Lessons Learned
Author: Shortey 83
Chapter: 40 –Fury
Disclaimer: I do NOT own InuYasha or Skyrim!
Story Start:
After Kuromaru was fed, Takara took her time eating her own meal while she waited to see what news Jaken returned with, if any. She picked around most of her food, not really craving the meal that was brought to her. It was delicious just not what she wanted. Eventually she finished her meal, worried unnecessarily about ensuring she ate enough to feed her son and even laughed at herself for that. If nothing else, that should've been her last worry.
A tiny knock on the screen came and Rin announced herself before Takara invited her in. Part of her felt the little girl should be able to come and go as she pleased but knew that would only set her up for a world of embarrassment later. When she reached in the furs to pick up her brother, Takara did feel it best to give her a gentle correction. Currently all her pup did was eat and sleep, and thankfully he didn't cry, but it wouldn't be like that forever. Eventually getting him to nap would probably be difficult as he grew and being a pup, it would be more difficult for her to control him, so she just wanted Rin to ask before waking him up.
Having fostered such a good relationship with her little girl, Rin was understanding of her point, and promised to ask from then on taking the correction in well. The issue addressed between them, Takara moved on and asked Rin how the rest of her day had gone. An enthusiastic smile lit her face as she talked about her day with Kagome and Sango, helping the two of them prepare for their journeys home to their own husbands.
"I am upset Master InuYasha didn't come with Kagome, but she said he had to keep an eye on their village since Miroku's hands would be full with his children." She stroked Kuromaru as she held him, rubbing his little ears gently between her fingers. "Are you going to help Kagome when it is time for her to have her baby?"
Takara considered her question. "I'm not sure, Rin. It isn't that I don't want to, but I've only ever been on one side of delivering a baby, so I doubt I would be much help." She reached over and tickled the little girl's side, sending her into a fit of giggles. "You would probably be more help than me, but if she wants me there, I would ask Sesshomaru."
"So, maybe I can help with your next baby?"
The way she was so tentative about the question stung Takara a little, but she realized that the girl was feeling a little left out. "Of course, you can," She scooted closer to Rin to pull her into a gentle hug. "I don't want you to think that I didn't want you there because you weren't special, but where I come from, it isn't something that children participated in usually. If I had remembered more of my time here, things would've been different."
"So, now that you got your memories back, you remembered that I've helped other people with their babies?" Takara nodded her answer and that seemed enough to satisfy the little girl, who went ahead and started planning what she would do to help with the next babies and so on and so forth.
Everything was ok until her sweet, innocent, darling Rin asked a question she didn't know she'd been dreading. "Will you help me when it's my turn to have babies?"
The clang that came from the porch told Takara she wasn't the only one who heard that question.
Oh boy, she thought, imagining the look on Sesshomaru's face and wondering the correct answer. She blinked a few times, trying to recover as her blue eyes starred into those warm brown eyes so full of hope. "Of course, I will," her voice inching up an octave or two as she tried her best to keep her composure. She could almost feel Sesshomaru's angry gaze burning a hole through the screen. "However, that isn't something you should rush into. You should take your time and find the right person." She heard a low growl just on the edge of her hearing. "Yes, take your time. Take plenty of time."
Smooth, Takara. Absolutely smooth.
She let out a relieved breath when Rin seemed to consider her answer and looked back to Kuromaru. "That seems like a good idea. I still have to learn how to read and write better, and I have to learn how to run a house."
"You're absolutely right, Rin." Takara urged. "You have a lot to learn before you're ready for babies." The silence coming from the porch seemed to indicate she was on the right path.
"Yeah, I guess so." She adjusted Kuromaru to let him sit in her lap while she rubbed his round belly. "How exactly are babies made, Takara?"
Silence reigned from the porch.
It was now Takara wrestled with her own internal struggles on how to answer that question. The cowardly part of her wanted to take the easy way out just wanted to say, 'I'll tell you when you're older'. The bolder part of her wanted to explain the process in vague detail, assuming she was mature enough to handle the birthing process and she would find out eventually. The courageous part of her wanted to give her a detailed explanation, so that her little girl would have a better understanding of her body and empower her with knowledge and choice.
She needed more information to go on before she made a decision… otherwise she may have to sleep with one eye open.
"Well, umm…. What do you know about how babies are made?"
Brilliant! Takara praised herself. Now I can just give her a bit more information, if needed, without giving her too much.
"That it happens at night when a husband and wife go to bed together." Wide, innocent brown eyes seemed to bore into her.
Takara wanted to correct her because she wanted Rin armed to take on anything the world threw at her, but there was a time and a place for such actions and Takara didn't feel it was quite the right time, yet. If nothing else, Takara would ensure that she armed the little girl as best she could when that time came, and she would have more knowledge than most doctors had.
"Well, Rin," she tried to choose her words carefully. "That isn't exactly how it works, but this is a conversation for when you are older. There is a lot more you need to know before you're ready to learn about having babies."
"Like what?"
"Do you know about the organs in the body and what they do?"
The confusion on her face said all she needed to know. "No, but what does that have to do with having babies?"
Game, set, match Takara thought. "Well, don't babies grow inside our bodies?" The little girl's nod was enough to end the conversation. "Then wouldn't it be best to better understand how our bodies work before we talk about making babies?" Another nod and Takara knew she was in the clear… for the time being. "Well alright then. Before we start talking about babies being made, we'll learn a bunch more first."
Luckily the thought of learning more seemed to excite Rin enough to change her mind from babies to other ventures. Hell, Takara considered. With what I know and a few of the old textbooks Kagome has lying around in her house, Rin has a chance of being a decent midwife…. The thought of giving the little girl a chance of a life better than what most villagers had made Takara just as eager to teach her everything she knew.
A knock on the screen announced one of the servants who would help her dress for Sesshomaru's mother's visit. Despite his protests that she would be fine in a yukata, Takara couldn't bring herself not to dress formally for his mother. She may have been on much more familiar terms with his father, but his mother was still somewhat beyond what she knew how to interact with.
"Keep an eye on Kuromaru for me?" Takara asked the little girl, who eagerly nodded. "I don't want anyone else besides Sesshomaru to hold him, unless Sesshomaru gives his permission otherwise. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she eagerly replied. "No one but you or Lord Sesshomaru is to hold him unless either of you say so."
"Exactly," she leaned down to place a kiss on Rin's head and gave her son a stroke down his back before excusing herself. "I'll be right back. If he get's fussy, bring him to me, but otherwise, stay in the room."
A chipper agreement later and Takara was heading to her rooms to dress.
She couldn't lie, just the thought of being a few rooms away from her son made her nervous, but she managed to work through that irrational fear. She was right there if anything happened as was Sesshomaru.
Calming her anxiety, Takara picked out a light blue kimono that faded to a soft pink on the sleeves and bottom hem both of with were decorated in beautiful hand stitched flowers. The obi was a bright, contrasting red with gold stitched butterflies and flowers, the butterfly wings were filled in with different pastel colors.
"You look lovely, My Lady," the servant girl Takara remembered to be named Mai. "May I help you with your hair?"
She didn't get a chance to answer before footsteps came running from down the hall, her screen slamming open to reveal a terrified Rin… without Kuromaru. The little girl seemed to have a busted lip and a red welt beginning to raise on her opposite cheek. "Rin! What happened? Where is Kuromaru!"
Tears flowed from the little girl's eyes and Takara felt an icy chill settle in the pit of her stomach. "She took him! I tried to stop her, but-"
"Who took him, Rin?"
"Ayako. I tried calling for Lord Sesshomaru, but he wasn't outside."
It was astonishing how quickly that icy fear melted into a burning fury. "It's ok, Rin. I'll get him back." She ushered the little girl outside to go find Sesshomaru.
"My Lady, what can I do?" Mai urged as Rin ran to find Sesshomaru.
With an earie calm, Takara looked at the worried servant, desperately waiting to do her bidding. "I want you to ring the alarm bell and alert the village. She can't have gone far," Takara approached the ornate trunk and lifted the lid and picked her bow and quiver, strapping them on. "And after that, I want you to find a couple of men to dig a deep hole somewhere outside the village because that bitch is dead." Without another word, Takara stalked out of the room and towards the front of the house. Before she had even made it out, the alarm bell was ringing, and Mai was communicating to those nearby what had happened. She watched as a group of four men took the message and ran into the village as fast as they could.
If she hadn't been seething with fury, Takara would've been touched to see how quickly they responded. But she was furious. So furious she barely noticed Sesshomaru and his mother approaching as she stalked through the gates and began heading down into the village.
"Takara!" Sesshomaru called to her, but she barely heard him as she saw the back of Ayako's head and torso as she rushed away. A bloody red glare blinded her and the fury that was pounding in her veins seemed to drown out most other sounds.
"TIID KOL UL!" She shouted, anger fueling her as time slowed, allowing her to walk forward quickly enough to avoid injuring herself while catching up with the vermin who was trying to steal her son. She caught up to her before time resumed its normal function, took ahold of the blanket Kuromaru was wrapped in while her other fist made an incredibly satisfying connection to the old hag's jaw. Since she was moving faster than everything around her, it was as if Ayako had been struck by a car, sent flying into a nearby pile of hay and manure.
As time resumed, Takara adjusted the cloth her son was wrapped in, securing it around her so she had full use of both of her hands. Fury had her panting as she watched the older woman crawl out of the muck, dazed and confused. She staggered to her feet, but no one helped her as the crowd gathered around their Lady, standing behind her and prepared to defend her if needed.
"How dare you strike me!" Ayako screamed, holding a nearby barrel for balance. "You ungrateful, low born, demon's whore! How dare you lay your hands on me!"
"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STEAL MY SON!" Takara roared back, hatred and anger clouding her vision red.
"That… THING… is no child! At the very least, you should've been able to birth something that looked somewhat human, but you couldn't even do that!" Trying to regain any shred of dignity she had left, Ayako tried to straighten her back, her head held high as she attempted to look down her nose at Takara. "I was raised as a noble with station and deserve the station that as would have been mine before those hateful beasts swarmed my village! That abomination," A gnarled finger pointed to Kuromaru, "Will pay for my return to the nobility! Now hand it over before I order this village burned to the ground!"
At her final yell, Takara watched as a line of horsemen emerged from the woods, led by an all too familiar face that added fuel to the fire of Takara's rage. The former Lord Isamu. "I should've known it was you when Ayako told me about some demon's whore barking orders at her!" He sneered. "How dare you strike my sister!" His high pitched, rat-like voice still grated her nerves.
It was as if all the pieces fell into place for her and Takara finally understood why she had hated Ayako from the start. Now she had all the ammunition she needed as the older woman stumbled over to the protection of her relative. "Don't just stand there, you fools! Get her!" Isamu ordered his men.
The villager's started to surround Takara, but she put her hand on the shoulder of the men in front of her and moved them aside as the would-be invaders charged. A hand placed protectively on her son, Takara dug into Sahloknir's knowledge and shouted at her incoming opponents.
"ZUN HAAL VIIK!" No sooner than the words left her mouth, the charging men's weapons were flung from their hands and their horses slammed to a stop, bucking at the sound of the dragon speech. The men's eyes grew wide in terror. It seemed Isamu hadn't told them who their opponent was nor what she was capable of.
"FAAS RU MAAR!" The Shout made the blood drain from the men's faces as they screamed in terror, trying to turn their horse around to flee, but the beasts managed to buck them off and sped headlong back into the trees as if the hounds of hell pursued them. The men scrambled to their feet as they tried to retreat to their master, but Takara wasn't done with them, and she was going to set an example that NO ONE was going to lay a finger on her son or her village again.
"Hi sizaan him miiraad wah bovul!" She yelled as they reached Isamu and Ayako, both who also looked at her in terror, frozen in place. They both had been given plenty of chances.
"VEN GAAR NOS!"
The words left her lips and the sky darkened as she turned to walk back to her house, the villagers backing away after her as a cyclone of air came rushing down over her would be attackers, the whirling wind drowning out their screams as it lifted them up its cone, tearing up trees and the odd cart and barrel along with it. It also lifted the swords that had been knocked from the soldiers' hands, turning the cyclone into a bladed whirlwind that dealt with most of the men as the cone receded back into the sky, dropping their bodies back to the ground, in a bloody shower of broken corpses.
Sesshomaru, his father, and his mother stood at the entrance to the mansion waiting in silence, their faces unreadable. Takara didn't care what they thought. She had her son back and that was all that mattered. Eventually the footsteps behind her stopped as shouts to clean up the bodies to bury them outside the town came from a few of the men while the rest set about righting what damage they could.
Knowing she had already pressed her luck as far as she could with Sesshomaru, she stopped in front of him, looking up briefly to meet his eyes and quickly submitted her gaze to his. "Please allow me to see to Rin before I receive my punishment" She asked, keeping her head lowered to him. He didn't respond verbally, but he stepped aside and allowed her through to do as she asked.
Part of her was mortified that she would be scolded or punished with his mother present, not to mention his father, but as she retreated into the house, she couldn't help but hear, 'You chose well, my son' from his mother. She tried to bury the little bit of pride that flared inside her, knowing Sesshomaru would feel it. Instead, she focused on how she had disobeyed him and put herself in danger once again. That made it easier to trample that little spark.
Back inside, Takara returned to her room and replaced her bow and arrows before seeking out her little girl to make sure she was alright. She made her way to her old rooms and found Rin on her sleeping mat crying.
"Rin, it's ok," her voice as gentle as she could make it. "Come here and let me see where she hit you."
Rin quickly looked up as Takara sat down beside her and flung herself to wrap her arms around her waist. "I'm sorry, Takara," She sobbed into her shoulder before Takara pulled her into her lap. "Please don't send me away! I tried to keep her from taking him! I really did!"
"Shhhhh, it's alright, Rin. You're not going anywhere, and I would never send you away." Carefully, she hugged her little girl to her, careful to avoid squishing Kuromaru between them, and rocked her, stroking her head as she struggled to calm down. Once her sobs lessened, Takara leaned back and pulled the cloth down to reveal Kuromaru, safe and sleeping soundly. "Look, even Kuromaru is alright."
"But, I-"
Takara cut her off with a soft noise. "You did nothing wrong, Rin. She was a bad woman and I'm sorry for putting you in that situation. I never expected her to do something like that, but you won't have to worry about her anymore. She's gone." Rin sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve, wincing as her arm rubbed her abused cheek. "Now, stand up and let me see what I can do about that lip."
Rin did as she was told and Takara got a clean towel and boiled some water, dipping the towel into the water once it was cool enough to handle and carefully cleaned the cut. Thankfully, the bleeding was coming from a cut inside her lip, but it wasn't deep, nor did it puncture through her skin. Her mouth would be sore, as would her cheek, but overall, she didn't have any major or life-threatening injuries.
Thankfully it was still cool enough at night to freeze, so Takara boiled some more water and set in a clean container, covered it, and set it on the porch to freeze. Hopefully it would cool and freeze in time for her to make a little ice pack for Rin before she went to bed. "Why don't you lie down for a bit, and I'll see if they can make you some soup for dinner?" Tired from crying, Rin nodded and climbed into her bed and Takara carefully tucked her in, giving her a kiss on the head. "If you need anything, just let me know."
On her way out the door, Takara was greeted by a nervous looking Mai. "My Lady, I'm so sorry about-"
Takara cut her off with a gentle motion of the hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. Rin will be ok, I have my son back, and Ayako won't be causing anymore trouble." She watched as the tension fled from Mai's face, her shoulders relaxing. "However, that does bring up the issue of replacing Ayako, having someone to manage the house in her place. If you would, please see to the dinner tonight and speak with the women in the house and the village to see who, if any, would be interested in taking her place and I will meet with them tomorrow or soon after."
"Of course, My Lady. I will see to it right away."
"If you would, Rin was struck rather hard, so if you could manage some soup or rice porridge, I would be grateful." With a nod and a low bow, Mai excused herself to do as she was instructed.
Now that everything was settled, Takara made her way back to Sesshomaru's rooms, but she was in no hurry to get there. She wasn't certain that her mate would punish her in her condition, but he wasn't exactly one to waste his time with scolding either. However, she was concerned about how much damage he could do in dealing out her punishment.
Upon entering the rooms, she found the three of them sitting in the room awaiting her arrival. She looked to Sesshomaru for instruction, a tilt of his head indicating she sit beside him across from his mother. She meekly sat at his side, before unwinding the cloth Kuromaru was wrapped in, much to his disapproval. He grunted, whined, and grumbled as he tried to snuggle himself into his mother's warmth.
"Fascinating," his mother's voice spoke up once Kuromaru was revealed. "I admit, I was curious to see the prints on the letter you sent. Now I see why you sent them." Her emotionless gaze turned to Sesshomaru. "How did you manage to breed a pup so close to your true form?"
Takara's face reddened at the memory of the encounter that probably led to his conception. "It seems his little mate is quite provocative," Tōga spoke up. "Let's just say a game of chase during her heat cycle, a bit of provocation leading to punishment, made our son slip his control."
Takara's face went from red to burgundy in an instant as she kept her head down to avoid eye contact with all of them. Tōga's deep chuckle rumbled through the room while his mother's voice lightly chuckled. "I see. Well, it matters not how it happened. What matters is she has given me a grandchild in a rather timely manner."
Takara glanced to Sesshomaru, wondering what she should do, and he gave her a nod at her questioning glance. Her face still flushed in embarrassment; Takara turned to his mother. "Would you like to hold him, My Lady?"
Just as emotionless as her son, she nodded and extended her arms. Carefully, Takara handed over her son, but it seemed he still wasn't pleased. "Hush now," the lady demon gently scolded, pulling her own fur into her lap and settled him into it.
Kuromaru mostly settled down, but he continued to grunt and whine as he lay in his grandmother's lap while she quizzed Takara on his feedings, sleeping, and behavior in general. While she answered the questions to the best of her ability, she was relieved to find she was doing what the female demon felt right for him.
Eventually though, her pup grew more and more restless and began rooting around his grandmother's fur looking for his mother until he was whining loudly, demandingly crying to be fed. Thankfully, the she-demon took no offense and lifted the pup, passing him back to his mother. An indignant grumble escaped him as he was placed back into her arms and set about aggressively rooting at her chest, attempting to burrow through her kimono.
Once more she looked to Sesshomaru for permission and he gave it, excusing her a few feet away to her pile of furs. Carefully, she loosened the folds of her kimono, but before she could bare her breast, her impatient son burrowed into her clothing and latched on to his meal with a grunt as if to say, 'It took you long enough'.
"Well, excuse me" she muttered, pulling the cloth away from his face to make sure he was comfortable while he ate.
"Huh," the she-demon muttered. "It doesn't bother you to nurse him, does it?"
Takara understood her skepticism but shook her head in the negative. "I will say though, I was quite taken aback when Kagome plopped this wet, furry thing on my chest after giving birth. It took me by surprise, to say the least, but I'm figuring it out."
"I see," she chuckled, "Most human women would've rejected such a child."
"I'm not like most human women" Takara fired back before she could check herself, but his mother just grinned.
"I am glad to hear it."
The four of them spoke while Kuromaru nursed, gorging himself until he fell asleep latched to her nipple, grumbling in satisfaction. Eventually, Takara removed him and righted her kimono, passing a now fed and satisfied pup back to his grandmother where he grunted in satisfaction as she rubbed his full belly.
She questioned Takara about her abilities, expanding on what Sesshomaru had already told her, but explained that the three Shouts she used out front were from knowledge she pulled from Sahloknir. That led to more explanations about what had happened to Kuromaru before she even knew she had conceived.
"So, not only will he be a half demon, since a dragon's soul was used to replace his stolen one, he will also be able to… Shout as you do?" She questioned.
"Yes, but that is something that he'll have to be taught. I'm not sure if he'll be able to absorb dragon souls like I do, but I think it's a possibility."
"He will be incredibly powerful then, half demon or not, he will be formidable." It sounded oddly like praise from the she-demon. "May I see these weapons of yours? I am quite curious about them."
Takara didn't have an issue with showing her, but after what had just happened, she was hesitant to leave her son. "Go and fetch them, Takara." Sesshomaru instructed, reassuring her that their son would be fine.
"All of them, or…"
"Just your arrows will suffice."
She gave him a nod and excused herself to grab her quiver. Hurrying to grab them and back to the room, relieved to see that nothing had changed, but part of her would always worry about leaving him in the room with anyone until he stood a chance of defending himself. While he was helpless that wasn't going to happen.
She pulled an arrow from her quiver but stopped short of handing it to her for fear of her dropping it on Kuromaru. "Could you…?" she began, looking to her pup to indicate she pass him to his grandfather.
She looked confused but did as was requested and passed the snoozing pup to Tōga. "Now, I apologize in advance…" She began, but the she-demon just held her hand for the arrow. Carefully, Takara did as she asked, wincing when her hand dropped to the floor, pinned by the arrow. Her face was shocked, but Takara quickly went to lift the arrow as if it weighed nothing and returned it to the quiver.
"Fascinating," Takara would've thought she exclaimed, but much like her son, she wasn't very in tune with her emotions. She turned her icy gaze to her son, and there was silence between them for a moment before Takara excused herself to return her arrows to their storage place. As she returned to the room, there seemed to be a bit of tension between the two of them, but she wasn't sure what to make of it, so she just took her place beside her husband and waited for her son to be returned to her.
"When she is healed, I would like you to bring them to the palace" She offered them a slight bow that Sesshomaru didn't return. Takara stared at him in confusion and then to his mother and back again unsure of what to do. As much as she wanted the approval of his mother, Takara waited until Sesshomaru indicated what she should do. Eventually, he bowed his head to her, and Takara gave her a deeper bow. "I look forward to introducing my extraordinary grandson to the courts." Her gaze, less icy than when she first arrived turned to Takara. "They will certainly be interested in you as well."
She wasn't sure why, but Takara felt like she had somehow walked into a bear's den and the bear was awake… and hungry. She watched the she-demon leave, gliding gracefully out the door, a few of her demon guards surrounded her as they left.
"Why do I feel like that was more of a threat than a statement?"
Tōga chuckled, lifting his grandson to his face as he got restless and gave him a little growl to calm him down. "It wasn't a threat, so to speak, but I doubt you will enjoy the entirety of your visit."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"She wants a breeding to be done at the palace." Sesshomaru answered but didn't elaborate further.
"We've done that before," Takara muttered her flush returning just remembering her last visit to his mother's home after they were married.
"A public breeding"
"Well now, that's…"
Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow as he waited for a response.
"I mean, are we supposed to be center stage or is it going to be others besides us?" Tōga's chuckle was not reassuring.
"Front and center?"
"Indeed"
Takara shot the older demon an irritated look. "Could you try to tone down the enjoyment, just a little?"
He laughed and stood to return her son to her, righting his fur. "Don't worry, little one. You will simply serve as inspiration for the others. The better your performance, the quicker they will see to their own pleasure." He headed over the screen and paused before he exited. "Besides, showing this display as well as seeing how close to Sesshomaru's beast Kuromaru is, will dissuade them from starting any confrontations with you."
"Can't I just do what I did earlier? Wouldn't that be more than enough encouragement?"
"It would, but sometimes it is better to persuade than intimidate." He gave her a smirk not unlike his son's. "I will be keeping watch."
Takara sat there in silence, starring after the older demon long after he closed the screen. Finally, as her son struggled in her arms did she look to Sesshomaru. "Did he really just say that I am 'intimidating'?"
"You are… to weaker demons."
She turned his stare to him. "You know what? Since I know I'm already in trouble, I'm not even going to argue that."
"A wise decision, My Treasure."
She tugged on his fur, and he gave it, allowing her to wrap Kuromaru in it before setting him to the side. "I'm going to change and check on Rin to make sure she was able to eat her dinner and then, I'll be back."
He gave her a nod and Takara set about doing what she said, albeit not in the same order. She first went to check on Rin who was sleeping soundly in her room. She found a bowl of soup empty along with a mostly finished bowl of rice porridge.
Satisfied Rin had eaten without issue, Takara tucked the girl into bed, opening the door for Kaos to lay on the bed to keep her company should she wake in the middle of the night. Ever the guardian, Kaos quickly settled at her little girl's feet just like he used to do at their home before their life on this side of the well began. "Goodnight," she whispered, kissing Rin's head. She left the room after giving Kaos a quick pat on the head as well. "Good boy," she whispered to him and left the two of them to hopefully dream pleasant dreams.
Takara headed to her rooms then to change out of her kimono and back into a yukata before heading back to Sesshomaru's rooms. Once she returned, she sat before him and bowed her head to him, waiting for his instruction.
She waited and watched as his hand came forward and tipped her chin up until her eyes met his. "I understand why you disobeyed me, My Treasure, but you must be more cautious. It could've been a trap."
Takara sighed, "I realized that afterwards, but I couldn't help it. She took our son, Sesshomaru."
"I know, My Treasure, but have more faith in me. I would never-"
"It isn't that, Sesshomaru. I do have faith in you, but it can't always be you who is in conflict and killing humans. Ayako is a prime example. You've been nothing but generous to her, and she still did something like this." She took a breath to calm herself as the vision of her holding her son as she tried to leave. "The few who may not trust you, need to know that you aren't the only threat here, and hopefully what was done will drive that point home."
It was Sesshomaru's turn to sigh. "I know, My Treasure. It is something we still need to sort out."
She took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare herself for her punishment. "Alright, so where do you want me, and I know it defeats the purpose, but can you be a little easy? I'm still sore from all the walking."
That was the first time Takara had ever seen Sesshomaru look… offended. "You think I would punish you so soon after giving birth?"
Her sheepish look wasn't lost on him. "No, but I thought if I offered to take it now, you'd go easy on me later."
He was not impressed. "You've earned yourself a few more swats when I do punish you. Now lie down and spread your legs so I can tend you." She did as he instructed, and he settled on his stomach between her thighs. "The sooner I can punish you again, the better. You're becoming far too brazen for there to be no consequences."
"I will make sure to take full advantage of my situation then." The slap to her ass as he tended her injuries only made her laugh.