Destruction

The combination of youkai and adolescent hormones fully ebbed in the youthful body as Sesshoumaru followed after his father, and his mind cleared leaving him feeling remorse and anger at himself and his father. Inu no Taishou was injured; he should have sent someone else to check on the human female while he recovered. Even Sesshoumaru knew that the whelp was not due to be born for another month; just because of a surge in youki, his father had taken leave of his senses.

Sesshoumaru smiled ruefully, he would not of course be saying that to his Lord Father, not if he wanted to sit for the rest of the day; childish or disrespectful behaviour from him still incurred childish reprisals in his father's household. But he knew to hurry; he was not as fast as Inu no Taishou by a long way, even though his father was badly injured. Sesshoumaru had never been to the human's Palace but it was easy to follow his father's scent and he soon came across the fire stormed building.

Although when he came across the scene, it was mainly razed to the ground and a young woman was standing outside with his father's firerat over her head and a well wrapped bundle in her arms. There was no sign of his father so Sesshoumaru went to the girl and took charge; noting instantly that the garment she was wearing had no warmth and had blood staining the front.

She needed to be got back to the Western Palace immediately and in the unexplained absence of his father, Sesshoumaru was in charge and the time for questions was not while she might die of cold after the ordeal of childbirth. He presented himself before her and told her to follow him, but to his surprise she refused.

"Prince Sesshoumaru? Thank the gods; here take the baby, your father has named him Inuyasha." Izayoi said, as she thrust the white bundle into the older boy's hands before turning back to the burning building, her hands outstretched.

"Come back you foolish creature, you must come back with me, and where is my father? I can smell Tenseiga has been used on you; where is my father?"

"I am so sorry Prince Sesshoumaru, he fell against a man called Takemaru...he is under there." She pointed to the debris, all that was left of the Palace she had called home, tears running down her face. Sesshoumaru stood in complete shock as he stared at the female who was moving towards the now dying blaze, before he opened his mouth and putting his head back he howled long and loud, an instinctive mourning cry that shook the night.

The tiny creature in his arms also heard the howl and was moved to join his voice to his brother's, but Sesshoumaru was beyond any other stimulus apart from his disbelief in his father's death. He didn't even register the returning howls, so caught up was he in his grief. Around him balls of youki light solidified into Inuyoukai, guards who immediately took up their positions and Sesshoumaru's mother, who glanced at her tearstained son and the woman who was standing as close as she could to the destroyed Palace.

She went to Izayoi, ignoring the heat and flying embers, and not caring that the charred wood on the floor was staining and burning her fine kimono. She looked for the first time on the human who had birthed her mate a hanyou son and noted the strain on the girl's features as she stared over the ruin. Finally Izayoi noticed the Lady of the West and bowed;

"I am so sorry My Lady; My Lord lies beneath the rubble, I cannot hope that he lives, I tried...there is a barrier, but I am not strong enough to make it stay stable."

"My Mate lives yet; our bond is not severed, but he is severely injured. I do not know whether he can survive. Can you hold the barrier still?" When Izayoi nodded, the Lady turned abruptly, and called to several of the males she had brought with her instructing them to dig through the burning debris, before calling through another howl for healers. Her voice carried far and only when she had the answering howl, did she go to her son.

He had stopped howling and was just watching the proceedings, but he was numb with shock and grief, as yet he didn't know that his father still lived and he was frightened. All of this his mother knew, and for the first time in many years she stood in front of him and pulled his head to her breast and held him tightly, mindful of the tiny burden he still carried.

"He lives at the moment my pup, beneath a barrier; but I shall not deceive you, the thread of his life is weak. I shall allow you to weep only for a few moments more before you take up your task of Regent of the West, although I hope it will be long before you are Lord; you are far too young for such a burden." She held him comfortingly while his tears fell silently, in relief and sorrow; sheltering him from the heavy duties he would have to assume for a short scant time.

When she left because the healers had arrived, he knew it was time to shoulder his responsibilities and the first one made itself known as the baby started to howl again. The child was hungry but his mother couldn't attend him yet, not while she held the barrier, therefore it fell on Sesshoumaru to try to calm him down. What did he know about infants anyway? He jigged it around and then let it hold onto his hair and fingers, which was the best success, at least with a finger in his mouth he had stopped crying.

Soon Inu no Taishou was dug out and the healers immediately went to work; Izayoi had let down the barrier to allow the healers in to the Lord and now she walked to Sesshoumaru to retrieve her baby. She sat beside the Prince and put the pup to her breast, yelping when Inuyasha latched on with his strong jaws. Then she tried not to blush when Sesshoumaru watched fascinated as his baby brother suckled, completely unaware that he was innocently staring.

For a while Sesshoumaru was able to put the fear behind him as he stared entranced at the little pup but all too soon, he remembered his father's plight and got up to go to him. However he was not allowed anywhere near, guards forbade him on his mother's behest and no matter how much he stood his ground as Western Regent, he couldn't get any nearer.

Then suddenly he found his arms full of well fed baby again as Izayoi had to go back and reset the barrier, which it was deemed would help keep the outside elements away from the Lord until he could be taken back to the Palace. Sesshoumaru felt like stamping his feet in frustration, he wanted to see his father, needed to see him and make sure for himself that he was still alive. He was a Taiyoukai of the West, Regent; all of his life had been in preparation for taking control and here he was, stopped by subordinates, and turned into a baby sitter.

Sesshoumaru felt tears of frustration burn behind his eyes, but he would not allow them to fall, gone were his childhood days, those now were the sole prerogative of the whelp in his arms, he hoped that he wasn't going to have to choose, between rulership or being a brother.

IYQ Community September 2009 Week 1

I was training to be an electrician. I suppose I got wired the wrong way round somewhere along the line. Elvis Presley