The Bow that Breaks

I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 9

"Atsana", Satomi hugged her sister as Sesshoumaru held close to her. Their new surroundings were vaguely familiar. Soldiers lined the halls and guarded entry ways, servants scattered about to complete their jobs for the day, a few of the other ladies nodded to them in greeting and went about their way. They were not home but his mother had assured that this place meant they were out of danger's path.

Sesshoumaru stared pointedly at the woman he knew to be his aunt as she smiled with intention. He could see the resemblance between his mother and her sister. She wore her silver hair bound loosely but neatly over her shoulder, she bore the crescent moon on her forehead and the hazel color of her eyes matched perfectly although she lacked the markings along her cheeks and over her eyes.

"Hello Sesshoumaru."

Satomi intended to goad Sesshoumaru toward Atsana but her child had different plans and decided to remain planted as he pushed back to lean into her. Satomi attempted to swallow mild embarrassment as she tried again to persuade Sesshoumaru that her sister was not someone of which he should be wary but there was no changing his mind and she'd have to settle with less than cordial staring from a safe distance.

"Sorry Atsana. Sesshoumaru's not one for strangers I suppose."

Atsana furrowed her brow at the comment but quickly dismissed it, "It's okay. I'm glad the two of you have made it safely."

"Thank you." Satomi sighed but didn't feel much relief. She'd seen Atsana's expression and could already feel the judgment being passed. Sesshoumaru's reaction had reflected badly upon her only because she had not done more to correct his greeting. It wasn't unlike her older sister to carry high expectations. They may have been close but they were opposites when it came to most things. Atsana wanted the high ranking mate, she wanted several pups of her own to feel as if she'd accomplished the utmost and in a way she'd gotten what she wanted. Her mate was a lord in his own right, he and Taisho were comrades and currently battling in the same war, and she had a pup the same age as Sesshoumaru but she always longed for more. Atsana was a traditionalist, never straying from being the ideal lady. Even if she was forcing herself to keep up appearances she rarely let it show publicly. She held fast to her ways and to some it made her look cold but no one ever questioned or crossed her and they certainly didn't speak ill within any reasonable distance.

Atsana smiled slightly as they entered the main room beckoning for her son, Koji as she introduced him.

Satomi suppressed an eye roll she felt coming as Atsana placed her hands in her sleeves and Koji bowed. She knew her sister would calmly show her how things should be done perfectly. The little pup's eyes were bright with enthusiasm, smiling as if nothing in this world could be wrong.

"Hello, aunt Satomi. Hello Sesshoumaru."

Satomi returned the greeting but didn't try to push Sesshoumaru to do the same although he did seem more receptive to his cousin. Atsana dismissed her son before addressing her nephew again.

"Sesshoumaru…"

Seshoumaru looked to Atsana as Satomi tried to stifle her anxiety.

"Would you like to play with Koji? Your mother and I have much to discuss."

Sesshoumaru spotted Koji playing with several toys in another room. Looking up at his mother he tapped her arm to get her attention. Satomi acknowledged Sesshoumaru as he pointed toward his cousin.

"You may go play with Koji"

Koji half smiled as Sesshoumaru approached, hesitating but finally sitting and scanning the toys along the floor.

"Here. This one's good." Koji plucked one of the wooden toy soldiers from the floor to hand to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru held onto the toy as he watched his cousin try to bring one of the other toys to life.

Satomi smiled as she watched Koji take to his cousin without hesitation but she wondered if her nephew was that way with everyone. Sesshoumaru however was a contrast much like she and her sister. The curiosity was there but with the exception of their soldier's children, who Sesshoumaru had seen on a regular basis, he did not take to anyone without knowing them.

"I can see that Taisho's absence has been hard on you and Sesshoumaru." Atsana gestured to the table, the tea awaited them as they sat.

"Yes, we're both eager for his return to us."

"You seem distressed otherwise. What's wrong?"

Satomi let the warmth of the tea settle before she responded to her sister. Atsana would try and uncover everything she didn't want to share. Her sister meant well but there were things she wanted to keep to herself.

"Our journey here was not the easiest Atsana…"

"Are you avoiding telling me something?"

"I'm not avoiding anything. Really, there is nothing else distressing. Is it not enough to have our mates fighting an endless battle or my son and I having to take refuge here after being attacked?"

"I suppose I should take your word for that."

"I suppose you should."

Atsana smirked and shook her head at the irritation in her little sister's voice. Her sister hadn't changed the way she had hoped. Taisho was supposed to tame Satomi's will, show her that the life of being a mate and a mother was not some curse. Satomi had fought with their father so much about it that he'd thrown suitor after suitor out before Taisho finally came along. Satomi might have thought their father a brute, only seeing the choice as a monetary benefit but Taisho was the only one he deemed fit to have the temperament to compliment Satomi.

Satomi took another sip of her tea glancing over at the pups playing and listening to Koji's constant chatter that seemed to gnaw at her. Sesshoumaru was finally getting comfortable enough to play along but kept anything he was thinking to himself.

"Does he always talk that much?"

"Koji? Yes, why?"

"That's normal?" Satomi stared at her reflection in the cup as she waited for her sister to respond.

"For Koji it is. I have to remind myself to be careful of what I say. He tries to repeat everything." Atsana laughed a little, her smile fading looking at her sister who seemed buried in thought. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"He's always so quiet…" Satomi shook her head, unsure she wanted it to be loud enough for her sister to hear.

"Is...Sesshoumaru mute?"

Satomi looked up surprised and immediately felt defensive. What right did her sister have to ask such a question?

"No! He speaks!"

"I only ask out of concern Satomi."

"Concern of what exactly?!"

"You seemed so embarrassed by Sesshoumaru's actions earlier. I…"

"I wasn't...I'm not!"

"I simply asked a question. I didn't mean to imply his actions were offensive..."

"Yes, you did! I saw the way you looked at him and me. You didn't have to introduce Koji the way you did either!"

"Satomi please, a lady does not raise her voice unless absolutely necessary, and what was I to do, not introduce my child?"

"I know you think I'm failing at this!"

"Failing at what?"

"Being a mother, being a Lady!"

"I have no grounds for that. Satomi please..."

"Then why do you act like it?!"

Atsana sat stunned at how quickly Satomi had become unhinged. The tea had yet to touch her lips and her sister had thrown her to the wolves over what she thought was a simple question.

"It was no secret that you never wanted the life that you have now but I would never...", Atsana was interrupted again by screaming coming from the other room.

Satomi's heart sank as she looked up to see Sesshoumaru attacking his cousin. Before she could get herself to move Atsana had already left her behind. What happened next seemed like it should have taken minutes instead it only took seconds as Satomi yelled for Sesshoumaru to stop. The feeling of moving in slow motion left her action-less and her words were doing little good right now as Sesshoumaru allowed his claws to sink further into Koji's arm before Atsana screamed at him to let go. As Atsana tried to push him off of Koji she wasn't prepared for him to turn his attack against her biting into her hand. Atsana snatched back. Sesshoumaru took another swipe at Koji but missed as Atsana managed to free him from Sesshoumaru's grasp. There was more than anger that she was harboring against her nephew as he growled at her approach that would not be restrained as Koji was out of harm's way. Atsana could hear her sister but chose to ignore her as she grabbed Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru panicked as he tried to pull away from his aunt without success as she brought her hand across his back side.

"Atsana!"

Atsana raised her hand to do the same again but Satomi grabbed her. "Don't!"

"What are you doing?! Move!"

Satomi tried to catch her breath, letting her sister go but standing in her way to deny any access to Sesshoumaru.

"You will not hit him!"

"You defend him after what you saw, after what he's done?!"

"No!"

"Then what are you doing?"

"…"

Satomi returned a defeated glance to her sister and Atsana began to realize that this was Satomi's normal.

"This isn't the first time Sesshoumaru's done this is it? What did you do then Satomi?"

The truth was that she wasn't sure what to do. There her sister stood bleeding, her nephew and her son crying and she didn't have an answer. Any time it had happened at home she'd apologize and removed Sesshoumaru and herself from the situation leaving her servants to attend to the damage but there was nowhere to retreat here.

"I'm sorry."

"Is that it? Is that really all you're going to say...do?"

"What do you want me to do? Punish him the way you tried to? I won't do that."

"I suggest you figure out what you will do very quickly because you don't just let him get away with it. As long as the two of you are here you will handle him accordingly or I will."

Atsana left the room with Koji as Satomi sat next to Sesshoumaru before she pulled him in front of her.

"Why would you do that? Why did you attack your cousin?!

"...you attack."

"Who?"

"Aunt."

"I wasn't attacking your aunt."

Sesshoumaru nodded, "Uh huh."

"We were having an argument which is different."

"No."

Satomi took a deep breath realizing that her son had a bit of a point and he'd reacted accordingly. Atsana had warned her of her composure and Satomi wasn't sure how she'd looked yelling at her sister but it was enough for Sesshoumaru to deem it an attack against these demons he'd known less than a day. Still, it wasn't Sesshoumaru's sole reason for going after his cousin. She could sum up the situation by the toy Sesshoumaru had picked back up in the midst of the chaos. She may have escalated the attack but once Sesshoumaru laid claim to anything you were going to have to fight to take it from him.

"Give me the toy now...ah don't throw it!"

Sesshoumaru scowled in the direction of where Atsana and Koji had exited as he put the toy down slowly and slid it away with his foot.

"I will not take this lightly. You will apologize to your cousin and your aunt and if you attack either one of them again I will let Atsana have at you however she sees fit."

Satomi shook her head as Sesshoumaru quickly grabbed the toy and placed it in her lap accompanied with an apology. Atsana may have needed to watch her words around Koji but she would have to watch her actions around Sesshoumaru.

A/N: More to come soon! As always, reviews welcomed and much appreciated!