Tanager by DeadlyGlacier

Tanager

Tanager

The afternoon sun blared down on the combined groups of travelers—Inuyasha's group, and Lord Sesshomaru's smaller one—but more than the heat, it was the sound of Shippo scribbling wildly in one of the coloring books that Kagome had given him that drew the future girl out of her reverie.

Looking down, Kagome aghast as she watched the fox kit use a navy blue marker to hastily color in the entire page, lines be damned. Kagome forced her expression to remain bright, even though the sight of Shippo's blatant disregard for the outline of the lizard he was scribbling over brought her immense distress.

She took a deep breath, reminding herself of a few things before she spoke.

Shippo is a child.

There is no wrong way to color.

There is no wrong way to color.

There is. no. wrong. way. to. color.

THERE IS NO WRO—

"Shippo," she interrupted sweetly, (maybe a bit too abruptly, for the kit startled out of his task, blinking his bright green eyes up to her). "Would you like a blank sheet to work on?"

The little fox beamed happily, lazily kicking his feet behind his head, "No, thanks! I like this paper better!" In his maddened scribbling, Shippo had managed to get the navy blue ink all over his hands, the marker, and a little bit on his face. He turned his artwork to Kagome, showing her the erratic navy lines he'd made so far, "Look, Kagome! It's like he's in miasma!"

Kagome considered his progress, nodding, "Oh, I see! Very clever, Shippo." It really was, and she felt silly (and more than a little guilty) for her internal dramatics. So, instead, she smiled warmly.

Shippo's eyes narrowed at his coloring book, turning it back around to where he could see it, "I think I should add another color…"

"Violet would be good," Rin suggested politely, peering over at the kit's picture. Rin was coloring a picture of sunflowers (and impeccably inside the lines, Kagome noticed).

Kagome nodded in agreement, "Yeah, miasma is like a combination of dark violets and blues—even black sometimes."

Shippo gave a firm incline of his head, his green eyes glittering with a serious determination that Kagome almost cooed from how adorable it looked. The kit reached for the pack of markers and pulled out a handful of different colors, and both Kagome and Rin watched, fascinated, as Shippo created the 'miasma' around this poor little lizard.

He picked up a soft lavender shade and uncapped it, scribbling it across the page.

"Oh, I love that color," Rin said as she watched. "It's like Lord Sesshomaru's belt!"

"Hn?"

The demon lord in question was dozing beneath the shade of the tree the small group was using to get out of the sun, and he'd apparently only been half-listening to the conversation.

"The color stick Shippo is using!" Rin exclaimed excitedly, looking to her lord. "It's the same shade of your belt, milord!"

"You're right, Rin," Kagome told her with a gentle smile.

"The gold on milord's belt is pretty too," the human girl assessed proudly, going back to her sunflowers.

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru turned his head and blinked at them, "This one's belt is one color, not two."

She tilted her head, curious, "...what?"

"This belt," Sesshomaru said again, picking up the dual-colored silk in his elegant hand. "It is one color, not two."

"Milord, you're so funny," Rin giggled.

Shippo was too involved in his scribbling to look up from his picture, but he piped up as well, "It's gold and violet."

The children didn't seem to pick up on the problem, but Kagome did, and she looked to Sesshomaru, unsure of what to say. The demon lord was looking at his belt, running the silk between the pads of his thumb and fingers, his expression unreadable.

"Lunch time!" Sango called from the fire in the camp. Kagome looked down from the hill where they were sitting, watching as Inuyasha hopped out of his own tree to join the demon slayer and monk. Jaken rested against A-Un, his arms folded around his two-headed staff.

Shippo and Rin quickly packed up their coloring supplies and scurried down the hill, leaving Kagome and Sesshomaru alone.

A silence passed between them, one that became more awkward the longer it went on.

"Priestess," Sesshomaru said finally.

Kagome hugged her knees to her chest, looking over at the demon lord once again, "Yes?"

The inu didn't look back at her, still staring at his belt with that same unreadable expression, "What… is gold? What does it look like?"

The young priestess smiled warmly, "Hmm… Gold is… It's like sunlight, the way it feels on your skin. It's bright and warm. Comforting." She held her hand out from the shade of the tree, letting the light touch her skin.

Another silence passed, and Sesshomaru nodded. "The other?" he asked. "Violet."

Kagome thought for a moment, "Violet… It's luxurious. Cool and soft and rich. It's the scent of flowers in the night air." She bit her lip, shrugging, "Does that… make sense?"

"Hn."

It was rare that Kagome ever knew what that meant, but Sesshomaru used that vague noise often enough that she should. This time, it was a mystery.

"What do they look like to you?" she asked, risking her curiosity.

For a moment, Sesshomaru didn't seem like he would answer, but then:

"The same," he said softly, almost sad. "Everything looks the same."

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but then a voice called from the bottom of the hill:

"Ey! Kagome! Food's gettin' cold!"

"Coming!" she called back.

Kagome stood, dusting herself off and grabbing her things, and then made to walk down the hill to join the others.

"Priestess," the demon lord said softly.

She turned.

"Thank you," Sesshomaru told her.

Kagome smiled, giving a parting nod, "You're welcome, Sesshomaru."

As she made her way down the hill, she looked over her shoulder, and she saw Sesshomaru putting his hand out of the shade as she had done, feeling the light on his skin.

o0o

Over a month went by before Kagome finally had them in her hands, excitement brimming in her heart as she jumped through the well.

In the last several weeks, Kagome had secretly been bringing back different pamphlets for Sesshomaru to look at, each one a different test. The demon lord of course had no idea what she was up to, but merely played along for her sake. Kagome thought their little moment on the hill had certainly helped things between them. A year ago, merely asking the demon lord to look at something might have cost Kagome her life (or at the very least, earn her a severe glare).

But once she had zeroed in on what kind of ailment his eyes had, she placed an order.

And today, they'd finally come in the mail.

She'd found him in his usual spot. Whenever the group would come back to Kaede's Village for a rest, Sesshomaru liked to lounge beneath a tree that overlooked the village itself, so he could keep an eye on Rin from a distance.

Kagome climbed the steep hill, puffing a little under the weight of her backpack, but excited nonetheless.

The sun was beginning to set, casting all sorts of colors across the lands below.

It was perfect.

"You've returned," Sesshomaru said, his voice gaining an edge of curiosity.

Kagome smiled, plopping her backpack on the ground behind her, "Yep! I have." She held the case in her hands, "Sesshomaru, I have a gift for you."

"This one does not require gifts, priestess," he said boredly.

The human girl gave a slight sigh through her nose—she had expected this kind of response from him, at first. But she had to push through.

"I know," Kagome told him. "It's… a thank-you gift."

Sesshomaru stole a glance, "For what?"

She smiled again, "For saving my life that time, from Mukotsu. With the poison."

"Hn."

Kagome cleared her throat, "So… will you accept my gift, Sesshomaru? It took me a while to think of something that would be—" she tried to think of a word, "—worthy. And I believe I've found that in this…"

"You do, do you?" His tone sounded vaguely amused.

A good sign, she hoped.

Kagome knelt beside him, nodding, "Yes. I'd be honored if you tried these on for me, Sesshomaru." She opened the case, revealing what looked to be a simple pair of black sunglasses.

The demon lord looked at the glasses, blinking, "What are they?"

"These are special, from my world," she explained. She took them out of the case and unfolded them, "You're supposed to wear them over your eyes—these parts sit on your ears." She pointed to the sides of the glasses, miming putting them on for him.

"For what purpose?" Sesshomaru asked, lifting a perfect eyebrow.

Kagome smiled, "Like I said, these are special. And they are specially made for you, Sesshomaru." She offered them to him, "Please. Close your eyes until you put them on, and then look out across the village."

The demon lord scoffed, "You say you wish to thank me, yet make demands of me in the same breath."

The priestess looked at him earnestly, "I promise… it'll be worth it."

Sesshomaru peered at her suspiciously, but he took the glasses in his long fingers, closing his amber eyes as he put them on.

Kagome watched as his eyelashes lifted again, and the demon lord's eyes widened. His back stiffened, sitting up from his perch. Relief bloomed in Kagome's chest as she watched him take in the sights.

It was an otherworldly sunset, one that made the world glow beneath their feet. Grass glittered, waters sparkled, leaves shined. Every color was represented: red, orange, yellow, pink, green, blue, violet—colors of the sky and earth seemed to blend seamlessly before the pair upon the cliff.

She heard Sesshomaru take a shuddering breath, and when she looked at him again, she could see the shock and awe writ across his face.

"Is… this…?"

Kagome smiled, "This is what the world really looks like, Sesshomaru."

His clawed fingers touched the frames of his glasses, "What magic is this?"

"No magic," she told him, shaking her head. "It's sort of like… medicine. These are called glasses, and there are different types for different people, depending on their vision." Kagome nodded at him, "These glasses correct color blindness—that's what it's called in my world, what you have."

Sesshomaru swallowed, still taking in the sights.

"Do you like my gift?" Kagome asked with a knowing smile.

He didn't look at her, just kept his fingers on the glasses, as if he were afraid they would slip off and disappear.

"It is… acceptable," he confessed.

Kagome hummed happily, nodding, "Good."

She made to stand up, but Sesshomaru caught her wrist. She gasped slightly—not because it hurt, but because it was so gentle.

The inu lord brought her hand to his face, and he kissed her fingers. Kagome's face reddened, and she could think of nothing else but how soft his lips felt on her skin. She felt gooseflesh breakout up both her arms, and a little squeak escaped her.

He looked up at her through the glasses, and he studied her for a long time.

"How very fortunate you are," Sesshomaru said, "to not only have eyes that function properly, but are also such a lovely color."

Kagome didn't think she could blush any harder, but she felt her face grow hotter from his sharp gaze.

"Is your skin always so pink?"

"N-No," she squeaked. "I-I'm just warm."

"Hn," Sesshomaru murmured. "Then perhaps you should cool off."

He let her hand go, and Kagome stood, "I'll leave you to enjoy the sunset."

"I shall," Sesshomaru told her, looking back across the cliff's edge.

As she put on her heavy backpack once more, she heard him speak again—softly, like that day under the shady tree:

"Thank you… Kagome."

o0o