Worry, like the frayed edges around a hole
Sesshomaru looked at the group in front of him. His father was there, as was his little half brother. His human step-mother was there too, though he didn't care much about her. Someone was missing though.. He looked closer at his step-mother, peering to see if someone was behind her. He looked closely at his father too, checking to see if anyone was hiding behind him or hanging on to some part of him. No-one. Sesshomaru's eyes widened, realising is little half-sister wasn't there. Where was she! Sesshomaru greeted his father cordially and briefly nodded to his step-mother who bowed slightly back. He greeted his brother as he usually did, coldly, as they both were their father's heirs though little Yasha did not understand that. He just smiled back at his big brother who had come just back from his schooling. After the greetings were done both Yasha and his mother went to prepare dinner. Sesshomaru and his father started walking.
"You'll be leaving in a few years won't you?"
"Yes, father I will. As is traditional I'll leave on my eighteenth birthday. I expect I shall gain my inheritance then?"
"You will get it at the same time as your brother. When he is ready to go out to live in the world. If I die before that time you shall get your inheritance as will your brother."
"Yes, as you wish father." Sesshomaru gazed out at the building where his step-mother was. Where was his sister?
"Of course when you leave you shall become a lord in your own right. You will have to search out a loyal retainer then. One hopes as loyal as my own." His father continued rambling on about the correct procedures for lordship.
"Thank you father. Perhaps we shall discuss this closer to the time." Sesshomaru stalked off to the shade of the trees within sight of the main buildings. His father gazed after him for a few seconds and then went to join the rest of his family.
'Aside from my half-sister. Where is she? She'd've bounced out from her hiding place and hugged me halfway to Hell by now. If she hadn't already annoyed Father there so she can ask me for lessons.' Sesshomaru stared out from the green shade of the trees. He knew he was still considered a child, especially as a demon, but he considered that he looked on everything as would a full grown three hundred year old demon. He liked to show that he did not need a few centuries experience to judge peoples emotions.
'Father will not allow her to start learning before her brother does. She is, after all, a girl. A girl is no heir, however spirited or suited she is. Such a shame, she shows more spirit than little Yasha does. I would gladly teach her. I like her, even though it's because she's not father's heir. Though I think I would like her even if she was.' Sesshomaru lifted his head from his knees and looked at the collection of buildings in front of him. Father had settled down once he had found his second wife, partly because she was human, partly because she had insisted. It had been a surprise to the little Sesshomaru to learn that his father would not be traveling anymore. He had cried and kicked up a fuss as he had liked traveling with his father.
"You will learn compassion and manners now that we will be living with Izayoi. Though she is human you will treat her as if she was older than you. As you should all humans of great bearing." That had been ages ago to both Sesshomaru and Izayoi.
'I have grown up and discarded those childish practices and she, well, she's grown old, though I know father is doing all that he can so he can keep her. He is at least happy that he has children from her.' He looked again over the buildings. 'That is true at least. Though what has happened to Kaiyou I have no idea.' Sesshomaru froze. 'Perhaps he did not want her. Perhaps he does not want a female to continue on after him. Even though he has two sons already.' He grimaced and bolted up from the tree's shade and rushed into the building where they were preparing for dinner.
"Father! Where is Kaiyou? Is she sick?" Sesshomaru stopped running and stood in the doorway.
"What is the matter son?"
"I just remembered where is Kaiyou today? She would usually be running up to me by now." 'Only once has she ever not come running to greet me and that was when she and Yasha had a fever and were sick for days.'
"She is visiting someone at the moment, Sesshomaru. Do not worry so close to mealtime, you may get a stomach ache." Izayoi interrupted abruptly, placing the settings on the table. Yasha tried to help but tripped over his mother's kimono.
"Yes, mother. Shall I go play with Yasha?" Sesshomaru offered only out of politeness.
"Please."
Yasha gladly excepted his older brother's hand and followed him out of the building into the courtyard.
"Where shall we play little brother?"
"Trees!"
"Shall we play chase?" Yasha nodded. He played it with mother but she wasn't good at catching up with him and father always stayed as he was and didn't change. He liked playing with his siblings. They were much more fun.
"Wait until I'm five trees away."
"We're not going anywhere are we?"
Sesshomaru turned around at his little brother's comment.
"Why should we go anywhere?"
"Father played chase with 'You yesterday to go visit someone"
"Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere." Sesshomaru smiled at his little brother. Yasha was surprised at this. His brother did not smile at him.
Sesshomaru jumped up onto a tree branch.
"Little brother try and catch me!" Yasha watched him hop five trees away and then sprang up to follow him.
'Poor little Yasha just follows me. Kai is much smarter and she tries to cut me off. Still I have no idea what's happened to her... I just hope the worst has not happened to her...' Sesshomaru kept running through the trees making sure that little Yasha was behind him.
-o-
A sound makes the birds flee out of their perches.
"Atchooo!" She sneezes loudly, halting in the middle of the clearing. Her sneeze pauses the birds' song but they resume as if nothing is the matter. She sniffs and she sneezes again but this time at the strong smell of the herbs on her hands. She continues out of the clearing muttering;
"Whatever Muma says about it keeping insects away does not make up for it making my nose itch." She twitches her nose again but keeps from sneezing. She marches onwards but soon collapses by a tree. Sunlight falls where she is sitting and she lies there, her face upturned, breathing in the forest air. Her nose twitches and her eyes startle open. She stands up and faces the tree. She looks as if she is about to shout at some unseen person but then flops back down on the ground.
"So much for smelling Papa here. I should know that he used to wander around a lot. And he was here." She looks up to the sky through the canopy of leaves. "A long time ago. I can smell that it was a very long time ago." She sniffs again. "Before 'Shomaru was born, I think" She sniffs but this time because a tear is making it's way down her cheek. Her fists pound her knees as she cries.
"I won't be a useless girl! 'Shomaru knows that. Muma too but she does what Papa tells her. Yasha's scared sometimes but he's like 'Shomaru, hoping nothing bad will happen to me." Her fists bang against her knees harder. "I don't know what Papa thinks..." Her cries drown out the sound of the warm wind rustling through the branches.
-o-
Yasha slurped at his noodles noisily.
"Yasha, don't slurp so loudly." Izayoi glanced at her son sharply. He meekly began using his chopsticks to push the noodles into his mouth. Izayoi breathed out and continued eating her meal. Sesshomaru, across from her, and her husband, beside her, continued to slowly peck at their food. She smiled at the thought that the great dog lord and his son succumbing to the rules of etiquette.
"I do wonder why I insist on regular meals when you two hardly eat a bowlful combined."
"Yasha and Kaiyou are still growing mother. And they are half bred." Sesshomaru looked down at his bowl, keeping carefully within politeness.
"My son is right, half bred demons need twice as much as full demons to grow but only half that of humans." He kept his voice mellow and solemn keeping his gaze to his bowl.
"Yasha eating half that of a human?" Izayoi kept her tone low but everyone but Yasha could tell there was a hint of humorous doubt in her voice.
"Boys will be boys. Female demons eat almost nothing at all."
"I am glad then that Kaiyou will not be as vain then. She'd need the energy to keep on arguing." Izayoi finished what was on her dish and gathered the rest from the table along with Yasha's bowl. Sesshomaru and his father continued, slowly eating from their bowls. Sesshomaru was the first to finish out of the two and accepted his bowl of tea from his step-mother. Izayoi also handed her husband a bowl and settled down to make sure that Yasha would not pour his down his front.
"It's not going to poison you Yasha. Everybody drinks it and no one is falling down dead."
"It's bitter!" Izayoi glanced at her husband, who was drinking some of his tea before finishing his rice.
"It means you are noble and able to bear anything if you are willing to drink it." He was closing his eyes as he drank it but Izayoi knew that her husband was playing a small joke on Yasha to make him drink it. What made it even funnier was that he didn't like it either. Only Sesshomaru and Kaiyou actually liked tea and both would drink it faster if etiquette didn't get in the way. She smiled as Yasha tried to copy his father only getting more down the front of his clothes.
"You haven't drunk enough to be able to do it with your eyes closed Yasha." Sesshomaru looked over the rim of his bowl at Yasha. He had given up trying to do it like the rest of his family and was staring at the bottom of the bowl while he drank it. Izayoi finally picked up her bowl and swilled it around. She tried not to think about how Kaiyou loved her tea as she sipped it.
"How much longer are you going to sip your tea mother?" Sesshomaru's voice cut through her thoughts like ice.
"As long as she will take son. Tea is a serious occasion. She has been working all day to make sure the clothes are fine for winter and for your arrival back." 'Nothing of the sort. I checked last week and I had everything prepared three days ago. All I've been doing today is worrying and looking after Yasha.' She sipped at the bitter dregs left in her bowl and checked that her husband had finished his.
"Thank you koishii. What shall we do now sons? Don't forget that it's winter soon, so Yasha, we can't have another game of chase."
"Yasha needs to go to sleep soon too. Don't forget." Izayoi's voice floated in from another room.
"We are in a dilemma..." Their father sank into thought but again their mother's voice came in.
"Yasha needs a bath and I'm sure Sesshomaru would want one as well. Sesshomaru, will you make sure your brother doesn't spill all the water?"
"Yes mother." Sesshomaru took his brother's hand and lead him through the door into the courtyard where they headed to the bath house.
-o-
Silence aside from a few swishes.
"You want to talk to me about something."
"Yes I do." A pause.
"Well?"
Izayoi entered the room again.
"Kaiyou. I'm not sure where you went or who you left her with but I know this is not for today or this week."
He paused a little before his response. "I am not a person who will abandon a helpless child because they are of no use to me. I like to think I would not even abandon a child who is not helpless as Kaiyou is. I know I have..." He added as his wife looked at him. "She is not helpless, look at Yasha for proof. Nor would she be of no use, though as a half demon and female she would not be able to live in demon society. And in human society she would be an outcast. A half demon is not wanted anywhere."
"Is this just an excuse for putting her out?"
"No. Izayoi" he clasped his wife's hand, resting their hands on his knees, "if she grew up as Yasha will, she'll only be able to either live with you or I. I, I am not quite the type to protect one for centuries and you are old now despite what I do. I'm sorry." Izayoi's eyes filled and a hiccoughed sob popped out of her mouth. He hugged her as she buried her head into his shoulder. "She's the second. Yasha will come to no harm if she dies. I tell you, no harm will come to our darling Yasha."
This is about a billion and one years old. But I wrote 11k words in before I stopped AND I drafted out all the way to the end. So this'll get updated, slowly. I may even actually finish it, and not just post the snippets and the rough outline I wrote after that first eleven thousand words, if there is enough call for it. So if you like it, please leave a review.