Thanks for the reviews, minna! I get a silly grin every time I read them. ^_^ LilacRose23: I don't like Sess/Rin much either. I think it's possible, but given that we haven't seen her grown up yet, it feels a little squicky. Misao CG: *grinz* Shinoku : Yes, Yume-chan is definitely going to get more screen time as she gets older. Her part in dealing swift kicks to Sess's psyche is important! Not to mention the fact that I like her as a char. once she gets older. Silvermagess: I know, it's been too long... *hangs head* I'll try to write faster.

And now, on with the show!

Ladymage Samiko ; )

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Of Moonlight and Honor

Part Nine

"Why are you doing this?" The soft question startled the youkai and he turned to face the quiet young woman.

The ceremony was over and Tsukiyo had chosen a simple kosode and mobakama in pale violet and green silks instead of the heavy layers of her formal wear. She had retreated to the side of the room and was so self-effacing that many might have mistaken her for a servant. The tongues of hair on either side of her face fell forward and hid her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" she asked again. "You do not need a hanyou heir, much less a bastard, female heir. We both know this. And your position on the matter was clear enough without going through this- this farce. It is absurd. And I had--hoped--that we would live here quietly."

"I take care of my own," Sesshoumaru said shortly before turning to leave. "And what is done is done."

Tsukiyo did not move as he brushed past her and he gave no sign that he noticed the tears slowly tracing the curves of her cheeks.

"You are leaving, then?" Sesshoumaru watched from the doorway as Rin bundled up the few possessions she had brought with her.

"It's time and past that I leave, Sesshoumaru-sama. I wish I could stay, but you know as well as I that I have duties there I can't ignore. Both Tsukiyo and Yumemi are doing well enough. Just. . ." Rin's voice trailed off into silence. "Be kind to her, Sesshoumaru-sama. I know I've said this before, but. . ." She looked him in the eye. "Yumemi's birth was very difficult for her. She's recovered as much as she's ever will; she'll never be as healthy as she was before. It won't take much to kill her. She won't need a lot of care, but you'll have to keep an eye on her. If nothing else, for the sake of the child."

"I take care of my own," Sesshoumaru said stiffly for the second time that day.

"I know you do." Rin smiled at him, then reached over to give him a daughter's kiss on his cheek. She turned to gather her things.

"Before you go, Rin." The young woman looked back at the youkai, curious. He continued, "I have a gift for your daughter. Neither you nor she are of my blood, but you are my ward. You and she are part of my clan. This is for her and her descendants." Sesshoumaru pressed a small object into Rin's hand. "I cannot always be there for you, but if any of your blood have need of me, they need only think of me and clasp this. Wherever I am, I will come." He tightened his grip on her hand briefly, then dropped it. "Be well, Rin."

After he had left the room, Rin opened her hand to look at the cool, smoothly polished stone. It was a netsuke in the shape of a curled-up dog that snarled. At first glance, it was unremarkable, carved from ivory as netsuke often were. But then Rin noticed the narrowed slits of the dog's eyes, which glowed sullenly in the light, their colour a dark blood-red.

Life resumed a quiet, even course at last in the Inu castle. Sesshoumaru was awakened in the night several times by Yumemi's cries, but soon learned that they were nothing that concerned him and then proceeded to ignore them. He spent some little time with the child, but was quick to realize that there really was little he could do at this point in her life. He did not play. He did not 'fuss' over her. He supposed that her progress was rapid (Yume-chan was, after all, his child) but he had no way to judge. And he did not, as the women of the household appeared to do, find babies 'cute.' Still, he tried to spend time with her and Tsukiyo on a regular basis. Tsukiyo had taken up duties in the household such as were appropriate to a wife and not intrusive to his privacy. She oversaw the servants and the household monies with quiet efficiency. She stitched and embroidered his kosode and sashinuki with skill. She learned his moods and catered to them with greater sensitivity and skill than his retainers had ever shown, even after these several hundred years. He came to depend on the luxuries that would be ready for him the moment he returned home: the hot, calming tea, the bath water steaming in its pot and tub, the small hands that would, depending on his mood, scrub his back and massage his shoulders.

But life is constant in one thing only: change.

War erupted in the Eastern Lands, a civil war that fragmented the territory as the former lord's lackeys fought to rule what rightfully belonged to the old youkai's adopted heir. And while Sesshoumaru could care less about the fate of the territory itself, he needed to protect his borders and perhaps expand them. Not much; inviting the civil war onto his own territory was not his goal. He would relish the battle, but chaos in his own lands would be annoying at the very least.

And so, Sesshoumaru donned his armor, packed his gear. and set off with his men for the Eastern border.

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Battles are swift, quickly begun and quickly ended. But a war is made of many battles and in between battles are strategies and movements, tallying of losses and reconsidering the value of what one has gained. Years passed before Sesshoumaru allowed himself to return home to the castle in the mountains. Years before the East had quieted enough to let him feel his borders safe with the few men he left there.

The homecoming was a joyful occasion. After a decade of fighting and with the glory of winning, Sesshoumaru's followers were more than ready to see their friends and families again, to bask in their admiration and boast of their deeds. Though he would never admit it, Sesshoumaru himself rather looked forward to a long bath in the castle's furo and a long, leisurely meal. Still, he did not announce his return, but entered his home quietly; he did not care for the fanfare and fuss of a ceremony. And it was unnecessary, for his servants were well trained and able to prepare for him with only a moment's notice.

Later, cleaned and rested, he walked along the covered deck to Tsukiyo's quarters. To his daughter's quarters.

He heard them before he saw them; Tsukiyo was playing the koto and a piping voice accompanied it. That in itself startled him, for he had forgotten how hanyou children age. At ten years old, a youkai pup would still be in its infancy. A hanyou, on the other hand, would age only two times more slowly than an ordinary human until it was sexually mature, after which it would age the same as any other youkai. Sesshoumaru thought of that for a few moments, realizing that his daughter would now be a small child. How much had she grown, changed, learned? Did she look like her mother? Like him? Did it matter? He shrugged. It didn't, really. The only thing that mattered was how she had trained in his absence. He had not left any instructions as far as her education and training was concerned, so likely her mother had been the only one to teach her anything. And if so, her education was probably abysmally inadequate. With this in mind, he slid open the thin door.

The music stopped abruptly. "Sesshoumaru-sama..." Tsukiyo breathed. He could see her face light up with pleasure, though that did not disguise its thinness. "Okaeri nasai, Sesshoumaru-sama." Moving the koto, she bowed from her place on the floor. A slight movement caught his eye; a small girl was seated next to Tsukiyo: Yumemi.

She knew him; he could tell that much from the way her nostrils flared and how her eyes, though wide, held awe but no fear. And he would have recognized her anywhere, even if he had only his eyes to use. She was tall for a child of her age and as slender as her mother. The large blue-violet eyes that were staring at him were not only the color but the exact shape of his mother's. And they were set in a face that he himself recognized from looking in his mother's prized mirror as a child. It was framed by purple-black hair cut in a traditional girls' bob in which the startlingly white points of her ears twitched. The girl's eyes flicked towards her mother briefly. Sesshoumaru watched Tsukiyo give the tiniest of nods.

Yumemi stood carefully. She approached her father, stopped, and bowed. "Okaeri nasai, otou-sama," she recited in a low voice. "I offer my most humble congratulations on your auspicious victories in the East."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head slightly in return, pleased at his daughter's sense of propriety. "I thank you and am most pleased to accept them. I am also pleased to see how you have grown. I look forward to hearing of your progress and to beginning your training." How many times had he heard his father say the exact same formal phrases? Only in company, however. Once in private, he had made it quite clear how dismally his son and heir had failed to meet his expectations.

To his surprise, Yumemi smiled broadly, then clapped her hands. "Okaa-chan said that she couldn't teach me the sword, but you might. Will you, otou-sama? Please?"

Had he ever been that... enthusiastic? He blinked down at the child. "As my daughter, sword training shall certainly prove an asset to you. If you wish it, I shall. But I warn you now, daughter, once you begin, it will be difficult. And I will not allow you to slacken or quit." Sesshoumaru was then bowled over, almost literally, by an armful of ten-year-old hanyou launched at his chest.

"Domo arigatou, otou-sama!" she cried gleefully. "Domo domo domo domo domo!"

--tsuzuku. . .

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Cultural Notes (skip 'em if you like)

kosode and mobakama -- A kosode is a short-sleeved kimono. Mobakama is a wrapped skirt. Basically, this is the type of outfit Sango wears over her exterminating gear. It's a little too lower class for Tsukiyo, really, but the girl deserves the occasional comfortable clothing.

netsuke -- small figurines that were used to anchor the things one kept in one's sash, like a fan or money pouch. I'm not sure if women wore them during this period, but since this will become an important element later on and women didn't wear jewelry, I decided to use it.

kosode and sashinuki -- Sesshoumaru's normal outfit. Again, kosode is the top half. Sashinuki (also called nu-bakama) are the large trousers gathered at the ankle. This would have been everyday wear for a warrior general.

furo -- classic Japanese-style bath.

koto -- a stringed instrument more or less like a zither

Okaeri nasai -- "Welcome home" formal version

otou-sama -- most formal version of "father"

Okaa-chan -- "mommy"

domo arigatou -- "thank you very much!"