Chapter 40
Yasha and Shippou searched for Sesshoumaru for days. Coming upon Jaken and Ah-Un, the duo grilled the imp for information on Sesshoumaru's whereabouts, but Jaken knew very little. Even Myouga and Totousai were of no help. Dejected, Yasha and Shippou headed home and told Inuyasha about their lack of success. The village was preparing to bury the dead bodies, and Sango and Miroku held out hope that Sesshoumaru would help. Inuyasha finally decided to go searching for his elusive half-brother, with no success.
'Damn you Sesshoumaru! When I don't want you around you're in my face. When we need you ... where the hell are you?'
After Inuyasha returned with no success, Sango and Miroku decided not to put off the burial any longer. Kohaku and Rin were buried together in a small cemetery near the village.
Sango and Miroku adopted their five nieces and nephews and decided to move closer to Inuyasha and Kagome, who were thrilled to have them.
A few months later, Myouga showed up on Inuyasha's nose and announced that Sesshoumaru had been seen in the forest again. Inuyasha took off to find out where Sesshoumaru had been all this time.
Coming upon his half-brother deep in the western lands, Inuyasha furiously demanded to know where Sesshoumaru had been the past six months.
"Why would I owe you, of all people, an explanation, Inuyasha?"
"Because Rin and Kohaku were murdered by bandits in the village and the Tenseiga would have come in handy, you jackass!"
"I am not their keepers. If they were killed, then perhaps it was meant to be."
"Listen, you cold-hearted bastard, Rin followed you for years. You protected her from Naraku. She had children. Don't you think you owed her something?"
"I owed her nothing. And I protected no one.", Sesshoumaru said as he turned to leave.
"You pompous, arrogant jackass!", Inuyasha screamed to Sesshoumaru's retreating back.
Sesshoumaru continued to walk and, shortly, found himself standing in the area that seemed familiar,
'This is the area where I found Rin after the wolves attacked her. The place where Tenseiga urged me to save the life of a mortal.'
As Sesshoumaru stared, his mind wandered back years ago,
Flashback
"Father, must you go?"
"I must save her. Sesshoumaru, have you no one to protect?"
"HMPH! This Sesshoumaru protects no one. How foolish!"
End Flashback
Sesshoumaru's mind wandered further back, to when his mother walked beside him. His mother was a proud and beautiful inu demoness and she desired power. Her marriage to the inu demon was destiny. Sesshoumaru's birth a fulfillment to prophecy. But his father wasn't there when his mother was killed by humans desiring revenge on the demons. He was busy defending his lands from those who would seek to destroy him.
So, why did his father insist on protecting the human woman who carried his child, when he was not there to protect the mother of his first-born?
He couldn't help but let his mind wander to his half-breed brother, who openly protected the human woman by his side. Who had lost his heart to a human priestess and fell victim to her arrow years ago. Sesshoumaru had always figured it was because of the human blood he received from his mother that Inuyasha was weak. But, if he was so weak, as Sesshoumaru figured, why was Sesshoumaru never able to defeat him?
'Have you no one to protect?'
The words echoed in his mind as he quietly headed back to Inuyasha's home. From the security of the trees, he watched the children playing near the river. His eyes fell on a particular young girl, who was the spitting image of Rin when she first started traveling with him. He believed he heard the other children call her Ai. Rin's oldest daughter.
'Have you no one to protect?'
Turning away, he tried to ignore his father's voice. Tried, but to no avail.
No ... he had no one to protect ... not yet ... but maybe ... someday ...