What can I tell you?
Only being such a small self,
I won't tell you more now,
Because the words are so
Weak against time.
- No More Words by Ayumi Hamasaki
Chapter 1: Between Then and Now
She was always watching him.
Every time her small group crossed his, he felt her chocolate gaze on him, only turning away from him when her attention was called somewhere else, such as to his impetuous hanyou half brother. She watched his every move when his brother would infuriate him enough to draw his sword. And when he walked away her eyes never failed to follow his departure.
Her observations had started the first time he'd come upon the strange girl and the hanyou during the encounter within his father's grave. She had watched him with defiance in her eyes and fear radiating off her in waves, but she had watched him none-the-less. And her eyes had never left him since.
Despite her attempts to conceal her observations, he knew. He knew that she watched his every facial expression, every reaction, despite their rarity. He knew that she watched him with a timid curiosity, whether it was out of fear or some other emotion he didn't care to know.
To him her eyes were too wise, too observant. She saw things that he meant for no one to see, and he knew it. She held a knowledge that was far to great for a ningen onna, and it left him slightly curious about her – not that he'd ever admit such curiosity or act upon it.
If one were to ask, his 'curiosity' would most definitely not be the reason he had passed her small group under the veil of a moonless night several times before. It was mere coincidence as they traveled through his lands.
Had he realized that her eyes followed him even when he knew that she could not see him? Even when he knew that his aura was hidden well enough to hide it from her and her companions? Of course.
How then did she not notice his presence now? Why did her eyes not search him out like they so often did? What held her curiosity tonight?
The young miko stood in the middle of the hilltop clearing peering into the old well at the center of it. Her large yellow pack lay at her feet next to her as she leaned over it, her small hands resting on the lip of the well. Unlike those previous nights, the moon was full enough to provide light to see clearly, or at least well enough to see for a ningen. Unlike those nights he had yet to truly shield his youki from her. And yet she had not acknowledged his presence.
His amber orbs watched her almost curiously as she sighed and heaved her bag to her shoulder, continuing to observe the well as she did. A moment later she turned to look at him, spotting him immediately despite his shadowed place among the trees. Her coffee brown eyes locked with his gold and her lips curved up into a mischievous smile. He raised an unseen eyebrow in response.
A moment later she had turned away from him and tossed herself over the lip of the well. A faint blue light rose from its depths as she did, her scent and every aspect of her existence disappearing with it. He moved slowly out to the well after watching the old pile of wood for a short while after the incident. He walked with an air of indifference, but if anyone were to look closely they'd see that his step held a hue of caution. His golden eyes peered into the well, much like the ningen onna that had just disappeared into it had, seeing nothing but it's dark depths.
She was gone, as if by magic. And in doing so she had caught the taiyoukai's attention.
~~~~~
Originally Posted: In The Little Things as a one shot called "Attention" on July 29th, 2011. 620 Words.
Vocabulary: Ningen – human, onna – woman, youki – demon energy, taiyoukai – demon lord
A/N: Well… what do you think? Please leave a comment? Thank you for reading! -halcyondays 
