"How is the girl?"
Itnasha looked up at his cousin in surprise, the pale inu sat at his desk, he didn't look up from the paperwork.
"Girl?" Itnasha began.
"Fawks' child"
Itnasha's expression darkened, the bastard couldn't even admit to the truth, "She's fine, my lord…happy and healthy…"
"She will be four-years-old on the next full moon…"
Itnasha blinked, surprised Sessho-maru even knew that much, "That's right"
"Is there…anything she wants?"
Itnasha grit his teeth, fury roiling in his gut.
"You wish to say something?"
"You're damn right I do…! You don't even acknowledge the girl since the day she was born and now all of a sudden you want to 'give' her something?! She doesn't need your guilty attentions, Fawks and Tensei are both fine!" he barked. Sessho-maru raised his eyes to his cousin, "You think I wish to do this out of guilt?"
"I'll admit I didn't even think you were capable of the emotion" Itnasha snorted.
Sessho-maru smirked, "You're wrong, you know. I have acknowledged her"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I was there when she was born, I held her mere moments after. Did you honestly think Fawks gave her that name to shame me? It was my idea"
Itnasha blinked in disbelief, unsure what to say. But Sessho-maru had already lost interest in the conversation, "If you will not tell me what the child would like for her birthday, then I shall ask Fawks, send her here"
His tone made Itnasha's hackles rise, "You already fucked her last night, can't you leave her alone for a while?!"
Sessho-maru raised an elegant eyebrow, "Was I unclear?"
Itnasha bit back all the insults gurgling in the back of his throat, even though they were cousins, at the end of the day Sessho-maru was still the lord of the region and Itnasha was only a vassal.
"Mommy?"
Fawks looked up from her sewing to where Tensei sat in the outside corridor, tracing patterns in the dirt below with a stick.
"Yes, baby?"
"Papa isn't my real papa, is he?"
Fawks nearly pricked herself as her hands began to shake. She should have known this day was coming, Tensei was bound to notice certain inconsistencies. Fawks kept her eyes on the half finished kimono in her hands. "No, he's not"
"…who is my real papa then?" Tensei looked at her with expectant golden green eyes…eyes so much like her father's.
Fawks gave her a sad smile. "I can't tell you that. If I did, you might be in danger…"
Tensei lowered her head in understanding, "Did you love him?"
Fawks was taken aback by the question but she didn't hesitate, "I still love him"
The front door opened with a slam, Itnasha stomped unceremoniously into the room, "The asshole wants to see you"
"Language" Fawks began, getting to her feet. "I'll be back soon, be a good girl while I'm gone"
"…is papa mad…" Tensei asked, eyes wide as saucers.
"No…just irritated…" Itnasha grumbled, sitting down beside her. "Oi, what do you want for your birthday, Ten-chan?"
"I dunno…" she shrugged.
"Great…"