Memories of the Young
Night had fallen upon the two silent travelers when at last they came upon a small stream to rest. Stars peered through wispy clouds and the plump, lazy moon hung low in the midnight sky. The taiyoukai settled next to a large boulder, seemingly oblivious to the relief on his exhausted companion's face. Though she had no regrets, it had taken her all of last night to bury the dead villagers. Her body had not fully recovered from her supernatural return to the land of the living, and more than anything she needed rest.
They had covered a good distance, her fellow traveler's pace unsympathetic. She made no complaint; satisfied that despite the uneasy silence between them, they had come to a maruku osameru
of sorts... an acceptable settlement for two who once upon a time were enemies and even now were wary acquaintances at best. (1)
Her body told her to lie down, but she had no wish to fight the chill air with only a cloak to warm her. The cold would not kill her, but warmth brought her a sense of ease and comfort that no longer existed elsewhere. She felt a pair of golden eyes track her movements as she set about making a small fire, but kept her own eyes trained on the leaves and twigs as they began to blaze.
She laid as near as she dared to the flames, watching as the campfire cast shadows across the ground, unconcerned that enemies would attack in the night. Even in sleep she could sense the souls of others.. The sensuous movements as the fire flickered and danced soothed her. Mayhap this time I will be tired enough for my sleep to be void of the nightmares that plague me, was her last thought as she drifted. It was not long before the intent eyes watching the slumbering woman slid closed to find their own rest.
Neither was aware of the unnatural fog that crept slowly towards the camp, nor the soft kaleidescope of colors that swirled lazily between the two still figures.
***
Howls filled the night. Long howls of mourning befitting the death of the Great Inu no Taisho. None approached the two figures who stood on the hill overlooking the Western Palace. Their mourning was one of silence. A young youkai lifted his head to see his mother who sat regally in her inu form, coldly observing the procession below.
"Mother, why do we not mourn Father? Do you not feel sorrow that your mate --"
"You shall not call Inutaisho such again." She said with no emotion. "He was no mate of mine. I will not mourn one who betrays his pack and his duties as Lord of the Western lands all for the sake of a human."
"I do not understand Mother."
She huffed. Had she been in her human form, a laugh with no real amusement would have been heard. "Your miserable excuse of a father deceived us all. A 'demon of demons' indeed! He was weak, succumbing to something so low as human love at the cost of his own demise." She shifted, nodding her great head to the youkais below.
"Soon you shall lead this pack. Do not falter as Toga did. Heed me my son. Emotion is nothing but a weakness. Conquer it, break it, destroy it and no one will surpass you."
The young youkai hesitated. "But Mother --" A great paw flashed, sending him flying, leaving him gasping, tears of pain in his golden eyes.
"Whats this? Tears? Pathetic. Know this Sesshomaru." She said with menace, looming over his fallen form. "I will ensure the House of Inu is never shamed again."
He knew the ending to this dream. It always ended the same.
The taiyoukia showed no mercy to the young youkai. His beating was severe and did not stop until his tears ceased to flow. She left him lying on the cold floor in his chambers, not wanting to move his aching body.
Sesshomaru resigned himself to the pain, knowing that relief would only come when his mind finally released him from his subconscious prison. So enmeshed was he in the memory of pain, at first he did not see or feel the gentle hands that lifted the boy ... him, before lying him carefully on the palette nearby. Soft hands swept silver locks of hair from his eyes, a cool, wet cloth ran lightly across his face, soothing the sting and burn.
Shock coursed through him. This was not right. This had never happened. Who was this?
The stranger crooned tenderly as the young inu whimpered. They began to sing, the words unrecognizable, inconsequential but beautiful in their intention. The being remained there, with him, until dawns rays began inching their way through the windows. He thought perhaps he protested when the mysterious figure rose, placing a small kiss on his brow before vanishing, leaving only the peaceful scent of --
***
Golden eyes snapped open, darting left then right, searching through the faint light of dawn. A small movement across the long-dead fire caught his attention. Cobalt eyes stared back, the remnants of sleep and ... worry apparent in her expression before she stood.
Confusion coursed through her. Confusion and ... concern for a young boy she had never known. Kneeling down, she brought cupped hands full of water to her mouth, using the time to get her thoughts in order. She did not understand why she had dreamed such a thing, nor why it tugged such feelings from her.
"I suppose you want to... " She stopped. The taiyoukai was already fading into the forest. "..be on our way." Shaking her head she followed, keeping the stiff figure within eyesight, but content to use the space to consider her curious dream, unaware that her companion was doing much the same.
1. Maruku osameru: "To smooth over a quarrel or dispute" Lit. "To suppress roundly." Phrase means to come to an amicable/acceptable settlement by removing sharp corners of differences, each side making concessions.
Nine Chapters Done!!! Well, my friend (who is so awesome and great) looked this over for me. She wanted the dream to be a bit longer and I stared at it for a bit, but couldn't figure out how to go about it without giving away things to come. But either way she has been a big help. Thanks for taking the time to review all my stuff and letting me run ideas by you.
Also, BIG thanks and appreciation to arrowheadhunter for being a continuous reviewer. I would LOVE to get a few other reader's opinions, thoughts, gripes etc. ... but I promise I wont hold anything hostage if you dont.
Lastly, I thought I would give those who care a peak into my thought process for the direction this story took with the dreams. I thought long and hard about how to deal with the biggest problem for a SessxKag Romance story. Sesshomaru's "emotional constipation" for lack of a better term. Then I had a brilliant idea! Dreams. Soooo here we are, with more to come. Well I hope you enjoyed it.
PS: Some errors/typos were pointed out to me, so this is the corrected version of CH9 - I apologize. I DO try to go over my chapters with a fine-tooth comb, but sometimes things slip past me. :)
