Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of DOOF! It did take awhile, but it could've been much worse. Now, I know I could've made this longer, but I figured you all would just "want me to update already." I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Liebe immer,
Sesshomaru is Mine/Abbey
P.S. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and everyone who read. It is your feedback that really pushes me to update!
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own InuYasha. Never have, never will.
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Dreams of Our Fathers
Chapter IV:
Letters of Inutaisho
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Last chapter…
Kohaku was attended to after being shot. Little did Sango know (at least until the end of the chapter, that is) that Sesshomaru was the one who pulled the trigger. Naraku conversed with Kagome and began plotting… Kagome talked with InuYasha about his family, and he gave her some insight into his life in the mob. InuYasha asked Kagome out on a date and she accepted. Kohaku was taken from the hospital to Naraku's to heal. Mina took Shippou, who saved InuYasha's life, out to the Riverview Amusement Park. She invited him to stay at her family's house. Hakudoushi was stalking them the whole time. Sesshomaru became pretty drunk before he admitted to Mina that he shot Kohaku and Sango overheard him say it. I believe that's basically it…
Mina hadn't been comforting Sango for long, and by the time Sesshomaru began to revive, her anger had reached its boiling point. With surprising strength, she seized him by the front of his suit, jerking his face within an inch of her own, "You bastard." Her voice was strangely soft, but broke slightly in her rage.
There was something so satisfying in her anger. Sesshomaru may have been intoxicated, but he was still able to appreciate it. Then something strange happened: Sesshomaru began to laugh. The sound of it was so haunting, it made chills run down Mina's back.
Sesshomaru's reaction unhinged Sango. "Why is this funny to you!" she yelled, in complete hysterics. She pushed him away, and grabbed the full shot glass that lay on the table. After shooting it back, Sango threw the glass against the wall right next to Sesshomaru's head. This only made Sesshomaru laugh louder. Sango looked murderous.
"Alright, that's it, everybody get the hell out!" Mina shouted. Very rarely had anyone ever heard her rise her voice and everyone lounging in the bar took notice. "Didn't you hear me?" she said again.
The bartender, Hatchi, began to usher patrons outside. Lita came up to Mina, Sango, and Sesshomaru, "I was just about to pass around the tip jar for my performance tonight!"
Both Mina and Sango gave Lita looks that could turn boiling water to ice. "Fine, I'm going," the singer said angrily, pushing a bar stool over as she stomped out of the room.
Hatchi went to go get Miroku. Hopefully, that would help the situation.
Mina embraced Sango to try and calm both their nerves before rounding on Sesshomaru, "You have never been this ridiculous and pitiful, Sesshomaru," she scolded him like a bad puppy. "It's time for you to leave."
Sesshomaru managed another bitter laugh, "This is my bar now, my inheritance, and you can't throw me out."
"Oh, can't I?" his little sister retorted.
"Don't bother, Mina," Sango spat angrily, "I'm going."
"You shouldn't have to."
"But I am."
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Mina hurried into the study and walked right up to Battousi's desk. He lowered the book he was reading. "Where is InuYasha?" Mina asked. Before Battousi could answer, she continued, "We all need to talk about Sesshomaru."
Battousi rose an eyebrow, "Without Sesshomaru present?"
"He's out of control, Battousi! He just admitted to me that he shot Kohaku Taijiya!"
Battousi rose up out of his chair, "Where is he?"
"No, we can't just jump in and try to change his behavior before we've all talked about it! We need to keep him here and keep him sober until we can figure out what to do about this situation."
Battousi walked over to the bookcase and pulled out a volume of his medical encyclopedia from college. He flipped to the page for alcoholism and began reading.
"I'll find InuYasha," Mina said.
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When Sango went in her room, she found a note addressed to her lying on the bed. It was from Inutaisho.
My dear Sango,
I am sorry, Child, that I have wounded you so greatly. If I could only express to you the depth of my despair, and utter fury with myself for not confessing this most vital information to you earlier. It seems, however, that I have chosen the cowards' way out, only divulging my shortcomings to you after I am dead.
Your brother has on many occasions tried to blame me for your parents' untimely passing. I know in my heart that after living with the children and I as long as you have that you understand fully that I would never put up with such comments, even if they were Kohaku's, nor would I allow his affiliation with that Miasma scum to go on unchecked.
I see much of your father in young Kohaku. He is becoming quite the vigilante. Your father was a fine policeman-he certainly deserved the title of district attorney which he had been given. It was because of DA Taijiya that I even saw the inside of a prison cell at all, no matter how short that time might have been.
Before your father died, he was steadily compiling a case that would send not only me to prison, but other prominent mob figures as well. This list included my two oldest sons: Sesshomaru and Battousi. You can not imagine my horror; I simply could not stand the thought of my sons behind bars. There was no immediate danger for InuYasha or Missy Mina, but I was certain, without any doubt, that theirs would be the next names to grace Taijiya's black list.
Naraku Miasma had similar worries. He approached me with these concerns and made me an offer I could not refuse: if I supplied the means to get into the DA's private residence, then he would take care of the remaining dirty work.
I know this must horrify you greatly, Sango. Did I know of your immediate connection with the DA and his wife? Yes. Did I know of your involvement with our dear mutual friend, Miroku Houshi? Yes. But, terribly, I ignored these things and quite literally made a pact with the devil. Indeed, Sango, what your brother has been trying to tell you for so long is the truth.
I liked you, Sango. You are a very charming, intelligent, and classy young woman. Despite my approval of you, I betrayed you in the most horrific of ways. Even though I was too cowardly to tell you of my deceit, I simply had to do something to help you. It was because of this drive that I asked you and Kohaku to stay with us to avoid living on the streets. If you remember that conversation, I would not take no for an answer. Now you know that it was because of my guilt and cowardice that I would not take no for an answer.
Again, Sango, I have hurt you and your brother so deeply that I deserve every bit of hatred that you now will associate with my name. I had to assure my children's safety, but to do it, I had to stab a dear friend in the back. This is no excuse; I know I was in the wrong. To ask you to forgive me would be both selfish and despicable, therefore, I will not. Even so, you have my apologies, Sango Taijiya.
With much regret,
Inutaisho
She simply couldn't believe it.
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InuYasha crept into his father's room, a ball rising in his throat. He simply couldn't explain the pull he had towards the place. He wanted to look through his dad's belongings, for the man was still quite a mystery to him, even in death. Inutaishio's double-sided nature was so unpredictable, and InuYasha yearned to know why.
As if his father had been reading his thoughts from beyond the grave, a small chest of mementos lay open on the bed. InuYasha walked to it, and picked out a stack of letters that had been lying among the knickknacks in the chest. As it turned out, all of these were love letters.
InuYasha had always been curious about this particular aspect of his father's life. He wondered how he could have married Shinju but had an affair with Akane, keep it secret, produced Battousi and then Sesshomaru only seven months apart, marry Izayoi after Shinju died, produce InuYasha, have an affair with Akane again after Izayoi was killed, and produce Mina. If InuYasha ever had romantic problems even close to those he would shoot himself in the foot.
Lovely Akane,
As you can now see, young Batty is becoming quite the little man. We've missed you, Battousi and I, since you've been away. Curious child, like his brothers, he is forever asking if he looks like you, acts like you, and sounds like you. I tell him he does but that only leads to more questions: where is Mama? Why did she leave me? Does she love me? Does she love you? Do you love her? Ah, Battousi, my strong little boy, I simply don't know. No child wants to hear that they were created in anything but love, but I must admit, dear Akane, the strong feelings which created our son, heartfelt as they were…it was not love. You must forgive me, when you appeared again for the first time in six years, I simply could not tell Battousi who you were. I did not want to get his hopes up, especially not after the only woman he knew as "mother" passed away last year. After seeing you once more, I was on fire. I had to spend time with you, get to know you once more. Akane, I have never forgotten you, you see; every time I gaze upon Battousi, I see you. I had not realized how much I truly missed your stimulating presence.
Spending these four months in your company has made me realize something: I now know that I love you, Akane. Marry me, so that we may reassure Battousi, once and for all, that you indeed are his mother and tell him of his new baby brother or sister on the way. I know you are resistant, that you do not feel you could belong to anyone. I ask you to open your heart to Battousi and I. I'm sure you'll grow to love Sesshomaru and InuYasha. Akane, let us make this child you are carrying honest. I know you have an intense passion for love, you have shown me that. Akane, please do me the honor of becoming my wife.
With love and hope,
Inutaisho
It was not to be. Akane never accepted Inutaisho's marriage proposal. Mina was born eight months later and it was only after she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Akane ran off again, back into her own world of seclusion.
"InuYasha? What are you doing in here?"
He looked up, "Oh, hey Mina."
She sat beside him on the bed, "Did Dad write those letters?"
"Yeah." InuYasha had been debating whether or not to tell Mina about this particular letter. He figured that it might make her feel bad, but now, with her here, there was really no getting around it. "He wrote this to your mom." InuYasha placed the letter on top of Mina's lap and she looked at it as if she didn't know what to do with it. She sighed heavily and placed it back in the pile. "You don't want to read it?"
"I don't need to," she answered and put her head on her older brother's shoulder. After a minute, Mina spoke up again, "Come on, Pup. We need go talk about our crazy brother."
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Sesshomaru was in the living room, playing piano rather aggressively and working on his third glass of gin. Sango came into the room, looking contemplative. She leaned against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as if there was an answer to some important question written on it.
He ignored her presence, instead pausing for another nip at the old gin glass. Finally, she said something, "You're unbelievable."
He smirked but didn't look at her, "I assumed from your previous actions that you had no intention of speaking to me again." He shook his head knowingly, "So it seems that you simply cannot give up the opportunity to prattle on about nothing."
"Real nice, Sesshomaru," she shot back venomously, "You land your brother in the hospital, shoot my brother, and go back to drinking as if nothing has happened. Are you really that oblivious?"
"Spare me the lecture."
She ripped the glass from his hand and poured it into a potted plant nearby. "Sesshomaru, you are nothing but a bad little boy in desperate need of a spanking! What will it take to get you to wake up? Look where your binge drinking has taken you already, what trouble it's put you in! If you're really a man, then grow up and rise above all the bullshit!" This tirade of an outburst left Sango's chest heaving up and down. It was obviously something that she'd been holding in for at least a little while.
He stood up and walked towards her. She did not step backwards, because she knew she would've been pinned against the wall. Instead, Sango looked Sesshomaru straight in the eyes, trying with all her might not to give in, not to look down or look away. That would give him a small victory over her.
"So this is your opinion of me? I am a child?"
She nodded as decidedly as possible, "Yes." His closeness…oh it was suffocating. But she had to do this; she couldn't let Sesshomaru bring the family down in flames.
"And I need to be punished, put in my place?" he continued. His eyes burned into hers.
"It's sad but true," Sango said, the unease in her voice apparent now, "That you deserve to be reprimanded. It's just very degrading for you that you need to be taught how to present yourself-"
"-Like a child," he continued for her.
"Yes…Like a child." Her heart raced. This was indeed a stressful situation for her.
His eyes narrowed, boring into hers, "Then punish me!" he whispered harshly. He turned over an end table, and the lamp resting on it shattered on the floor, "You are not my mother, Woman!"
Sango had never seen him snap like that. Why was it that after all he had done that he was the one who got to go off on her? She was enraged enough to wring his neck, but she refrained. That didn't stop her voice from shaking in anger, "Maybe that's the problem then." Her voice was very quiet.
"What's the problem?" he huffed, in her face again.
"Mommy and Daddy didn't love you, did they, Sesshomaru?" she spoke harshly. She immediately regretted saying it. How could she possibly say something so cruel and cold?
His expression was blank for a moment before he slapped her, rather hard, across the face. And then, Sesshomaru left Sango there. She slid down the wall and sunk to the floor, her eyes welling up uncontrollably.
"What? Sango!" Miroku knelt by his girlfriend's side. He had never seen her like this before, not even after her parents were killed. "Tell me what happened, Baby."
She looked at him, "No, Miroku, you tell me what happened." When he looked at her quizzically, she continued, "Please tell me the truth. Did you only get close to me because it was what Inutaisho wanted? He wanted you to get close to me because my father was the district attorney?" It was here that the tears in her eyes finally bubbled out and onto her cheeks. Miroku went to wipe them away. "Tell me!" she demanded, catching his hand.
Miroku Houshi bit his bottom lip. "Sango, I don't think it's a very good time to-" He just trailed off.
She released his hand and scooted away from him. "So it's true. Inutaisho…that bastard. How could he possibly do anything so cruel? And you," she rounded on Miroku, "How could you do something like that?"
He attempted to draw the blame away from himself by putting a hand to her cheek, "Why are you bruised here, Sango?" She just looked down, not answering him. He became angry, "Where's Sesshomaru!" he bellowed, guessing correctly.
"How should I know; you can both go to hell as far as I care!" she snapped, getting up to leave.
He grabbed onto her hand, "I'm moving in. I want to protect you."
"Like hell you are!"
"What does it matter how our relationship began? I love you and I'll be damned if I let Sesshomaru do anything to you ever again!"
"Do what you want just don't expect me to talk to you any time soon!" she hissed coldly and ripped her arm from his grasp.
Sango hurried up to her room. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry. She just needed to be alone.
Miroku planted a chair outside Sango's door. Whether she liked it or not, he was going to protect her.
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Yeah, I know; that was kind of a crappy way to end the chapter. I couldn't really think of anything else. Whelp, I hope you all liked it and there's more to come, hopefully sooner rather than later. An overview of the next chapter is now up on my profile. If any of you have questions, comments, concerns or just wanna say "hi," feel free to leave a review. If not, that's fine too. Thanks and toodles!
Liebe immer,
Abbey/SiM
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Next Chapter:
Fireworks at Comiskey
TTFN!!!
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