, and stops in front of Sesshoumaru, ears flicking curiously. He wonders if the child is aware of how powerful he is. Of how much he hates him.
He wonders if the stumbling creature knows he could redden the snow with his filthy blood in a matter of seconds.
His chubby little fingers are blue at the tips. He shivers powerfully, and his teeth chatter. Sesshoumaru looks on in disgust. He's as delicate as his human mother, barefoot and filthy, scrounging the forest for scraps of food like an animal. He swipes his nose on the sleeve of his haori, and continues to watch with rapt awe.
To die in disgrace, alone and groveling, is a fitting end for the blight of his family. But not yet. He turns to go, and is unsurprised when the child stumbles to follow, tripping in the snow and sniffling.
"I do not want you. Begone." Sesshoumaru commands, watching the snow dampened half breed shake.
"Oh." The child murmurs, ears pressing down in disappointment. "If... If I gave you something pretty, would you want me then?" He stumbles back into his hole to retreive his item of bribery. Sesshoumaru considers leaving while he's distracted, but decides against it, curious about what the child could possibly think worthy of him.
The child returns with a bundled kimono in cherry blossom pink. A relic of his mother by the lingering human scent. He opens it on the snow at Sesshoumaru's feet. The scent of makeup and perfume waft up to his nose as pieces of jewllery, hair pins and treasure boxes tumble out. The half breeds watches hopefully, tears starting in his eyes. Sesshoumaru bends gracefully, and picks up a delicate silver hair pin, missing it's twin in the mess.
"This." He responds, its dangling pieces tinkling merrily. He receives a toothy grin, not yet sharp with fully grown adult fangs, and fluffy ears perk. He does not want the child. He wants him dead. But not yet. Not here. Not like this.
Sesshoumaru sweeps off a fur stole. He does not need it. The cold does not effect him the way it does the delicate half breed. He drapes it over his shoulders, taking care to wrap him tight. He blinks curiously when the child buries his nose into the fur and breathes deeply, ears flattening as he memorizes the scent. The fur smells like him, and will for days. It will mask his weak human scent with stronger lingering demonic energy, and keep him warm. A generous gift, for nothing but a hair pin.
"Begone." He repeats. The child trips over himself to obey. By the time he finishes gathering his worthless mother's things, Sesshoumaru is gone.
He drifts back home like a snowflake, the pin tucked behind his ear and tinkling at each step. He hated the wretch he owned it. He hates the miserable half breed cur who gave it to him. But for now, it is worthy trade for his life.
He forgets, of course, the smile his half breed brother gave him, shining with hope and the glimmer of blossoming love.