LIGHT IN THE DARKEST DAYS
SUMMARY: Sesshoumaru asked his father what true strength was. He had asked a million times, and hadn't gotten an answer. His father's chuckle confused him, as he'd never smiled like that before. "Sesshoumaru…do you have something to protect?" Companion piece to Warmth on the Coldest Nights.
DEDICATED TO: My Jamie. Merry Christmas!
CHAPTER ONE
Practice was hardly successful, as always. Sesshoumaru sparred with soldiers, taking them down with no problem, and his father watched closely. But once his father stepped forward, Sesshoumaru knew to not expect victory, even as he took on different stances that the many soldiers had displayed earlier, hoping that the one different stance would suit him and throw his father off guard. However, his father knew the weakness in every stance, and Sesshoumaru found that frustration returning for the umpteenth time. He had used the tiger demon's stance, a light crouch with one foot behind him as his hands hovered before his chest protectively. His father didn't take a stance, just smiling at him with that playful gleam in his eyes. Sesshoumaru let the foot behind him slide further back before pushing off with it, leaping forward at a rather high speed.
Sesshoumaru was impulsive, and his father waited for Sesshoumaru to arrive before grabbing his arm and tossing him backwards. Their sparring match had just begun, but the door to the dojo opened and his father was immediately behind him. Although the servant who had entered nearly fell over backwards, his father had grabbed the servant by the arm, pulling her back to her feet as he wrapped an arm with an iron grip around Sesshoumaru's waist. The collision – which could have proven unhealthy for the alliance with the black inu clan – was avoided, leaving the dog general smiling down at the servant girl tenderly and a rather stunned-looking black inu ambassador.
Sesshoumaru heard a growl in the back of his mind as he looked over the two, but ignored it. His impulsive inner beast had a tendency to get him in trouble, like now. Finally, his father released him and allowed him to stand on his own, though his contact with the servant girl lingered for perhaps a second longer than necessary. "Hello. What brings two beautiful women like yourself to my presence?" he asked, always the flirt. Sesshoumaru would have rolled his eyes at his father if it was just the two of them. Having to seem noble, however, left him no room to do as he pleased.
"I am Ritsu of Hayao's black inu clan. Hayao has taken over Kagero's clan as the Alpha and wishes to bridge the gaps that he was left with and create treaties and peace alliances with the neighboring inu clans," the ambassador commented after a moment's hesitation.
"Hayao must come here himself if he wishes to build an alliance," Sesshoumaru's father replied with a light frown, serious since the matters of clans and his lands was broached.
"As he is aware. However, he wished to play it safe while he recovers, seeing which clans would be open to an alliance and which clans wished for the war to continue. Thus, he will be making his alliances in a rather short time."
"I see," the dog general replied. He looked down at the servant girl before him – Sesshoumaru couldn't even remember the girl's name. "What do you think, Mizu?" he asked, though Mizu was probably a pet name. "Should I accept him with open arms or keep the war going?"
"Father, you cannot seriously leave a decision like this up to a servant girl…"
"She is a black inu like that clan. She wouldn't lie to me, either." Sesshoumaru openly frowned at his father's decision. The servant, put on the spot, was flushing madly.
"O-oh! Well, a black inu's morals are the same as a white inu's…I'm sure you would be a wonderful ally, and Hayao-sama recognizes that…"
"I'm your only 'sama,' Dear. Remember that," the dog purred at his servant, who quickly retreated, excusing herself with a rushed apology accompanied by a bow as she half-ran from the dojo. Sesshoumaru ignored the scene for the most part, taking this time to study Ritsu. She was certainly a catch – the swell of her bosom was noticeable even under the layers of her kimono, as well as her figure in general with her thin waist and wide hips. She looked good in the color black. It complimented her pale skin, dark hair, and red eyes quite nicely. Not to mention her plump red lips…
Usually, Sesshoumaru didn't pay much attention to women. At least not like this. He frowned at her, catching her gaze and holding it, though he forced as much annoyance as he could into his gaze as he frowned at her intensely. His demon purred at her, though he ignored it once more. She wouldn't be able to sense his demon. Never. She would never know, and he would ignore the urge to fraternize with her. He had more important things to do…the first of those things being finding a way to take on his father. "Shall we proceed, Father?"
The dog general frowned at his son in thought. "Hmm…no, I don't think so. Perhaps you should train on your own first. That stance suits a cat's speed more than yours," he advised, smiling as he left, probably to chase after that damnable servant girl that he'd taken that strange interest in. Come to think of it, he'd been acting strangely since her arrival months ago.
However, that left him alone…with her.
"Hello," she greeted after a few minutes. Sesshoumaru snorted at her, drawing his practice katana and wheeling on one of the soldiers, who had until now been observing. The two clashed and Sesshoumaru made it blatantly obvious that he wanted nothing to do with her delectable, beautiful body.