Chapter 10

It was one of those rare moments that made him realise the real definition of fright, the moments where his eyes would grow impossibly wide, the moments where his fur would bristle in the end, the moments where his demonic aura would just still and wait for seconds to pass by, the moments where he would finally bite down his pride and look desperately for his father to come.

Sesshomaru was experiencing one such rare moments. The electric whip that zapped 'deadly poison' was frozen in the mid air when her voice cleared his crimson filled view. His pointed ears picked up the tentative gasps, the fear was clinging to him desperately with its claws, refusing to be purged and his tattered heart almost shuddered inside his chest.

And then there was a wet whimper flowing from across the room, a trembling quiver that brushed him, that bathed him with quills of deep guilt, pain and regret.

Inuyasha

There was a sudden pulse from within, it mocked him, teased him, stripped him from his bravado.

'You were ready to kill your own brother over a girl? Your own ally your own pack, your own blood seems nothing to you. You are weak. This is weakness. You will never be the heir of the West if you are ruled by your emotions'

The voice made him cringe, he visibly paled, hatred swam its destined tendrils over his veins and he called back his powers, his elongated poison aura that would have turned Inuyasha in to nothing but pile of smoking ashes if not for her timely shout.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha squealed. Sesshomaru wanted to turn, he wanted to indemnify all the happenings that had taken place since her absence, he wanted to pull her in to his chest, to secure her back in the confines of his arms and to finally allow himself to breathe.

A second rolled by, he blinked, his lashes were smudged with angry tears that refused to roll and tumble down. Another second was sent to its grave and his brain cells urged him to shift his line of vision, to look towards her, the epitome of his happiness, the tangible form of his content that would finally free him from shackles of misery.

And, so he turned.

She was there, almost hanging from a rip in the time, her little palms were covering her eyes. The remorse hit him squarely on his chest. She had shielded herself from witnessing the massacre he was about to cause. He could see his father moving close, to reach out for the girl, to pull her in to this realm, to cradle her in his arms, to do all the right things that he was supposed to do.

There was a low growl and the great Lord of the West faltered a bit in his path. It was not the usual warning manifested in the silent roar. It was a direct implied threat, something to do with territory markings and Inutaisho raised his brow in an elegant arch. He shifted his gaze to his Lady and her eyes were already narrowed with a calculative look.

"Sesshomaru, my son. You know I will never harm her" Inutaisho tried reasoning, but of course he could see that no amount of rational wordings would make sense to his son now. He could see the fragments of pain, the frantic intake of breaths and more than anything else, the great lord could see grains of fear littering on his son's eyes. His whole scent almost was poignant.

Inutaisho could finally see how vulnerable his son really was. He kneeled down to gather his lost son in his arms. He ignored the faint gasp of his mate, who was stunned to see that Sesshomaru didn't have a fit about the public display of affection. He had let his father to carry him like a toddler in front of Inuyasha. Inukimi's eyes widened at the scene that was unfolding. Her son seemed more yielding all of a sudden, a year back he would have categorised the act as boorish.

The Western Lord lifted his son in his arms, and was happy that he didn't have his usual armour on him. The spikes would have made it impossible for the Lord to cradle his son.

"Pull her from the portal. She had managed to pry it open all by herself without even realising it, I could only hold it as such for a minute" Kikiyo stated. Her palms were up, facing the human girl, as if struggling to push across whatever waves that were forcing the portal to shut.

Inuyasha was sucking on his thumb and his already huge eyes grew even wider; all of a sudden he wanted to be lifted by someone, just like how his father had lifted his brother. But when he stretched his arms in the air as a signal that anyone can approach him to give a boost, he felt a stare on his back.

The Lady of the West was shaking her head. A direct 'No'; no place for any kind of negotiation or coercion, not even luring her with his puppy eyes would be fruitful. Inuyasha pouted and Kikiyo had to suppress a smile. Her brows had a 'v' dip, a sweat rolled by creating a trail on her temple and she knew the portal would be closed in few seconds.

Father and son made hesitant steps towards Kagome. Her palms were still covering her eyes, and Sesshomaru felt a huge lump on his throat that threatened to weigh him down and bury him alive. He could feel his father tightening his arm around him, a sense of warmth lifted his heart and he took a deep breath and gave a nod.

Inutaisho reached over and pulled Kagome gently to settle her down in the pelted floor. Everyone had their eyes on her when Inutaisho kneeled down, letting his son back on his feet. There was a loud shut of the portal from behind but no one cared to turn back. Even Inuyasha had ceased sucking on his thumb, he refused to make a sound, all the more afraid that this is just a dream and that any sound would just promptly wake him up.

Kagome was startled, scared and was shivering. When Sesshomaru inched closer to grace her pig tails lightly, she flinched. He recoiled; his eyes were down, as if drowning in the pit of misery. Her scent had the same warmth that had a comforting essence, but it seemed like there were specks of confusion and fear emitting from her.

Kikiyo came closer, her eyes focused only on the human child sitting in the floor. She could feel Inuyasha crawling, trying to keep in same pace as she is.

"Kagome" Sesshomaru tried again and she looked at him with questioning eyes, tilting her head as if figuring out who he was. He could hear his own heart thudding in his chest, almost willing to crumble from within.

He hated feeling like this.

He hated the desperation that seemed to just annihilate him in to nothing but remains of dust itself. He could feel the stinging saline moist in his eyes, threatening to peek from the confined rim.

He felt cold.

"Ka-go-me?" Inuyasha called to her, his voice was too low. But she responded to it. Her eyes that were swimming in the moist moments ago, shined with a relief, as if it was lit up and as if she remembered how to breathe again.

"PUPPY" She cried and leapt for him like she usually does. Inuyasha squealed, cuddling, snuggling, hugging and all those merry.

There was a low growl followed by a dead silence.

"She doesn't remember me" Sesshomaru mumbled. He could feel a wave of emotion churning in the depth of his chest, there was anger, sadness, disappointment, loss. It didn't make any sense to him, it ached.

He felt plain cold.

The lumps claw chocked his throat with deepening sharpness, pulling him down further. The throb in his chest was edging like a rusted knife soaring in his heart.

It didn't settle well, Inuyasha always managed to steal everything away from him, everything that is dear to him, his father, his toys and now his pet. He hated him even thought the feeling was irrational. He couldn't help but feel that everything was Inuyasha's fault.

"She remembers him, but not me" Sesshomaru stated and he wanted to grieve, to give in this need to succumb in a fetal position and let out everything. His fur curled itself around him, as if the act would protect him.His breath never hitched when he heard a roaring thunder from outside, howling in his pain, tearing the stretching sky almost with required vehemence in a haze of electric blue shuddering the whole of the earth. Liquid crystals from heaven were shed, grieving what he couldn't grieve for, a soulful cry.

Pet. The name no longer suited her. If Ah-Un had gone missing, he wouldn't have been in this hell. The intensity of his lament wouldn't have gone beyond this threshold. He wouldn't have been reduced to this whimpering wounded puppy.

She was more than a pet. Realisation slapped him hard, and now he was just a stranger in her eyes. The sharpness of his fang didn't stop the quiver of his lips.

"No, Inuyasha was the last of members she met in this realm. Her memories are resurfacing, from the recent events to the past. Give some time for her brain to wrap itself." Kikiyo informed. Her eyes were equally dark, concealed and guarded, but there was a hint of pity in it.

A phantom of hope brushed him. A tingle of warmth spurred in his cold heart.

Hope.

Such a strong word holding promises of better tomorrow. The light harboured in the corners of his brain, lifting him up from the withering loss.

Patience

He had it. He had mastered it in his limited existence. Anyone who deals with Inuyasha was blessed with it and so he decided to be patient.

"Papa" He called and the western lord was on his knees again. The Lord's heart churned, his son used to refer to him like that when he was a toddler and not anymore. 'Father' was more foreign and cold, a word that almost described him, defining the distanced relationship. But considering the pain and vulnerability that oozed out from his son, Inutaisho would any day be happy to be referred as 'Father' over 'Papa'.

"Can we go home?" Sesshomaru asked. His eyes felt heavy and all he wanted to do was to roll down and sleep. Numbness seemed to be more luring than the reality.

Inutaisho nodded and Inukimi turned towards the miko to thank her. There were polite exchange of final greetings and the family exited the shrine, with Kagome trailing with Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru swallowed his lump. She will remember him. He knew, because she is not just a pet to him. She is more and so is he.

~.~.~

A/N : Don't hate me! Sesshomaru is just little heartbroken. Believe in his hope.

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