InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bishies Without Shirts ❯ Watercolor Memories and Faded Regrets ( Chapter 33 )

Chapter 33: Watercolor memories and faded regrets

"What's your point? Well, speak up! I can't hear you! Or are you going to toy with me first before you kill me?"

"What are you babbling about, asshole? You…you… ummm…" As he looked at his younger brother, Sesshomaru remembered he had something for him. "Reminded me of something I had long forgotten… I have something for you. Tsukikage had instructed me to hold onto it for you until you were older…." He paused trying to remember where he had put it. "It's almost as if she knew she wouldn't be here when you were older…." He said softly to himself. "Now I remember. I had put it with some of the other things she had given me…. Come I will ask Higarashi-sama if she knows where it is." He turned to leave, fully expecting Inuyasha to follow.

"Now what are you babbling about? Why would Higarashi-san have something of yours that really belongs to me? OI Sesshomaru!!" Inuyasha got out of the tub and left the bathroom. "OI Sesshomaru!?" he called out again and that's when he spotted the white head retreating down the stairs. Curiosity peaked, he took off after his brother.

"Higarashi-sama… when I arrived, I had a small bundle of things that I kept inside my yukata. It was about this big," he traced a small square on the table top. "and it was wrapped in blue silk with cranes on it. Have you seen it?"

"Hai Sessho-kun. I have it in my room, do you need it now?" She looked at her daughter as he nodded in affirmation and asked. "Kagome Dear will you run up and get it for us? Thank you, sweetie."

"Arigatou Higarashi-sama, Wegome. In it is something for Inuyasha that I should have given to him a long time ago… It's just that time and circumstances prevented me from doing so."

She smiled warmly at him. "You mean you forgot?" She laughed as he shook his head.

Giving her a sheepish grin, he told her, "Hai. You are a most perceptive woman, Higarashi-sama."

"Flattery will get you an extra helping at dinner, Sessho-kun but that's all!" She laughed again as she put the rice, tempura shrimp and vegetables out on the table. He surprised her by laughing back and they waited in silence for the others to come. They didn't have to wait long for Jii-chan came in from the shrine and spotting his favorite dish; he started right in. They were joined in a few minutes by Sota who was full of stories about his day at school.

"I wonder what's taking Kagome so long. Here why don't you help yourself too, Sessho-kun while I go see what happened to her." Higarashi-san put down her chopsticks and left the table, while Sesshomaru and Kagome's grandfather ate in silence. Sota however chatted on happily about his day, never noticing that he was doing all the talking.

"Kagome? Dear, have you found it yet?" She called up the stairs. Getting no response she started up the stairs towards her room.

"Koishii…do you have any idea what's so important with this bundle that your brother had to have it now, instead of waiting until after dinner? Hey stop that!" The last was said playfully as Inuyasha had come up behind her and pulled her close. She thought it was weird that he was sniffing her hair; but was pleased that her fears about his love for her waning were gone.

"Don't know and don't care." He murmured in ear. "You know… you smell different now. I can't explain it…you just smell like that stuff you put on your hair." He shrugged; as she wiggled around to face him, he cupped her chin and pulled her face close enough to kiss her. He had just maneuvered her over to the bed when he was interrupted for the second time that day by a soft 'ahem'. "OI Sesshomaru! Get the fuck away from us already!!! Can't you see I'm busy???"

"Gomen but it's not Sesshomaru…. Kagome did you find it? Good; take it downstairs for me. And you Mister!" She grabbed the retreating boy by the arm as he tried to make his escape. "We don't use that language in this house first of all. Secondly I don't recall giving you permission to use my room, never mind the fact you promised you wouldn't do THAT in my house anymore. Well what do have to say for yourself?"

"Gomen nasi, Higarashi-san….it's just that well…she is my mate…."At her look he changed his mind about what he was going to say. "Gomen… anno…is dinner ready?" he flashed her a smile along with a timely growl from his stomach.

"As a matter of fact it is." Sighing she asked, "You weren't born hungry, were you?" She teased as she ushered him out of the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen. She tried not to laugh when he told her he really didn't know and that she should ask Sesshomaru if really wanted to know.

They made their way back to the kitchen where everyone was busy eating. Sitting down next to Kagome, Inuyasha heaped his plate full of food and dug in. Finishing quickly, Sota and his grandfather excused themselves and left to go back to the shrine for Sota's lessons concerning an ancient text. Sota toyed with the idea of staying to see what all the fuss was about concerning Inuyasha, but figured he'd find out later anyway when he came back.

"Where are your manners Whelp? There's no reason to gulp your food down like that! Besides since you've waited this long for me to give it to you, another few minutes won't hurt." Sesshomaru said softly. He figured he'd have a bit of fun with his brother seeing as his hearing wasn't as sharp as before now that he was in human form. So he was careful to pitch his voice at a level that was not quite beyond his brother's hearing but may have well been.

"Nani?" Inuyasha said between bites. "Now what are you mumbling about? I don't know what's happened to your voice, but maybe Higarashi-san can find you some herbs, you know to get you fixed too like Kagome." He went back to shoveling in his food.

Kagome nearly choked as she heard that. "Please tell me he didn't say what I thought he just said." She thought as she grabbed her tea and swallowed. She shook her head at Sesshomaru's puzzled frown; laughing to herself that he didn't catch the double meaning in Inuyasha's simple statement. She cast a quick glance at her koibito to see if knew what he had said, but seeing as he didn't she shrugged and went back to eating.

Soon they finished eating, and they sat there wondering when Sesshomaru would reveal what he had. Sensing that's what everyone was waiting for, he asked Higarashi-san if she needed any help cleaning up. That was how Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves helping her. Sesshomaru enjoyed himself immensely as he sat there watching his brother tidying up and acting way too domesticated for his tastes.

"Oi Inuyasha! I think you missed a spot." He smirked as he extended his index finger towards some imaginary dirt on the table. He chuckled at the face his little brother made and feeling that everyone had waited enough he pulled the bundle out from where he kept it hidden in his yukata. He placed it on the table and placed his hand over it.

"Come on Sesshomaru… cut the crap and open it for Kami's sake already!"

"Patience Whelp! This is something I haven't opened in a long time and I want to savor the moment. What's inside is very special to me and I don't feel like rushing…" he reached over and smacked the hand Inuyasha had moved towards it.

"Hey! Just open it already! Besides I thought you said you had something in there that belongs to me! Somehow I can't picture that as being very precious to you." Inuyasha said as he shook his smarting hand.

Sesshomaru sighed and with a bit of help from Higarashi-san, he untied the silken cord before unwrapping the silk from a small leather box. Pausing just long enough to catch the faint scent of his Tsuki-chan that it still carried, he opened it. Inside on top there was a small book that was thicker than it had first appeared. He carefully removed it and placed it on the table. "You might want to read that later….oh, wait I forgot you can't read. Perhaps if you're lucky the Wegome will read it to you." He chuckled to himself as Inuyasha picked it up and opened it. The chuckle soon deepened in a laugh as he watched his brother push it over to his mate so that she could read it to him. Kagome looked up at him, puzzled as to what was funny about the book, but opened it anyway. She started reading it to her koibito in a soft voice as a slight blush started creeping across her cheeks.

"It just goes on to say how great your brother is…hehehe…I don't think you're really all that interested in that... ummm…well what do you thi…" she started before Inuyasha interrupted.

"Does it say anything else in it besides that?" he grabbed the book again and started paging through it.

"Look closer to the end Oto-chan. Tsuki-chan illustrated it herself." He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"KEH! You're disgusting, you baka hentai!!!" Inuyasha slammed the book closed after looking at the pictures.

"Sessho-kun, are you corrupting their already limited morals?" Higarashi-san reached over for the offending book. Judging by Inuyasha's and her daughter's reactions she had a fair idea of what it was.

"Higarashi-sama if they were old enough to do….aaaah… what they did before then they are old enough to learn to do it right, ne?"

Higarashi-san shook her head and laughed. "Anyway, I'm sure they can figure that out on their own one day; just hopefully not anytime soon. Now what was it that was so important that you just remembered it now?"

"Can you help me please, Higarashi-sama? I promise you it is nothing bad." She came over to him and helped him lift another small bundle from the box. She carefully untied it and when it was open it revealed a handful of watercolors. The one on top was of a beautiful Youkai woman with jet black hair. "That was my Tsuki-chan, she who was my mate. She made the book and these painting."

Looking at it, Higarashi-san smiled. "Was? What happened to her?"

"She died when she just twenty summers…I wish I could have been there at the time. Then maybe…." He closed his eyes; seeing her as he last saw her before he opened them again.

"Gomen nasi Sesshomaru. I don't know what to say…"

"Do not trouble yourself. It was a long time ago. Anyway, in that pile is the one I seek." So Higarashi-san carefully shifted through the pile; showing each one to Sesshomaru before showing the next. Finally they found it and Sesshomaru took it from her. He looked at it a final time before pushing it towards his brother.

"Inuyasha? Do you think you can stop studying the Wegome long enough to take a look at it?"

"Hunh? Speak louder I can't hear you! Why are you whispering at me all of a sudden?" he glanced at the watercolor Sesshomaru held out to him. "What's this? Ofukuro…." He whispered with awe. "Why do you have a picture of her? This where you…." He cut himself off as he remembered how his older brother tricked him to believing he had resurrected his mother. "You son of a bitch! You kept this all that time and used it against me! How could you?!" He took the small piece of paper and crumpled it before throwing it at his brother.

"Inuyasha! I don't know what happened and right now I really don't care either, but you two are going to have to learn to control yourselves here! I fail to see how this beautiful watercolor that you've all but destroyed has upset you this way. Now when you've calmed your self down I want to know who she is." Higarashi-sama said as she smoothed out the painting, while her daughter smoothed out her koibito's hurt feelings.

"It's a watercolor of his…"

"Gomen Sesshomaru, but I didn't ask you. Now are you ready to tell me, Inuyasha?" she asked in her most motherly voice.

Swallowing his anger Inuyasha told her. "It's my ofukuro. I have no idea why that bas… I mean why my charming brother would keep it from me for so long. He never really cared for her, so I don't see why he never gave it to me sooner. And don't give me that shi…I mean crap about having forgot about it either! You are just sooo lucky I'm like this now, Sesshomaru, you bastard! How could you use this against me like that…..?"

All eyes turned to Sesshomaru as they waited for his reply. "I did what I did because I couldn't help myself, for much the same reason you were climbing the walls here earlier. You had something I needed and…"

"That doesn't give you the right to rip apart my eyeball! Granted I wouldn't have given the Tetsusaiga to you had I known it was there anyway, but that still doesn't excuse what you did to me!"

"Look Oto-chan I spent half a lifetime running around looking for a dead woman and a sword to avenge her killers! Something I would think you are somewhat familiar with? It was …I don't know…a kind of madness? I do regret it to some extent…and that's all I'll say on the matter. What's done is done and cannot be undone…now if you can behave yourself I want you to look at this." He placed the watercolor of Tsukikage next to the one of Inuyasha's mother. "Look, this is why you were so mixed up before. I never noticed it when they were alive, but they do resemble each other. See, that is why you thought….I… never mind. But I want you to know had she lived things could have different….between us. She loved you as much as your ofukuro loved you if not more so. Look, she took very good care of you… where as I failed miserably in that regard…." He trailed off softly. "You'd swear you were her pup the way she would go on about you…"

"Nani? Why can't up speak up today? You know what I don't care what you say. For all I know you could be lying through your teeth again and I'm tired of it! Keep the damn painting; you've already had it this long, it may as well be yours! Come Kagome! I want to get out of here!" Inuyasha stormed off with Kagome running quickly after him.