Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter1
NOTE: This is a one shot story, and Sesshoumaru is about the demon equivalent of 5 or 6.
The Royal Family
Father and Son
Sesshoumaru leapt out of bed and ran to the window. Unfortunately he was not tall enough to look out just by standing, but a couple of jumps allowed him to see clearly outside.
The sun had not yet risen, but the stars were gone, and the moon was fading.
Sesshoumaru smiled, it was a perfect morning.
"Dad!" Sesshoumaru came bursting into his parent's room, where fortunately both parents happened to be sleeping.
One of InuTaisho's arms was hanging lazily over the bedside. Sesshoumaru ran up and tugged on it. "Dad, come on! Let's go see the sunrise! You promised!"
"Your son's awake." Sesshoulara, Sesshoumaru's mother, mumbled sleepily to her husband.
"Before sunrise, he's your son." InuTaisho grumbled back.
"Dad!" Sesshoumaru finally got frustrated enough to get up on to the bed and jump on to his father's stomach, eliciting a grunt from the youkai lord.
"All right, all right. I'm up, I'm up." InuTaisho yawned, bearing fangs that would have sent shivers down the spine of anyone, but Sesshoumaru just beamed at his father.
"Hurry! The sun is almost about rise."
"Give me a minute to get some proper clothes on first, go wait outside."
The pup nodded and hopped off the bed to the door.
"Why oh why did I say sunrise?" InuTaisho groaned after Sesshoumaru had left.
"Because you can't see the land as well at sunset." Sesshoulara rolled over.
0000
Sesshoumaru was practically bouncing down the path that led to the stables, after his father had finally emerged fully dressed and looking more like the Lord of the Western Lands ought to look.
"Come on dad! We're going to miss it!" Sesshoumaru said pulling on his father's arm to get him to move faster.
"Don't worry there's plenty of time." InuTaisho chuckled as they entered the stables.
Upon the western lord's entrance the stable hands began bustling about , getting everything ready. The stables held various mounts from dragons, to birds, to specially bred horses.
One of the stable hands lead out a large black horse, InuTaisho's reliable war horse Takashi. The horse had been given to him by a strange twist of fate, while he was in Rome. This horse was from a new breed formed when some the Iberian horses of Europe had been crossbred with umayoukai.
Umayoukai, made good mounts if you managed to train and domesticate them, and that was a big "if". The Umayoukai had nasty tempers, and it took many years of training and breaking, before you could get one rideable.
The Iberian horses were proud and courageous in battle, and were known famously for their gentle tempermants and beauty.
The new horses that came out of the cross breeding of the Iberian horses and the umayoukai, and the gentleness and beauty of the Iberian horses, but also the long life spans and shear overriding power of the umayoukai.
Takashi had carried InuTaisho faithfully through many blood drenched battles, always in the very thick of the fight. It was miraculous the horse had lasted this long, it seemed Lady Luck had taken him as a pet as well.
After the horse had been tacked up, InuTaisho lifted Sesshoumaru into the saddle, and climbed on himself.
"When will I get a mount father?" Sesshoumaru asked as InuTaisho directed Takashi toward the castle gates.
"When your legs are long enough to fit the stirrups." InuTaisho chuckled, gently tugging on the rein to remind Takashi that it was not time to eat grass.
"Do you want any one to go with you, sir?" One of the guards at the gate asked as the gates were opened.
"No, this is a father, son trip." InuTaisho called up.
"Are you sure that's wise to go alone, sire?" The guard asked.
InuTaisho looked up again in surprise. The guard took a small step back, apparently regretting questioning the Lord of Western Lands' wisdom.
"You're new here aren't you?"
"Started this morning sire." The guard said trying to keep his voice steady.
"What's you name?"
"Atari, sire. Forgive me sire, I meant no impertinence. It won't happen again"
InuTaisho nudged Takashi forward as the gate was now fully opened. "Don't over do it Atari, some times a little impertinence is good, especially when it concerns the safety of the Lord."
The guard, Atari, slowlylet out all the air he had been holding in, as the western lord passed through the gates.
"You're lucky." said one of the other guards behind him. "Lucky you serve our Lord, not any of the others. Men have had their tongues cut out for less."
The Lord of the Western Lands and his son continued on into the deep forest that lay just outside the palace walls.
"When will my legs be long enough to ride?" Sesshoumaru asked as Takashi picked up a trot and then transitioned to a canter.
"I'd say in about another 5 years." InuTaisho tightened his left arm around Sesshoumaru's waist and pulled the pup closer to him as the horse picked up speed.
"That's a long time." Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow.
"The better you eat, and exercise the faster it will come."
"Really?" Sesshoumaru looked up at his father the smile returning to his face.
"Worked for me." InuTaisho smiled back.
But in no way will I push you as hard as my father pushed me. InuTaisho thought the smile fading slightly. The small change in expression was not loss on Sesshoumaru
"What's wrong father?"
"Huh? Oh, just the trouble on the eastern borders is worrying me. That's all, but it's nothing you need worry about." InuTaisho patted the pup's head, as he signaled Takashi to slow down.
After the horse stopped, InuTaisho got down, took his son onto his shoulders and walked toward a break in the trees.
They stepped out of the forest on to a cliff that over looked miles and miles of land, with tall mountains rising in the distance.
"Wow." Sesshoumaru whispered in awe as the sun peaked over the horizon , and dipped it's golden rays into the land. The leaves of the trees glowed with ethereal highlights, and the water shimmered like millions of shinning bits of glass. It was heaven.
"This is our land, this an much more. Beautiful is it not?" InuTaisho's eyes flited over the beautiful landscape.
"Yeah." Sesshoumaru followed his father's gaze.
"It was hard won through blood and tears, and even now more blood is shed to protect it." A small bit a sadness entered InuTaisho's voice at this.
The Daiyoukai was silent for a moment, then took his son from his shoulders and held him so they were eye to eye with each other.
"Sesshoumaru, son, promise me when you become lord of these lands that you will do all you can to protect them and keep them as beautiful and peaceful as they are now. Promise me?"
Sesshoumaru nodded his head vigorously, "I will father! I promise! It will be even better when I rule!"
InuTaisho smiled and hugged his son close. "That's good to hear."
Sesshoumaru rested his head against his father's shoulder, and they both watched as the rising sun continued to bathe the lands in it's golden light.
0000
I admit I was inspired by the Lion King for this little fic. I always thought when he was a kid Sesshoumaru was quite sweet and then something happened to start the slide to the cold block of ice we know Sesshoumaru to be in the series. In fact we'll see one of those events in the future.
Till next Time,
Vega Sailor
