A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! It's great to read all the reviews; you're all such wonderful readers! Okay, I know that I've gotten a few requests to update already, so here you go!

Special notes:

StuDMuffiN: Umm...sorry, already taken...um, hope your kids are doing alright, sorry to hear about your, uh, terminal illnesses...but thanks for reading, I think, um, even if you did or didn't like it...O.o'

Well then, on with the story!

Reminder-... /-/-/-/memory;... +-+-+-+past, not a memory;... /-/-+memory and past;... #(anything after)special pov

Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshoumaru, InuTaisho, Izayoi, or any other characters that Rumiko Takahashi created. I also do not own any of the songs (not yet anyways!). You would never win if you tried to sue me about it; don't waste your time. I have nothing to give you even if you did sue me and you did win, so you'd waste your money on the lawyer.

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Chapter 6-Toxicity (System of A Down)

Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep...disorder, disorder, disorder...

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"Juzume, why must he be so blind?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking over at his milk-mother with confusion.

"He is in love, Sesshoumaru-kun," the woman said, moving her hand over to stroke his head soothingly. "Love can be blind and foolish. Even a demon can fall prey to the throes of passion."

"But why him?" Sesshoumaru asked, sighing wearily as he leaned his head on her shoulder. "Why did it have to be Father? What made him fall in love with her?"

"Perhaps he himself does not even know," Juzume said gently. She sighed lightly and pulled the boy closer, resting his head on her bosom and trying to comfort the ache in his heart. Though she was not his birth-mother, she felt closer to him than anyone else. She was never able to have children of her own because of an old injury, but when Sesshoumaru's mother died during childbirth, Juzume had willingly taken on the role of providing his milk when he was a babe-and being his mother when he needed one. She was the only mother he had ever really known, and on rare occasions, he would even gift her with the honorary title of 'mother'.

"Juzume, why does it have to feel like the world is ending?" Sesshoumaru whispered, allowing her to pull him closer. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the feelings that welled up inside of him and formed into a lump in his throat.

"I wish I could ease your suffering," Juzume said sincerely, beginning to softly brush her fingers through his hair like she had done so often when he was a child with frequent nightmares. He tilted his head slightly, leaning into her soothing touch and wishing that he could absorb himself within it, wishing he could forget about everything else and focus on only her smooth fingers tracing through his fine silky strands.

"Mother...I wish he would understand...I just want him to see..." Sesshoumaru sniffed and tried to hold back his tears, forcing himself to contain the agony he was feeling.

"Oh, my son...he will see, in time..." Juzume looked down at him sympathetically, her heart aching for the pup.

"How much longer will it take, Mother?" Sesshoumaru whimpered, finally releasing his emotions. He buried his face into her chest as she cradled him like a child, and he cried his heart out. Juzume stroked his head and whispered soft nothings into his ear, soothing and calming him until he was at last asleep in her arms. She held him gently like that, watching him through the night, calming him when his body tensed with hidden nightmares.

The dawn of morning came, and Sesshoumaru awoke drowsily. He blinked and pulled himself up, looking at Juzume with just a touch of embarrassment. She smiled at him lightly and let go, allowing him to pull himself away from her body.

"Are you hungry, Sesshoumaru-kun?" Juzume asked after a minute. Sesshoumaru nodded thankfully as his milk-mother got up and left to prepare some food. He was nearly starving, actually.

"Lord InuTaisho...a word with you?" Juzume whispered quietly, seeing him residing on a stool in the kitchen.

"What is it, Juzume?" InuTaisho asked, apparently distraught. He didn't look as if he had slept in years, and his tone of voice reflected nothing of the usual confidence and cheerfulness that was his characteristic trademark.

"Sesshoumaru-kun seems not to understand your relationship, my Lord. Perhaps if you took a walk and explained it to him-from the beginning-he might be better able to comprehend. Or even if you held a conference with Izayoi and the two of you...something must be done, if you wish to continue your pursuit in this matter. Although I would favor the option of her absence, I cannot force her to go unless you agree to it," Juzume said a bit coldly. She turned and walked off without waiting for a reply, a hint of anger touching her normally gentle features as she went to the kitchen.

"You too, Juzume?" InuTaisho whispered to her retreating form. Juzume stopped stiffly and glanced over her shoulder, then turned around and stepped closer to him, settling herself in front of him in another chair.

"I can't dictate the ways of love-if you and Izayoi truly love each other, so be it. But what I can say is that your son is suffering for your love, and he is not only becoming more depressed, but more cold. His former carefree lifestyle has been thrown to the winds, and all because of your human plaything. He fears that you have grown weak and are blinded to the world around you, that you are becoming more foolish with each passing moment-and if you must know, I tend to agree with him. That human is everything that a human should be when in the presence of a demon-respectful, caring, affectionate, but not overly annoying-yet she is not what Sesshoumaru-kun needs. The toxicity of her blood is repulsive to him; he despises the fact that she is a human, because that makes her weak and frail, easy to manipulate or destroy. He sees that, and he feels that you are becoming more human because of your love for her. It bothers him-no, more than that. It tears him into pieces to see you fall prey to simple charms and subtle lures of kindness and affection. And if I were you, I would value my family over my plaything," Juzume finished. She stood up and walked out once again, this time refusing to turn back. She had to get food for the pup she cared so much about, and she had already wasted enough time.

InuTaisho sat there for a long time, staring silently at the wall without really seeing it. He was repeating the woman's last words in his mind, the phrase echoing in the silent tomb of his head in a woeful tone...and he knew, somewhere, deep down, that Juzume was right. Though she was not part of the dog-demon family, she was as close to a mother as anyone had been to Sesshoumaru-despite being a wolf-demon herself. And what she said was a disturbing thought, cascading along in the tumultuous tempest of his mind, storming and raging inside his skull with a conflicting argument that all amounted to naught at it's closing...

'The toxicity of her blood is repulsive to him...'

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So, what does everyone think? How about the new character, eh? Don't worry, she isn't as important as I made her out to be in this chapter, nor will she show up in the present time, or get involved with InuTaisho, etc etc etc...although she is sort of important anyways.

So anyways, please read and review! Tell me how I did, say hi, type lots of random letters in no particular order, flame, anything! Thanks!