InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Tamer ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

InuTaisho couldn't get to his son and it scared him. The medical complex had been warded off by many of the wolf youkai guards of the colony.

There had been an explosion. He knew that much. But where, none were able to say. Given that he wasn't able to get to the medical complex, InuTaisho knew that it had to be bad. The only time the complex was closed off was when there were casualties. Then there was the fact that the power was now out through the entire colony.

'I just hope they didn't have Inuyasha hooked up to the machinery,' InuTaisho fretted. He knew what happened to those that had been hooked up to the vocal repair devices when the power had been cut or when an attack occurred, and he didn't want to think that his son would be like them.

“Father . . .”

At the sound of his name, InuTaisho turned around to face his oldest son. Despite the expressionless mask Sesshomaru always wore, he could tell that his oldest was just as worried as he was. He saw it in Sesshomaru's eyes.

“Yes, Sesshomaru?”

“What's happened? Where's Inuyasha?”

“I don't know,” he replied, answering both questions at once. “I haven't seen TsukuYouMaru since before they began to prep Inuyasha for the procedure.”

“We're vulnerable to attack . . .”

“I know,” InuTaisho murmured. “Believe me, I know. Do what you need to do, Sesshomaru.”

“Father?” The younger youkai tilted his head, curiosity filling his eyes. InuTaisho smiled. Despite what Sesshomaru liked to believe, InuTaisho had paid attention to him when he had lived with him. He knew that his oldest was becoming restless. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have mentioned their being vulnerable.

“Do what you need to do,” he repeated. “I know you. You won't be satisfied until you know everything's going to be all right. Go. I'll be here.”

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn't been expecting that from his father. Then it was gone. The expressionless mask was back in place.

“Are you sure, Father? I can always stay here . . .”

“And be miserable when you want to take some form of action,” InuTaisho pointed out. “Go. I'll be fine. I'm not leaving here until I can see Inuyasha.”

For a moment, Sesshomaru hesitated. Then he nodded his head and slowly turned away. As he did so, the worry that InuTaisho had started to feel began to increase. Now he had both sons to worry about.

“Take care, my son,” he murmured. “I don't know what I'd do if I lost you again.”

He turned away to face the direction of the medical complex, contenting himself to wait for news.

* * *

Sesshomaru heard his father's words as he quickly departed and felt another pang of guilt as he walked away. He really hadn't wanted to leave his father alone, to wait for news on his younger half-sibling, but he also hadn't wanted to wait. Not when it was possible with an imminent attack. The explosion, and its proximity to the medical complex, had him completely rattled and unhinged. He needed to move, to make sure everything was going to be all right. Somehow . . . his father had understood that and had given him permission to go put his mind at ease. For that, Sesshomaru was extremely grateful.

'Still, something about this doesn't feel right,' he frowned as he loped into a run. 'Not right at all. It wreaks of sabotage and treachery.'

The moment he thought of treachery, an image of a young hanyou girl came to his mind. A young hanyou girl with lavender eyes and pearly white hair. He knew her name, had known her father for years. Shiori . . . TsukuYouMaru's daughter. It struck Sesshomaru as odd that, for years, TsukuYouMaru never spoke of his daughter, never had any pictures of her in his home or his office at the medical complex. Any youkai who had any family or offspring proudly displayed pictures of those individuals. Hell, his own father had pictures, not just of him and his brother everywhere, but pictures of his grandfather, his uncles and aunts, his cousins, his mother, and Inuyasha's mother. Youkai were extremely proud of their families and would do anything for them.

'So how did Shiori come to be?' he wondered. 'Where has she been for all these years? Is she even TsukuYouMaru's daughter?'

Sesshomaru could barely contain the growl that threatened to erupt from him at that thought. There were no doubts that the girl was hanyou, and bat hanyou at that. However, that didn't necessarily make her TsukuYouMaru's daughter.

'I think it's time I learned about this . . . Shiori,' he thought to himself, reaching his destination, the colony's military command center. He'd have his answers, and he'd have them soon.

* * *

He floated on a haze of pain. His throat burned, he could barely open his eyes . . . and every limb felt heavy, as if they'd become made of lead instead of flesh and bone. He felt weary, like he could sleep for a thousand years or more. Why he felt that exhausted, he didn't know. He just did.

“Inuyasha . . .”

“Father?” he croaked out, lifting an arm out to reach for the male inu. A vision of his father's worried face came to him, even though his mind was hazy and pained. “Where . . .”

“Come back to me, Inuyasha, please . . . I need you here. Please come back . . .”

The vision began to fade and it scared Inuyasha. He didn't want to be alone. Despite his protesting body, his eyes opened and he ran after the fading imaged . . .