InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ An Innocent Affair ❯ Tell a Little Tale ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the manga/anime characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi.

 

Written for the iy_themes community at LiveJournal. The prompt was “Blue Moon” and the limit 2000 words.

 

Title: Tell a Little Tale

Type: Canon; post manga

Characters: InuYasha, SessMom

Word count: 2000

Summary: Sesshomaru's mother delivers on her promise to tell InuYasha about how his father met his mother.

 

 

Tell a Little Tale

 

She found him wandering alone in the woods that surrounded Inuyama Castle. “No one to keep you company this morning?”

 

InuYasha turned and looked at the Inuyoukai standing near him. He shrugged his shoulders. “Kagome, Kazuki and Rin are taking a bath, and Sesshomaru is out patrolling somewhere on the outer perimeter.”

 

“So you took it upon yourself to do the same closer to the castle walls,” she appraised. “Sometimes danger is closer than you may expect.”

 

“Keh,” InuYasha agreed. “What about you?”

“I found myself alone and bored and decided to seek company. And here you are,” she answered. “I must say, I am surprised that my son would leave his wife in her… delicate… condition.”

 

“Normally he won't leave her side. He's been driving her nuts,” the hanyou confirmed. “Or, at least he was…” he mumbled.

 

“Until his mother arrived,” she finished for him.

 

“I… uh… didn't…” InuYasha stuttered.

 

She waved his hand dismissively at him. “It's all right. My son and I have never been very close. In fact, I'd say from your question when I arrived, you were not aware that Sesshomaru had a mother.”

 

That made the hanyou choke. “It… it's just that…”

 

“You had some honorable notion that I must be dead in order for your father to be with your mother,” she offered.

 

“Well, yeah,” he whispered.

 

“And I promised to tell you about your father - or at least how he met your mother,” she continued.

 

That made the inuhanyou's ears perk up.

 

“Well, you see, like I told you before, your father never could stand a damsel in distress. Their tears got him every time.”

 

“I know the feeling,” InuYasha muttered in empathy.

 

“Now first you must understand that our union was one of political arrangement and convenience. At the time, the head of clan was expected to have many concubines at the very least to help expand the family with children. So the fact that your father only became interested in one other is rather amazing to say the least. Sometimes I wonder if he decided he needed another heir because his son was too much like his mother. He wanted a son in the image of himself.”

 

InuYasha had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting as he looked at the blue moon that marked her forehead along with the fur that wrapped around her and her white hair - and then there was the eerily cool aura that surrounded her - just like Sesshomaru.

 

“Your father liked to roam his lands, never staying in one place very long. He said that was the best way to keep up with what was actually going on, rather than relying on the word of others. It is also partly what made him the powerful leader that he was. He inspired great loyalty in his subjects.

 

“On one of his tours of the countryside, he came across a young woman in tears. She was a princess of a noble family, but due to several rounds of bad luck, they had fallen into ruin. The father decided to rectify his financial troubles by selling his daughter - your mother - off to the highest bidder.”

 

“He didn't!” InuYasha interrupted, which was the first indication that he was raptly paying attention as they strolled through the forest.

 

“It wasn't at all uncommon for humans to do such a thing. Usually it was for political allowances and normally the daughter came with a dowry. But, since he'd already sold everything in it all he had to offer was a beautiful woman who still had her purity.

 

“The two highest bidders in the war to win her were the owner of a brothel that serviced a rather unique clientele, and a warlord who was known for the inhumane treatment of his subjects as well as his wives and concubines. More than one of them had turned up dead outside of his gates. While your mother would honor her father, she was miserable about the fate that awaited her. For in truth, the warlord's castle would probably not be much better than the brothel. In fact, it was possible the brothel would be better - at least until she became pregnant or caught one of the wasting sicknesses.”

 

“What happened?” the hanyou whispered.

 

“Tcht.” She continued, “Your father happened, of course. After hearing her story he told her his dilemma - that he wanted another heir but had no luck finding a suitable female to be the mother. If she was willing, then he would take care of her and put her in a proper residence after paying the price her father demanded. He never knew if she had not noticed he was youkai or if she simply didn't care, but she was so appreciative that she promised to do anything he wanted if he would keep such a terrible fate from befalling her. He told her to return home and await for his emissary, for he knew that her father may be desperate but wasn't certain he would allow his daughter to go to youkai. She thanked him profusely before she made her way back to her home.

 

“Your father was an honorable man. While he wasn't really certain about the wisdom of siring a hanyou son, he did want another heir and the woman was beautiful and kind.”

 

“Yeah, she was,” InuYasha agreed.

 

“Three days later he sent a convoy to the wreckage of the castle they called home. He delivered silks, furs, and gold with the promise of more in the exchange for the hand of the daughter. The father was so greedy that he did not even ask who was making the offer before he told the girl to pack and return with them. He just assumed it was the older man with the scar across his cheek and the patch over his eye who had delivered the goods that wanted her.

 

“Your mother was whisked away to a smaller castle that was secure and well-kept. Some of your father's most trusted servants were there with her and were tasked with the responsibility of taking care of her and keeping her safe.

 

“He waited three days to allow her to settle in before he returned to her. She was so pleased to see him that she ran to him and bowed humbly before him. He informed her that he did not expect his new bride to prostrate herself before him like a common servant. She still bowed her head and told him that she was ready to fulfill her part of the bargain.”

 

“You don't have to give me all of the details,” InuYasha mumbled, blushing furiously.

 

The Lady chuckled. “As was the custom of the day, it was all recorded by a handmaiden who listened to everything should you ever decide you want to know.”

 

The hanyou vigorously shook his head.

 

“All right then, I won't bore you with the details.”

 

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

 

Sesshomaru's mother continued her story, “Your father returned to her every evening until it became clear she was going to give him the heir he wished for. It is also said that during those nights together she grew to love him very much.”

 

InuYasha nodded. “It was true - she did.”

 

“I'm afraid love is a human emotion I do not quite grasp the concept of - though your father clearly did. He did not wish to leave her, but he had remained in the same area for much longer than was normal for him. He promised to return, but that it may be several moons because he had a great deal of territory to cover. He said farewell and went to tend to his lands.”

 

“Did she see him again?” the hanyou asked hesitantly. He knew something had gone wrong before he was born.

 

“Word had been sent to the family that she was expecting. Her father came to see her and when he learned that the man who had purchased her was gone for an indeterminate amount of time, he insisted she return home with him so that she could properly be looked after. She did not want to go, but she did not wish to dishonor her father. Reluctantly, she agreed and made certain to tell the servants so they could relay the message to her lord.”

 

“When did he find out…”InuYasha interrupted but his voice trail away.

 

“When did your father find out she was gone, or when did her father find out the man who took her away was youkai?” she asked to clarify.

 

“Both,” he answered.

 

The lady inuyoukai continued, “They each found out just before you were to be born. Her father went into a rage that his daughter had accepted and was willingly bearing the child of youkai. He sent one of the young men under his command to kill both her and the child. Of course he did not take into consideration that he had willingly sold her and never asked who was actually paying the price.

 

“Your father was in a dreadful battle with the dragon Ryuukotsusei when word was brought to him. He was terribly wounded, even for one with his power, but he still went straight to your grandfather's home to rescue your mother.”

 

She did not see InuYasha flinch at mentioning the greedy old man.

 

“He managed to save your mother and you, but not himself. It would have been one thing if he had not already been so grievously injured, but to fight with all of the human soldiers and then have the burning building fall in on him - well, it was just too much even for one as strong as he.

 

“Your mother managed to escape with you with the protection of the firerat robe you still wear. She returned to the home he had provided for her, knowing that the servants were loyal and understood why she had originally been brought there. At least for a time, everything was well. The two of you were competently looked after.

 

“At one point I actually came there to see you for myself. I even offered her sanctuary along with you, but I think she was afraid that I might have ulterior motives. As it was, they often had to fend off attacks of youkai who sought to kill you.”

 

“Because I was hanyou,” InuYasha said aloud.

 

Sesshomaru's mother nodded in agreement.

 

“But that wasn't as bad as when her family showed up,” the hanyou said angrily.

 

“If I had known, I would have insisted you come with me - but before I left she asked that I not return. She was afraid that I would bring even more unwanted attention to her. I am sorry that I agreed to do as she asked,” she said solemnly.

 

“My mother got sick not long after they arrived. I didn't know what it was then, but I could always smell that something was off about her. It wasn't until years later I realized that they had slowly poisoned her,” InuYasha said heatedly. “Her own family. First they sell her and then they murdered her. Once she was dead they drove me away. They actually tried to hunt me down to kill me when they realized their mistake. They were afraid that I might come back for revenge some day. I was little, but I wasn't stupid. I swore to survive if only to spite them,” he spat.

 

“So much like your father you are,” she said softly and he immediately calmed. “He would be proud of you, you know. In spite of everything that went wrong, you survived. You are strong and willful and stubborn, but you have compassion. That was a trait he valued highly. You also must be commended for reconciling with your brother.”

 

InuYasha chuckled. “I think defeating Naraku was easier.”

 

“Hmmm.”

 

They fell silent as the Daiyoukai in question flew over them.

 

“Looks like he's back to check on Rin,” InuYasha commented.

 

“He's like his father after all,” she observed.