"The Good Son"
By Sadistic Shadow
His return had been ten years in the making. Nearly a decade had passed since the death of his mother. It might have been a century though, what with all that had transpired. It was in himself, however, in which many of these changes had occurred. Sesshoumaru had never exactly been innocent to begin with, but at least back then he had been able to uphold a softer side. Now, he was just brutally cold. Then again, after all he'd learned -- after all he'd lost -- who wouldn't be?
His father, the great and proud InuTaisho, had been killed. Surprisingly enough, Sesshoumaru did not lament his father's death. To tell the truth, he welcomed the peace of mind it brought with open arms. The peace of mind he had lost upon learning of his father's role in his mother's death. No…Not just his mother's death, but the death of a nation.
InuTaisho, he had discovered, apparently had a thing for humans. Human females, to be more specific. So while his father had been rolling around in the hay somewhere with some human tramp, his mother had been rolling around in the mud with the enemy. While his father cried out in pleasure, his mother cried out in pain. While his father divulged in the sweet spoils of victory, his mother met a pitiful demise. But again, not just his mother…His entire clan.
His blood boiled when he dwelled on the matter, and his burning hot rage tended to scald anyone in the general vicinity. Luckily, he was alone.
InuTaisho's initial betrayal had only been the beginning. Nine months later and he'd had a new child to look after. A bouncing, baby hanyou…By name of InuYasha. While he bore a seething hatred for his father and his mistress, he could not bring himself to harbor ill will against InuYasha. The child was so sheltered and innocent…So unlike himself.
So he put up a front, if not for the child and his harlot of a mother, then for himself. It had been kind of nice, for awhile. The slut didn't treat him like the unwanted child he was, at least not unto his face. His father seemed less belligerent and rowdy and even seemed to emanate a calmer aura. InuYasha…Had been, well, InuYasha. The boy and he got along famously, for some reason or another.
Sunday, bloody Sunday. He had chosen to return on the tenth anniversary of his mother's death. It was in the middle of a crisp, autumn morning that he had appeared about a mile from the ningen village he had once resided in. It was near that river, that very river by which they had met, that he and Kanan reunited. As friends, and nothing more. She was heavy with child, and from the looks of it, due any minute.
They had embraced, awkwardly, and sat down to speak, while she busied herself with the laundry. There that morning, the two of them skirted many issues, including their feelings for one another. What had come to pass had come to pass, and there was no changing things. Kanan was as happy as ever, if a little melancholy.
He resumed living in the dingy half-shack not a quarter mile from the village. He carried on, mostly as a recluse, though he could be seen heading into town every week or so, with the intent of visiting his beloved miko. Her husband welcomed him into his home with little to no suspicion, much as he had done ten years prior, and all was well. As well as things could be under such circumstances, anyway.
Not even four weeks later and already, it was time. He had gone for a visit that early evening, only to discover that perhaps he should have chosen a better time. He had tried to leave but was, surprisingly enough, held back by her husband. "You're friends," He had told him. "Aren't you? She'll want you to be here." And that was the end of that.
He paced and prowled around the confines of their modest home many, many times. It was not until just before sunrise that he heard the piercing cries of a newborn. Not fifteen minutes later, he was summoned. Smirking at the collapsed form of her husband as he glided across the threshold, all the air vanished from his lungs as he caught first sight of Kanan clutching at her child.
Upon her urging, he tentatively reached out a clawed hand and gently traced a pattern across the child's exposed stomach. All the ice that had been surrounding him all these years melted in an instant. He had never seen something more beautiful, and he made sure to tell her this.
Kanan chuckled softly, gazing tenderly up at him with rosy cheeks. "Thank you…" She whispered, taking the compliment in stride.
He was clearly awed by the whole situation. The first time he had been allowed to lay eyes on InuYasha had been several months after his birth. It was almost as if his father had been afraid to find out his reaction to his infidelity. In all realities, this was very wise, but Sesshoumaru knew he could not hurt his own flesh and blood. InuYasha had been pudgy at the time; pudgy and always on the go. This child, however, was extraordinarily small, and appeared very delicate. Any snide remark he had about the quality of this baby disappeared, for the moment it opened its eyes, he found himself drowning in a hazy pool of chocolate, so akin to their mother's.
"Beautiful," He breathed, again, and once more, the child's mother expressed her gratitude for such compliments. Standing there, beside the woman he could never hold, never express his affection for, and he knew…He knew he had a second chance. At life, if not at love.
He turned his eyes to Kanan in silent question. "Kikyou," Came the answer he longed to hear. "Kikyou, for she is as sweet as a bellflower."
A/N: Damn. I hate this chapter. Hatehatehatehatehate it. It's so cheesy and rushed and blah. I'm so sorry. Consider this fic now shamed. I am still cringing from the poor quality, even a day after I wrote this. So help me should I ever produce literature this horrid again. But it's an update. Long over-due and crappy, but an update nonetheless. Be gentle with your flames.
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