"The Good Son"
By Sadistic Shadow
With a heavy sigh, Sesshoumaru threw himself down on the small cot before the roaring flames. The establishment was undoubtedly small, but it was home away from home.
However, unbeknown to him, a figure lurked in the shadows. Stepping forth into the light, the slim-bodied Tenaka, Sesshoumaru's highly enigmatic sister, spoke in her eerily placid tone. "You were with her, weren't you?" It was more of an accusation than a question.
"Yes." He admitted, with a careless little flip of his hair. Eyeing her warily, he added, "What of it?"
"What of it?" She repeated, obviously in disbelief. "It's disgusting, Sesshoumaru. She's a human…And mated to boot!"
"Married." He absently corrected her. "Some human promise to stay true…They haven't mated."
Tenaka openly gaped. "I didn't know you bothered to keep up with their customs. That's quite sad, dearest brother." Her flat look said it all, but she couldn't help but arch a brow and demanded with a reproving little sniff, "And how would you know they haven't given themselves to each other yet?"
"She's a priestess…" He grunted, adding a shrug, as if that explained everything. Upon receiving a blank look, however, he sighed and further elaborated, "A miko must remain…" -- he grappled for the right word -- "…Pure. At least until she is prepared to give up her career."
"You seem awfully confident." She commented.
"Well." He paused, as if it were some great secret. "What can I say? She loves what she does. Besides," He puffed out his chest as he sat up to face her, grinning cheekily, "I think she rather likes me."
Tenaka let loose something sounding suspiciously like a snort, which was soon accompanied by a roll of her eyes. "I'm sure." She said dryly.
"I don't have to take this." Sesshoumaru shot her a reproving glare, letting his words hang like some ultimatum.
"So leave," She looked pointedly at him. "The door's open. Don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out."
He stared at her in angered shock. "I don't believe I just heard what I did."
"Well you did," She snapped, "So grow up and get over it."
Something akin to a strangled noise escaped his throat, his eyes blazing out at her. "I'll be going now," He informed her, with a look of quiet rage.
"You do that." She near-mocked him, adding a quirky little nod to further fuel the fire.
Not another word was exchanged between the two and suddenly, he was gone, vanished into the cool night. Shaking her head, Tenaka sat where he once lay, losing herself in the glowing embers.
Elsewhere, Sesshoumaru was plowing through the shrubbery, westward-bound. At this point in time, there was only one soul whom he could still confide in: his mother, InuSarai.
It was just after dawn's break when he found himself approaching familiar territory. The grass was now soaked with the morning dew, making passage through the many forests slightly more vexing. It was not that the young taiyoukai could not handle such a little thing as a few droplets of water, but it made the usual shortcuts quite treacherous.
The more miles he put between himself and Kanan, the worse he seemed to feel. It was like some kind of sick premonition. Something was going down, and he knew it. But he had come this far and there was no turning back. At least not yet, anyway. There would be time for idle worry later; for now, he just had to concentrate on getting to his parent's den.
It was not long before he reached the highland of the western domain. Treading carefully across the gully, he approached the edge of the steep cliff which overlooked the valley in which his clan resided. But carnage was to greet his eager eyes, nothing at all like the beauty he had been anticipating.
Peculiar, bird-like creatures swooped down, clawing out his clansmen's eyes, signaling each attack with a disgustingly delighted cry of war. Giving a startled cry of his own, he watched in horror as his very own mother led the remainder of the clan in one last charge.
His sensitive nostrils recoiling at the sickening scent of charred flesh, his mind could only scream the same mantra over and over again. Father, father. Where is father?
When at last he could take it no longer, his form quivered in rage and he transformed into his true being. Leaping off the cliff, he thought to rush into combat and save those whom he could. But his world became black as one of the bird-like creatures swooped down, sinking its talons into the back of his head. Stumbling forward, he was defeated before he could so much as lift a paw.
He did not wake for some time. When he did at last, it was at the prompt of a tall, gruff-looking man. Sesshoumaru's head was still spinning and his movement was languid as he reached out in an attempt to grip at the hem of the man's clothing. "Father…"
InuTaisho turned to greet his son with sad eyes. With an anguished moan, Sesshoumaru fell back onto his makeshift bed. He hadn't wept since he was a sickly child, but now the tears seemed to flow from a never-ending source.
A/N: This chapter seemed off tome. Like, not the events, but the writing. I'm sorry it's bad. But enjoy the update, at least. Thanks for all the reviews, guys n' gals. They mean a lot. Kanan, Tenaka and InuSarai are all copyright to me. No touchy.
Megan: *groans* Do you have to call me that?
Melian and Luthien: Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that for me.
Rabid Anime Girl: …Maybe you better not read the rest of this story, then. *sweat drops*
Miko of the Innocent: So you noticed. I loved the dialogue in that chapter. Unfortunately, this chapter in its entirety sucks.
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