• Part 1 Reference Chapters: 2, 4, 12

Sesshōmaru Ante Iam Part 2: Passing Days- Chapter 4 ~ Reflection

~~Weeks later~~

Sesshōmaru sits on the engawa outside his and his father's room.

*kre—eak* Sesshōmaru has a knife in the wood, twisting it into the floor, and then he pushes the blade by trying to lay it flat although it's still in the wood. The floor creaks until- *Krak!* a chunk of it pops out leaving the knife laying flat.
Sesshōmaru doesn't even glance at what he's just done. He stabs the floor again and proceeds to repeat. As the wood creaks again, all of a sudden his father rushes over grabbing the hand with the knife, "Sesshōmaru! Wh-what are you doing!"

Sesshōmaru looks at him as deadpan as ever, "Nn? Oh… I don't know."

"What do you mean – ugh!" *Sigh* he takes the knife away, "Why haven't you gone out to play with Yume lately?"

"You don't want me here?"

"It's not that! I like spending time with you," well not many people can say that, "but it just seemed strange…"

Sesshōmaru looks out in front of him again.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"…No. She just has something else to do now."

"What's she doing?"

"She's busy kissing a vegetable."

"A...vegetable..?" (Nira means "leek")

Sesshōmaru nods.

Taishō, "Alright…"

~~A week later~~

Taishō and Akiyo sit outside, where a table has been set up, sipping tea as they sit in the grass at opposite ends of the table. Taishō asked Yume's father to send her over today, and so here they are: Sesshōmaru and Yume. The two of them stand adjacent to the adults.

Taishō drinks from his cup with care, savoring it, with his eyes closed. A pause. He sets his cup down and still with his eyes closed, asks, "What do the two of you really think of each other?"

Yume, "Huh..?"

Sesshōmaru, "…"

Taishō opens his eyes, "Things have been going on between you two. What's the problem?" he looks at them.

They seem to glance at each other, Yume with some amount of regret…
Sesshōmaru with – "Things are fine."

"You haven't been spending time together. Why is that?"

Neither respond.

Akiyo, who has been silent up till now, comments, "There's that other boy, isn't there? Little Yume's been spending her time with him, and not you," points a brow at Sesshōmaru, "Sesshōmaru… why don't you just come out and confess? You're jealous. Tell her how you really feel about this."

Yume's eyes widen, she blushes.

Sesshōmaru narrows his eyes, "What are you implying?"

The brothers look at each other, back to Sesshōmaru.

Sesshōmaru lets out one small, half-closed laughing scoff, "Heh, you can't be implying that I…" he looks at them. They nod. Sesshōmaru's expression freezes, "I do not!"

"Then why so defensive?"

Sesshōmaru blushes.

Yume takes a step back, "S-Sess-chan… do you..?" she asks looking away.

Taishō smiles, "It's alright puppy. It's a wonderful thing. Oh, I remember the first time I was in love-"

"I am not!"

Akiyo leans in, "Then tell it to her in her face. Tell her you don't love her."

Sesshōmaru lifts his hands before his face, fingers twitching. Yume slowly turns her head to him, her stare looking toward him, away, to the ground, away, to him…

Sesshōmaru doesn't turn.

Taishō raises his cup, as does Akiyo. A toast.

Sesshōmaru throws his hands to his sides, sternly holding them there, posture stiff, "I do not love Yume in that way!"

Taishō's cup almost to his mouth, face relaxed, lids closed, "Come now, puppy… don't make yourself suffer-"

"She's my friend!"

Taishō stops, opening his eyes.

"She nothing more!" Sesshōmaru turns around, grabbing Yume by the wrist while he does, pulling her with him as he storms off, "Come on, Yume."
He mutters something about how he can't believe the nerve. They leave.

Akiyo sighs, lowering his cup, "The stubborn brat. Roshi-" he looks at him, "Roshi, what's up with you?"

Taishō's mouth is open. He's still staring at the direction they left.

"Hey…?"

Taishō blinks, mouthing something.

"What's wrong?"

"He…he called her his friend," he lets out a sharp, disbelieving breath. Looks at Akiyo then back toward their direction, "He called Yume his friend. His friend."

Akiyo stares confused.

Taishō laughs lightly with relief, "He's never said that. About anyone. Ever."

"But didn't you want her to be more than that to him?"

"I… Just that fact that Sesshōmaru called Yume his friend, right in her presence. That, that's enough. That's more than enough…" he looks up at the sky, "We don't need to bother him with that anymore…"
Taishō looks at his brother. Smiles, "It's alright."

~~A week later~~

Taishō walks, fully adorned in armor. It's the early morning. He left before Sesshōmaru awoke, leaving him breakfast prepared as he likes it, along with a note. Taishō always hated leaving him, ever since that first time 15 years ago when Sesshōmaru ran to him, begging. Begging. Begging for him not to leave.

Fifteen years… perhaps it would seem to most that that should be nothing for a demon. Only a blink to their eyes. But he had been taught to appreciate time because after all just because you are capable of living for ages, doesn't mean you will.
And in Taishō's case, that couldn't be more true. With what he did – every time Taishō left his home, there existed the possibility that it would be the last. That he would never return, not alive at least.

Sesshōmaru knew that, even then somehow. That's why he values the days that he can spend with Sesshōmaru, and viceversa.

Taishō's pace slows. After a few moments….

"Chichi-ue!" from behind, arms wrap around Taishō's neck.

He puts his hands on Sesshōmaru's, "I'm sorry, but I didn't want to see…"

Sesshōmaru lets go, sliding off his back. He moves in front of his father, looking up at him. Taishō kneels down and embraces him, "I'll try to come back. I'm going to come back. For now, wait for me, and spend time with your friend, okay?"

Sesshōmaru nods. They let go and Taishō leaves.

Taishō ponders to himself.
To me, to the rest of my family he's warmer… Affectionate and relatively respectful – especially towards me. But then… outside of my presence, outside of that circle… He never behaves like that directly in front of me…

Cold. Distant. Sesshōmaru has no mercy or compassion toward anyone else who isn't us –

He thinks of Yume- Almost. The only person outside that circle who Sesshōmaru views in a good light. They're destructive together, but she's the one and only friend he has.

Taishō sighs.

He's a mix isn't he? My mother and father are from warm islands in the south where it never snows, where the leaves hardly change color in the fall. They're both so full of energy and expressive. They came from nothing – no status or wealth, and when they achieved it, they didn't lose themselves. And then there's her side…

He says her name, apologizing for what happened, to himself.

They're from this land, farther north – a colder land. They're a more classical aristocratic family, and they aren't so affectionate either...

Sesshōmaru was born up there too- maybe that's why he's so fair too? Sesshōmaru, out of my family, including myself, is the fairest, and that's considering he's outside so often. He has their poison too…
And my family's temper…

Yes, that seems to make sense. A cross between the "warm, sunny, open, fiery south" and the "cold, moonlit, closed, icy north."
I wonder which side would win?

Taishō stops, looks down passing his hand through his bangs- If he's "even" now then if, if the "circle" were to vanish…

Taishō has the sinking feeling that the ice would win if such a terrible thing were to happen. But everyone passing away? Surely the "circle" will have grown by the time those who made up the "original circle" will have passed?

Even though Taishō tells himself that, he still can't shake off that dreadful sinking feeling – the ice will take over. He can't let that happen. He can't let the warmth fade away…

He won't.

Sesshōmaru and Yume sit under their Bo tree. She's sits by his right. Sesshōmaru has a leg stretched out, the other raised, his wrist resting on that knee. He thinks about what he said to his father about Yume…
^^ "I do not love Yume in that way!"^^

In that way… I don't. I'm not… romantically interested in her… but I… I…

"Sess-chan…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not with Nira anymore."

Sesshōmaru's eyes widen slightly as he tilts his head a bit, "What do you mean?"

"We're over. I won't be seeing him anymore."

"Oh… I see."

"Is that all you have to say?" she raises an eyebrow.

"Yes. What do you expect of me? Pity?"

Yume punches his shoulder, "Bastard."

Sesshōmaru glares at her, "As you said, it's over between you two. That's all I need to know. I'm not interested in the details. Go tell those to your mother."

Yume scoffs crossing her arms, "Jeez! You're really a jerk sometimes, you know?"

"And you can be a bitch."

Her mouth drops, the corners twitching, she raises a fist, but stops, "Hey… you said you don't like-like me, right?"

"That's correct."

She stares, partially pouting, "…Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Mnn…"

"If you were really drunk would you try to sleep with me?"

I… I don't not like her…it's just, the way that I do… it's more like she's my…

Sesshōmaru looks ahead, "I would not. It would be too much like incest at this point."

Yume widens her eyes, closes them, relaxing her expression. Smiling. She decides not to comment on his choice of words. She wraps her arms around Sesshōmaru's right arm and leans in resting her head on the fur, "Yeah… too much like incest."

For a moment they stay like that. Then Yume rubs her face into the fur, "Mmm! Oh it's sooo soft! When are you going to let me borrow this, Sess-chan?"

He flicks his arm, "I'm not letting you have it."

"Why? Is it because you papa gave it to you? Huh, Daddy's Boy~?"

Sesshōmaru turns his face away, "Shut up."

Yume lifts her head up, "Daddy's Boy! Daddy's Boy, Daddy's Boy, Daddy's Boy! You're a Daddy's Boy~~! Daddy'sssss Boooy!"

He elbows her, trying to hide his blushing face, "Stop it already!"

But she keeps on chanting, "Daddy's Boy, Daddy's Boy, Daddy's Boy, Daddy's Boy! Daddy's Boy!"

つ づ く...
To be continued…

Next Chapter: Acid

PS I've made myself a deviantart account, where I am named Black-Richa. I have "Bits" of some of Sesshomaru's family members that were introduced in my stories on there. So far I have Grandpa, Granny, and Uncle Akiyo. The rest will be up soon.