A/N: Hey everyone, so I know I've got a lot of long epics that I should be working on right now, but a certain little fanfiction that spoke out against the Sesshomaru/Rin pairing inspired me and I just couldn't resist! I'm sure I'll get back to updating all my serious fics... Someday... Anyhoo, this fic is in response to the lovely Soojinyeh's fic: "Truth" s/4771320/1/Truth
I decided that her fic was so well-written and had such a good premise behind it that I couldn't resist writing my own but this time not only trying to debunk the Sesshomaru/Rin pairing. ((Which my fic does do too by the way)) But also to show canon evidence for Sesshomaru/Inutaisho, which is one of the most underloved and overlooked Sesshomaru pairings in the fandom even when its one of the ones that makes the most sense! Hopefully my fic will encourage more fics to be written for this lovely pairing and that the pair itself gains more of a fandom. This is NOT meant to be a Sesshomaru/Rin bashing fic, so please don't take it as such! I'm simply stating facts and trying to get the Sesshomaru/Inutaisho pairing more exposure, if you're an oversensitive fangirl who can't handle the truth then I suggest you leave because I really don't wanna deal with your butthurt BAWWINNNNG! That's right, Sessh/Rin nazis aren't allowed here, so when reading this fic please be open-minded and civil. Thank you.
NOTE TO MODS AND ALL READERS: This story got taken down before because apparently some shipper was butthurt and reported me for this being an "interactive" or "mst" type fic. Mods, I assure you its no such thing. There are plenty of fics of this type around, just look at Soojinyeh's "Truth" fic or Silent Scribe's fic "Sesshomaru's Response" ((I think that's what it was called, I'm too lazy to look it up...)) This fic would be considered "satire" or "parody/humor." The characters are interacting not with the audience but with each other by breaking the fourth wall and they are ALL in-character. It's not in script format or MST format, I think this fic follows the rules sufficiently.
Also, to those that reported me or want to report me... Please don't. I understand if this fic angers you but I'm just trying to express my opinion. I mean no harm to your ship and I'm not trying to bash the Sesshomaru/Rin ship, I know my introduction might come off like that but that's just my warped, twisted sense of humor. Please, at least read it and have a open mind don't report me when you know perfectly well that there are other fics of this kind on the site and they've stayed up. Reporting me is really mean and is not right, lets just all respect each other here okay? :) If you have a problem with this fic, instead of reporting it behind my back, send me a PM and tell me what your problem with it is and I'll try my best to alter it so it doesn't offend you.
Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me, it belongs to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi Sensei, I'm just writing a fic, kthxbai
It was just another average day in the Feudal Era. The sun was shining, birds were singing, demons were roaming...
Annddd Kagome was browsing fanfiction on her laptop.
"HEY Kagome! How long ya gonna be on that metal square thingy? Don't forget, we're on a mission here!
Of course, a certain short-tempered, loud half-demon just had to bother her...
"AUGHH! For the last time Inuyasha its called a laptop! Not "metal square thingy," laptop! And we're taking a break remember? You can't expect us regular humans to be on the go twenty four seven. We need to rest and recuperate so that when we finally find Naraku we'll be all ready to face him!
"Feh, yeah yeah I know I know! What are you even doin on that thing anyways? What could possibly be so interesting that... Wait... What's ?"
Eeek! INUYASHA! Don't just peek into my private stuff without permission stupid, SIT!"
Inuyasha now had his head in the dirt while Kagome's skin proceeded to change about ten shades redder from its original tone as she quickly pulled up another fanfiction file that didn't have the pairing, "Inuyasha/Kagome" in the category of "Romance."
"That was a close one, if Inuyasha found out I was reading stories that people wrote about us which contained scenarios I wish would happen, I'd never live it down!"
Her relief was short-lived however as after Inuyasha's usual grumblings and complaints about her "abuse," he quickly turned the subject back to the strange new thing he discovered on Kagome's laptop.
"So you gonna tell me what that thing was I just saw?"
"What thing? I don't remember any thing...Ehehehehehhehe..."
"DON'T PLAY DUMB! I mean that fani-ficit-ion name that popped up on that metal contraption! What the hell was that thing?!"
"First of all its called fanfiction dot net and all it is a website that contains stories. Sort of like books, but on a laptop instead."
"Wait, you can read stories on that thing!?"
"Mm-hmm, but that's not all you can do. You can also write, talk with friends and family and basically find any type of information you're looking for! It's really quite amazing when you think about it!"
Now this intrigued the young hanyou, though he was usually only interested in things only involving ramen, battling and Naraku. The fact that this weird device from Kagome's time could give out any information could definitely be of help to the gang! Now he could see why Kagome brought it with her...
"Wait, really?! Quick, ask the thing where Naraku's hidin! Ask it!"
"Unfortunately it can't do that... For one thing, in order to do all those things on it you need what's called an "internet connection." Which you can only get back in my era."
"The hell?! Why can't you get this "internnet" thingy here?! C'mon, just force the thing to tell us! Tell it if it doesn't I'll just chop it up with my Tessaiga!"
Kagome's face nearly paled at that declaration, "You will most certainly do no such thing! You already broke my bike, no way are you breaking my laptop which not only has all my school stuff on it, but also cost thousands of dollars! Besides, an internet connection is not something that you can just force. The only reason you'd be able to get one in my era is because it has the electricity that produces the signals that allows the internet appear.
"Signals like clouds and stuff?"
"No! Signals as in like radio-waves which are produced by this little thing called electricity which... Oh, never mind just forget it!" She sighed in exasperation, what was the use? Getting Inuyasha to understand modern technology was like getting Shippo to face Naraku one on one... It wasn't gonna happen.
"Okay... So if you can only get this interrnent in your time then how the hell are you able to read stories on it now?"
"I'm not actually on the internet right now, I'm just reading all the stories I saved from it. See, a laptop is kinda like a backpack. Even if you can't get on the internet at the moment as long as you "pick up" something from it, it'll automatically save and will be there the next time you go on it even if you're not on the internet."
"Huh..." He really didn't get it, but he decided to drop it since it looked like it wouldn't help them any and if it made Kagome happy to read books on this weird thing then far be it from him to question her. He boasted a tough facade, but truthfully he was never able to deny Kagome anything, she was his one weakness.
The issue would have soon been dropped, but just like that Shippo, Sango and Miroku decided to make themselves known.
"Hey Kagome, what are you doing?" Shippo asked excitedly as he jumped onto Kagome's shoulders.
"Yes, I don't believe I've ever seen you bring such a device before." Miroku nodded in response to Shippo's question.
"Ah, she's just readin stories which that metal thing can apparently produce."
"Wowww stories huh? What kind are they Kagome, will you read them to me? Please, please, pleaseeee? But Shippo's exuberance soon came to a halt as he noticed words on the screen. Hmm...? Hey, Kagome why does this story say "Sesshomaru/Rin Romance?"
Sango frowned, "I don't like the sound of that..."
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" She leaned in closer to the screen, reading the fine print that was written in the side-bar of the fanfic. Oh crap.. They were right! In all the excitement and questions she had forgotten to read the pairing or genre when pulling up another random fanfiction she had saved.
She sighed, "Great, that'll teach me to just save any and all random fanfics I find... Well, that one's going in the trash!"
"K-Kagome wh-why was there a story about Sesshomaru and Rin that seemed to be about a romance between them?" asked Shippo, who was now officially freaked out. Which was understandable considering he tended to get like that whenever Sesshomaru was so much mentioned! But for him to be mentioned in something that implied that he liked to seduce little girls? Well, add that to the list of why Shippo would stay far, far away from him!
"That's disgusting! How could anyone even think of something that appalling?!" Yelled out Sango in anger.
"Now, now Sango my dear... It wouldn't be all that strange for men to sometimes succumb to their shall we say, "basic instincts" and be tempted by the flesh of the young."
"You would know wouldn't you Monk... Don't think I've forgotten about the "Koharu" incident!" Sango's eyes looked like flames were practically coming out as she glared daggers at her fiancee.
"Ehe... N-Now Sango, lets let bygones be bygones! That was a long, longgg time ago and I only love you remember? I wasn't suggesting, that I would ever do something so foolish, just that perhaps, maybe Sesshomaru would!"
"Keh, I doubt it! As much of a bastard Sesshomaru is he still hates humans and would sooner die then screw one."
Kagome nodded, "Inuyasha's right, I really don't think that's what's going on between them. I mean, for one thing we've never seen Sesshomaru doing anything romantic towards Rin. All he's done is saved her countless times and lets her travel with him, something that people just do with friends. Nothing about any of that indicates only romantic feelings."
"S-So, if that's true then why is there a story of them as a couple Kagome?"
She sighed, "I'm afraid to say that's not the only one Shippo, there's more where that came from... Sesshomaru and Rin are one of the most popular pairings on and thousands of stories have been written of them as a couple, sometimes with Rin not even grown yet! It's a bad situation, believe me..."
"But, why would they be so popular? Especially since they're not a couple..."
"I can answer that question, Shippo!"
Suddenly, the whole gang gasped in confusion as they glanced around, trying to find the owner of that unfamiliar voice that had just said that.
"WHO WAS THAT?! A DEMON?!"
"Now Inuyasha, lets not be so hasty..."
"She's right you know, you should listen to Kagome, Inuyasha she's gotten you out of a lot of messes before." And POOF! Just like that, a young girl emerged from a red puff of smoke.
"Greetings, Inuyasha characters! How you all doin?"
"It's a human..." Exclaimed Sango.
"Who the hell are ya?! Don't think jus cuz you're a human I'll go easy on ya!"
"Inuyasha! Stop it, don't be so rude! We don't even know who she is yet... geez! She's probably not an enemy, I mean judging from her clothes it looks likes she's from my time."
"That is correct Kagome, I am from your time. My name is Cheryl, but here I go by the name of Shai-Lang and that is how I wish to be addressed. I have come to this era hoping to shed light on this whole "Sesshomaru/Rin pairing debacle." and why it should be stopped and another Sesshomaru pairing should be properly acknowledged. Now, lets get started shall we?"
And with but a snap of her fingers, she and the Inu-gang disappeared and almost instantaneously reappeared in a wide, open field together with the rest of the Inuyasha cast that were not in Inuyasha's main group.
"Oi, bitch! What'd ya just do to us?!" Inuyasha yelled out as he noticed that the location they were in completely changed, Shai-Lang calmly replied, "since I'm the author of this little fanfic you are now hereby under my control and will be able to break the fourth wall."
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, "Fourth what?!" Luckily, Kagome instantly jumped in to enlighten him.
"She means that we're able to directly talk to the audience and acknowledge that we're not real people and that our whole story is just a work of fiction. Just play along."
"Feh, Why do I gotta-"
"She's right you know Inuyasha, as the one currently writing us she has complete control over our actions and thus for the time being we're essentially her "prisoners." There's no way getting out of this one, it would be particularly wise to just hear her out and not try to fight back." Miroku interrupted, always the voice of reason.
Inuyasha let out a little grumble and was just about to give up when he saw just who else was there with him...
"Wait?! Sesshomaru!? What the hell is he doing here?! Oh no, hell no! I am not going to have a nice, civil discussion with him! Let me outta here!"
"Hmph, my sentiments exactly little brother. Unfortunately it is as the monk says, we are now under the complete control of this worthless human and even this Sesshomaru's powers are useless against her."
Shai-Lang nodded, a playful smirk adorned on her face. "He's right you know, there's really nothing you can do until I decide to let you out, I have the power to summon up all the characters in your series with but a snap of my finger! Everyone who exists is here and if I need a certain character's input all I'll do is call upon them and they'll appear, even if they're one of your worst enemies, or previously dead characters. Now shut up, sit down and let's get this discussion underway!
"Wait, even dead characters?! Does that mean Kikyo..."
"..." Kagome's eyes saddened upon hearing this and she suddenly began finding her shoes extremely fascinating, all while Shippo, Miroku and Sango worriedly looked on of course.
Shai-Lang let out a big long sigh, great she really shouldn't have said that! Her and her big mouth, guess what they said about her on all those forums was true. "Inuyasha, Kagome stop it! We're here to talk about evidence for two Sesshomaru pairings, so can you please keep your little Inu-Kag-Kik love triangle bullshit out of this? This isn't about you guys and lets keep it that way! Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes Ma'am..." Inuyasha and Kagome both said simultaneously, while looking quite surprised at the small girl's incredibly demanding presence. They decided it was better to just listen to what she had to say and not make an enemy out of her, who knew what she could do since she had them all under her control.
"Good, now lets finally talk about the topic at hand!"
"So we're going to talk about why there shouldn't be any stories written about Sesshomaru and Rin as a couple cuz it makes no sense, right?" Shippo piped up.
"Correct, young Shippo that is exactly what we'll be doing! The reason being, is that I think its really quite ridiculous that Sesshomaru/Rin has a such a huge fanbase, while other Sesshomaru pairings that clearly make more sense and are more canon are ignored."
Kagome nodded, "You got that right! Really, I don't know what people see in that pairing, honestly if you were to pair up Sesshomaru romantically with anyone the only one who would make sense in a canon context would be his father, the Inu-No Taisho."
As soon as Kagome uttered this, nearly everyone backed away from her and had shocked looks on their faces, most of all Inuyasha.
"K-K-K-Kagome... W-What are you sayin?! Sesshomaru? With our old man?! How in the hell does that couple make any more sense then him with the human kid!?"
Shai-Lang decided this would probably be the perfect opportunity to explain, "actually Inuyasha, Kagome is right, and that's what this whole discussion will be about. Proving why there should be more of a fandom for the Sesshomaru/Inutaisho pairing and why its much, much more canon then Sesshomaru/Rin. Now, I know this might seem preposterous to you, but hear me out! Don't you guys think that Sesshomaru seems a little too unhealthily obsessed with his father? Like, way more than usual for a parent?
"Now that I think about it you're right... Sesshomaru is pretty obsessed! I mean, I lost my father to Naraku and though his loss saddens me deeply I don't spend every waking moment thinking of him or mentioning him, I'm much more concerned with getting Kohaku back and making sure he lives."
"Sango's right, Sesshomaru's feelings for his father are most definitely not of the norm so quite honestly, one could see how Kagome would draw that conclusion." Miroku replied.
"I'm just a kid and even I noticed it a long time ago! I mean, I miss my dad but ever since I met Kagome and Inuyasha and defeated the Thunder Brothers, I barely even think of him anymore! I consider Kagome and everyone else my family now."
"Inuyasha... Don't tell me you haven't noticed anything? Haven't you ever wondered why Sesshomaru hated you so much?" Asked Kagome.
Of course Sesshomaru didn't say anything while this was going on, he just simply stood there trying to control the urge to slaughter everyone around him for even daring to talk about this extremely sensitive subject.
Inuyasha, now completely red and hating any situation when he was made out to be a fool, loudly shot back, "H-How would ya expect me to know that?! He was always goin on an on about how I'm just a "dirty half-breed." I thought it was cuz of that that he hated me!"
Shai-Lang shook her head, "That's what he says, but think about it. If all his hatred for you is just because you're half human then why in the world does he let humans travel with him, and even constantly saves them?"
"That's right! Lord Sesshomaru revived me once with the Tenseiga and has saved me many times, he's my hero!" Rin perked up.
Kohaku had to agree, "She's right you know, for someone that claims to hate humans, Lord Sesshomaru sure does save them a lot. I mean, not just Rin he even willingly took me in when I was on the run from Naraku. If he truly hated humans, why would he take not one but two humans along with him?"
Even Jaken had something to say on this subject! "As much as it pains me to admit it, the two human whelps are absolutely right! Why, Milord treats them better than me! And I'm a full-blooded demon, someone who has been in service to him for years yet I'm the one always getting hit and lectured while those two get away with practically everything!"
"Also, if he hated humans so much why would he save them? He's saved me twice! Once from Mukotsu, and then the time when we were trapped inside Magatsui, heck we even fought together!"
"Not to mention the fact that he didn't even have to think twice about sparing my life when I was almost willing to sacrifice Rin to save Miroku."
"Are ye all forgetting me?" Came the sound of an old voice, it was Kaede. "Sesshomaru personally came to speak to me to make a deal that Rin would reside with me. He doesn't even know me, and yet he was civil and was able to tolerate being in my presence. If he really hated humans would he even willingly talk to one? Especially one that he doesn't know?"
"Uh-huh, see? There you have it! Sesshomaru wouldn't have done all these things for all these different humans if he hated the whole race! And isn't it interesting that most of these acts of mercy he shows to the Inu-tachi is after he's gotten Bakusaiga and has moved on from his father's rejection...? Hmm..."
Kagome had to agree with Shai-Lang, "Come to think of it, you're right! Sesshomaru worked together with me, spared Sango and made a deal with Kaede all after he got Bakusaiga. His hatred for Inuyasha couldn't have anything to do with Inuyasha being a half-demon, it had to have been all about his father!
"That's right, its quite simple really. Sesshomaru hated Inuyasha because he was jealous! By leaving Tessaiga, Inutaisho's main sword which was basically his legacy Sesshomaru took it as a rejection and he thought it meant Inutaisho loved Inuyasha more because he came from Izayoi." Responded Shai-Lang.
Meanwhile, Sango decided to take a look at the "laptop" thing that Shai-lang had on her lap, it was open on the forums.
"But, Shai-Lang these people are saying here that we don't have any proof that Sesshomaru hated Izayoi, or even that he was jealous of her! How can we be sure?"
Shai-Lang snorted, "Please, that's easy, sure we have proof! Don't you remember how when Sesshomaru first appeared he kept on insulting Izayoi? If his only beef was with Inuyasha, why would he keep bringing her up?"
"Keh! Don't remind me! That bastard wouldn't quit bringing my mom up, I was gonna kill him just for that! Hey, by the way Sesshomaru I still haven't forgotten about all that stuff ya said about her!"
"..." Sesshomaru kept quiet and didn't even bother acknowledging Inuyasha's threats, acting yet again like he was above the half-demon.
"SAY SOMETHIN YOU BASTARD! I WANT YA TO TAKE BACK ALL THE STUFF YOU SAID ABOUT MY MOM! YA HEAR ME?!"
Shai-Lang getting tired of Inuyasha's posturing, proceeded to hit him on the head with a huge hammer, which she apparently got out of nowhere...
"OW! What the...?!"
"Be quiet and behave! This is no time to start a fight, now lets move on! Back to what these people on the forums say... They say that those insults don't count because they're just a way to agitate and taunt Inuyasha, they say Sesshomaru is constantly smiling while he does it so it can't be serious.
Kagome had to disagree with this, "They actually think that? I'm sorry but no, Sesshomaru isn't trying to "taunt" Inuyasha, that's more what Koga does. Haven't they seen enough of those two fighting to know by now what taunting counts as?"
And just like that Koga came in and decided to put his two cents on the matter. "Seriously?! They think what mutt-face's older brother is doing is exactly like what I do to him? Granted, I don't know the guy but from what I heard he and the mutt's battles are usually much more serious, borderin on deadly! Sure me and mutt-face here used to be like that in the beginning, and we still fight it out constantly but now its changed. We've reached a truce and are even almost friends! I really don't think that when yer fightin for real, you wanna tease and taunt your enemy."
"Exactly! Its like I once said in the episode in the anime where Koga meets Sesshomaru. When Inuyasha and Koga fight, its nothing but silly little scraps, but when Inuyasha and Sesshomaru battle, they fight to the death. Granted, that episode was filler and nothing in it can be taken as canon, but those words I spoke are definitely true."
Shai-Lang nodded, "That's quite true, but that still doesn't answer the other part of the question Kagome. If Sesshomaru is serious and is insulting Inuyasha's mom out of his own hatred for her, then why was he smiling when first did it?"
Finally, Sesshomaru decided it was about time to speak up. "So just because I did something one time, suddenly I have the same disposition every time I do it? If those worthless humans were paying attention, they would see that subsequent times I was most certainly not smiling! In fact, the numerous times I brought up his mother was when I was in state of extreme anger, I was about to explode many of those times!"
"Not to mention Milord seemed to take great pleasure in torturing and killing the Un-Mother when she was in the form of Izayoi! Didn't you see the look on his face? Why, it was almost as if he was imagining it was really her! And don't think he just killed her because she couldn't get the job done, if that were the case I would be long gone by now! Milord may be an evil, cruel, mean vicious demon but even he has the good sense not to needlessly slaughter the demons who work for him, I mean what good would that even do?"
"True, true, all very good points. Plus, we need only look to the third movie to see Sesshomaru's extreme hate towards both Inuyasha and his mother. When he's battling Inuyasha during the middle of the movie and suddenly he's all engulfed in blue he thinks to himself. "Inuyasha, you and your mother caused his miserable death!" Not only that, but before he thinks that he show's quite a bit of emotion when he says to Inuyasha, "You don't even know what father looked like!" Pretty intense emotions for a guy that's supposed to be stone cold huh?"
"Excuse me for interrupting Lady Shai-Lang but isn't that movie not canon? I heard our creator Rumiko Takahashi wasn't involved with it at all and that it contradicts several plot points about Tessaiga and Tenseiga that come up later."
"Excellent observation Miroku, you're right! The third movie isn't canon except for the look of Inutaisho which Rumiko Takahashi personally designed herself. However, even if the story itself is not canon I'm sure it wouldn't be OOC for Sesshomaru to say that and its probably something Rumiko Takahashi agreed that he would say. Here, let me bring up a quote about just what Takahashi-Sensei said about the movie.
Shai-Lang immediately typed in the site with the quote and showed it to the Inuyasha cast. It said: "I wasn't directly involved in the story of the third movie, but everyone that was working on it was so talented and had such great ideas that I just left it all up to them!"
"What does that mean? That means obviously that she approved of everything they did with her characters because it would have been something she would have done herself! That means all of Sesshomaru's dialogue in that movie can be taken to mean that it would be something Rumiko Takahashi herself would make Sesshomaru say and that it doesn't contradict his character."
"Okay, so we've established that Sesshomaru does indeed hate Izayoi, but how do we know that hatred is out of jealousy?" Sango asked.
"Well, what else could it be? I mean, from what we know of Izayoi she seems like she was a good mother and a generally caring person. I doubt she would have done any wrong to anybody. Plus, its quite obvious that Sesshomaru is jealous of Inuyasha so wouldn't that also extend to his mother? Surely, we don't have to contest that what Sesshomaru feels for Inuyasha, isn't jealousy do we?"
Kagome nearly burst out laughing at that ridiculous notion! "Please, its clear to anybody with two working eyes that Sesshomaru is jealous of Inuyasha. I mean, haven't they seen how Sesshomaru is always wondering why his father left Inuyasha Tenseiga? How he's always yelling at Inuyasha that he doesn't deserve it? How he reacted when Shishinki revealed that Tenseiga was just a cast-off of Tessaiga and was really supposed to be something to aid Tessaiga? You should have seen him then, that was the angriest I've ever saw him! He was exploding all over the place when he learned that!"
"Mm-hmm, its quite obvious to everyone that Sesshomaru is really just jealous of Inuyasha cause he thought their father preferred him. I don't think anything else needs to be said on that matter, lets move on to the next topic. A lot of people are also saying that even if Inuyasha is jealous and angry at Inuyasha and Izayoi for taking his father away, he's just acting out of anger on behalf of his mother's feelings. What do you all say to that?"
Flying down from the skies came Sesshomaru's mother herself to shed light on the matter. "Yoo-hoo, remember me? I appeared in the series for about one chapter? Did I look bitter, angry or jealous to you? No, I did not. I honestly couldn't care less and even commented on the fact that Sesshomaru was beginning to inherit his father's affinity for humans. I was very neutral and "whatever" about the matter. Would I really have been like that if I held any kind of feelings of bitterness over his father's betrayal? Would Inutaisho really have entrusted the Meidou Stone to me and have me be in charge of testing Sesshomaru if our relationship was fraught with anger and hurt? Honestly you humans have no logic whatsoever..."
"Not to mention the fact that I'm not even particularly close with my mother like I am with my father. Didn't they all see how I treated her when she first appeared in that chapter? I was like how I'm like with everyone else, calm and composed. She even pointed out the fact that I barely visit her and quite honestly, I couldn't care less about the woman. With such a relationship, why on earth would I ever feel self-righteous anger on behalf of her? Especially when even she doesn't feel any!"
To further prove her point, Shai-Lang brought in Kikyo as well who sighed rather exasperatedly at the idiocy of the fans. "Really now... I don't know anything about Inuyasha's half-brother's mother but I can assure you that if our creator wanted to indicate a romantic betrayal she would have made her angry and bitter, just like she did with me before I found out about Naraku. If she did it with one character, why wouldn't she do it with another to further emphasize a point?"
Shai-Lang decided that once and for all it was time to get down to the real proof of Sesshomaru's feelings for his father. "Let me tell you, most of my friends are people that come from divorced homes with remarried parents. And not one, not one! Ever reported feeling jealous over their parent's new spouse or children, their jealousy is strictly reserved for their romantic partners. The only time they ever had a problem with their parent's new family was when their other parent had a problem with them and then they were just acting out of defense of their parent's hurt. Kids hate seeing one of their parents hurt and jealous so of course they'd take their side when they suspect that the other parent is causing them pain. However, we've already proven that Sesshomaru's mother really couldn't care less about Inutaisho so Sesshomaru is in fact just jealous over his father being taken away from him and not because he left his mother specifically.
In fact when I brought up this subject to my friends and asked them if they ever felt jealous over their parents they looked at me like I was from outer space. Being jealous over a parent? How is that even possible? The very definition of jealousy is one with romantic connotations. You're only jealous when there's something threatening your romantic partner. People aren't as invested in platonic relationships to get jealous! Hell, its even expected in society that we have many kinds of the same platonic relationships yet we're only expected to have one romantic partner, why do you think that is? Let's face it, if you're jealous over your parent there's something deeper going on there then just plain "platonic" feelings."
"Not to mention that our creator Rumiko Takahashi is known as the Queen of Love triangles! In every series she's created thus far there's been a love triangle and feelings of jealousy in order to indicate a romantic relationship, that's just her motif and way of doing things. She uses jealousy in order to show romantic interest, if a character in one of her series is experiencing jealousy, its pretty safe to assume that they're doing so out of romantic feelings." Kagome said.
"You know, this could also be used as evidence against the Sesshomaru/Rin pairing. Why fangirls still put them together or try to argue that they're canon when Rin was happy about Kagura potentially having feelings for Sesshomaru is beyond me! Especially in a Rumiko Takahashi series! All of her couples have some sort of jealousy between them, that's just what she does, why would she suddenly stop now? That wouldn't make any sense! And don't say, its because: Well, Rin is a kid so she doesn't understand feelings of jealousy. No, just no. Rumiko Takahashi has shown plenty of times that the kids she creates are capable of getting crushes and being jealous. In Ranma 1/2, one of her earlier series Ukyo realizes she's in love with Ranma and gets jealous over him when she's about 3! Trust me, if she wanted Rin to experience feelings of jealousy or love she would have done it, she's done it before after all and with much younger kids yet!"
"That's right, Shai-Lang! I mean, just look at me! I'm shown in the series to constantly be getting crushes, why would our creator do that if she thought I was too young to know how that feels?" Shippo piped up.
Rin decided to chime in too, "I really don't know why people see me and Lord Sesshomaru that way, I care about him very much but I don't like him like that! Otherwise why would I get so happy about the prospect of Kagura liking him? Which I still think is true by the way!" Rin giggled gleefully merely from thinking about it.
"See? Look at her now! Her reaction is exactly the same as when I found out that Sango and Miroku had feelings for each other, I was over the roof! If Rumiko Takahashi wanted to hint at Sesshomaru and Rin as a couple why would she go out of her way to make Rin react exactly like I did?"
Shai-Lang smiled at Kagome's amazing perception, "Right as usual Kagome, there is no way in hell that Rumiko Takahashi sees Rin and Sesshomaru's relationship as anything other than platonic with the way she made Rin react like a "Shipper On Deck." Not only that, but Sesshomaru never gets jealous over Rin either. Kohaku seems to show an interest in her and he's perfectly fine with him traveling with them and even protects them. It really boggles my mind how the fandom can say that Sesshomaru/Rin is more canon then Sesshomaru/Inutaisho when the latter actually has jealousy and obsession involved.
You know what? I'm not even gonna bother harping any more on the subject, if you want a more in-depth view on how Sesshomaru and Rin aren't romantically involved, I suggest you read Soojinyeh's fic: s/4771320/1/Truth
Her points are really spot on and all her information is completely canon and directly from the manga, I highly recommend it."
"Getting back to the subject at hand... There's still not really any direct proof that Sesshomaru's feelings for his father is particularly romantic. I mean, he seems to place him on a pedestal and care about him more than anybody else but isn't that normal? Don't forget Lady Shai-Lang, you're dealing with Eastern culture here, in our culture the most important relationship is between parent and child, and honoring your parents and family is considered a vital value to have."
"I'm aware of that Miroku, after all the exact same thing is mentioned in Soojinyeh's fic right? However, you'll be pleased to know that I'm also speaking from an Eastern perspective. See, unlike these little white fangirls, who pretend to know everything about Asian culture, I'm Asian myself. Half-Chinese and half- Hungarian Jewish to be exact and though I was raised in a Jewish household my family is still deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and I grew up in a very Asian home. What you and Soojinyeh say is correct, in Asian culture the relationship between parent and child is even more important then the one between romantic partners... HOWEVER! An important distinction has to be made here... Even though that's true, the relationship is still very cold and distant and the children don't obsess over their parents like Sesshomaru does with his father.
See, unlike Western families Asian families are very different. Not only do are they typically extended but the parent-child relationships are much more colder and formal. While respect and honoring your parents is an extremely important aspect, the relationships aren't particularly close. Take my grandfather for instance, he once told me that in all his life, his father never once hugged or held him in fact, he barely even saw his father because he was working all the time! While this might seem unhealthy and bizarre to your typical American family, in Asian society this is actually quite normal. Especially since, while us Asians are very forward thinking in a lot of matters, when it comes to gender roles, we're still pretty backward and traditional. Men go to work and bring home the bacon, while women are in charge of rearing the children.
However, this does not seem to be the case for Sesshomaru's family does it? From how it looked in the manga, Sesshomaru barely sees his mother and just goes on and on about his father. Judging from this we can conclude that his father mostly raised him and unlike typical Asians he had a very, very close relationship to his father which is abnormal for the average Asian family."
"That's another thing! Our creator, Rumiko Takahashi or whatever always shows her characters being blatantly disrespectful to their parents and even treating them like fuckin idiots! I mean, look at me! Am I respectful to our father? Hell no! I constantly refer to him as "old man" when Sesshomaru refers to him as "Chi-Chue" which is actually the highest form of honor one can refer to their father as!"
"You know, Inuyasha is quite right, our creator definitely doesn't seem to care for her characters showing respect to their parents even though she's Asian herself and should have that mentality. Look at how I treat my foster father Mushin? I hate to admit it but I'm practically down-right abusive to him! Quite different from the deep admiration and downright obsessiveness that Sesshomaru feels for his father."
"You know what? I think its high time we heard what some of Rumiko Takahashi's other characters had to say." With but a snap of her fingers, a bout of smoke appeared yet again and out popped a few other people.
"Hi there, remember me? I'm Akane Tendo, you know from Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 series? I'd just like to say that in our household we treat our fathers like bumbling fools! Not only do we not really give them the proper respect but we don't even really care about them that much, let alone get jealous over them! Nope, our jealousy is strictly reserved for our love interests."
"I know right? Our dads are so clueless, mine wouldn't even notice if I extorted him, something that yes, I would do." Said the girl next to Akane with shoulder-length brown hair, it was one of her older sisters Nabiki.
"Me? I couldn't care less what Pop does or who he does it with! Hell, it'd be nice to get him off my back for once, the guy's nothin but a grade - A idiot!"
"Hey... Wait a minute... Why do you have the same voice as me?" Inuyasha asked the strange, pigtailed young man.
"Huh? That's just what I was gonna ask you! What the hell are you doin with my voice?!"
"Oi, wench! You've got some explainin to do..." Inuyasha muttered out rather dangerously as he glared at Shai-Lang.
"Aha-ha... Yeah.. Due to you and Ranma both being protagonists of a Rumiko Takahashi series and having more or less the same personality, you were given the exact same voice actors both in the Japanese and English Anime dubs..." Shai-Lang laughed nervously.
"WHAT?!" They both yelled out at the same time, seemingly disturbed by this little tidbit.
"Hey, don't get mad at me! I'm not the one that controls who voices you, I have nothing to do with this! You have a problem with it, take it up with Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise now can we please move on?"
Kagome sighed, "anyways the point Shai-Lang was trying to make here is that in a Rumiko Tahakashi series, generally the parents are treated like the butt of a joke and are never focused on or obsessed over like Sesshomaru is with his father. The fact that our creator made Sesshomaru's relationship with his father different and even added her usual jealousy formula is a statement that she wants us to see his feelings for his father as romantic."
Shai-Lang once again agreed with Kagome, "that's right, I mean somebody should read the manga chapter or watch the anime episode where he first fights with Shishinki and tell me that he's not obsessed with his father. That episode just made it extremely, extremely obvious."
"Oh yes, don't I remember!" It was now Shishinki's turn to speak up. "I was honestly surprised on how riled up I managed to get Sesshomaru, to think that the infamous ice-lord would lose his cool and show that much emotion. That was why I even did it you know, I knew the subject of his father was a sore spot for him and if I revealed to him the truth about his sword and how his father must have hated him that would have gotten him straight in the heart!"
"You're telling me! Why, I didn't even want to be there at that time! I knew that once Sesshomaru learned the truth his reaction would probably be the deadliest that I'd ever see, just remembering it gives me the shivers... ugh..." This time the voice came from a tiny old flea that was situated on Kagome's shoulder, to which Kagome responded with.
"That's for sure, Myoga was on Miroku's shoulder the whole time during the battle! And we should all know by now that when Myoga is far, far away things are about to get dangerous."
"HEY! I resent that implication!"
"We all know its true, so don't try to hide it..."
"Yup, not to mention that Sesshomaru showed even more emotion during that whole battle then when Rin died the second time, his facial features actually changed too! Something, that interestingly enough only happens whenever his father is brought up." Stated Shai-Lang.
Rin nodded, "That's right! I remember that battle, I don't think I've ever seen Lord Sesshomaru get so angry or show such emotion in my entire life! He showed even more emotion then during the time his mother brought me back to life."
Shai-Lang nodded once again, "yep that's true. People are always saying how Sesshomaru got so emotional over Rin's second death and that that's the most emotional we've ever seen him, but really? I don't see it. I mean all that happened was that he bore his fangs and dropped Tenseiga while lamenting on how he cost Rin her life. His facial features didn't even change that much like they did in his battle with Shishinki. And people still say that Rin's death was when he was at his most emotional? Sorry, but during the Shishinki battle he was much, much more emotional. No matter what anyone wants to think, his father will still always be the most important person in his life and will be able to trigger his most intense emotions, something not even Rin could do."
"Damn, you know even I felt sorry for Sesshomaru during that battle! I mean I hate the guy but it really seemed like our old man hated him and I saw how much that tore him up inside, even I would't wish that on anybody!"
"That's another thing! If Sesshomaru didn't have intense romantic feelings for his father, why would it bother him so much to hear that he hated him? I mean, usually people don't care that much if someone hates them unless that person is a romantic interest."
"Oh yeah, that got me thinkin! Remember that time you revived Kikyo and got all mad at me cause you thought I would go chasin after her again? You blew up and yelled that you hated me! I hate to admit it but when you said that that was all I could think about and I got really worried... You didn't really mean it right Kagome?"
"Of course not! You know I just said that out of anger, I care about you more than anyone and it was my choice to stay by your side... I thought you knew that by now..." Now the atmosphere seemed to change as both Kagome and Inuyasha blushed while Shai-lang simply chuckled and said jokingly, "aww you two are so lovey-dovey! But anyways, you make a good point! Sesshomaru reacted quite the same way that Inuyasha did when Kagome said she hated him, it bothered him, a lot. And of course Inuyasha and Kagome are each other's love interests so don't you think that's telling us something?"
Miroku nodded, "indeed I would react in much the same way if Sango ever said she hated me, even if it was as a joke."
"Right? People usually don't care if others hate them unless there's a romantic agenda going on, I mean Inuyasha, Naraku hates you do you care?"
"Feh, hell no! Of course he hates me, we're enemies and I hate him too! Why would it bother me?"
"And while yes, that's already a non-friendly relationship lets ask a character what they would do if their father said they hated them, Ranma?"
"Does it look like I would care? I mean, Pop's a fool so already his opinion doesn't matter to me. It definitely wouldn't tear me up inside like it does that white-haired pretty boy, I'd just shrug and go about my day. Hell, I might even like it since it would mean he'd quit botherin me!"
Sesshomaru glared when he heard the "pretty boy" comment, but again decided not to do anything for fear of Shai-Lang's all-powerful author control.
"I'd also like to point out that even without the "hate" comment that Shishinki said to Sesshomaru, its still pretty unhealthy to obsess over your parent to the extent that Sesshomaru does. I mean, everything he does in the series is motivated in some way by his father. I don't even think he even got involved in the main plot till much later!"
"That's right! Why, Milord didn't decide to go after Naraku until he kidnapped Rin. Even before that when Naraku had so disrespectfully used My Lord for his own benefit, he still didn't care and left him alone! Even at my insistence that he should track him down for such blatant disrespect! But alas, as usual Lord Sesshomaru didn't listen to me and instead went about focusing on his stuff related to his father..."
"Uh-huh, and while I will point out that family is a driving force for other characters in the series like Kohaku and Sango, they still don't get jealous over each other and are instead simply worried for the other."
It was now Kohaku's turn to have the floor. "That's right Miss Shai-Lang, I mean I knew for awhile that Ane had feelings for the Monk and when I heard they had gotten engaged I didn't feel jealous or angry at all. On the contrary, I was really happy that my sister finally found someone that could make her happy, she deserves it after all she went through..." Kohaku smiled sadly while Sango put her hands to her mouth, an effort to control her emotions after hearing Kohaku speak so sweetly.
"Kohaku..."
"What about you Sango? How did you feel when you first heard that Kohaku was traveling with Sesshomaru and Rin? Were you jealous at all that he might develop feelings for the girl?"
"Not at all! I mean of course I was worried because lets face it, this was Sesshomaru we were talking about and I would have much rather he'd join our group for obvious reasons but there was no jealousy involved at all! And I wouldn't be disturbed by the fact if Kohaku and Rin ever became a couple, in fact I think it would be quite good for him. I like Rin, she's a sweet girl. If anything, her being there with him eased my mind that he would be safe with Sesshomaru."
Shai-Lang decided that Kohaku's and Sango's testimonies were all she needed to finally establish firm evidence of Sesshomaru's romantic feelings for his father. "Well, there you have it folks! Extreme, solid proof directly from canon as to why Sesshomaru being in love with his father is canon, or at least more canon then Sesshomaru/Rin! There's one more point that I'd like to bring up though..."
Shai-Lang began typing and brought up the forums once again. "It says here that one of the other reasons Sesshomaru/Inutaisho isn't popular is because Inutaisho barely shows up and is dead. Fans say that by default Sesshomaru/Rin is more popular simply due to the fact that she's alive, what do you all say to that?"
At this, the entire cast frowned and looked at Shai-Lang as if she had just said the stupidest thing imaginable.
"Of all the stupid... So I guess according to their logic me and Kikyo were never ca-non or whatever cause she dies, is that how I'm supposed to take that?!"
Kikyo seemed to be deeply offended by this as well. "I feel personally insulted by that comment, so just because I'm dead that all of a sudden invalidates mine and Inuyasha's love? Do I have to remind you that much like Sesshomaru being motivated by his father, Inuyasha's whole quest to destroy Naraku is to avenge me and our love that was broken by him! Our love for each other practically moves the whole story!"
Kagome decided to speak up as well, even though one look at her face and someone would be able to tell that this was a topic that greatly saddened her and made her uncomfortable. "...As much as I hate to admit it its true. Inuyasha never once forgot or stopped loving Kikyo. He loved her so much he was even willing to follow her in death... No matter how much that hurt me. If being dead automatically disqualified someone as romantic interest then why did a love triangle even develop between me, Inuyasha and Kikyo? And was featured so prominently throughout the series too!"
"So if automatically a couple is more canon if both people are alive I guess that means even me and Inuyasha are more canon then Inuyasha and Kikyo, despite the fact that we've never once shown romantic interest in each other? Honestly..." Sango sighed and put her hand to head, it looks like the fangirls' idiocy was now getting to her and giving her a migraine.
"What about the fact that Inutaisho barely appears in the series, should that affect romantic interest?" Spoke up Shai-Lang once again.
"Um, excuse me!? Are they trying to say that my dad and mom aren't canon just because my mom died and isn't shown at all in my series? How dare they! My dad loves my mom more then anyone and never moved on because of that! She's also brought up a lot and my dad constantly prays to her for guidance in dealing with me and my sisters, there's a whole shrine dedicated to her in our dojo for god's sakes! I'd like them to look me in the eye and tell methat my dad doesn't love my mom just cause she's dead and never appeared, go on tell me! I'll just laugh in your face and then kick your disrespectful butt!"
"Akane... Tone down the anger would ya? Geez, you are soo uncute..."
"WHAT'D YOU SAY?! RAN-MAAAAAA...~"
"Ehehe... okay break it up, break it up! Remember what I said about no fighting? Besides you two aren't even in the Inuyasha series! I just brought you guys in to further prove my point about Rumiko Takahashi's style and I could easily take you out, so no fighting, capiche?"
Ranma and Akane complied but not before turning their backs to each other and letting out large "Hmphs."
"Wow... They kinda remind me of Inuyasha and Kagome..."
"Well they should Shippo considering that Inuyasha and Kagome were based off of the- oh never mind, its not important to this discussion! Anyways, so far we've concluded that there is sufficient enough evidence for Sesshomaru having romantic feelings for his father and also that being dead and barely appearing doesn't negate romantic interest one bit! In fact, this is another common plot device used by Takahashi-sensei. People might think Inuyasha and Kikyo were the first couple that she used to show love beyond the grave, but she's also done this in another series of hers called Maison Ikoku. In that series, the main heroine Kyoko is a 22 year old widow who spends the entire series trying to move on from her late husband Soichiro, who was her high school teacher and who she deeply loved. The fact that this is yet another common motif in a Rumiko Takahashi series means that it wouldn't be out-of left field to apply the same thing to Sesshomaru.
"Wow, so then is it true Lord Sesshomaru? Were you really in love with Lord Inutaisho?" Rin giggled, excited yet again at the prospect of her lord being in love.
"...Ridiculous." Said Sesshomaru as he turned away, which everyone took to mean "no comment."
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was starting to get antsy. "So are we done here? We've proved your theory so can you send us back now? I don't how much more of this I'll be able to take! Sittin here and discussing Sesshomaru's love life isn't exactly on the high end of my list of favorite activities you know..."
"Unfortunately, we've got about five more chapters of stuff to get through... Sorry..."
Everyone in the cast groaned in annoyance, while Shai-Lang tried to reassure them.
"D-Don't worry guys! The next chapters should go by really quickly, this will be probably the longest chapter so we should get done soon, just grin and bear it okay?"
"So, what's the subject for the next chapter Shai-Lang?" Kagome asked.
"The next chapter, we'll be covering the issue of incest and why in Sesshomaru and Inutaisho's case its not a big deal... We'll be getting into a lot of meaty subject matters in that chapter so stay tuned!