Okay, I'm re-posting this, just for the heck of it. The first time I put
it up, no one reviewed, so I took it down, only to find I had 2 reviews.
I felt loved. When I re-posted, I came away with 3. I'm hoping more will
read and review this time.
OH NO! Another one-shot!! AHH!
Okay, got that out of my system. Hope you like, and feel free to stop by my website!! Please!! No one does!!
And they're NOT MINE! (I wish, though...)
~~~~~~~
Love of a Mother
They were coming closer.
She held her son closer to her breast as she ran, her other hand tightening around her elder son's as she led him away from the place he had always lived. He was confused, and curious, and scared. She could tell he was because he would look at her, back at their fading home, and then to the horizon, where the mob was steadily coming closer, aiming for only one target.
Them.
Her husband and protector was gone. Dead. He died defending her, and she knew that the moment word of his death spread, everyone would come to them, wanting them dead. Her elder son, not really her son by blood, but by choice and by love, would have been fine on his own from most of them, but it was a mother's instincts to protect her children, no matter that one of them was able to lift her over his head if given permission.
Glancing down at the 14-year-old next to her, she knew what she would have to do. If he ran, he could make it to safety. And the others would stop to kill her before going on after the children, and by then they would be far away. Tightening her grip on her sleeping baby, she made her decision. She slowed, then stopped, and kneeled before her eldest child, looking him in the eyes, which so reminded her of her love.
"Sweetheart? I need you to do me a favor..." He nodded at her, his face serious for the first time in a long time, since his baby brother had been born. "I need you to take your brother, and get as far away as you can, okay? Stay to the trees, or to the air, but stop for no one if you can possibly help it. If a youkai stops you, asking where I am, I want you to tell him you killed me." His eyes grew wide at this, and his jaw fell.
"But... Mother..." She had to smile. He had started calling her "Mother" after her babe had begun saying "Mama", since he felt the need to be more mature than a child 11 years younger than he.
"Love, listen to me. It's the only way." He was slowly shaking his head, refusing to leave her, but she reached out and pulled him closer, hugging him. "Please. Take him and go. Tell everyone you killed me. They'll leave you alone, then. Keep your brother a secret if you can, and train hard, and teach him as well. Then, when you're strong, like I know you will be, go back to our home and regain what's yours. Please?"
She watched, her heart aching as his eyes began to tear up, a single drop sliding down his face as he embraced the woman he had begun to care about. "But why can't Father teach us? Where is father??" She sighed, knowing this had been coming up, and fearing his reaction.
"He's gone, sweetheart. I'm so sorry... They killed him because they don't like humans, like you and your father did. They hated me, and they hated the fact that your brother is half-human." She felt herself begin to cry, and was surprised as the boy tightened his grip on her. 'Wow, he's going to be one strong man someday,' she thought.
Shaking her head, she realized the voices were becoming louder and clearer. With a final squeeze, she released her son, and stared into the deep golden eyes both he and his brother had inherited from their father. She dropped a kiss onto her baby's forehead, making the three-year-old whimper in his sleep, and handed him over to his brother. "Take care of him for me, okay?" He nodded, and she noticed the dark spot on his forehead when his bangs moved. She didn't have to look closer, she knew what it was. It was his father's mark, now his mark. She pushed him gently away, and turned to run back towards the voices, hoping to stall them long enough to save her beloved children.
~~*~~
'Keep him safe, and train hard, and teach him as well..." The boy leapt into the air, a trick his father had recently taught him, and floated on a cloud of energy in the opposite direction his mother ran, never knowing that she would meet up with the mob only moments later. Never knowing that she had refused to give them her children, and had willingly died to keep them safe. All he knew was that his father and his second mother was gone. He was alone, except for the child in his arms.
Finally, after an hour of flying, his energy began to drain and he began to get tired. He quickly found a place to land, next to a stream, and tried to make the baby stop whimpering in his sleep. As he drank the cool water from the spring, though, a kappa (water imp/demon) glared at him from further downstream.
"You! I know you! You're the son of that human bitch your father took in! Where is she, huh boy?!" While this was being said, the brother moved closer to protect his younger sibling, and the kappa angrily swam closer and closer. And for the first time ever, and certainly not the last, the taller boy set his face to try and hide any emotions, and said the words he hated so much.
"I killed her." Even though he was young, he could tell that the water imp was somewhat unnerved by the cold look he was receiving from the being before him.
"Oh really? And why's that?" The son racked his brain, trying to think of a good enough lie to tell, then remembered his step-mother's words. 'They don't like humans like you and your father did...'
"I hate humans. She disgusted me." Inwardly, he flinched, and he prayed to whatever gods there were out there that his brother was still sleeping, and hadn't heard what he said. But while he silently apologized to his lost family, the kappa seemed to be pleased.
"Good! Finally! A youkai who knows what's right and what's wrong! What is your name, by the way?" He hadn't been expected to be asked this, but he figured he might as well answer. He supposed the imp wanted his name so that he could tell everyone he killed his mother, but that was her wish, so...
"My name is Sesshoumaru. Do not forget it." He straightened up, tossing his long silver hair over his shoulder, trying to look imposing and emotionless. It must have worked, because the kappa seemed to be nervous before bowing and muttering a quiet "Hai, Lord Sesshoumaru", before departing, leaving at a speed that would have rivaled his own.
The young demon, surprised at his new title, glanced at his sleeping brother before going to look at his reflection in the stream. He looked too sad, too gentle, too... weak. He could never protect his brother by being weak! And so, as he stared at his reflection, he schooled his face into a cold, emotionless mask, and glared at the water. Good. But he still looked somewhat childish.
He sighed and splashed cold water on his face before running his clawed fingers through his hair. Then he noticed the blue crescent moon on his forehead. Parting his bangs, he stared at the symbol that used to mark his father as the ruler of the Western Lands. Now he was the Lord of the Western Lands.
Straightening up proudly, Sesshoumaru made sure to keep his bangs parted, in order to let all know his status, hoping it would keep threats away. Then he reached around and stared at his tail, which was currently curling around his waist, too long to let swing freely for fear of dragging on the ground. He tried to decide what to do with it, but finally gave up when he heard his brother cry out in pain.
The young lord ran to his brother, who had seemed to have awoken and tried to come to see his elder sibling, only to be stopped by something. When Sesshoumaru arrived, he helped his brother stand and looked into his face.
"Are you alright?" The small boy looked up at him with eyes so much like his own, and pouted.
"I was coming to find you, big brother, and something got in my eye..." The elder child looked at his brother's right eye, which had recently been rubbed almost raw in pain and annoyance. He couldn't see anything, but led him over to the stream, dripping the cool liquid onto the young one's face, washing out whatever could have been caught.
"Better, Inuyasha?" At his younger brother's nod, Sesshoumaru smiled and picked the boy up, sitting next to a tree with the child in his lap. He began to rock the hanyou back and forth, hoping to calm him down, only to end up drifting off to sleep himself.
~~*~~
It was like a broken record, almost. He stared at the 17th demon to catch them, demanding his mother. And for the young lord, it was too many. He finally snapped.
"I'll tell you the same thing I've told every other youkai between here and my home. SHE'S DEAD! I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A HUMAN, AND HUMANS ARE DISGUSTING CREATURES!" The youkai was shocked, but not as much as the demon lord himself. He had actually let his control slip, and yelled at this large monster. Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, the worst was yet to come.
The young lord's anger became so strong, he simply desired to lash out at his enemy, and make him feel the pain he suffered. His hand began to tingle, and he glanced down at it, only to be shocked by the sight of his entire hand glowing yellow, and a slight wisp of something stretching from it. Sesshoumaru lifted his hand up, then brought it down quickly, focusing his anger and hurt into that light, only to watch it glow brighter, and become longer and thicker. Then the downward motion drove it at the youkai, destroying it instantly.
He was in such shock at the disappearance of such a large youkai, he never noticed his sobbing baby brother come over to look at him, having heard the yelled 'confession'. Inuyasha finally gained his brother's attention when he stood in front of him, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You killed her? You killed Mama? You killed her like you killed that monster?" Sesshoumaru stared into his brother's pained eyes, shocked at the rage growing in the younger boy. "I HATE YOU, SESSHOUMARU! I hate you!" And with that, the young hanyou leapt into the trees, racing off at a high speed, and the newly appointed demon lord lost the last remnants of family he had ever had.
Sinking to the ground in despair, he tried to think of how he should calm his brother down once he found him, and make him listen to the truth.
'Inuyasha... You don't really think I killed her, do you? I loved her like my own mother... She told me to say that... I thought you trusted me... Mother told me to get you away, she said...' The memories flooded back to him, and he heard his mother's voice again, telling him that the reason they had to go was because she was a human, and they hated her for her humanity, and hated Inuyasha for his heritage. His rage grew as he came to his own conclusions, finally deciding to leave his brother be, but follow him and guard him while he trained. While they both trained.
'Inuyasha. Mother told me to teach you, to make you grow strong. And I will, just like father taught me. I will return, little brother, and fight you until you are strong enough to defeat me. And even then, I will fight you. Because if it hadn't been for you, then maybe none of the youkai would have known about mother and father... and if it hadn't been for you, then I could have carried mother away. But mother loved you, and I swore to protect you and make you strong. And I will.'
'I still love you, but... I hate you, Inuyasha. It's your fault they're gone. And now I'm alone again... I hate you, Inuyasha... I hate you, my beloved little brother...'
~~*~~~
And so, a legacy of hatred and disgust began between two brothers, torn apart by their love for the same woman...
~~~~~~~~
Okay, I have no clue where the heck this came from. It's called being bored in English class. Scary, huh? Well, I guess review and tell me what you think!
OH NO! Another one-shot!! AHH!
Okay, got that out of my system. Hope you like, and feel free to stop by my website!! Please!! No one does!!
And they're NOT MINE! (I wish, though...)
~~~~~~~
Love of a Mother
They were coming closer.
She held her son closer to her breast as she ran, her other hand tightening around her elder son's as she led him away from the place he had always lived. He was confused, and curious, and scared. She could tell he was because he would look at her, back at their fading home, and then to the horizon, where the mob was steadily coming closer, aiming for only one target.
Them.
Her husband and protector was gone. Dead. He died defending her, and she knew that the moment word of his death spread, everyone would come to them, wanting them dead. Her elder son, not really her son by blood, but by choice and by love, would have been fine on his own from most of them, but it was a mother's instincts to protect her children, no matter that one of them was able to lift her over his head if given permission.
Glancing down at the 14-year-old next to her, she knew what she would have to do. If he ran, he could make it to safety. And the others would stop to kill her before going on after the children, and by then they would be far away. Tightening her grip on her sleeping baby, she made her decision. She slowed, then stopped, and kneeled before her eldest child, looking him in the eyes, which so reminded her of her love.
"Sweetheart? I need you to do me a favor..." He nodded at her, his face serious for the first time in a long time, since his baby brother had been born. "I need you to take your brother, and get as far away as you can, okay? Stay to the trees, or to the air, but stop for no one if you can possibly help it. If a youkai stops you, asking where I am, I want you to tell him you killed me." His eyes grew wide at this, and his jaw fell.
"But... Mother..." She had to smile. He had started calling her "Mother" after her babe had begun saying "Mama", since he felt the need to be more mature than a child 11 years younger than he.
"Love, listen to me. It's the only way." He was slowly shaking his head, refusing to leave her, but she reached out and pulled him closer, hugging him. "Please. Take him and go. Tell everyone you killed me. They'll leave you alone, then. Keep your brother a secret if you can, and train hard, and teach him as well. Then, when you're strong, like I know you will be, go back to our home and regain what's yours. Please?"
She watched, her heart aching as his eyes began to tear up, a single drop sliding down his face as he embraced the woman he had begun to care about. "But why can't Father teach us? Where is father??" She sighed, knowing this had been coming up, and fearing his reaction.
"He's gone, sweetheart. I'm so sorry... They killed him because they don't like humans, like you and your father did. They hated me, and they hated the fact that your brother is half-human." She felt herself begin to cry, and was surprised as the boy tightened his grip on her. 'Wow, he's going to be one strong man someday,' she thought.
Shaking her head, she realized the voices were becoming louder and clearer. With a final squeeze, she released her son, and stared into the deep golden eyes both he and his brother had inherited from their father. She dropped a kiss onto her baby's forehead, making the three-year-old whimper in his sleep, and handed him over to his brother. "Take care of him for me, okay?" He nodded, and she noticed the dark spot on his forehead when his bangs moved. She didn't have to look closer, she knew what it was. It was his father's mark, now his mark. She pushed him gently away, and turned to run back towards the voices, hoping to stall them long enough to save her beloved children.
~~*~~
'Keep him safe, and train hard, and teach him as well..." The boy leapt into the air, a trick his father had recently taught him, and floated on a cloud of energy in the opposite direction his mother ran, never knowing that she would meet up with the mob only moments later. Never knowing that she had refused to give them her children, and had willingly died to keep them safe. All he knew was that his father and his second mother was gone. He was alone, except for the child in his arms.
Finally, after an hour of flying, his energy began to drain and he began to get tired. He quickly found a place to land, next to a stream, and tried to make the baby stop whimpering in his sleep. As he drank the cool water from the spring, though, a kappa (water imp/demon) glared at him from further downstream.
"You! I know you! You're the son of that human bitch your father took in! Where is she, huh boy?!" While this was being said, the brother moved closer to protect his younger sibling, and the kappa angrily swam closer and closer. And for the first time ever, and certainly not the last, the taller boy set his face to try and hide any emotions, and said the words he hated so much.
"I killed her." Even though he was young, he could tell that the water imp was somewhat unnerved by the cold look he was receiving from the being before him.
"Oh really? And why's that?" The son racked his brain, trying to think of a good enough lie to tell, then remembered his step-mother's words. 'They don't like humans like you and your father did...'
"I hate humans. She disgusted me." Inwardly, he flinched, and he prayed to whatever gods there were out there that his brother was still sleeping, and hadn't heard what he said. But while he silently apologized to his lost family, the kappa seemed to be pleased.
"Good! Finally! A youkai who knows what's right and what's wrong! What is your name, by the way?" He hadn't been expected to be asked this, but he figured he might as well answer. He supposed the imp wanted his name so that he could tell everyone he killed his mother, but that was her wish, so...
"My name is Sesshoumaru. Do not forget it." He straightened up, tossing his long silver hair over his shoulder, trying to look imposing and emotionless. It must have worked, because the kappa seemed to be nervous before bowing and muttering a quiet "Hai, Lord Sesshoumaru", before departing, leaving at a speed that would have rivaled his own.
The young demon, surprised at his new title, glanced at his sleeping brother before going to look at his reflection in the stream. He looked too sad, too gentle, too... weak. He could never protect his brother by being weak! And so, as he stared at his reflection, he schooled his face into a cold, emotionless mask, and glared at the water. Good. But he still looked somewhat childish.
He sighed and splashed cold water on his face before running his clawed fingers through his hair. Then he noticed the blue crescent moon on his forehead. Parting his bangs, he stared at the symbol that used to mark his father as the ruler of the Western Lands. Now he was the Lord of the Western Lands.
Straightening up proudly, Sesshoumaru made sure to keep his bangs parted, in order to let all know his status, hoping it would keep threats away. Then he reached around and stared at his tail, which was currently curling around his waist, too long to let swing freely for fear of dragging on the ground. He tried to decide what to do with it, but finally gave up when he heard his brother cry out in pain.
The young lord ran to his brother, who had seemed to have awoken and tried to come to see his elder sibling, only to be stopped by something. When Sesshoumaru arrived, he helped his brother stand and looked into his face.
"Are you alright?" The small boy looked up at him with eyes so much like his own, and pouted.
"I was coming to find you, big brother, and something got in my eye..." The elder child looked at his brother's right eye, which had recently been rubbed almost raw in pain and annoyance. He couldn't see anything, but led him over to the stream, dripping the cool liquid onto the young one's face, washing out whatever could have been caught.
"Better, Inuyasha?" At his younger brother's nod, Sesshoumaru smiled and picked the boy up, sitting next to a tree with the child in his lap. He began to rock the hanyou back and forth, hoping to calm him down, only to end up drifting off to sleep himself.
~~*~~
It was like a broken record, almost. He stared at the 17th demon to catch them, demanding his mother. And for the young lord, it was too many. He finally snapped.
"I'll tell you the same thing I've told every other youkai between here and my home. SHE'S DEAD! I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A HUMAN, AND HUMANS ARE DISGUSTING CREATURES!" The youkai was shocked, but not as much as the demon lord himself. He had actually let his control slip, and yelled at this large monster. Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, the worst was yet to come.
The young lord's anger became so strong, he simply desired to lash out at his enemy, and make him feel the pain he suffered. His hand began to tingle, and he glanced down at it, only to be shocked by the sight of his entire hand glowing yellow, and a slight wisp of something stretching from it. Sesshoumaru lifted his hand up, then brought it down quickly, focusing his anger and hurt into that light, only to watch it glow brighter, and become longer and thicker. Then the downward motion drove it at the youkai, destroying it instantly.
He was in such shock at the disappearance of such a large youkai, he never noticed his sobbing baby brother come over to look at him, having heard the yelled 'confession'. Inuyasha finally gained his brother's attention when he stood in front of him, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You killed her? You killed Mama? You killed her like you killed that monster?" Sesshoumaru stared into his brother's pained eyes, shocked at the rage growing in the younger boy. "I HATE YOU, SESSHOUMARU! I hate you!" And with that, the young hanyou leapt into the trees, racing off at a high speed, and the newly appointed demon lord lost the last remnants of family he had ever had.
Sinking to the ground in despair, he tried to think of how he should calm his brother down once he found him, and make him listen to the truth.
'Inuyasha... You don't really think I killed her, do you? I loved her like my own mother... She told me to say that... I thought you trusted me... Mother told me to get you away, she said...' The memories flooded back to him, and he heard his mother's voice again, telling him that the reason they had to go was because she was a human, and they hated her for her humanity, and hated Inuyasha for his heritage. His rage grew as he came to his own conclusions, finally deciding to leave his brother be, but follow him and guard him while he trained. While they both trained.
'Inuyasha. Mother told me to teach you, to make you grow strong. And I will, just like father taught me. I will return, little brother, and fight you until you are strong enough to defeat me. And even then, I will fight you. Because if it hadn't been for you, then maybe none of the youkai would have known about mother and father... and if it hadn't been for you, then I could have carried mother away. But mother loved you, and I swore to protect you and make you strong. And I will.'
'I still love you, but... I hate you, Inuyasha. It's your fault they're gone. And now I'm alone again... I hate you, Inuyasha... I hate you, my beloved little brother...'
~~*~~~
And so, a legacy of hatred and disgust began between two brothers, torn apart by their love for the same woman...
~~~~~~~~
Okay, I have no clue where the heck this came from. It's called being bored in English class. Scary, huh? Well, I guess review and tell me what you think!