Chapter 21: Autumn
9 years and 1 month after the Departure of Rin
(the Continuation of Chapter 20)
It was nearly dawn now and Inuyasha still had not come after him.
He stared at the sea, wondering if one was able to walk upon the water at leisure. Sesshomaru contemplated this as other thoughts ran rampant in the back of his mind, ones that were completely private, even to himself.
The sun rose slowly in front of him but he paid it no mind. He paid no mind to anything. At least, not until the light breeze he had felt every so often changed in temperature and in ferocity, causing the handkerchief he'd tucked in his sleeve earlier to fall out. The piece of cloth with the bird on it made an attempt to fly off until he snatched it with a claw.
Sesshomaru looked the piece of cloth over, taking in the colors, the handiwork, the picture...
A... bird...
Sesshomaru blinked, his mind using his current thoughts to form a metaphor.
Rin.
His father often told him when he was younger that one ought not to cage a bird, for birds belonged to the world and deserved their freedom from captivity. He had been told this as a child because he often wanted to keep an injured bird or animal he found in the forest. He wanted it to be his friend, to belong to him after he nursed it back to health. Every time, however, the animal, while having been grateful, whined at him to let them go. And then his father had told him about not caging things that shouldn't be.
Sesshomaru's brows furrowed as he stared sightlessly at the cloth in his hand.
He didn't understand his father's words then. Nor did he as he grew. Not until now as he looked upon the cloth and thought of Rin.
She was like a bird. A wounded bird; while she wanted to stay by his side, safe and protected, she needed to leave to find her own freedom in life. Unknowingly, Sesshomaru had granted the girl this.
But the most important bird to Sesshomaru... was he willing to let that one go? Was he willing to keep something from the one person he knew had always been destined for freedoms that someone even as powerful as he could not even begin to fathom?
Love...
Inuyasha had a chance at it once again. Was he, Sesshomaru, willing to deny his brother that which had originally broken the hanyou? Was he willing to cage his brother? To deny him the feeling of love, a feeling which Sesshomaru thought he was incapable of feeling himself?
How could he deny his brother something... just because he himself could not even begin to understand it?
Sesshomaru's sight came back to him.
Inuyasha...
A cold breeze picked up once more, dried leaves screaming past Sesshomaru's person, drifting down toward their watery grave below. The demon's eyebrows furrowed for another few moments before one word brushed upon his tongue.
Autumn...
The daiyoukai turned slightly toward the direction of his castle, glancing over his shoulder remembering how the hanyou had been short of breath when chasing him down the hall, how he'd crumbled to the floor the night before...
I see.
No wonder Inuyasha did not give chase, Sesshomaru thought, turning his body into the cold breeze that blew toward the ocean, walking toward his castle leisurely, mind full now of things other than his own personal feelings.
No wonder...
He awoke gradually. First by sound, then by scent, and finally by sight. He realized he was in his room by the smell of things, but he wouldn't have been able to tell had he relied on his sight alone. Everything... was so blurry.
Inuyasha closed his eyes, feeling the pounding all around his head, feeling the race of his heart and the throb behind his eyes that usually indicated he was about to cry... an action he hadn't given in to in a long time.
Ohhh. He ached all over... he was cold yet felt warm... beads of sweat gathering upon his brow as shiver bumps ran along his body.
The squawking of the servants outside his chambers weren't helping his pounding headache either...
"He's..."
"Yes, I've heard."
"Exactly, though it's quite unexpected..."
"Very, to think..."
"...one of our own!"
"Chosen!"
"That's what they're saying!"
Inuyasha winced, their voices, though hushed whispers, were amplified in his sensitive ears.
"Inuyasha?" came a female voice, the shoji sliding to the side softly.
"Ka-gome?"
"Hai, how are you feeling?" the young woman sat down to the side of the hanyou's futon, concern lighting her features from what Inuyasha could make out.
"Been better," was all he elaborated with about his condition, before, "How long was I out? Did I miss anything?"
"You ran off so fast last night I didn't know what was going on-"
"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha bellowed out of nowhere, startling Kagome. He suddenly remembered his last encounter with his sibling... The hanyou bolted up in bed before being overcome by dizziness and falling backwards onto the cushions with a rather pathetic, Unngh.
"Inuyasha! Don't move so hastily! The Healer said you need to stay on bed rest for a week, and that, apparently, you know this."
Inuyasha stared at her, confused.
"In any case, Sesshomaru's fine. I guess he got back this morning from wherever he'd been and has been holed up in his study all afternoon. And from what all the servants seem to be talking about he said he doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone, but he often calls someone named-... Maz... Misa-...Mizumi? Mizumi! That's it- to his office. I've talked to her a little bit, but only when she brings tea to my room."
Huh? That didn't help the half-demon's confusion at all. What was... "Mizumi? Visiting Sesshomaru?" That was way too weird... what the hell was going on?
"Yeah, I guess so. Do you know her?"
"She's a friend."
"Oh. Well, other than that the place has been kind of chaotic. All the families that were here for some "perspective mating" thing are all being sent away."
What? Inuyasha stared, his mind whirling as he attempted putting things together that would make more sense than the current garble of crap bouncing off his mind's walls.
"And aside from that-"
"Kagome, could you... uh, go... I..."
Kagome paused and then stood, nodding. "I understand. Call for me when you're done with... whatever, okay?"
"Hn."
The young woman left and Inuyasha tried to get his heart rate to slow. In a few moments the hanyou's mind cleared and something even more frightening appeared to make sense from all the craziness he'd just been told.
The servants in the halls talking about someone being "chosen"... the servant from yesterday saying that Sesshomaru's "perspective mates" were at the castle... Sesshomaru apparently having wanted to talk to him about something but was upset when he didn't make it to dinner and then walking off in a huff... Kagome saying that all the families and females that had been there as candidates... had left... and Mizumi... was... visiting his brother regularly when he wanted no interruptions from… anyone...
Inuyasha's eyes went wide, sweat beading anew along his brow once more.
No. No, no, no! This doesn't... make sense!
The half-demon forced himself to stand, noting he was wearing a simple sleeping yukata, before he slowly made his way to the door, using his Tetsusaiga as a makeshift crutch. The half-demon hobbled his way to Sesshomaru's study, mindless of the looks he was receiving from the servants and guards of the castle.
Upon his arrival Inuyasha could clearly hear the occupants inside even though the shoji was closed.
"You are not unpleasing to the eye, I suppose," came Sesshomaru's deep voice, his tone spoken as if regarding someone.
"Uuh... T-Thank you, my lord." That was... Mizumi, Inuyasha noted.
There was a pause and then a smooth shuffle of feet as someone moved.
"Then you understand your role in all of this, I presume." Sesshomaru's tone indicated that the topic beforehand was now finished and the one he was referring to now would be understood without question.
"H-hai."
"Very well. Thank you- Mizumi- for being so responsive to my wishes. I do not doubt that it will give you pleasure as well?"
WHAT? Inuyasha's mind raced, not realizing his hand was slowly moving closer toward the shoji's handle.
"Uh- I- Oh! Yes, yes, my lord. I... only want to be of assistance in any way I can. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to-"
"-TO WHAT?" Inuyasha barged in then, his body relying on his makeshift crutch, eyes shining, brow bright with sweat and panting unevenly.
"Inuyasha-san!" Mizumi squeaked out, startled.
Inuyasha paid his friend no attention and instead chose to glare at his sibling.
"What… the hell... do you think would give Mizumi pleasure if it's... regarding you!"
The daiyoukai stared back evenly. "That will be all for now, Mizumi," Sesshomaru stated with finality, dismissing the girl immediately.
"H-Hai." With that she gave her friend one last look as she bowed to both and exited the study.
"Well, asshole?"
"Inuyasha, you ought to be in bed, resting," the daiyoukai said simply walking over to his wayward sibling.
"I'll do... what I damn well please!"
"Hn. Indeed. However, from the looks of your disheveled appearance it will only be in a matter of moments until you succumb to the overwhelming pain in your body and-"
Inuyasha's sight faltered before his mind fell into darkness as his body began to fall to the floor.
"-collapse," Sesshomaru finished as he easily caught the frail hanyou in his arms. The youkai sighed, speaking to his unconscious brother softly. "Inuyasha. You are half-demon, of this you know. Yet you still possess a human heart." The youkai paused in his speech as he carried his sibling back to his room, tucking him in and taking a seat next to the lightly snoring half-demon.
"Inuyasha... You should have been more aware of the fact that Autumn was here... Even if your mind is not conscious to it... your body has certainly remembered the traumatizing season of your mother's death." Sesshomaru paused.
"But I suppose... when your mind and heart are taken up by another... you forget," the demon finished, unsure of whether he was speaking in regards to his brother or... himself.
Author's Note: Ahh! Curve ball!