A Father's Embrace
Chapter Twenty-four
A Visit
Throughout one's life, a person faces many challenges, many choices, and many consequences in the struggle of survival. From time to time, an individual may be faced with having to fight for what he or she believes in, to fight to protect oneself or a loved one. And there are times when one must swallow his or her pride, and know when not to defy those who have more authority, who have more power, and who are simply much stronger than he or she is.
And the inhabitants of the village of Kiyoshi knew that Sesshomaru-sama was one of those individuals that you simply did not cross.
Horrific tales vividly depicting the ruthlessness of the Lord of the Western Lands were widespread and well known. They were the stories that adolescents would feed to their younger, gullible siblings in order to scare them in the darkness of the night. Rumors of how he casually murdered helpless humans and powerful yokai alike struck fear into the hearts those who were lucky enough to lay eyes upon him and live. Those who failed to survive an encounter with the powerful lord were those who were too foolish to know with whom they were dealing.
Despite the terrible stories surrounding the great yokai, most of the villagers knew that Sesshomaru-sama was not as terrible as was told. Though many of the villagers were indeed afraid to disturb Sesshomaru-sama and pay with their lives for doing so, their respect for him was founded more upon the fact that he had blessed their village with the kind and caring Rin-sama. For it was he who had protected and raised their current miko during her younger years. It was he who had brought her to this village to train as a miko. And though it had never been confirmed, it is said that it was he who had used his yokai sword, Tenseiga to retrieve Rin-sama's soul from the gateway to the nether-world when she had been slain by a pack of yokai wolves.
The regal inu-yokai lord strolled casually along the elevated paths through the rice fields, paying little attention to the villagers who bowed to him as he passed by. His loyal servant Jaken followed diligently behind. The toad-like creature babbled on about the uncleanliness of the humans who had been tending to the fields up until Sesshomaru's arrival. The Lord of the Western Lands calmly and quietly headed towards the village of Kiyoshi.
"I got you Kiku! Now it's your turn!" called out Sachiko as she caught up to Rin's younger daughter and tapped her on the back before turning to run away.
Upon being tagged, Kiku skidded in her tracks and chased after the retreating girl. In her dash to escape, the apprentice exterminator ran between hers and the miko's huts. Yuri, who had been taking a breather behind her home, panicked when she saw the two girls heading towards her. She bolted from her hiding spot behind the pile of firewood, running around the opposite side of her hut. Sachiko followed, hoping to outrun the older girl, and thus putting Kiku on her sister's trail.
Yuri disappeared around the front corner of the hut. Sachiko was close behind, and when she rounded the same corner, she nearly collided into the older child. Yuri had halted in her tracks, distracted by something. Or rather, someone. Kiku came round the corner shortly after that, but upon seeing the other two girls standing in place, frozen in awe, the game was quickly forgotten. Almost simultaneously, Yuri and Kiku's looks of astonishment were replaced with delight.
"Grandpa Sesshomaru-sama!" both girls greeted as they ran up to the approaching yokai lord. Sachiko stayed behind, somewhat hesitant to rush towards the mighty inu-yokai. Though she was familiar with Sesshomaru, and was quite accustomed to his random visits, she did not have as close a relationship with him as did Yuri and Kiku. The sisters stopped just short of the lord, and bowed respectfully.
He regarded them coolly. "Yuri. Kiku. Have the two of you been on your best behavior?"
The girls rose to their full heights, looking up into his eyes with beaming smiles. "Yes, Grandpa Sesshomaru-sama."
"Have you stayed out of trouble and done as your parents have asked?"
"Yes."
"And have you been diligent in your studies?"
"Of course we have."
"Very well then. Jaken has your sugar canes."
The sisters' faces lit up, knowing what they had been instructed to do: tackle Jaken until he relinquished the treats. Tears fell in waterfalls from the toad yokai's eyes as the girl's rushed past Sesshoumaru. Devious grins were plastered across their faces.
"B-b-but my lord! Surely my years of servitude have earned me better treatment than this!" he blubbered, but his plea fell upon deaf ears. "Sesshomaru-sama?"
He ignored the toad, his attention was briefly focused on the exterminator apprentice, who had been watching from next to the hut. "Jaken has enough for you as well, Sachiko. Try not to hurt him... too much."
A smile crept across her face before she ran to join the folly. At that moment, Takara emerged from Rin's hut, stifling a yawn after her nap. Behind her, the miko revealed herself as well.
"Takara!" called Sachiko. "Come tackle Jaken-sama with us! He has sugar cane!"
Takara's sleepy expression quickly disappeared, fading into an excited grin. "Okay!"
"Oh! Why do the fates have to be so cruel to me?" cried out the toad from the bottom of the dog-pile of girls.
Rin watched as the girls tormented the small yokai, muffling her giggle behind her hand. "Poor Jaken-sama. Beaten up by a couple of girls..."
"Rin!" the toad's muffled voice called out. "I heard that! Mmmrph... When I get out... mmnnphff.. of here...!" He managed to break the surface of the sea of girls long enough to scream, "Get these heathen children off of me!" before he was submerged once again with waves of laughter.
Rin ignored Jaken's empty threats and turned her attention towards the inu-yokai, bowing with respect. "Sesshomaru-sama, it is good to see you again."
"And you as well, Rin."
The miko rose from her bow and held the bamboo door to the side behind her. "Please, come inside for tea."
The taiyokai silently accepted the hospitable offer, and strode through the doorway to the young woman's hut. The first thing he noticed, was the absence of her husband, Isamu. But that was not what he first commented upon. He drew a deep breath, as if to verify what he could detect and she could not.
"Who was here?" he inquired flatly.
Rin moved passed him, towards the fire pit in the center of the main chamber, and placed an already warm pot of water over it. "Ah, I believe you would be referring to Maiki-chan. She was injured a few nights ago, and naturally I tended to her wounds. She left a few days ago."
The yokai strode to the fire, and gracefully sat down. He wore a blank expression, but his golden eyes pierced her. "Rin, you were never good at hiding the truth from me," he replied as he watched her fidget with the pot of dried tea leaves. "Now tell me who this Maiki is, and why she has the scent of an inu-yokai."
Rin calmly set the pot of tea leaves down beside her, and looked into his eyes with a soft smile. "Inu-shibunyo," she corrected. "And to answer both of your questions, she is your niece."
Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow. "My... niece?" He blinked once, allowing the unexpected revelation to roll around in his head. His eyebrow sank back down to its normal level, and a barely visible smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So, my half-breed brother managed to spawn a pup."
"Sesshomaru-sama... you aren't planning on hurting Maiki-chan, are you?" A worried, pleading expression planted itself on the miko's face, one which the cold heart of the yokai lord could not ignore.
He almost sighed, if it weren't for his naturally stoic persona. "No, Rin. I have no interest in my brother's whelp."
Relief washed over the woman's face. "Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama." She turned her attention to the pot of water, now hot enough for the tea. She prepared a cup for the inu-yokai, who accepted it when she handed it to him. Then she prepared one for herself.
"I assume that the oddly-dressed miko is her mother."
"Yes, she is."
"She returned here as well." It was more of a statement than it was a question.
"Yes."
He sipped his tea, seemingly deep in thought. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Why have they suddenly returned here? Why did my brother not return with them? Does he lack the honor to properly protect his mate and pup as he should be doing?"
Rin, who had been sipping her own tea while he spoke, set the ceramic cup down in front of her. Her demeanor was suddenly very solemn. "Unfortunately, Kagome-sama would not even indulge her friends with such knowledge. Apparently, the memories are still too painful for her, even after all these years. All that is known, is that she and Inuyasha-sama parted ways before Maiki-chan was even birthed. The poor girl never knew her own father."
Sesshomaru grimaced. 'Dishonorable. Abandoning his mate while she was with child. He tarnishes the dignity of our father's noble blood with his cowardice. Should he and I cross paths again, I shall not hesitate to kill him for his disgraceful actions.'
"Isamu and Ichiro-kun should be back in approximately three days time. That is, if the negotiations over a trade route with Edo Castle go as planned," Rin prattled on as she and Sesshomaru strolled through the almost-quiet forest. He listened to her with half an ear while the rest of his attention was divided between the four girls frolicking through the thick grasses of the forest and his own inner thoughts. He noticed that Rin wasn't leading him in any particular direction, neither conversationally nor navigationally. So, it came to be a bit of a surprise when they came upon the Goshinboku.
Sesshomaru casually strolled up to the ancient tree, leaving Rin behind who was busy accepting the herbs Yuri had found as she and the other girls played in the forest. The great yokai lord walked up to the tree, staring at the spot where Inuyasha had been sealed for fifty years. Now, twenty-one years since his release, a new layer of bark had long since grown over the spot. But the healed wound would never completely restore itself. The scar of that fateful day would forever remain etched in the surface of the sacred tree.
'Inuyasha... where have you disappeared to all these years?'
"Does something bother you, Grandpa Sesshomaru-sama?" Kiku timidly asked with a concerned frown.
The lord smoothly turned his head to look down impassively at Rin's younger girl. "No. I am fine."
Kiku's frown immediately transformed into a happy smile and she reached her right hand up and delicately took his reformed left hand in hers. They turned away from Goshinboku and the group continued through the forest.
As they walked, Yuri would occasionally stoop to pluck vegetation from the forest floor, and attempted to teach Sachiko and Takara the bits of knowledge she knew of herbs. Sachiko was barely interested, but trying to be polite, she pretended to listen. Takara blatantly ignored the eldest girl, but only because she was still so young and her attention was easily snatched away by everything else around her. It wasn't very often that the toddler was allowed to explore beyond the safety of the village. But despite Takara's obvious attention to everything else, Yuri didn't seem to notice the youngest girl's disinterest in her lectures.
Following the barely used path, they eventually came across an opening in the forest, the small meadow where the Bone Eating Well was located. Yuri's eyes lit up upon seeing the ancient wooden structure. She ran off ahead of the group. A moment later, Sachiko followed in pursuit. Seeing the two older girls take off, Kiku released her grasp on Sesshomaru's hand, and ran off as well.
Naturally, Yuri reached the well first. She turned to face Sachiko as she and Kiku arrived. "See this?" beamed the eldest. "This is the Bone Eating Well!" she proclaimed, proud of her knowledge.
Sachiko rolled her eyes. "I know. Mother and Father took me here when I first started training."
Yuri seemed undaunted and continued on, but this time to Kiku. "When yokai are slain, their corpses are thrown down this well where they are swallowed up and taken to the nether-world."
The apprentice exterminator sighed. "It doesn't go to the nether-world," she corrected. By now, Sesshomaru, Rin, and Takara had caught up. "It goes to Kagome-sama and Maiki-chan's world."
Yuri and Kiku both blinked in surprise. "Maiki-san came from the nether-world?" asked the latter.
"No! Didn't you hear me? I said 'it doesn't go to the nether-world!' I heard Mother and Father say that it goes to the future time and only Kagome-sama and Maiki-chan can go through."
Rin's daughters didn't seem as though they comprehended. Rin was previously vaguely aware of the magic surrounding the well, and had heard some stories about Kagome's connection to the well. But she never realized that this "other world" she came from was from forward in time.
For Sesshomaru, this was all a completely new revelation, though he easily masked his surprise. Thinking back over all his past encounters with his brother and the miko from the future, a lot of little things he had noticed finally made sense. Kagome's seeming unbiased opinion of yokai kind. Her lack of fear or prejudice towards them. How she was so unlike most of the timid, respectful human women he had seen. She was bold, opinionated, independent and headstrong. And let's not forget about her revealing choice of apparel.
The wind shifted slightly, and with it, a came new scent. Sesshomaru visibly bristled, and drew in several short sniffs of air. Rin recognized the sudden swing in his demeanor, and she tensed as well.
"What is it Sesshomaru-sama?"
He did not answer immediately. Instead, he continued to examine the strange, yet almost familiar, scent, even after the breeze died down. The scent was old, he realized, and he relaxed, but only slightly. He knew who's scent it was, though he hadn't caught his scent in roughly seventeen years.
Inuyasha.
The yokai lord moved further out into the field, leaving the woman and children by the well. He scented the air again. He could tell that the hanyo had been through the area early the previous day. However, there was definitely something different with the hanyo's scent. The first, Sesshomaru was able to decipher. He could detect the scent of yokai blood radiating from the hanyo's scent trail. But there was another scent with it. One that was strange and foreign. And it reeked of evil.
Suddenly, he turned back towards Rin and the girls. "I'm taking you back to the village," he informed with undisputable authority. His casualness had been replaced with unease. "Do not leave the village unless you must, especially since the monk and exterminator are not here."
"What's wrong, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked apprehensively as she collected the now worried girls and headed back towards the path leading to the village. "Are we in danger?"
"I don't believe so. However, it's best that you stay inside the village."
"Does that mean you'll be leaving? Are you going to track the scent you caught?"
"Yes."
The group was silent during the remainder of the trip back to the village. After collecting the scowling Jaken, Sesshomaru departed, following the trail of his transformed hanyo brother towards the north.
Ichiro - first son
Though it wasn't mentioned in this chapter, Ichiro is Isamu's older brother who will be Kiyoshi's successor as village headman.
Edo is the city that Tokyo was formerly known as until the mid 1800's. I'm not sure when exactly Edo was established as a town/city, but I do know that Edo Castle was built in the mid 1400's.
The BoneEating Well doesn't have an official title.It's been translated as several titles.The Bone-Eaters Well. The Bone-Devouring Well. And so forth.But the translations mean the same thing, so it doesn't matter too much which title is used for it.
Sesshomarumay seem all "nice" in this chapter and OOC.Not in my opinion, however.This is simply my idea of how he acts several years after the storyline in the anime/manga.After he first saves Rin from death, he undergoes a change in character and becomes almost father-like to her. In my story, now that Rin is grown up, he is still protective of her and this paternal instinct has passed on to her children.
Inuyasha's scent smells like that of a full blooded yokai because he's been running around in his yokai form. But remember, he's still a hanyo (whose yokai blood has taken over).