The Taisho fire

Sorry, perdon

It's time for a little Toga goodness.

Those nightmares plagued her dreams too often; blissful rest eluded her. Gwen hated that it impaired her sleep so badly that she just couldn't close her eyes again and drift away. So she wandered the corridors, small feet silent on polished wooden floors that probably cost more than her father's house. Tōga was still recovering, sleeping like the dead, and she didn't want to alarm him. Slipping away, she had passed a yukata and was now wandering the Shiro towards the most beautiful sound of the world.

A piano.

Somewhere further away, a grand piano sung – of much better quality than the one left at the station - under expert fingers, and she was determined to find out who played with such skill. Chopin wasn't her favourite composer, but she'd be damned if he wasn't one hell of a good one. To hear the Nocturnes interpreted so beautifully hurried her progression; no matter how often she played the piano, this was out of her reach.

Eventually, the sound led her to a large traditional room with a sleek black grand piano. The light was very dim, so muted that she could barely see the details of the paintings that throned upon the wall. And there, long fingers caressing the notes, sat an ethereal being with a long mane of silver hair that swayed past his waist. She recognised him at once; the alpha male of the Taishō pack, Sesshōmaru. Very few shared his hair colour, and such poise.

She would die for his grand piano, its sound was exquisite. But more than anything, it was the skill of the player that gave the music its soul. Completely otherworldly. For the first time, she felt like a peasant trying to emulate royalty with her pop music. It stung. Like bitch.

The thought caused her to pause; here dwelt a master in the domain closest to her heart. Is that how Tōga felt after being nearly beaten to death, he that usually topped every self-defence class, and was renowned for his fighting skills in the army ? Did he feel as out of her depth as she did, watching Sesshomaru's incredible rendition of Chopin's larghetto ?

She didn't want to intrude, but her heart sung with the piano. Thus, Gwen took a few steps into the room and settled by the wall, quiet as a mouse as the second Nocturne rolled by. The vibrations of the piano tore through her defences, peace slowly seeping in her veins as Sesshōmaru executed the slow dance of this beautiful piece.

He knew she was here without a doubt; superior senses would have sold her at once. Perhaps, even, he'd heard her footsteps from afar. But he didn't interrupt his playing, and Gwen closed her eyes, her heart rate eventually settling to a proper pace thanks to the soothing dance of slender fingers over her favourite instrument.

"Nightmares ?"

His fingers still danced upon the notes, and Gwen wondered how he knew. But given he'd acknowledged her presence, she stepped forward and joined the piano side.

"Hai."

For a long moment, he said nothing as he glided through the piece. Sesshōmaru was a silent man, who used words sparsely and, quite to everyone'd dismay, a little too bluntly for the standard Japanese politeness. But Gwen didn't mind the silence, especially when she was treated to such a high-quality private concert. She wondered, for a moment, if her own quiet attitude rubbed him the wrong way; his wife was said to have been very chatty.

Given Towa's bubbly disposition, she had no doubts that Rin, the child of her vision, was quite a force to be reckoned with. How such a taciturn man had handled that... ? Perhaps that she filled the void for the two of them ?

Eventually, the daiyōkai stopped playing and turned his disturbing amber eyes to her, his irises rounder than usual to accommodate the low light.

"They will ease, in time."