I have returned with inuparent romance and womanly bonding. Enjoy.
Discaimer: t(-_-t) I own nothing but the plot.
Memories Best Forgotten
Chapter 2: To Choose Another
"Are you sure it's alright for us to stay here?" Izayoi picks up the whimpering hanyou after shrugging off her nagajuban, holding the babe to her breast. "I worry…"
"There's no need for that, Izayoi," Toga dons his armor, securing it around himself. "This is your home as much as it is mine, and I've put my most trusted guards in charge of your safety and well-being. They will bring you meals, and if you need something, or if you want to go somewhere, simply ask and they will obey."
"I know, but, what of your family?" She questions him, not wanting to see him leave their room just yet. After the disaster from the previous night, he stayed with her all through the next day, making sure she got her rest.
But today, he must return to his duties, no matter how much he'd rather remain by his love's side.
"I have already made my peace with them, and Hisakei bears you no grudge," He pauses, debating whether or not to continue. "Sesshomaru, on the other hand…" He warns. "I would prefer it if you did not come across him. He is rarely ever here, but I worry that he may want to run into you." He shivers at the thought of what could happen. He himself told Sesshomaru not to come near them unless he had only good intentions.
"Does ridding them of this place count as a good intention?" was his eldest son's sly remark.
Sesshomaru left the castle, sporting an already healing broken wrist from his father's vice-like grip. A warning, a threat, to the wrath he would face if he pulled a stunt like that.
Izayoi grimaces at the thought, holding Inuyasha closer to her. "I'll do my best to avoid him, Toga."
The man turns to the small mother, the image of her feeding his child with such a protective aura forever engraining itself into his mind.
Kami, how he loved this woman.
He smiles warmly, nearing them with graceful steps. He kneels down and gently pets his son's soft hair, his heritage making itself quite known in the form of his ears and dog-like nose. Izayoi takes advantage of his distraction by stealing a quick kiss. "We'll be waiting for you," She whispers, a pretty blush painting her cheeks.
He sighs and presses his lips to hers, longer than her little peck, and he wishes he could just stay like this for the rest of his life.
But such duties of a general are taxing. He stands, his hand caressing Izayoi's cheek. He leaves the room, and she notices four guards outside the shoji door, guarding the main hallway. She flushes from head to toe, positive that they heard everything. There are no secrets here, I suppose.
She knows that if she turns her head behind her, she'll see four more shadows on the other side of another door, leading outside into the castle's main garden. He had this set to be their room quite early in their relationship, remembering one of their first few meetings where she told him that she missed her home's lush gardens and the sparkling pond.
He had truly been planning this for the entirety of their time together, and it warms her heart to know that what should be a blood-thirsty, cold-hearted monster is actually a man simply wanting to experience genuine love.
Monsters. Ha. The real monsters are the murderers that take life without question, the evil-doers that enjoy bringing suffering to those around them, and the power-hungry who wish to own the world.
She's seen it all before, of course.
She's brought out of her musings as her child releases her to rest his cheek on her breast, staring up at her curiously with wide golden eyes. She smiles lovingly at her little boy, gently setting him down for just a moment to fix her underrobe. He whimpers and kicks his legs, already missing her warmth.
She doesn't hesitate to pick him back up and lays his head on her shoulder, gently patting his back. She's not at all sure if hanyou babies are like human babies, but it doesn't hurt to try things out, right?
"Izayoi-hime, Hisakei-sama wishes to enter your chambers. May she?" A single guard asks just outside the inner screen. She's too surprised to answer at first, a little fear planting itself into the back of her mind.
"… Hisakei bears you no grudge." He had said, and she trusts him more than she trusts herself in the presence of these powerful beings.
"Of course, send her in," Izayoi replies in a light tone.
The screen slides open, and truly, Izayoi wasn't sure what she was expecting. Before her, standing nearly as tall as the men next to her, dressed in gorgeous silk robes that put her own to shame, is an absolute goddess.
Her dark eyes are wide in shock, and she feels humbled to think that Toga would leave this woman for her.
Hisakei is also surprised at the sight of the girl, but she keeps her face apathetic as she passes through the threshold. The door is gently slid shut behind her, and she breaks, a soft smile turning up her painted lips. "My, and I thought Toga was simply trying to make me jealous when he spoke of your beauty, but I have definitely been proven wrong."
Izayoi stutters at the compliment, her face stained darker than a rose, "N-nonsense, I was sure you were a kami for a moment!" She tries to stand but quickly remembers her lack of dress. "O-oh, I'm so sorry, I-I wasn't expecting anyone…"
Hisakei chuckles, her voice melodic, "Are all humans as self-conscious as you, darling? Please, we're both ladies of royalty, no? Besides, I'm the one invading your room. Why fret?"
"You-you aren't invading at all! I just- I, um, I feel…" Izayoi sighs, rubbing Inuyasha's back for comfort. "I feel guilty about the whole situation."
Hisakei's normally lack of expression morphs into that of shock. The girl feels guilty? For what, 'stealing' her husband?
I'll have to settle this myself, I suppose.
Hisakei begins to move to the center of the room. She keeps a smile on her face, sensing the mortal's uneasiness. She kneels next to the new mother and sighs. "Izayoi, you have nothing to be guilty for," She starts softly. "We loved each other because it was expected, and we admired one another for looks alone, but neither of us were in love with the other," She turns her face towards the awed human, the girl's hand gently resting at the nape of her son's neck. "He fell in love with you, and that is why he chose you. I cannot possibly blame him, nor you, for that."
Izayoi meekly smiles, her voice quivering, "I'm… I'm glad you're not— you're not angry, but," The smile disappears, and her eyes shift to avoid contact. "Is none of this surprising? I'm guessing he must have told you at some point, but—" She's interrupted as the elder wife laughs merrily.
"Surely, dear, you must be aware of our sense of smell? I could smell you on him the first day you two met! And that was before you two became physically involved," She adds with a wink.
Izayoi's face erupts into a furious shade of crimson, her mouth gaping at the woman's bluntness. She quickly turns her head fully away from the noble lady, muttering under her breath, "Oh, how embarrassing…"
Hisakei rolls her eyes. "We inu youkai are known for being quite forward. We aren't afraid to comment on topics that most humans considered taboo."
Izayoi laughs awkwardly, "So I've noticed…"
A silent pause follows that, neither not quite sure what to say. Hisakei considers leaving the embarrassed human alone when a small whimper interrupts the quiet.
The baby in the princess's arms turns his head this way and that, assumedly trying to figure out where this new scent is coming from.
"May I hold him?" She asks. The last time she held a newborn was after Sesshomaru's birth, and the maternal part of her unconsciously longs to see a young child again.
Izayoi quirks a brow as she maneuvers Inuyasha back into a recline in the crook of her arms. At the sudden look of radiant joy on the woman's face, she finds herself trusting Toga's former wife. "Of course," She replies, her mirth manifesting itself into a wide smile.
As she begins to hand him over, she shows Hisakei how to hold him, keeping his neck up, and her hands here, and…
"He's… He's so cute," Hisakei contains a squeal of joy at the sight of him. The boy looks up at her with her husband's eyes, and she admires his inu qualities. "He may be only half, but I can see he has a pup's nose… Goodness, and those adorable ears! He might have even better hearing than us pure-bloods; and my, would you look at his claws!" She chuckles, moving her hand to hold his.
"So, all inu babies have that nose? I was guessing it was a hanyou thing," Izayoi finds herself feeling a bit of pride at the woman's admiration of her child. She feared that because of Hisakei's status and bloodline that she'd be another 'naysayer', as Toga so gently put it.
She knows of the hatred that many youkai have for half-bloods. A tainted bloodline in their eyes. A weakling. An abomination.
And she knows what humans would think of him, as well. At least with youkai, he can become strong and prove himself worthy, if possible. But with humans? He'll already be stronger than them, and they'll also see him as an impure being. An abomination. A freak. A monster.
During Izayoi's pregnancy, and even now, she worries for him. What if something happens to his father? What if something happens to her? What person would love her son unconditionally?
She fears that no one will, but she hopes and prays that someone will one day come along.
Inuyasha deserves to experience the love she feels now.
But that's a worry for another day.
"Yes, which means that since he's hanyou, he may either keep this nose, or he will come to have a nose like the rest of us," Hisakei informs her.
Izayoi sighs in relief. "Thank goodness, I was a little worried about that. I know so little about human babes as it is, and next to nothing about youkai children… I fear that with him, everything will be a guessing game."
"Parenthood is always a guessing game, Iza darling, whether youkai or human," She reassures. She laughs lightly and adds, "And in this case, especially with a hanyou."
Izayoi finds herself laughing along with her, feeling quite comfortable in the monarch's presence. "I'm glad I'm not the only one in the dark about this!"
As their feminine giggles quiet down, Hisakei feels as though she can't hold in the question any longer, "Have you thought of a name for him yet?" She whispers excitedly.
Izayoi grins, "Indeed we have. We came up with the name together," She moves to rest her hand on his head, petting his small ears. "His name is Inuyasha."
"Inuyasha…" Hisakei mumbles. She then looks down at boy as he gives a tongue curling yawn, snuggling himself into her mokomoko. "I'm not sure why, but I feel as though his name will come to fit him quite well."
He's bored, running through his daily routine. Checking with his local scouts, reading through the letters of his fellow generals, often in argument over trivial matters.
Some from even human warlords, many attempting to declare war, which often means 'an attack without warning before you can answer'. And at this, he would send his lowest ranks to go and 'deal' with the traveling battalion.
Work work work. War war war. Violence and petty arguments on the daily.
It made him want to scream and rip his hair out. To rip off his armor and just shout "I don't care!" for once. To drop everything and escape.
He constantly found himself during his last few centuries of life wondering why he was put on this world. What was the point? Was he really the only one powerful enough to keep these opposing generals from tearing at each other's throats? Was he truly the only one that could prevent So'unga from destroying the earth? Was there any damned way to flee from this constant, unending, boring, exhausting life that he was born into?
His wife did not care for him, both merely staying for the other's sexual appeal. His son, once a bright and curious child that would hide from the thunder in their room, who would flash a huge grin when he was praised for his talents, and who would be awed and humbled at the sight of a brightly colored bird or insect… Was now living up to the name his grandfather oh so graciously gave him as a ruthless, cold-hearted bastard.
He didn't even get to name his own child. His ideas were too childish, too weak, too feminine, too emotional, too… Human. Toga was not at all saddened by his father's death. The ancient oni loved no one.
So what was the point of all this? His life? His wife? His son?
To him, it was meaningless.
He couldn't lie to himself. He was depressed.
He had left the castle that day to travel back, to remember happier memories…
He was not expecting to come across her. He never expected to be drawn by her. He never expected to love her.
He craved her.
Daily.
He looked forward to their meetings, his wife not even minding his absence. He wouldn't care if she did.
He was, however, worried about her possibly being jealous, or maybe even going after his new love. She put his mind to rest early in his and Izayoi's relationship.
"If you are prepared to face the consequences that may come of this, I will not stop you. If you truly love this woman? Then do as you wish," As she turned to leave him, she looked back, a genuine smile on her ethereal face. "Besides, we both know we never wanted this… I'm glad that you've found your beloved."
Hisakei had noticed his increase in overall positivity. A dreamy smile almost always on his face. She knew what— who caused it, and she couldn't blame him for it.
If she found something to make her feel as heavenly as that, she'd want to keep it, too.
So what is the point in all this? His life? His wife? His son?
To him, it means everything.
A/N: Don't forget to review! Hope everyone enjoyed it!