InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten ❯ A Brother's Duty ( Chapter 50 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Black Wren 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 6 | Words: 10.6K | Visits: 137 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 6 | Words: 10.6K | Visits: 137 | Status: Work In Progress
The inuyokai return victorious but also weary and injured. Aid for Sesshomaru is&nbs p;
slow as he needs time to recover his energy. However, what angers him th e most is
his brother’s wi llingness to harm himself.
145 yea rs before the search for the jewel shard s.
Chapter 39: A Brotherâ ;€™s Duty
Yes, I was ;in pain. Yes, I was tired of not& nbsp;being able to move properly. However,&n bsp;
Inuyasha should have been more careful&nb sp;and not hurt himself just because I w as
uncomfortable. At least he exposed&n bsp;his poor judgment then while I could ;still
correct him and not later when&nb sp;it would have cost him his life. &nbs p;Not that it made any
difference today& acirc;€¦
-Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru growled as he lay prone ;on the floor of the temple. Several&nb sp;pillows
were positioned around his head&nb sp;and under his chin to allow him to&nb sp;lay comfortably
while face down. Nao mi and Kaiyoshinju each placed a firm ha nd on his shoulder
to prevent him f rom moving. Saben and another young dem on pinned
Sesshomaru’s legs. &n bsp;Kakiboufuu was in his priest outfit with& nbsp;the sleeves tied back to
expose his arms. He had slit Sesshomaruâ€&t rade;s back from skull to tailbone, exposing& nbsp;the
vertebrae and the iron that bou nd it.
It was more than a&nbs p;week after the battle at Castle Arai. Kaiyoshinju had returned
two days after they did, her sanity restored. No ;one asked what she had done
during ;that time and she didn’t speak of it. Waiting for Sesshomaru to recover
enough of his strength to endure the operation was agony for all especia lly
Sesshomaru who had to spend the entire time either on his side or in his current
position. Being helped&n bsp;up only when he had to eat or d rink.
Sesshomaru sweated and panted&nbs p;as his brother ran his razor sharp cla w down his
back and pulled the fles h away from the bone. The two drag ons held the flesh back
as Kakiboufuu&nb sp;danced his left claws along the metal ;trying to tickle it loose with
just&nbs p;enough heat to make it expand but not& nbsp;enough to burn the bone. It was&nb sp;an
extremely slow process and not for the first time, Kakiboufuu wondered if he could
have compromised just long enou gh at Castle Arai so that Sesshomaru cou ld have
gotten the medical attention he& nbsp;needed. A kanetenko could have removed& nbsp;the iron
in just five minutes witho ut waiting for Sesshomaru’s recovery .
Night fell outside and he w asn’t even halfway done. Xeno& nbsp;and Yukibi arrived with
several lanterns and placed them around the room to ;help keep the area lit as the
sun& nbsp;went down. Others brought in fresh ;water and Himawari wiped sweat from
Kak iboufuu’s forehead so it wouldn&acir c;€™t run into his eyes and blur&n bsp;his vision.
Kaiyoshinju ran water&n bsp;around the vertebrae he finished with and Naomi closed the
skin over it, add ing a touch of healing magic to seal&nbs p;it. Sesshomaru did little more
than&n bsp;growl and pant through it all, despite&nb sp;the surges of youki that suggested the&nbs p;
pain was calling to his demon instinct s. The passing time began to show on
Kakiboufuu as his breathing became sh ort and his face paled in the firelight.
Deep into the night, the fir st slip due to fatigue came as he r eached the small of
Sesshomaru’ s back. The iron beneath his claw tip suddenly glowed white hot and
deform ed. Sesshomaru yelled and Kakiboufuu withdre w his hand babbling
apologies even as&nb sp;he stuck the fingers into his mouth. He brought his right hand
over the bright spot and soon it disappeared, re turning to the normal blue-black
color.
Kaiyoshinju twisted around, removing&nb sp;her hand from Sesshomaru’s should er. “Let
me see your ;hand, Puppy,†she said. He glar ed but refused to remove his fingers
from his mouth. Kaiyoshinju growled and&nb sp;took hold of his wrist. It was slick with
sweat and she almost lost&nbs p;her grip. However, when she pulled he didn’t resist
further.
&n bsp;
Ignoring the saliva, that she noted was drying at an alarming rate, she exam ined
the tips of his fingers. The& nbsp;claws were deformed as if they had partially melted.
The flesh surrounding ;the nails was black and the skin furthe r away was blistering.
Kaiyoshinju frow ned not comprehending why he would be bu rned so badly from the
short slip.
Naomi hissed at the sight and ;leaned over Sesshomaru, first removing her h and
from his back to keep from putt ing unnecessary weight on him. She took her
uncle’s hand and stud ied it closer. “How did y ou burn yourself?†she asked and
began applying her healing magic to then wounds. However, they were slow to&nbs p;
respond.
A series of popping&nbs p;sounds came from beneath them as Sesshomaru rose to his
elbows then turned his head to look over his shoulders. The first such movement
since his captur e several days earlier. “If&nb sp;you’re too tired to keep fro m burning
yourself, then stop,†h e said. “A few hours more won’t matter and they won&acir c;€™t be as
unbearable as the ;last two weeks have been.â€
;
“We’re almost done,&a circ;€ said Kakiboufuu. “Just& nbsp;a little more.â€
â&eur o;œOtouto,†growled Sesshomaru in war ning. He thought he heard the notes&nbs p;of
madness creeping into his brotherâ €™s voice. As he looked at t he hanyou, he noticed
Kakiboufuuâ€&trad e;s golden eyes were unfocused, the pupils&nb sp;dilated to the fullest,
swallowing th e golden irises until they were a mere&n bsp;outline between the black and
white. ;
“Oi, Puppy!†said Kaiyoshinju, becoming equally concerned. Sh e rubbed his back
and said, â&euro ;œBreak time. Lie down for a coup le hours, drink some tea, walk around in
the fresh air.â€
&acir c;€œI didn’t send her,â& euro; he muttered no longer hearing them.&nbs p; “I didn’t send ;her so why
was it necessary for he r to be there? I didn’t&n bsp;send her so why did I say we we ren’t
going?†Kaiyoshin ju stared in uncomprehending confusion.
;
Sesshomaru grimaced and laid back down. ; He reached back and tapped Naomi on&nb sp;
the leg, breaking her concentration on&nbs p;her spell. “Stop, Naomi,â&e uro; he said.
“Why?â ;€
“Kaiyo,†c ontinued Sesshomaru, ignoring his daughter†™s question and startling
Kaiyoshinju b y using the more familiar name. He ;raised his hand and mimicked a
neck&nbs p;blow as he said, “Hit him.&ac irc;€
“Alright,â€&n bsp;she said. She put one hand in from of the hanyou then struck the back& nbsp;of
his neck with the other with&nbs p;just enough force to knock him unconscious& nbsp;but not to
snap his neck. His eyes closed and he toppled into her&nbs p;arm. She pulled him back
and lai d Kakiboufuu down on the floor beside he r. Saben and the other demon
remov ed themselves from Sesshomaru’s legs .
“I guess I better& nbsp;close you up,†said Naomi.
& nbsp;
“I wait a moment, everyone ,†said Xeno from behind his mask . After returning from
battle, he had quickly replaced his lost mask and c ape. His scimitars were another
st ory. If the planned return to Castle&nb sp;Arai didn’t turn up the lost swords, he would
have to learn to& nbsp;wield another pair. Something the old&n bsp;demon was not looking
forward to. &n bsp;He entered the room with his phoenix ;on his shoulder. Once he and his
wife had left the lanterns, they had&nbs p;departed, now he reentered alone.
“What is it, Xeno?†as ked Sesshomaru.
“S cheherazade says she can trim the remaining&n bsp;iron so that it won’t inter fere
further with your movements. That& nbsp;way you won’t have to be&n bsp;reopened again later,â€
replied Xen o. “However, it wonâ€&tr ade;t be pleasant. Even a phoenix doesn ’t have your
brotherâ€&tr ade;s control.â€
“T hat’s acceptable,†said Sessh omaru. “I don’t want him to lose his remaining
hand.&aci rc;€
“He won†™t lose his hand,†said Naomi.&n bsp; “I can heal the injuries.& acirc;€
“Not this ti me,†said Sesshomaru. “ When a hitenko burns themselves with their&nb sp;
own power their body fails to realize it’s burned. Thatâ€&tra de;s why he wasn’t responding < br> to your spell. We will need to ;remove his claws and the dead flesh if& nbsp;he is to
recover. If he is&nb sp;allowed to continue removing the iron with out fully recovering the
bone will be&nb sp;burned and then it will be impossible ;to save his fingers.â€
Naom i gasped. “Why would he r isk himself like that? He only has ;one good hand to
start with. And& nbsp;why didn’t you say anything&nbs p;sooner?â€
“I didn ’t know what he was doing until just now,†replied Sesshomaru as the men
pinned his legs down again . Kaiyoshinju gripped one shoulder and Naomi hastily
followed. “As&nb sp;to why, is between me and him.â&euro ;
Xeno knelt beside Sesshomaru&nbs p;and held Scheherazade out to him. The firebird
lowered her beak to the e xposed bone and began nipping at the iro n. Sesshomaru
gasped, he hadnâ€&t rade;t been prepared for the shock. Eve ry muscle tensed and he buried
his face into the pillows to keep from screa ming. It was worse than he thought ;and
it took every ounce of willpower&nb sp;to keep from ordering Xeno to stop. & nbsp;The phoenix
worked quickly to remove&nbs p;the unwanted bits of iron, tossing them&nbs p;aside as it came
loose.
An& nbsp;hour passed then it was over and Na omi was able to close the opening and&nb sp;heal
the incision. Sesshomaru cursed ;then turned over to a symphony of crack s and pops
as his spine resettled. Himawari slid over and kissed Sesshomaru&nbs p;on his forehead.
Sesshomaru raised hi s hand and ran it through her golden&nbs p;locks. She had
smothered him with&nbs p;her attention and tenderness since his retu rn.
At first, miserable, we ak and in pain, he had wanted to pu sh her away. One look
from Kaiyosh inju, who had appointed herself as in ro om protector to him, and his
tongue ;had stilled. So he had accepted all&nb sp;the care, caresses, chaste kisses and even
kitten licks she had given him wit hout a word, though he felt uncomfortable&nbs p;in
receiving them.
His wife-to-b e spread a blanket over his naked torso& nbsp;when he withdrew his hand.
His&nbs p;sideways glance revealed his brother had be en similarly tended. She had
brought&nb sp;in a futon for him and then moved&nbs p;him onto it. The sight of bandages,&n bsp;a
bowl of water and bloody rags ;and knife told him that Himawari had al ready seen
to the task he had state d his brother needed for his hand to&nbs p;heal. She really was a
good woma n, his daughter had chosen well for him. Even if the idea of marriage
still made him balk.
Feeling a&nb sp;tad foolish but believing she needed and&n bsp;deserved it, he pulled his hand
from the blanket, place it behind her head,& nbsp;pulled her down to him as he leaned up
and kiss her forehead. Hi mawari blushed and looked away, suddenly over taken by
girlish shyness. He glanced&nb sp;around and noticed Naomi smiling with the& nbsp;radiance of
the sun. Kaiyoshinju s mirked and the men had all found somethi ng else of interest
in the room.
*****
The next day, Sessh omaru woke to his brother’s sco wling face. “If you are g oing to
scowl go do it in the mirror,†said Sesshomaru, irritated. “I personally have a
hundred&nb sp;things that come to mind of what I&nb sp;want to open my eyes to in the m orning
and none of them involve seeing&n bsp;you.â€
Kakiboufuu held up&nbs p;his left hand and glared. Sesshomaru stared at the bandaged
fingers then glan ced passed them to the hanyou. â& euro;œIs there a problem with
Himawari& acirc;€™s work?†he asked.
The hanyou snorted then pulled back&nbs p;allowing the older demon to sit up. &n bsp;“Having
to be knocked out&n bsp;because I was beginning to hallucinate wi th exhaustion is one
thing,†said Kakiboufuu. “But you went&nbs p;and made it impossible for me to finis h
removing the rest of the iron for another couple of weeks.â€
“Don’t worry about&nbs p;it,†said Sesshomaru. â€&oeli g;Xeno’s phoenix pulled the rest&nbs p;of it out.â€
â€&oeli g;I was wondering how you were sleeping on your back,†muttered the hanyou,&nb sp;still
vexed. “Still, I ;doubt it was pleasant.â€
&a circ;€œIt wasn’t but itâ €™s now over and you donâ€&t rade;t have to risk losing your finger.â ;€
“Feh!â&eu ro; said Kakiboufuu, dismissively. He didn&a circ;€™t see his brother’s&nbs p;hand until after it
had slammed into&n bsp;the side of his head. â€&oeli g;Oi! What was that for?†he&nbs p;shouted,
bringing his face nose to&nbs p;nose with Sesshomaru. The older demon&acir c;€™s face remained
passive and em otionless even as he reached up and twis ted the hanyou’s ear.
Kakiboufuu yelped and didn’t resis t Sesshomaru’s pull as he broug ht him forward
and down. Sesshomaru&nbs p;moved into a crouch and driving his yo unger brother to the
ground until his&nb sp;face was against the floor. Kakiboufuu&nb sp;glared through tear-filled
eyes and he&nbs p;gritted his teeth against the searing pain. Sesshomaru’s face remained emotionless as he kept the pressure on&nbs p;his brother’s ear.
He&n bsp;reached over with his free hand, gripped& nbsp;Kakiboufuu’s injured one and pu lled it
before the hanyou’s&nbs p;gaze. “You may be head of the family, you may be the Taisho&nbs p;
but I am still your older brother,&aci rc;€ said Sesshomaru is a low voice.&nbs p; “There is no
question t hat I failed you as your older brother&n bsp;for decades. I should have been abl e
to hold the position of Taisho. & nbsp;I should have been able to hold the position as head
of family. That& nbsp;doesn’t mean I am excused from my duties as your older brother.
“You are doing a maste rful job as Taisho, there is no denying& nbsp;that, but it seems we
both are ;forgetting how young you really are. S ometimes that youth and
inexperience impairs& nbsp;your judgment, you make mistakes that so meone older would
know not to make. ; You only have one good hand, you should not be sacrificing it
unnecessarily!&a circ;€
“I made the&n bsp;decision,†hissed Kakiboufuu. â& euro;œI made the decision not to wait&n bsp;for the
Shiro Tenko for personal rea sons. A kanetenko-†Sesshomaru released his
brother’s wrist an d slammed the fist into the hanyouâ&eur o;™s back. Kakiboufuu gasped
and cried out. “Why did youâ €¦?â€
“You&n bsp;don’t think I don’ t understand and accept your decision?â&euro ; asked Sesshomaru,
his voice still low& nbsp;and even. He brought his fist down again and Kakiboufuu loosed
a whine&nbs p;before it turned into a growl. â ;€œYou warned us. You warned us&n bsp;the day you
became Taisho that if we forced you take that post we wouldn’t be able to rejoin the& nbsp;
Shiro Tenko. We understood and acc epted that consequence. Even if the oth ers
forgot when they ached and were ;tired, I didn’t.
â €œA Taisho has responsibilities to more than just his family. He has them to his
whole clan. You did w ell to remember that this past crisis. & nbsp;You hesitated to act
until you had& nbsp;secured back-up for the siege, but it&nb sp;seems you only remember it when
the&n bsp;risks are toward the clan. You fail to understand that it includes you as&n bsp;well.
You have a duty to the&n bsp;clan to protect yourself as well. I f anything happens to you,
the clan ;will lose its head and become easy prey for enemies.
“There ;is no clear line of succession outside the Reihane family. The Ginhaneâ€&trad e;s
were the only other family with ;the status and power that separated them&nbs p;from the
others. With them gone all the remaining families are too close ;in abilities to
determine a clear succe ssion should the Reihane line disappear. &nbs p;Even if you named
a successor, they&nb sp;would not be able to control the othe r families. In the demon
world, po wer is everything. Without that obvious,&nbs p;undeniable strength that
guarantees victory ;no matter the challenger, no one will f ollow for long before
coveting the thron e for themselves.
“You&nb sp;must never think you are expendable. ;You are what holds this clan together.
You are their leader and their pro tector, their law and order. Last night it was a
hand you risked and with the way you fight possibly a minor& nbsp;loss. However, I
cannot allow even that to go unchallenged. Next time&nbs p;you might risk your life
unnecessarily ;and I might not be there to stop y ou. Minor or major, you will not < br> sacrifice yourself like that again. Unde rstand?â€
Kakiboufuu said nothing but his gaze remained defiant. Sesshom aru gripped the
collar of his brother&ac irc;€™s kimono and yanked downward, exp osing the hanyou’s back.
He placed his claws against the skin and said, “If I have to I&nbs p;will carve my words
into your fle sh so their burn may remind you of what I said. I don’t want you
forgetting your responsibilities again.& acirc;€
“I understand,&ac irc;€ hissed Kakiboufuu without taking his&nb sp;eyes off Sesshomaru.
“ I’m not convinced,†said ;Sesshomaru, and pressed his claw into the&nb sp;skin, drawing a
bead of blood.
& nbsp;
“I understand!†gasped&n bsp;the hanyou, sounding more frantic. Alarm in his eyes.
“Under stand what?†asked Sesshomaru watching ;his brother’s eyes.
&aci rc;€œI understand that my responsibilities&n bsp;include not just bringing unnecessary risk&nbs p;to
the clan but to myself as well . Bringing risk to myself brings risk&n bsp;to the clan
because they need me&nbs p;to maintain order and cohesion. That if I were lost the clan
would dispe rse or destroy itself,†said Kakiboufu u quickly as squirmed beneath his
brothe r’s iron grip on his ear.
“Good,†said Sessh omaru and he withdrew both hands. Kakib oufuu didn’t rise right
away,&n bsp;instead choosing to rub his offended ear. The older demon leaned forward
an d hissed, “Pull this crap again and the hide is coming off your ba ck in strips.â€
Kakiboufuu cringe d, hearing the sincerity in his brotherâ ;€™s voice.
Outside the room , rudely eavesdropping, stood Lady Kou. ;The elder nodded her
head in silent&nbs p;approval, though no one was there to s ee her. She had been
preparing to& nbsp;give the young Taisho an earful herself& nbsp;on the subject. She was glad to&nb sp;
see Sesshomaru stepping up as his old er brother.
Sesshomaru’s actions were neither treasonous nor inapprop riate. This was what
many would ca ll an in-house squabble. Elders in a&nb sp;family were not heads but did
ha ve position and rights within their families& nbsp;that allowed them to chide and even ;
discipline a head depending on the offe nse. It was strange to see the old er
Sesshomaru scolding the Taisho but th is was the second Taisho for the clan&nb sp;and he
was still very young. As long as Sesshomaru didn’t try& nbsp;to control the clan through
the Tai sho she didn’t see a problem&nb sp;with this. Young leaders needed guidance, a
young Taisho was no different. < br>
She walked away without either one& nbsp;becoming aware of her presence. She&nbs p;thought
she heard the conversation start&nb sp;up again but didn’t care to& nbsp;listen further. She had
heard what she needed and she would not intrude&nb sp;upon their privacy further.
Within&n bsp;the room, Kakiboufuu sat and straightened ;his white kimono. “Of all&nbs p;the
lousy…†he mutter ed. He put a hand to the swollen&n bsp;ear and yelled, “You know I
actually use these with my jutsu, Aniue!â€
Sesshomaru was standing& nbsp;a few feet away as he dressed. &nbs p;He had gotten the inner
white kimono&n bsp;on and was pulling on the outer patt erned one. He hadn’t put on his
hakama and stood there barefoot&n bsp;in his robes. A sudden move and&nbs p;he was sitting
next to Kakiboufuu with his the claw of his left pointing finger touching the tip of
his brother&a circ;€™s unharmed ear. He sat wit h both legs bent, however, one lay flat& nbsp;on the
ground while the other was&n bsp;raised. The kimono fell away from t he raised knee,
exposing naked pale fles h.
“I could equalize ;them if you want,†said Sesshomaru.&n bsp;
Kakiboufuu had a very surprising&nb sp;reaction. Jerking back, he cried, â €œGet away!
Don’t d o that when you aren’t fully&nb sp;clothed!â€
Sesshomaru lost his passive face as he blinked in confusion . “Whatever is wrong?â€& nbsp;
Kakiboufuu scooted out of rea ch, panting. “There are many&n bsp;weird people with
strange ideas that ;I do not wish to encourage in any way,†he replied.
Sesshomaru&nbs p;stared for a moment then snorted and s tood up. The Prophet’s Eye&nbs p;
strikes again, he thought. Though, it sounds a bit random and doesnâ€&t rade;t seem to have
any bearing on the future. What did he see in tha t instant? Sesshomaru pondered
the word s a few moments but pulled back before&n bsp;he came up with anything
conclusive. ; Perhaps ignorance is bliss, after all. ;
“I’m sorry,&aci rc;€ said Kakiboufuu, after regaining his&nbs p;composure.
“About what ?†asked Sesshomaru as he tied hi s hakama. I’m never going ;to get
used to his random comments.&nbs p;
“Naomi,†he repl ied. Sesshomaru paused and regarded his ;brother. Kakiboufuu
was curled up on&n bsp;the floor with his chin and arms res ting on his knees. He wasnâ€&trad e;t
looking at Sesshomaru. â€&oel ig;I know what I said to her. I&nb sp;know I told her not to go. Yet& nbsp;
it ended up being so necessary. &nb sp;Why did I think she obey that? Why did I not at
least pull her&nbs p;aside and tell her what I was doing?&n bsp; I feel like even though I told ;her
not to go I actually pushed he r into going by herself, just so she&nbs p;would already be
inside when we attack ed. That the whole battle was just ;a decoy operation so that
she could&nbs p;free you.
“This Prophet ’s Eye, I hate it. It&nbs p;influences my words and my actions without& nbsp;me
understanding why. It doesnâ&e uro;™t allow me to make the decisions&n bsp;by showing me the
possible outcomes. ; It just controls me and when it g overns my actions I find I have
the least awareness. It isn’t&nbs p;until afterwards when I stop and think ;about it that I
realize what happened.& nbsp; I actually put Naomi in danger and I didn’t even realize it.&acir c;€
Sesshomaru sighed; his br other was weakening again. He walked ov er and placed
his hand on the hanyo u’s head. “Maybe ;you should trust it like your instincts.&nbs p;
Everything turned out well in the&nbs p;end,†he said.
â€&o elig;You heard about what happened with the&n bsp;Jewels of Life?†he asked. S esshomaru
nodded though his brother couldn&ac irc;€™t see him. “Where& nbsp;was the warning there?â€
“Maybe because it foresaw the ;outcome and so no action of avoidance w as
necessary,†suggested Sesshomaru. < br>
“But who is deciding this? It isn’t me! Someo ne else is using me to write history.&nb sp;
I’m not even being tru sted with the decision. I donâ€&t rade;t know what will happen I just
say or do things at random and it happens to work out, but what if the&nbs p;end of the
journey isn’t ;what any of us actually wanted?†;
Sesshomaru thought of his motherâ ;€™s words from that rainy night a fter the
Ascension Ceremony.
&acir c;€œHe is being forced to walk a&n bsp;lonely road, one that is filled with ;jagged rocks,
barefoot. His suffering has just begun and I shudder at what&aci rc;€™s yet to come.â€
I’m beginning to see it no w, what she was talking about. What&nbs p;else lies ahead for
us if this is only the start? Sesshomaru wondered. < br> ________________________________
Author Chat:
Yes, I did! I couldnâ €™t resist letting that damned Prophet& acirc;€™s Eye give Kakiboufuu a
pe ek into the mad world of fandom. A nd it serves as a reminder that there&nb sp;is no
incest in this story. The y are brothers and they will behave as&n bsp;such. They will be
nice one&nb sp;day and they will beat each other up& nbsp;the next. They will not make out&n bsp;with
each other, ever.
Beyond& nbsp;that, I was glad to give Sesshomaru ;some dominate male time. He kept
getting pushed around and put down so mu ch in this story, it was long past time for
him to remind everyone that&nbs p;he is a powerful yokai that make thous ands tremble in
fear. Oh I forgot, that happens outside Tenji and never wi thin. Well, he still
needed some d ominance time.
______________________
< b>Chapter 40: Do Not Interfere Further
A temporary halt&n bsp;to the fighting gives all sides a ch ance to rest and recover. During
t his time, Kakiboufuu makes plans to visit&nbs p;the mainland in order to discover the
reason behind the unexpected appearance of&nb sp;foreign weapons on the battlefield.
____________________________________________________________________&n bsp;
Translations:
Tsuchi: earth
Hi: fire
Mizu: water
Ki: wood
Kane: me tal
Kaze: wind
Himizu: as discordant&nbs p;as fire and water
Hikaze: fire wind&nb sp;
Tenki: weather
Enzeru: angel
Hanyou:& nbsp;half-demon
Obi: the sash that is&nb sp;wrapped around a woman’s waist&nb sp;to hold her kimono closed.
Matte: wai t!
Shoji: sliding door.
Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of th e buildings.
Temee: you, derogatory term,&nbs p;very insulting.
Kisama: you, derogatory ter m, more vulgar than temee
Ano: uh < br> Hai: Yes
Aniyome: elder brotherâ€&t rade;s wife; sister-in-law
Hime: Princess
Waka: Young lord, used for the son of& nbsp;a noble.
Otouto: Little brother.
On ii-(__): Big brother, general. Honorific add ed on to end, determining level of
respect of love. (Can also be used ;when addressing a young man.)
Aniue: Bi g brother, formal.
Imouto: Little sister.&nbs p;
Onee-(__): Big sister, general. Honorific& nbsp;added on to end, determining level of&nb sp;
respect of love. (Can also be u sed when addressing a young woman.)
Aneu e: Big sister, formal.
Ojii-(__): Grandfather , general. Honorific added on to end,&n bsp;determining level of
respect of love.&nbs p; (Can also be used when addressing an& nbsp;elderly man.)
Obaa-(__): Grandmother, general . Honorific added on to end, determinin g level of
respect of love. (Can&n bsp;also be used when addressing an elderly&n bsp;woman.)
Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honori fic added on to end, determining level o f respect of
love. (Can also be&nb sp;used when addressing a middle-aged man.) < br> Oba-(__): Aunt, general. Honorific added ;on to end, determining level of respect ;of
love. (Can also be used when&n bsp;addressing a middle-aged woman.)
Mina wa& nbsp;ookii aho desu: Everyone’s&nbs p;a big idiot.
Sumimasen: Excuse me.
Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.
Otou-(__ ): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect
or& nbsp;love.
Chichiue: Father, formal.
Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.
Okaa-(__): Mothe r, general. Honorific added on to end,& nbsp;determining level of respect
or love.&nb sp;
Hahaue: Mother, formal
Otaa-sama: Mother,& nbsp;said by children of court nobles to ;their mothers.
XX-(blank): Intimate or rude& nbsp;address depending on usage.
XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly
XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly
XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)
XX-sama : formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show& nbsp;
great respect. (Lord or Lady)
XX-do no: more formal honorific, more respectful th an XX-sama. Derived from tono
= lo rd.
slow as he needs time to recover his energy. However, what angers him th e most is
his brother’s wi llingness to harm himself.
145 yea rs before the search for the jewel shard s.
Chapter 39: A Brotherâ ;€™s Duty
Yes, I was ;in pain. Yes, I was tired of not& nbsp;being able to move properly. However,&n bsp;
Inuyasha should have been more careful&nb sp;and not hurt himself just because I w as
uncomfortable. At least he exposed&n bsp;his poor judgment then while I could ;still
correct him and not later when&nb sp;it would have cost him his life. &nbs p;Not that it made any
difference today& acirc;€¦
-Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru growled as he lay prone ;on the floor of the temple. Several&nb sp;pillows
were positioned around his head&nb sp;and under his chin to allow him to&nb sp;lay comfortably
while face down. Nao mi and Kaiyoshinju each placed a firm ha nd on his shoulder
to prevent him f rom moving. Saben and another young dem on pinned
Sesshomaru’s legs. &n bsp;Kakiboufuu was in his priest outfit with& nbsp;the sleeves tied back to
expose his arms. He had slit Sesshomaruâ€&t rade;s back from skull to tailbone, exposing& nbsp;the
vertebrae and the iron that bou nd it.
It was more than a&nbs p;week after the battle at Castle Arai. Kaiyoshinju had returned
two days after they did, her sanity restored. No ;one asked what she had done
during ;that time and she didn’t speak of it. Waiting for Sesshomaru to recover
enough of his strength to endure the operation was agony for all especia lly
Sesshomaru who had to spend the entire time either on his side or in his current
position. Being helped&n bsp;up only when he had to eat or d rink.
Sesshomaru sweated and panted&nbs p;as his brother ran his razor sharp cla w down his
back and pulled the fles h away from the bone. The two drag ons held the flesh back
as Kakiboufuu&nb sp;danced his left claws along the metal ;trying to tickle it loose with
just&nbs p;enough heat to make it expand but not& nbsp;enough to burn the bone. It was&nb sp;an
extremely slow process and not for the first time, Kakiboufuu wondered if he could
have compromised just long enou gh at Castle Arai so that Sesshomaru cou ld have
gotten the medical attention he& nbsp;needed. A kanetenko could have removed& nbsp;the iron
in just five minutes witho ut waiting for Sesshomaru’s recovery .
Night fell outside and he w asn’t even halfway done. Xeno& nbsp;and Yukibi arrived with
several lanterns and placed them around the room to ;help keep the area lit as the
sun& nbsp;went down. Others brought in fresh ;water and Himawari wiped sweat from
Kak iboufuu’s forehead so it wouldn&acir c;€™t run into his eyes and blur&n bsp;his vision.
Kaiyoshinju ran water&n bsp;around the vertebrae he finished with and Naomi closed the
skin over it, add ing a touch of healing magic to seal&nbs p;it. Sesshomaru did little more
than&n bsp;growl and pant through it all, despite&nb sp;the surges of youki that suggested the&nbs p;
pain was calling to his demon instinct s. The passing time began to show on
Kakiboufuu as his breathing became sh ort and his face paled in the firelight.
Deep into the night, the fir st slip due to fatigue came as he r eached the small of
Sesshomaru’ s back. The iron beneath his claw tip suddenly glowed white hot and
deform ed. Sesshomaru yelled and Kakiboufuu withdre w his hand babbling
apologies even as&nb sp;he stuck the fingers into his mouth. He brought his right hand
over the bright spot and soon it disappeared, re turning to the normal blue-black
color.
Kaiyoshinju twisted around, removing&nb sp;her hand from Sesshomaru’s should er. “Let
me see your ;hand, Puppy,†she said. He glar ed but refused to remove his fingers
from his mouth. Kaiyoshinju growled and&nb sp;took hold of his wrist. It was slick with
sweat and she almost lost&nbs p;her grip. However, when she pulled he didn’t resist
further.
&n bsp;
Ignoring the saliva, that she noted was drying at an alarming rate, she exam ined
the tips of his fingers. The& nbsp;claws were deformed as if they had partially melted.
The flesh surrounding ;the nails was black and the skin furthe r away was blistering.
Kaiyoshinju frow ned not comprehending why he would be bu rned so badly from the
short slip.
Naomi hissed at the sight and ;leaned over Sesshomaru, first removing her h and
from his back to keep from putt ing unnecessary weight on him. She took her
uncle’s hand and stud ied it closer. “How did y ou burn yourself?†she asked and
began applying her healing magic to then wounds. However, they were slow to&nbs p;
respond.
A series of popping&nbs p;sounds came from beneath them as Sesshomaru rose to his
elbows then turned his head to look over his shoulders. The first such movement
since his captur e several days earlier. “If&nb sp;you’re too tired to keep fro m burning
yourself, then stop,†h e said. “A few hours more won’t matter and they won&acir c;€™t be as
unbearable as the ;last two weeks have been.â€
;
“We’re almost done,&a circ;€ said Kakiboufuu. “Just& nbsp;a little more.â€
â&eur o;œOtouto,†growled Sesshomaru in war ning. He thought he heard the notes&nbs p;of
madness creeping into his brotherâ €™s voice. As he looked at t he hanyou, he noticed
Kakiboufuuâ€&trad e;s golden eyes were unfocused, the pupils&nb sp;dilated to the fullest,
swallowing th e golden irises until they were a mere&n bsp;outline between the black and
white. ;
“Oi, Puppy!†said Kaiyoshinju, becoming equally concerned. Sh e rubbed his back
and said, â&euro ;œBreak time. Lie down for a coup le hours, drink some tea, walk around in
the fresh air.â€
&acir c;€œI didn’t send her,â& euro; he muttered no longer hearing them.&nbs p; “I didn’t send ;her so why
was it necessary for he r to be there? I didn’t&n bsp;send her so why did I say we we ren’t
going?†Kaiyoshin ju stared in uncomprehending confusion.
;
Sesshomaru grimaced and laid back down. ; He reached back and tapped Naomi on&nb sp;
the leg, breaking her concentration on&nbs p;her spell. “Stop, Naomi,â&e uro; he said.
“Why?â ;€
“Kaiyo,†c ontinued Sesshomaru, ignoring his daughter†™s question and startling
Kaiyoshinju b y using the more familiar name. He ;raised his hand and mimicked a
neck&nbs p;blow as he said, “Hit him.&ac irc;€
“Alright,â€&n bsp;she said. She put one hand in from of the hanyou then struck the back& nbsp;of
his neck with the other with&nbs p;just enough force to knock him unconscious& nbsp;but not to
snap his neck. His eyes closed and he toppled into her&nbs p;arm. She pulled him back
and lai d Kakiboufuu down on the floor beside he r. Saben and the other demon
remov ed themselves from Sesshomaru’s legs .
“I guess I better& nbsp;close you up,†said Naomi.
& nbsp;
“I wait a moment, everyone ,†said Xeno from behind his mask . After returning from
battle, he had quickly replaced his lost mask and c ape. His scimitars were another
st ory. If the planned return to Castle&nb sp;Arai didn’t turn up the lost swords, he would
have to learn to& nbsp;wield another pair. Something the old&n bsp;demon was not looking
forward to. &n bsp;He entered the room with his phoenix ;on his shoulder. Once he and his
wife had left the lanterns, they had&nbs p;departed, now he reentered alone.
“What is it, Xeno?†as ked Sesshomaru.
“S cheherazade says she can trim the remaining&n bsp;iron so that it won’t inter fere
further with your movements. That& nbsp;way you won’t have to be&n bsp;reopened again later,â€
replied Xen o. “However, it wonâ€&tr ade;t be pleasant. Even a phoenix doesn ’t have your
brotherâ€&tr ade;s control.â€
“T hat’s acceptable,†said Sessh omaru. “I don’t want him to lose his remaining
hand.&aci rc;€
“He won†™t lose his hand,†said Naomi.&n bsp; “I can heal the injuries.& acirc;€
“Not this ti me,†said Sesshomaru. “ When a hitenko burns themselves with their&nb sp;
own power their body fails to realize it’s burned. Thatâ€&tra de;s why he wasn’t responding < br> to your spell. We will need to ;remove his claws and the dead flesh if& nbsp;he is to
recover. If he is&nb sp;allowed to continue removing the iron with out fully recovering the
bone will be&nb sp;burned and then it will be impossible ;to save his fingers.â€
Naom i gasped. “Why would he r isk himself like that? He only has ;one good hand to
start with. And& nbsp;why didn’t you say anything&nbs p;sooner?â€
“I didn ’t know what he was doing until just now,†replied Sesshomaru as the men
pinned his legs down again . Kaiyoshinju gripped one shoulder and Naomi hastily
followed. “As&nb sp;to why, is between me and him.â&euro ;
Xeno knelt beside Sesshomaru&nbs p;and held Scheherazade out to him. The firebird
lowered her beak to the e xposed bone and began nipping at the iro n. Sesshomaru
gasped, he hadnâ€&t rade;t been prepared for the shock. Eve ry muscle tensed and he buried
his face into the pillows to keep from screa ming. It was worse than he thought ;and
it took every ounce of willpower&nb sp;to keep from ordering Xeno to stop. & nbsp;The phoenix
worked quickly to remove&nbs p;the unwanted bits of iron, tossing them&nbs p;aside as it came
loose.
An& nbsp;hour passed then it was over and Na omi was able to close the opening and&nb sp;heal
the incision. Sesshomaru cursed ;then turned over to a symphony of crack s and pops
as his spine resettled. Himawari slid over and kissed Sesshomaru&nbs p;on his forehead.
Sesshomaru raised hi s hand and ran it through her golden&nbs p;locks. She had
smothered him with&nbs p;her attention and tenderness since his retu rn.
At first, miserable, we ak and in pain, he had wanted to pu sh her away. One look
from Kaiyosh inju, who had appointed herself as in ro om protector to him, and his
tongue ;had stilled. So he had accepted all&nb sp;the care, caresses, chaste kisses and even
kitten licks she had given him wit hout a word, though he felt uncomfortable&nbs p;in
receiving them.
His wife-to-b e spread a blanket over his naked torso& nbsp;when he withdrew his hand.
His&nbs p;sideways glance revealed his brother had be en similarly tended. She had
brought&nb sp;in a futon for him and then moved&nbs p;him onto it. The sight of bandages,&n bsp;a
bowl of water and bloody rags ;and knife told him that Himawari had al ready seen
to the task he had state d his brother needed for his hand to&nbs p;heal. She really was a
good woma n, his daughter had chosen well for him. Even if the idea of marriage
still made him balk.
Feeling a&nb sp;tad foolish but believing she needed and&n bsp;deserved it, he pulled his hand
from the blanket, place it behind her head,& nbsp;pulled her down to him as he leaned up
and kiss her forehead. Hi mawari blushed and looked away, suddenly over taken by
girlish shyness. He glanced&nb sp;around and noticed Naomi smiling with the& nbsp;radiance of
the sun. Kaiyoshinju s mirked and the men had all found somethi ng else of interest
in the room.
*****
The next day, Sessh omaru woke to his brother’s sco wling face. “If you are g oing to
scowl go do it in the mirror,†said Sesshomaru, irritated. “I personally have a
hundred&nb sp;things that come to mind of what I&nb sp;want to open my eyes to in the m orning
and none of them involve seeing&n bsp;you.â€
Kakiboufuu held up&nbs p;his left hand and glared. Sesshomaru stared at the bandaged
fingers then glan ced passed them to the hanyou. â& euro;œIs there a problem with
Himawari& acirc;€™s work?†he asked.
The hanyou snorted then pulled back&nbs p;allowing the older demon to sit up. &n bsp;“Having
to be knocked out&n bsp;because I was beginning to hallucinate wi th exhaustion is one
thing,†said Kakiboufuu. “But you went&nbs p;and made it impossible for me to finis h
removing the rest of the iron for another couple of weeks.â€
“Don’t worry about&nbs p;it,†said Sesshomaru. â€&oeli g;Xeno’s phoenix pulled the rest&nbs p;of it out.â€
â€&oeli g;I was wondering how you were sleeping on your back,†muttered the hanyou,&nb sp;still
vexed. “Still, I ;doubt it was pleasant.â€
&a circ;€œIt wasn’t but itâ €™s now over and you donâ€&t rade;t have to risk losing your finger.â ;€
“Feh!â&eu ro; said Kakiboufuu, dismissively. He didn&a circ;€™t see his brother’s&nbs p;hand until after it
had slammed into&n bsp;the side of his head. â€&oeli g;Oi! What was that for?†he&nbs p;shouted,
bringing his face nose to&nbs p;nose with Sesshomaru. The older demon&acir c;€™s face remained
passive and em otionless even as he reached up and twis ted the hanyou’s ear.
Kakiboufuu yelped and didn’t resis t Sesshomaru’s pull as he broug ht him forward
and down. Sesshomaru&nbs p;moved into a crouch and driving his yo unger brother to the
ground until his&nb sp;face was against the floor. Kakiboufuu&nb sp;glared through tear-filled
eyes and he&nbs p;gritted his teeth against the searing pain. Sesshomaru’s face remained emotionless as he kept the pressure on&nbs p;his brother’s ear.
He&n bsp;reached over with his free hand, gripped& nbsp;Kakiboufuu’s injured one and pu lled it
before the hanyou’s&nbs p;gaze. “You may be head of the family, you may be the Taisho&nbs p;
but I am still your older brother,&aci rc;€ said Sesshomaru is a low voice.&nbs p; “There is no
question t hat I failed you as your older brother&n bsp;for decades. I should have been abl e
to hold the position of Taisho. & nbsp;I should have been able to hold the position as head
of family. That& nbsp;doesn’t mean I am excused from my duties as your older brother.
“You are doing a maste rful job as Taisho, there is no denying& nbsp;that, but it seems we
both are ;forgetting how young you really are. S ometimes that youth and
inexperience impairs& nbsp;your judgment, you make mistakes that so meone older would
know not to make. ; You only have one good hand, you should not be sacrificing it
unnecessarily!&a circ;€
“I made the&n bsp;decision,†hissed Kakiboufuu. â& euro;œI made the decision not to wait&n bsp;for the
Shiro Tenko for personal rea sons. A kanetenko-†Sesshomaru released his
brother’s wrist an d slammed the fist into the hanyouâ&eur o;™s back. Kakiboufuu gasped
and cried out. “Why did youâ €¦?â€
“You&n bsp;don’t think I don’ t understand and accept your decision?â&euro ; asked Sesshomaru,
his voice still low& nbsp;and even. He brought his fist down again and Kakiboufuu loosed
a whine&nbs p;before it turned into a growl. â ;€œYou warned us. You warned us&n bsp;the day you
became Taisho that if we forced you take that post we wouldn’t be able to rejoin the& nbsp;
Shiro Tenko. We understood and acc epted that consequence. Even if the oth ers
forgot when they ached and were ;tired, I didn’t.
â €œA Taisho has responsibilities to more than just his family. He has them to his
whole clan. You did w ell to remember that this past crisis. & nbsp;You hesitated to act
until you had& nbsp;secured back-up for the siege, but it&nb sp;seems you only remember it when
the&n bsp;risks are toward the clan. You fail to understand that it includes you as&n bsp;well.
You have a duty to the&n bsp;clan to protect yourself as well. I f anything happens to you,
the clan ;will lose its head and become easy prey for enemies.
“There ;is no clear line of succession outside the Reihane family. The Ginhaneâ€&trad e;s
were the only other family with ;the status and power that separated them&nbs p;from the
others. With them gone all the remaining families are too close ;in abilities to
determine a clear succe ssion should the Reihane line disappear. &nbs p;Even if you named
a successor, they&nb sp;would not be able to control the othe r families. In the demon
world, po wer is everything. Without that obvious,&nbs p;undeniable strength that
guarantees victory ;no matter the challenger, no one will f ollow for long before
coveting the thron e for themselves.
“You&nb sp;must never think you are expendable. ;You are what holds this clan together.
You are their leader and their pro tector, their law and order. Last night it was a
hand you risked and with the way you fight possibly a minor& nbsp;loss. However, I
cannot allow even that to go unchallenged. Next time&nbs p;you might risk your life
unnecessarily ;and I might not be there to stop y ou. Minor or major, you will not < br> sacrifice yourself like that again. Unde rstand?â€
Kakiboufuu said nothing but his gaze remained defiant. Sesshom aru gripped the
collar of his brother&ac irc;€™s kimono and yanked downward, exp osing the hanyou’s back.
He placed his claws against the skin and said, “If I have to I&nbs p;will carve my words
into your fle sh so their burn may remind you of what I said. I don’t want you
forgetting your responsibilities again.& acirc;€
“I understand,&ac irc;€ hissed Kakiboufuu without taking his&nb sp;eyes off Sesshomaru.
“ I’m not convinced,†said ;Sesshomaru, and pressed his claw into the&nb sp;skin, drawing a
bead of blood.
& nbsp;
“I understand!†gasped&n bsp;the hanyou, sounding more frantic. Alarm in his eyes.
“Under stand what?†asked Sesshomaru watching ;his brother’s eyes.
&aci rc;€œI understand that my responsibilities&n bsp;include not just bringing unnecessary risk&nbs p;to
the clan but to myself as well . Bringing risk to myself brings risk&n bsp;to the clan
because they need me&nbs p;to maintain order and cohesion. That if I were lost the clan
would dispe rse or destroy itself,†said Kakiboufu u quickly as squirmed beneath his
brothe r’s iron grip on his ear.
“Good,†said Sessh omaru and he withdrew both hands. Kakib oufuu didn’t rise right
away,&n bsp;instead choosing to rub his offended ear. The older demon leaned forward
an d hissed, “Pull this crap again and the hide is coming off your ba ck in strips.â€
Kakiboufuu cringe d, hearing the sincerity in his brotherâ ;€™s voice.
Outside the room , rudely eavesdropping, stood Lady Kou. ;The elder nodded her
head in silent&nbs p;approval, though no one was there to s ee her. She had been
preparing to& nbsp;give the young Taisho an earful herself& nbsp;on the subject. She was glad to&nb sp;
see Sesshomaru stepping up as his old er brother.
Sesshomaru’s actions were neither treasonous nor inapprop riate. This was what
many would ca ll an in-house squabble. Elders in a&nb sp;family were not heads but did
ha ve position and rights within their families& nbsp;that allowed them to chide and even ;
discipline a head depending on the offe nse. It was strange to see the old er
Sesshomaru scolding the Taisho but th is was the second Taisho for the clan&nb sp;and he
was still very young. As long as Sesshomaru didn’t try& nbsp;to control the clan through
the Tai sho she didn’t see a problem&nb sp;with this. Young leaders needed guidance, a
young Taisho was no different. < br>
She walked away without either one& nbsp;becoming aware of her presence. She&nbs p;thought
she heard the conversation start&nb sp;up again but didn’t care to& nbsp;listen further. She had
heard what she needed and she would not intrude&nb sp;upon their privacy further.
Within&n bsp;the room, Kakiboufuu sat and straightened ;his white kimono. “Of all&nbs p;the
lousy…†he mutter ed. He put a hand to the swollen&n bsp;ear and yelled, “You know I
actually use these with my jutsu, Aniue!â€
Sesshomaru was standing& nbsp;a few feet away as he dressed. &nbs p;He had gotten the inner
white kimono&n bsp;on and was pulling on the outer patt erned one. He hadn’t put on his
hakama and stood there barefoot&n bsp;in his robes. A sudden move and&nbs p;he was sitting
next to Kakiboufuu with his the claw of his left pointing finger touching the tip of
his brother&a circ;€™s unharmed ear. He sat wit h both legs bent, however, one lay flat& nbsp;on the
ground while the other was&n bsp;raised. The kimono fell away from t he raised knee,
exposing naked pale fles h.
“I could equalize ;them if you want,†said Sesshomaru.&n bsp;
Kakiboufuu had a very surprising&nb sp;reaction. Jerking back, he cried, â €œGet away!
Don’t d o that when you aren’t fully&nb sp;clothed!â€
Sesshomaru lost his passive face as he blinked in confusion . “Whatever is wrong?â€& nbsp;
Kakiboufuu scooted out of rea ch, panting. “There are many&n bsp;weird people with
strange ideas that ;I do not wish to encourage in any way,†he replied.
Sesshomaru&nbs p;stared for a moment then snorted and s tood up. The Prophet’s Eye&nbs p;
strikes again, he thought. Though, it sounds a bit random and doesnâ€&t rade;t seem to have
any bearing on the future. What did he see in tha t instant? Sesshomaru pondered
the word s a few moments but pulled back before&n bsp;he came up with anything
conclusive. ; Perhaps ignorance is bliss, after all. ;
“I’m sorry,&aci rc;€ said Kakiboufuu, after regaining his&nbs p;composure.
“About what ?†asked Sesshomaru as he tied hi s hakama. I’m never going ;to get
used to his random comments.&nbs p;
“Naomi,†he repl ied. Sesshomaru paused and regarded his ;brother. Kakiboufuu
was curled up on&n bsp;the floor with his chin and arms res ting on his knees. He wasnâ€&trad e;t
looking at Sesshomaru. â€&oel ig;I know what I said to her. I&nb sp;know I told her not to go. Yet& nbsp;
it ended up being so necessary. &nb sp;Why did I think she obey that? Why did I not at
least pull her&nbs p;aside and tell her what I was doing?&n bsp; I feel like even though I told ;her
not to go I actually pushed he r into going by herself, just so she&nbs p;would already be
inside when we attack ed. That the whole battle was just ;a decoy operation so that
she could&nbs p;free you.
“This Prophet ’s Eye, I hate it. It&nbs p;influences my words and my actions without& nbsp;me
understanding why. It doesnâ&e uro;™t allow me to make the decisions&n bsp;by showing me the
possible outcomes. ; It just controls me and when it g overns my actions I find I have
the least awareness. It isn’t&nbs p;until afterwards when I stop and think ;about it that I
realize what happened.& nbsp; I actually put Naomi in danger and I didn’t even realize it.&acir c;€
Sesshomaru sighed; his br other was weakening again. He walked ov er and placed
his hand on the hanyo u’s head. “Maybe ;you should trust it like your instincts.&nbs p;
Everything turned out well in the&nbs p;end,†he said.
â€&o elig;You heard about what happened with the&n bsp;Jewels of Life?†he asked. S esshomaru
nodded though his brother couldn&ac irc;€™t see him. “Where& nbsp;was the warning there?â€
“Maybe because it foresaw the ;outcome and so no action of avoidance w as
necessary,†suggested Sesshomaru. < br>
“But who is deciding this? It isn’t me! Someo ne else is using me to write history.&nb sp;
I’m not even being tru sted with the decision. I donâ€&t rade;t know what will happen I just
say or do things at random and it happens to work out, but what if the&nbs p;end of the
journey isn’t ;what any of us actually wanted?†;
Sesshomaru thought of his motherâ ;€™s words from that rainy night a fter the
Ascension Ceremony.
&acir c;€œHe is being forced to walk a&n bsp;lonely road, one that is filled with ;jagged rocks,
barefoot. His suffering has just begun and I shudder at what&aci rc;€™s yet to come.â€
I’m beginning to see it no w, what she was talking about. What&nbs p;else lies ahead for
us if this is only the start? Sesshomaru wondered. < br> ________________________________
Author Chat:
Yes, I did! I couldnâ €™t resist letting that damned Prophet& acirc;€™s Eye give Kakiboufuu a
pe ek into the mad world of fandom. A nd it serves as a reminder that there&nb sp;is no
incest in this story. The y are brothers and they will behave as&n bsp;such. They will be
nice one&nb sp;day and they will beat each other up& nbsp;the next. They will not make out&n bsp;with
each other, ever.
Beyond& nbsp;that, I was glad to give Sesshomaru ;some dominate male time. He kept
getting pushed around and put down so mu ch in this story, it was long past time for
him to remind everyone that&nbs p;he is a powerful yokai that make thous ands tremble in
fear. Oh I forgot, that happens outside Tenji and never wi thin. Well, he still
needed some d ominance time.
______________________
< b>Chapter 40: Do Not Interfere Further
A temporary halt&n bsp;to the fighting gives all sides a ch ance to rest and recover. During
t his time, Kakiboufuu makes plans to visit&nbs p;the mainland in order to discover the
reason behind the unexpected appearance of&nb sp;foreign weapons on the battlefield.
____________________________________________________________________&n bsp;
Translations:
Tsuchi: earth
Hi: fire
Mizu: water
Ki: wood
Kane: me tal
Kaze: wind
Himizu: as discordant&nbs p;as fire and water
Hikaze: fire wind&nb sp;
Tenki: weather
Enzeru: angel
Hanyou:& nbsp;half-demon
Obi: the sash that is&nb sp;wrapped around a woman’s waist&nb sp;to hold her kimono closed.
Matte: wai t!
Shoji: sliding door.
Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of th e buildings.
Temee: you, derogatory term,&nbs p;very insulting.
Kisama: you, derogatory ter m, more vulgar than temee
Ano: uh < br> Hai: Yes
Aniyome: elder brotherâ€&t rade;s wife; sister-in-law
Hime: Princess
Waka: Young lord, used for the son of& nbsp;a noble.
Otouto: Little brother.
On ii-(__): Big brother, general. Honorific add ed on to end, determining level of
respect of love. (Can also be used ;when addressing a young man.)
Aniue: Bi g brother, formal.
Imouto: Little sister.&nbs p;
Onee-(__): Big sister, general. Honorific& nbsp;added on to end, determining level of&nb sp;
respect of love. (Can also be u sed when addressing a young woman.)
Aneu e: Big sister, formal.
Ojii-(__): Grandfather , general. Honorific added on to end,&n bsp;determining level of
respect of love.&nbs p; (Can also be used when addressing an& nbsp;elderly man.)
Obaa-(__): Grandmother, general . Honorific added on to end, determinin g level of
respect of love. (Can&n bsp;also be used when addressing an elderly&n bsp;woman.)
Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honori fic added on to end, determining level o f respect of
love. (Can also be&nb sp;used when addressing a middle-aged man.) < br> Oba-(__): Aunt, general. Honorific added ;on to end, determining level of respect ;of
love. (Can also be used when&n bsp;addressing a middle-aged woman.)
Mina wa& nbsp;ookii aho desu: Everyone’s&nbs p;a big idiot.
Sumimasen: Excuse me.
Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.
Otou-(__ ): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect
or& nbsp;love.
Chichiue: Father, formal.
Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.
Okaa-(__): Mothe r, general. Honorific added on to end,& nbsp;determining level of respect
or love.&nb sp;
Hahaue: Mother, formal
Otaa-sama: Mother,& nbsp;said by children of court nobles to ;their mothers.
XX-(blank): Intimate or rude& nbsp;address depending on usage.
XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly
XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly
XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)
XX-sama : formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show& nbsp;
great respect. (Lord or Lady)
XX-do no: more formal honorific, more respectful th an XX-sama. Derived from tono
= lo rd.