Aii! Look, I do love writing this story, but I have to tell you now, I'm getting a little bit fed up with the unconstructive criticisms.
Number one: I'm not usually mean, and I'm not trying to be mean now, but I got one heck of an attitude when I get ticked, so sorry.
Number two: Sesshoumaru is spelled so many different ways by now, that no one remembers that in Japanese, the "u" is meant to be there to emphasize the "o". If you didn't know, I'm not telling you off, just stating.
Number three: For cripes sakes, people! If you don't wish to read the meanness, don't! I will feel bad that I lose reviews, but not if you're gonna tell me to stop hurting Sesshoumaru every chapter. I write it how I want, and the fact that some people seem to like to read it just makes me really happy.
Now, can we all just get along, and not yell things like "LEAVE HIM ALONE! STOP IT YOU MONSTER! STOP IT! AH!" at each other? I think I'm very tolerant. I've gone thru 33 chapters and not said a word.
Well, sorry to slow you down and maybe get you angry, so on with the story.
"Your mother's obi! That yellow and blue one was hers!"
"I…I kept it, you see…I kept it since I was a pup…"
"Sesshoumaru, nothing is your fault!" Kagome said. "You didn't want it to happen, did you?"
"No," he said with a shudder. Tears ran down his cheeks.
"We'll get it back."
"All these promises when we haven't the power, resources, or even the time to go through with them? Kagome, open your eyes! There is no cure to the Were-Dog disease, and that obi is probably shredded in seven thousand pieces by now…"
"Don't ever believe that. It's not true. And even if it is, we can still fix it. So don't give up. You've been trying to do that way too much for my comfort," Kagome said.
"…You are right, Kagome. No more giving up for me."
"Good. Now let's go. We have enough time to get to your castle and have you work out some matters."
Ten Minutes Later…(For I'm too lazy to write out any of the trip)
Sesshoumaru let his cloud come to a rest on the ground and dissipate. He waited patiently for Kagome, Inuyasha, and Ah-Un to land before entering his castle.
"Welcome back, Lord Sesshoumaru," said the guard.
Sesshoumaru nodded brusquely and passed through the doors.
"Wow!" Kagome said. This is a really fancy looking shiro!"
"Keep moving," Sesshoumaru said in his characteristic monotone.
Inuyasha and Kagome followed him to his study, where they found Rojin examining some documents. He greeted them without turning.
"Welcome back, my lord. Your paperwork is over there on your desk," he said.
Sesshoumaru gave a brief nod and sat at his desk, which was loaded with many papers.
"Um…" Kagome began.
"Go amuse yourselves in my gardens or something. Ah-Un will take you," Sesshoumaru said tonelessly.
Kagome was surprised at how thoroughly Sesshoumaru had regained his composure and shed his newfound childlike tendencies.
"Inuyasha…why is he so…stuck up like that again?"
"Sesshoumaru's home. This is how he is when he's here. He wants to be himself, you know."
"But why? Why would he want to be so stuffy?"
"No one can bother him when he's stuffy. Nothing bothers him really, because he just ignores it. That's why he never helps anyone unless it's of any benefit to him."
"Hmm…I wonder if he's helping us because we're of benefit to him?" Kagome murmured. "After all this, will he still be a presumptuous ass?"
"Probably," Inuyasha sneered.
Ah-Un came into view and the two of them climbed onto his back so that they could be flown to the gardens.
Sesshoumaru scrawled his signature onto a document after careful scrutiny. He felt a lot more comfortable doing what he was supposed to do, no matter how strenuous it seemed.
It seems the northwest is having a bit of trouble. Nothing I want to get involved in, but for the sake of politics, I suppose I must…
Sesshoumaru glanced at a few more documents. There seemed to be another problem, one involving his lands. He read carefully the headman's plight. It seemed as if a dragon youkai from the east was causing problems for them.
I will inspect this, he thought nonchalantly. He scribbled something in affirmation that assured the village that he would take action as soon as possible.
"Rojin."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Send this with a messenger."
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Rojin took the document and left the study.
"Hmm…"
Sesshoumaru fiddled with his brush, twirling it carefully in his fingers so as not to splatter the ink.
"I do wonder…what are the others doing?" he thought aloud. "Either way, it is not my concern right now."
He began to sort through his documents once more. He had so many before, but the pile had been whittled down to very little by now. It took him little time to attend to them.
There are about seven villages that require my services for one reason or other. The question is whether Inuyasha and his companions will allow me to go. Whether or not they do, I shall get done with my business. And I must patrol my borders every once in a while.
He wiped his brush clean of ink and sat it next to the sealed ink well before gathering several papers and slipping them into the folds of his haori. As he rose to his feet, he felt a sharp prick into the arch of his foot. Annoyedly, he shook the shard into a more comfortable position.
I am still perplexed as to why Kagome wanted to give me a shard. Under my jurisdiction, the jewel will become tainted, will it not?
But then he remembered that it was just neutral with him.
"Ah, well. This is something worth studying…"
"My lord…?"
"Rojin. What do you want?"
"I need to check up on you, sir. May I?"
"You may."
Rojin bowed.
"Your…I mean…your brother's haori…it must be removed…"
Sesshoumaru shed the uncomfortable haori so that Rojin could see his stomach.
"Wow. This is healing up pretty nicely. I didn't think it'd heal so fast. It's only been three days or so, you know…"
"Yes…I know…"
"How are things?" Rojin pressed as he felt around the wound. "Does this hurt?"
"No. And things are fine to say the least."
"What have you done lately?"
"Cause nothing but annoyance and leave trouble in my wake."
"Is it the symptoms I listed? I knew they were to be persistent, cousin, but they seemed to have faded by now. Hurt yet?"
"No."
Rojin pushed against the center of the wound and Sesshoumaru flinched.
"Hurts?"
"It is still tender there…"
"You've healed extremely well around the wound, but the center is still a hunk of soft meat that's been tenderized by a set of nasty claws. I'll give it another week. Come back then."
"Very well. Are you able to handle business here?"
"Oh yeah. Me and Ayumi—oh, and Tori too—have you covered for the most part."
"Thank you very much."
"You've got some of your spunk back, Sesshoumaru. Glad to see…what the hell?"
Rojin put a clawed hand to the Subduction Collar.
"This golden bastard shrunk. Can't you tell?"
"Hn?"
Sesshoumaru felt his collar and was frightened to find that it was in close contact with his neck. It now gripped his skin softly.
"Tima still has control over you, cousin. As long as she does, and the longer you stay away, that collar will continue to shrink…" Rojin said sadly.
"Can you do anything? Anything at all, Rojin!"
"I…I can try to help you, but I need time."
R & R please!