Author's Note: Well, I got a review saying that the changes between romantic Inu-Papa and sadistic Inu-Papa happened too quickly. Just to clear that up, Inutaishou has always had an awful temper. It just came through when Sasame threatened his family, and it was Inutaishou's way of protecting Achika and Sesshoumaru. I think Inutaishou had trouble balancing his love for his family and keeping his demeanor as a warlord, thus explaining his actions. He is cruel to Sesshoumaru so that his son will be prepared for the fate he has a Western taiyoukai. I'll admit, this story can seem a little blunt and straight forward, but I feel it gets to the point that way. Sesshoumaru's past isn't much fluff. Although, even I like fluff and will be starting another story that branches from this one. It flashes back to Inu-Papa and Inu-Mama's past, and then returns to the present time with Sesshoumaru when he gets an unexpected visit from Achika. It'll be a drastic change from this tearjerker; I want it light-hearted, a story that puts people in a good mood. As for this story, the ending isn't that wordy. I felt that if I kept beating around the bush, the ending wouldn't have the greatest effect. This ending is abrupt, causing more of a surprise I believe. So, I thank you all for reviewing and supporting me with this story.
"I can't believe you, Sesshoumaru," Arya said quietly, tending to the wounds Sesshoumaru had received for punishment. Wincing, the youkai shot her a look.
"What's it to you? You're not supposed to be lecturing me, Arya, you're supposed to be helping me with these wounds," he rolled his eyes as she rubbed some extra herbs into the scars, making him scowl from the pain the plants caused. This said he buried his face into his arms, lying on the table while Arya shot him a look.
"But to do that...with her...How could you?
"Arya, why do you care? What's done is done. Don't worry, I don't plan to go sleeping around again if I get enough lashes to knock me unconscious," he snarled as she wiped a damp rag over him, cleansing it of blood.
"I just worry for you, Sesshoumaru. We've known each other for quite some time and to see you hurt like this...well..." she trailed off, blinking away tears. She couldn't believe this. Here she was, in love with him, and he didn't notice. He didn't care. Looking up at her, he waited for a response, raising a brow at her current expression.
"Well...what?"
"Sesshoumaru, ever since my parents died and I was brought to live here, I've admired you. You've gone through a hell training with your father and then losing your mother to a lecher. And if that wasn't enough, a human woman took her place and bore Inutaishou-sama a hanyou child. Even after this ordeal, more was to come. You thought you found love in a kitsune who betrayed you and in turn got you forty lashes, while your mother was forced to witness the entire thing," Arya paused here, watching Sesshoumaru shaking on the table. She could tell he was trying to suppress his feelings, attempting to choke them down, but he was clearly struggling. Running her slender fingers over his back, she tried to calm him, realizing she may have said too much. "And yet, you never gave up, Sesshoumaru. Never once did you try and find an easy way out. I'm empathetic toward you. My parents have died and in a sense, yours have too. I've watched you quietly ever since that day I came here, hoping, praying you'd take interest in me. But I was always too shy to speak up, too afraid of what you might say. Yet, now I realize that I can no longer waste my time." Arya bent down, kissing him lightly on the cheek, them moved to kiss his lips, surprising him, though he gingerly kissed her back. Looking up, Sesshoumaru pulled away, searching her face for an answer to explain her actions. "I'm...I'm leaving in a few minutes. I have all my things packed and I'm going to the Southern Lands..."
"What?" Sesshoumaru hissed, trying to sit up but failed miserably, making him fall back to the table.
"Inutaishou-sama says that I've been sheltered from the real world for too long. He says that I must go to live in my territories where his guards are to show me how to rule the kingdom. He told me he can't keep guarding the Southern Lands forever and that I will have to soon."
"But you're only sixteen. Even I couldn't do that," Sesshoumaru said quietly, as Arya squeezed his hand. Why hadn't he talked to her more? Why hadn't he noticed her? Sure, Arya was one of his only friends, but with all the training he had, he barely had time to speak with her. And now, she was leaving...forever?
"I have to learn sometime. But I wanted to tell you...before I left..." She took a deep breath, looking into his eyes. "I love you, Sesshoumaru. I'm sorry that I wasn't brave enough to ever tell you," she whispered and saw his eyes widen.
"Why didn't you tell me—"?
"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, I can't stay much longer. Inutaishou-sama is sending me with some of his guards and doesn't want me to be late. I'm so sorry!" The tears fell from her eyes as she turned away, her hand slipping from his. And as Sesshoumaru watched her leave, he felt his heart drop. He'd never felt this lonely in his life.
Four years had passed since the "conflict" with Sesshoumaru and Lin. Sesshoumaru was about twenty now, emotions totally and completely drained out of him. He decided, that on the day Arya left, he could no longer deal with compassion, sorrow, and especially love. Only anger and hatred would he feel. And so, when Inutaishou called him into his office, Sesshoumaru felt absolutely nothing.
"Boy, I wanted to tell you something." Sesshoumaru bit back his anger for the moment; he hated how his father still referred to him as a child. Looking at the warlord, he realized his father hadn't changed appearance wise in the slightest. One of the perks of being a taiyoukai; aging didn't come as fast when demons grew older.
"Yes, milord?"
"I'm sure you have heard by now, about the disagreement between the Western and Northern Lands?" Sesshoumaru nodded. His father had been gone about two weeks; the ongoing war between the Northern and Western warlords was no surprise. Although, the length of the battle was; Sesshoumaru was certain that it would have lasted a few months, not a few weeks. "I finally overthrew Sasame in battle and as I was pillaging through the Northern castle, I came upon Achika. She's insane. I've never seen such horrible—"
"Milord, was it not you who said we should never mention the woman's name in this castle again?" Sesshoumaru said coldly, looking over at the youkai. His father still had wounds that were healing from the previous battle. Sesshoumaru held somewhat of a grudge toward Inutaishou; the man didn't let his own son go into battle, still saying that he was too young, that he was not ready.
"Yes, it was. But I figured her being your moth—"
"No, I wish to hear nothing of it. The whereabouts of her are none of my concern, milord." Once again, Sesshoumaru had cut him off. "What I do wish to know though is if Sasame was killed in battle."
"Surprisingly, no. I decided to let the kitsune live the rest of his miserable life regretting ever crossing the Western Lord." So, thought Sesshoumaru, his father had finally gotten revenge on Sasame. It didn't matter though. The damage had been done between Inutaishou, Sesshoumaru, and Achika. And Sesshoumaru was actually glad for it. Love for his parents would have simply gotten in the way.
"Fine. If that is all you have to report to me, then I will be leaving."
"Yes, that is all. You may return to your studies." Currently, Sesshoumaru had been working on the business part of the Western Lord's duties. Ever since his father went out to battle, no one had been there to train Sesshoumaru. And besides, the youkai was starting to rival everyone (pardoning his father) in his sword fighting skills. Nodding, Sesshoumaru left, working his way back to his room. Sitting at a desk, he looked over the papers. People were asking for food, for shelter, for armies. Bored, the youkai rejected them all. Let them suffer, he thought. They deserve the suffering they have brought upon themselves. Suddenly, he felt something tugging at his leg. Looking down, he saw the little hanyou whelp, honey eyes wide with curiosity.
"Sess...Sessh..." The hanyou attempted to say his brother's name, though being a four-year-old didn't help his sounding out the long word.
"Sesshoumaru, half-breed," Was how the youkai addressed his brother.
"Sess...houmaru, half-breed." InuYasha pointed at his brother, as if Sesshoumaru were the half-demon.
"No, Sesshoumaru is not a half-breed. I was simply addressing you as what you are." InuYasha only blinked at this, them crawled up into his brother's lap. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Sesshoumaru set down his quill, watching the hanyou cuddle up to his chest. He could kill the runt right now. Kill him and it would be over with. This was his chance. He should take it.
"Brother!" InuYasha squeaked, snuggling closer to Sesshoumaru. He doesn't fear me. He's too stupid to know how much of a threat I am. If he isn't going to fear me, what is the point of killing him?
"Half-brother, mind you," Sesshoumaru said sharply, letting his talons withdraw and go back to writing, though it was difficult with the hanyou clinging to him. Inu ears twitching, the hanyou turned around, watching his brother scribble characters on a scroll. As Sesshoumaru moved his hand, InuYasha went to swat at it. Reflexes too quick for the child, the youkai moved his hand away, then began writing once more until InuYasha swatted again. This process repeated a few times before Sesshoumaru became irked and his scroll was a complete mess with his brother's hand marks all over the paper. Looking down at his ink covered hands, InuYasha cheered, then put his hands on Sesshoumaru's face.
"Black!"
"Yes, InuYasha, black. And did you know that black is the color of death?" Sesshoumaru sneered, wiping his face off with a sleeve. He wanted to rip the runt's head right off. But he had to keep telling himself that this wasn't the time that he had to wait when the child grew and learned to fear him. "Now, why don't you be a good little whelp and go play...or whatever children do..."
"Whelp!"
"InuYasha, leave, go."
"Whelp!"
"InuYasha, I order you to leave or I will rip off your fingers and shove them in your ear hole." Sesshoumaru was becoming more perturbed by the minute. It was getting annoying with his brother repeating everything.
"Whelp!"
"Damn. Can you be anymore vexing?"
"Damn!" InuYasha chanted, putting more ink on his brother's face. "Damn!" Swallowing, Sesshoumaru gave a stern look at the child. He didn't need InuYasha repeating curses. Inutaishou would know where his youngest son learned such a word.
"No, you don't say that, InuYasha. Do you understand?" Sesshoumaru growled, until Izayoi appeared into the room.
"InuYasha, you need to come here. We're leaving for the village today, won't that be exciting?" The human then noticed whom her son was sitting with. "Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, I didn't realize he was bothering you. I'm sorry." Scowling, the youkai pushed his brother off him, returning to his papers.
"Damn!" InuYasha cheered as he walked past his mother, Izayoi raising a perplexed brow at this as she picked him up and left.
It had been a few days since the human woman and her hanyou son had left for their village. Sesshoumaru had to admit, the castle had become much quieter without the pup running around and causing a disruption.
Walking through the halls, Sesshoumaru felt a strong hand grab his arm and he found himself looking up into Inutaishou's cold eyes.
"I'm going to check on Izayoi and InuYasha. I'll be leaving the castle in your care. Can you handle that sort of responsibility?" Somewhat relieved that his father wasn't asking him about InuYasha's newly obtained vocabulary word, Sesshoumaru nodded, his face emotionless. Though inside, he was glad that he was being given power, even if only for a few days.
"Of course, milord."
"I should be back by tomorrow night. I just want to see if they are doing well in that human village. They've been used to being treated with respect here, for the most part," Inutaishou paused, tightening his grip on his son's arm to make the point, "So I want to see if they are fairing well." This made clear; the youkai lord went to buckle on his armor and then turned before leaving. "I want the castle in top shape when I return, or it'll be your back that I'll take out my anger on." Sesshoumaru felt his eyes narrow as he watched his father leave. It was humiliating that here he was, a grown man, and he still received punishment like a pup. Sesshoumaru couldn't wait till the bastard got killed in battle.
It was evening and Sesshoumaru's father should have been back by this time. He had made sure that the castle was in good condition and that there wasn't a conflict to be seen. But when his father didn't return at said time, Sesshoumaru became a little frustrated. Was Inutaishou messing with his mind? Just to anger his son? Feeling betrayed in a sense, Sesshoumaru grabbed his armor, tying it tightly, and then made way to this village his father spoke about. He knew he shouldn't be leaving the castle but he was too aggravated to care at the moment. He'd been to this village before when he was patrolling the Western Lands for his father, so Sesshoumaru knew where he was going. Once he arrived, he found himself in shock. The village had been burnt to the ground. Fire still licked at old huts and crops, the whole place consumed in flames. Searching for a scent of life, Sesshoumaru pinpointed his father's smell, and then made his way through the destroyed village, pushing aside dead bodies until he came upon a pitiful sight. There, of all people, was his father, burns covering his body. Inutaishou's clothing was tattered and ripped, covered heavily in blood. Sesshoumaru could tell by his shallow breathing that the man was slowly dying. Frowning, the youkai pushed away some boards that had fallen atop Inutaishou, his face showing no concern.
"I was fighting Takemaru...a human..." Inutaishou coughed, "And I was already wounded from a previous fight before I met him. The roof collapsed on us, killing him and wounding me." Sesshoumaru frowned.
"What of Izayoi and InuYasha, did they perish as well?"
"No. I covered for them while they escaped." A few more coughing spells erupted from his lungs. Inutaishou then pulled a sword from his sash, using his remaining energy to hand it to Sesshoumaru. Taking it, his son looked over the blade, unsheathing it so that it gleamed in the moonlight.
"I call it the Tenseiga. It is your birthright along with the Western Lands. With one stroke, it can bring back life, a sword of healing," Inutaishou looked awful now, his body threatening to give out. It was pathetic in a way that such a powerful youkai had come to such a state.
"A sword that heals?" Sesshoumaru growled, glaring at his father. "This is how you spite me? Because I could not heal on my own when you beat me?" Inutaishou blinked a few times, managing to shake his head.
"Please, I did not mean it that way. Here, swipe it across my stomach so that I can heal and tell you why I have blessed you with such a sword," Inutaishou wheezed, blood dribbling down his mouth. Sesshoumaru said nothing, calming his anger as he sheathed the Tenseiga, slipping it into his sash. This done, the youkai stared coldly at his father, not saying a word. As he began to realize that his son had no intentions of helping him, that his own flesh and blood was leaving him here to rot, Inutaishou regretted everything. Had it come to this? That their relationship was so terrible that his own son would not save him from death? And now, because of how Inutaishou had treated Sesshoumaru, he was going to die here as his son watched. "Sesshoumaru," Inutaishou whispered now, calling his son by his rightful name, not just the usual "boy." Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, the youkai continued. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Just remember, I love you, my son." And as he said this, a single tear trailed down Inutaishou's, leaving a stain on his dirt covered face. Raising an eyebrow in disgust, Sesshoumaru scoffed, his eyes bearing no sympathy for his father.
"Fool," Sesshoumaru sneered, glaring at this man who had given him hell for his entire life. "You of all people should know..." Kneeling, Sesshoumaru grabbed his father's chin bitterly, just as Inutaishou had done to him, looking deeply into this man's eyes, pure hatred ever present.
"Warlords don't cry."