Ok, this fic is about Sesshomaru after his father's death. The details are based off of the movie Swords of an Honerable Ruler.

Sesshomaru will be OOC for this, because I'm writing this on the assumption that he's not internally as calm as he is externally, not even close, really.

That brings me to the other note; There is a major OC who you will meet in the next chapter, who is able to deal with OOC Sesshomaru without the younger demon hating him after he gets better. He is not really story altering, since this is uncannon time, but is very important to the story. If you don't like OCs, then you don't have to read, or you can just stop before I make him really important; I will try to put up a warning about his importance in each chapter.

Fire

Fire.

There was fire.

Why, why wasn't his father coming out. Where was he?

He couldn't breathe.

He hadn't meant to follow him, father had said he'd be fine when he'd suggested leaving him the sword for safekeeping, (hadn't he?). So why had he stood watching his father leave? Why, once he was out of site, had he suddenly taken off after him, and watched from the shadows as he stormed the castle? Where was he?

"Father…" he breathed, startling himself with the sound of his own voice.

Then he saw the woman come staggering out of the castle, looking back once with a face so lonely his heart froze. Then the bundle in her arms cried and she turned to it, turning away from the heat and rage to protect the new life.

He couldn't think, he just acted, loosing himself in the flames. He found what he was looking for in the hottest part of the fire. One hand was holding a sleeve over his mouth and nose as he searched the room, and he had almost turned to leave, when a screen wall snapped and fell to the floor. And he saw him…

His father was unmistakable, in his battle armor and perfect silver ponytail. He was lying facedown on the ground, a dead samurai collapsed at the other end of the small room. Sesshomaru couldn't breathe, smoke was pouring into his lungs now, but he couldn't register enough to cover his face again. Arrows and spears riddled his father's body, and the Demon Lord of the West wasn't moving to get away form the heat.

Not thinking about how he would explain himself if he was caught, the teen ran over, kneeling by his father to check for a pulse. His hand burned where is connected with the skin, and Sesshomaru jerked back with an involuntary gasp. He was dead, not even his father could survive that heat, not with his injuries. He didn't cry as he looked around, but only because his soot dried eyes couldn't and because he never cried… never.

Numbness fell over him as he began to loose oxygen, and he saw the swords arrayed around his fallen lord. A part of him remembered that he had once coveted them, but he wouldn't take them, not in exchange for his father's life. He couldn't expect to apologize that way!

Blinded and bordering on unconsciousness, Sesshomaru turned and ran from the building. This was a nightmare, he was loosing consciousness, and when he woke up it would all be gone.

He couldn't breathe… Why couldn't he breathe…?

His eyesight had faded to black and he felt himself collide with a tree. Sinking to the ground, he felt the absolute numbness setting in again.

He couldn't breathe.

And he never cried.

Never cried…