Disclaimer : for the Hmphth time, I don't own InuYasha. So stop moving the knife in the wound ! *pout*
I have yet to find a beta for this story, so please, excuse all the horrific errors running wild in this chapter.
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Previously, in the chapter 6
Kagome looked up at his deep golden eyes and nodded timidly when she saw his sincerity. She had no choice anyways. InuTaisho made a sign to Kaede.
« InuYasha and Kaede will now show you the sleeping quarter you will be using during your stay or at least until you can come back 'in the light' and announce you true identity to the world. »
« Hai »
InuYasha was about to protest but was shoo towards the door before he could speak by the old Miko.
The three, then, walked out of the office, leaving the Lord of the West and his oldest son, alone.
When the door closed, InuTaisho turned around to face his son. The temperature in the office seemed to have dropped severely. The Lord of the Western Lands was about to spoke to his eldest, but before he could open his mouth, the answer rang in the room clear and high, cold like a winter day.
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…………………
Chapter 7 :
between Father and Son.
…………………
InuTaisho looked at his son, an incredulous expression on his face. He covered it quickly and asked to be sure that he heard correctly. « What did you say, son? »
« No. » Sesshomaru repeat, flatly. The moment the old Inu told everyone to leave but him, the young DaiYoukai knew what his father had in mind. Not a chance in Hell that he would accept. He was no baby-sitter. Even less for a human bitch.
InuTaisho narrowed his golden eyes at his son. « I did not ask for your opinion, Sesshomaru. She will be your personal servant for the time being. She is nobility and… »
« I do not care who she is, Father. I will not accept it. » Interrupted Sesshomaru, his face totally wiped off of any emotions…not that he had a lot for started.
« It is really time for you to learn some respect, Sesshomaru! Being human does not make her inferior to you, my son. Like I said, she is nobility, most likely a daughter of a minor Lord or another important family of the South. That mean she is more or less to your level or just beneath but certainly not some peasant girl. I offered her a protection to hide here and that's what she will have. You have no voice in this matter. » He said firmly back.
« You offered, not me. So take her with you. I will not be disrespect as such. » Sesshomaru answered more tightly.
« Stop being so stupid and stubborn you disrespectful pup! She came to hide here for everyone who knows her so I cannot take her with me where she is already known, and you know it. Plus, I offered personally but by the name of the Western Lands also. She came all the way from the South to arrive here. This InuTaisho will not close his door to her and dishonor his name and Lands! » InuTaisho inhaled sharply, trying to calm down. He can really well feel the anger coming in waves from his son too but that had to be done. A Lord never comes back on his words. The old Inu tried another tactic to bring some sense in his oldest.
« She was happy to be able to arrive to the Western Lands, even if there is essentially youkai and many are human-haters. Do you have any idea as to why? »
« She is crazy bitch or stupid or may be both. » Answered stoically the young Lord.
The Lord of the West had to resist the urge to trot over his son. He was so infuriating! « No, she went all the way here because there is only youkai. » He said between clenched teeth.
« You prove my point. » Sesshomaru answered, as stoically.
InuTaisho closed his hands in fists to stop himself of hitting his son. What Kami had he angered to have a son like that! « Not at all. Where is the last place you will seek a human?" He asked, only to answer the second after. "In a country were only resided youkai. It was a rather risked move but not a bad idea in itself. She is not stupid but quite the opposite. »
Sesshomaru huffed, not at all impressed by the supposed cleaver move from the girl. He will not and he could not agree with his father. All humans are stupid, weak and smelly. End of the discussion.
« Like I said, »Continued the demon Lord of the West, « She will be your personal servant or at least pose as your personal servant. However, remember who or more precisely what we know about her. So, do not treat her like a slave or like any others servants in this castle. You will be responsible of her care amount the fact of keeping her secret hidden. »
Silence.
« Sesshomaru ! » Yelled InuTaisho starting to really lose his patience with his older son. What did I do that was so bad to have a pair of sons like that? One is so dense that sometimes it's frightening when the other is stubborn and arrogant to the core! InuTaisho thought, a little defeated.
« Whatever, Father. » Finished to respond Sesshomaru, against his will and between clenching teeth. He knew that he couldn't win against his father, but that didn't mean he had to accept without a fight. At least, he tried to make his father see his point...Even if he failed. His body was shaky with rage. Why can't his father understand how much humans were beneath them and that Sesshomaru didn't want to have anything to do with one? Why and how could his father be so enamored with human women? Why was he so difficult? And more importantly, why was he so incline to help this one? Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the thought. He had to try a last time.
The demon Lord, thinking that the discussion was closed, made a move towards the door but before he could open it, he heard his son spoke again with not really well hidden anger. « How can you be so sure that the bitch is not a liar? Humans are like that, all deceiving. She could have stolen those clothes and eventually heard about the Lords in a random place. »
InuTaisho sighed. Why can't he understand? « I'm sure of it. She must be the purest being I never saw in my long life. She must be a terrible liar too. If you were not so blind because of her human heritage, you could have seen it with your own two very eyes. And for what she said about the Lords of the North, you know that it could be true. Yosomitsu is renowned for his appétit for women and his misplaced gests in public. You know how they are. If you pass the fact of her being human, you should have been able to see that she is quite beautiful. »
« Don't you think that she is too young for you, Father. » Spit in disgust, Sesshomaru.
The demon Lord of the West growled low in the back of his throat this time. His patience was really starting to dissipate in a smoke cloud. « I didn't mean it that way! » He barked. This time, Sesshomaru felt that it was starting to become dangerous, knowing that he didn't stand a chance against his Father. So, without a word added, his eyes lowed, and he looked at the soil like if his interest had been picked by all its little details. It was the most important sign of submission that he was capable to show to anyone, to his Alpha.
His father, seeing his reaction, calmed down a little, or at least the light pink that had appeared in his eyes dissipated, leaving the usual golden color. He inhaled shakily and continued. « She must be around fifteen, sixteen, but no more than eighteen. Consequently, she is in age to marry or take a mate. Furthermore, someone like her and being nobility… That must be partly why she cannot tell us and cannot be seen as a guest. Somehow, even some people of our court must know of her, so the information of her presence in our walls would have spread everywhere in less than a day. However, they never really look at the maids closely. It is the only way to protect her identity for the moment. She must be of an important family of the South for the Northern Lord to go in the father Lady's home to hook his son or himself with her. I never thought that Yosomitsu could have one day change his view of human. But at the same time, at the moment we are speaking of a woman pleasing to the eye, so he could care less. »
He sighed and looked directly in the eyes of his son. « I put my faith in you, my son. You are the only one to whom I can ask that. Do not disappoint me. I know that I couldn't let her in the care of your brother. He already has, sometimes, difficulties to take care of himself. Plus, with someone as beautiful as this young woman at his disposition… »
« He would try to lay with her five minutes after you leave her to him. »
« Yeah, maybe, something like that. On top of it, you are the older so it will seem less suspicious for you to have a personal servant first. Plus, since she is not a real maid and only poses like one… »
« I don't need someone to 'mother' me like him. »
InuTaisho let slip a little smile. « You see my point. So, you will keep an eye on her for me, Sesshomaru ? »
« If I must, Father. » Still as impassible.
« You must. Oh and try to temperate those nerves of yours around her. Since she is not a real servant, so do not expect her to act like a slave to all your wishes and without complains. Don't do something stupid or brash. »
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at his Father as if to say 'what do you mean', innocently.
« Don't give me that face, Sesshomaru, you know perfectly of what am I talking about. You can't, under any pretext, touch her, even if she didn't do things or think the same way than you. Therefore, I do not want a repeat of what happened last month and the headache that followed it. »
Sesshomaru's jaws clenched almost painfully to avoid answering back to his father.
« I know that she is keeping a lot of things from us… and her name is only a little part of it. But don't push her to have answers. »
« I do not care. » Sesshomaru said, giving a bore glance to the demon Lord of the West. But the Inu no Taisho insisted, sensing that it was primordial that his son realized the gravity of the situation.
« She seems really scared that someone could possibly find her even here. She didn't say who she was, perhaps, for different reasons. Maybe she is afraid that if we know who she is, we would not help her. You know that we can't control the gossips in the court, and if her identity put her life in danger, it's better that we don't know, as of yet. Plus, if she is really from an important noble family as I think she is, we shouldn't be able to prevent people from the South of knowing of her presence here in our walls. You really must keep an eye on her, my son, and it is not just a word of advice. »
He eyed his son a moment, waiting for him to acknowledge his propos. When he nodded InuTaisho nodded back in satisfaction. « Good. I will take my leave then. I will explain it to her. »
He opened the door to exit but stopped and turned around. « Oh and Sesshomaru ? »
« Yes, Father ? » He answered flatly.
« Do not do anything that could tarnish the reputation of this family and this Lands. If she is from an important family, it could be good for the relation South-West in the future, the Kamis know how much it had been difficult those last years. Do I make myself clear? »
« Yes, Father. »
« Good. » And with that, he walked out, leaving Sesshomaru behind.
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End of the chapter 7.
Voilà for this new chapter. Hope you liked it.
Take care
Sweetest Angel.