The Bow that Breaks

Chapter 12

I don't own Inuyasha

"My lady, the sword you requested."

The solider bowed and left the room as Satomi nodded.

The sword lay sheathed on the table as she drew near to it. Her fingers landed gently on the sheath tracing the outside of it before gaining the courage to slide the sheath away from the blade. She'd never been trained in the art of using it but she'd watched Taisho enough, rehearsing the moves in her mind. The weight of the sword was heavier than she expected but still felt easy in her grasp. The soldier had done well with this choice. She turned the blade in her hand, practicing movements quickly as she would have little time to prepare. The messengers had given them a day at most stretching the inevitable. The candlelight reflected her shadow of an opponent as the sun set. Satomi turned the sword in hand again this time idling as she watched a smaller shadow practice similar movements that she was making. She knitted her brow trying to figure out what Sesshoumaru had in his hands that looked like her sword. Peeking over her shoulder, she smirked as Sesshoumaru jumped from the table, with the sheath in hand. He swung it again as if going after an opponent at the far end of the room, swatting at a lantern he would surely beat to death if she didn't stop him. The poor fixture wouldn't have a chance.

"Sesshoumaru, the lantern is not a worthy opponent. Do you still want to practice though?"

Sesshoumaru nodded before running toward her. Satomi placed his hands properly on the sheath as she'd seen Taisho do. She kept her hands over his to guide him through the few moves that she was confident to teach.

"You are never allowed to strike me but for the sake of practice and only practice your goal is to try to make contact with me, ok?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Ready, go!"

Satomi quickly jumped out of the way as Sesshoumaru began his attack with the sheath. Despite Sesshoumaru's age, he was fast and his speed made up for any amount of inaccuracy. Despite the fact that she was supposed to be taking their practice seriously she couldn't help but smile as Sesshoumaru beamed at her movements. She could see Sesshoumaru's joy with this practice of cat and mouse. It was the same way that Taisho had played with him for hours without any error. The determination and persistence for Sesshoumaru to win was important to him and he would stop at nothing until he'd accomplished his goal.

Sesshoumaru began to giggle as he chased after his mother. She swiftly dodged any of his attempts ducking, jumping or occasionally flipping which was the most thrilling of her movements and the most encouraging to get him to win this game. Occasionally he would get just close enough and right when he was sure that he had her she would push him back a few steps while managing to dodge a swing of the sheath.

The evening grew late and she was growing tired as their little fight waged on. Both of them would need as much rest as possible before the arrival of the bears on the heels of their soldiers. Looking to the far end of the room she allowed Sesshoumaru to finally corner her. Kneeling she waited for him to swing the sheath before catching it in her hand.

"Got you!"

"Hmm, I think I've got you."

Satomi pulled him to her and kissed his forehead as he hugged her.

"Play again?"

"Not tonight. We both need our rest."

Sesshoumaru looked up at his mother unsure of why he saw tears in her eyes.

"I hurt you?"

"No, you didn't hurt me."

"Why you sad?"

Satomi mindfully swallowed the tears. She figured it better to be honest with him rather than lie about anything. Sesshoumaru was young but he knew danger and the bear demons were no longer strangers to him.

"I have to be prepared if more of those bears come to attack us."

"You fight again?"

"I may have to."

She could see Sesshoumaru turn the thought over in his mind. She'd never asked him if he was scared or frightened by the attack. He didn't react until he'd seen her covered in blood. It was the only fear he'd shown.

"I fight too."

"No. It's too dangerous."

"But you going."

"To protect you, just as your father would."

"You come back?"

Satomi clenched at the jaw, not wanting to answer the question. She'd heard Taisho promise he'd come back on so many occasions and although he eventually did, to Sesshoumaru it seemed like an eternity. There was no promise that she could make to him that she would not reach her demise over this. She didn't have the same fighting skills or strength of her mate.

"I will try my hardest to return to you as soon as I can if I must go. I will not make a promise that can be broken."

Sesshoumaru nodded though still unhappy with the response.

"Don't cry."

Satomi caught the tear before it fell as she placed him into bed. She stared into those golden eyes that were hers before tracing the crescent on his forehead, humming quietly for him to fall asleep.

...

Sesshoumaru curled closer to his mother as the coolness of the air chilled the room. As he tried to bury himself into the fur he caught a strange scent. Sitting up he shivered recognizing where he'd smelled it before. He remained quiet as a shadowed figure crouched past the doorway. Before he was able to shake his mother awake she pulled him to her quickly maneuvering him behind her, the sword already in her hand quietly positioning them near the doorway being careful to keep out of the moon's light. Sesshoumaru peaked over his mother's shoulder as he kept his grasp tight to his mother's back should she have to move quickly. The moment the shadowed figured stepped through the door she dispensed of him quickly. The bear demon groaned and fell to his knees as she pulled the sword from his abdomen.

Satomi felt her racing heart beginning to calm as she stepped over the demon and out into the emptiness of the hall. She clenched her fangs starting to hear the same replay of screams that she'd heard in their effort to escape their home.

"Satomi!"

She turned to see her sister and nephew running toward her.

"Atsana, what's going on?! I thought Ichiro was supposed to arrive ahead of the bear demons!"

"They figured out where our forces were going and got ahead of them. A few of them have managed to slip inside but for the most part our men are still holding their ground outside."

Satomi tried to tune out the surrounding noise but instead heard Koji's whimpering as he shivered next to his mother only making her more aware that Sesshoumaru had remained completely still and quiet despite watching her deal a rather gruesome death only a moment ago.

"We have to find a safe place for Sesshoumaru and Koji. We can't take them into battle."

Atsana swallowed before nodding and leading them down a maze of hallways and stairs. Even if Satomi had wanted to remember the path she wouldn't. In order to get back to Sesshoumaru, she would have to use her sense of smell which was exactly what Atsana was using in their favor. The bear demons had a muted sense of smell and couldn't pick up the difference of beings within a room. It was what had saved Sesshoumaru and herself from being noticed when they were escaping from their home.

Two guards bowed and moved to allow Atsana access to the doors behind them. Satomi was surprised to see servants in the room but it made more sense as she noticed the wealth of the room. Much like she and Taisho, Atsana and Ichiro kept a room safe guarded that held most of their finest things, riches that only the most trusted of servants and guards were allowed to handle. Atsana spoke to one of the women, the most steady of the two and whose name she'd learned was Tomiko and the other, Mai. Atsana whispered something to Koji and kissed him as Tomiko took his hand.

Satomi was sure that Koji wasn't fully aware of the danger or why his mother was leaving him.

Satomi kneeled as she brought Sesshoumaru to face her. The pain in his eyes let her know that he was already well aware of the gravity of the situation and it made it that much harder for her say what she needed to say.

"I want you to stay here, where it's safe."

Sesshoumaru immediately clung to her in protest of being left with any of the servants. Satomi bit her lip to keep the tears from coming again.

"I have to go."

"No!"

"Sesshoumaru...!"

"NO!"

"Satomi, we don't have much time. The few men can only hold their ground for so long without us!"

Satomi swallowed as her sister's voice entered her ears.

"…I'm trying…"

"You know what's best. You said it yourself." Atsana tried to keep herself from looking Koji in the eyes as she spoke to her sister. She could see the tears on his cheeks. She was sure he was reacting to Sesshoumaru but his sobs were quiet, bearable enough to encourage herself to leave him behind.

Sesshoumaru's screams were knives to Satomi's heart. She didn't want to leave him but he would only be in harms way and this time even more so than during the attack with the three bear demons in the forest. The amount of chaos to ensue would be uncontrollable.

"I'm sorry." Satomi whispered as she pried Sesshoumaru loose. Mai showed an immediate struggle to keep the child to her as he fought to reach back to his mother.

"Mama!"

Before the trip they'd made to her sister it would have been easy to leave him in the servants hands. She remembered vividly how Sesshoumaru had willingly gone to Kaori barely batting an eye, never making a peep, never a protest for her to simply walk away. Now, he fought for her presence, her embrace, her safety and she felt the pain of it. It went against her instincts as a mother to leave him when she knew she was the only one who could truly protect him. Satomi turned a glare toward Mai as she held Sesshoumaru out of reach.

"No matter what, don't you let him go! Am I understood?!"

Despite the servant's nervous nod, Satomi knew Mai would never be able to calm Sesshoumaru despite any of her best efforts. She could only hope that the servant would be willing to endure whatever Sesshoumaru's frustration might bring.

"Satomi, come on. We have to trust that he'll be fine."

Atsana pulled Satomi toward the door as she attempted to override her senses. Sesshoumaru's pleas intensified and Satomi could feel the anger building as she turned away. Even as she heard a startled noise come from Mai, the smell of blood entering her nose she knew it was Sesshoumaru's last effort to get to her, and keep her from leaving without him. Satomi wiped away the tears as she hastened her pace alongside her sister. This war had taken them away from their children for the first and last time.

A/N: I know it's been a while but my health hasn't been the best and I simply couldn't focus my thoughts to writing. I do my best to never leave a fic incomplete though! :) Thanks for reading!