InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lessons of the Father ❯ Lesson 2: Strength ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Lesson Number 2: Strength of Spirit

 

Disclaimer: all characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and co.

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru was bewildered by the state of his home when he returned from almost two moon cycles of patrolling. It seemed that the entire place was covered with flowers and ribbons draping from every door and passageway. Some of the ribbons he recognized and he growled to himself.

 

In the year since he allowed the ex-miko and her son to stay there she had left her imprint on his home and on his Rin. The woman was hopelessly clumsy and couldn't manage walking in a kimono; that was her excuse anyway. Shortly after her arrival he left for a cycle and returned with a small array of silk kimono for her and Rin. She refused them saying that silk was far too expensive and she couldn't accept such a gift. Ridiculous, because he had already bought them. He only remained there for a few short days and when he returned after a few cycles he brought with him the simplest and cheapest kimono that he could bring himself to buy. These she was satisfied with.

 

To his horror when he saw her the next day at dinner she had cut the kimono off inches above the knee, only a little longer than the odd one she had worn during her travels with his brother. She simply said that it was because she didn't have the `freedom of motion' that she needed if she left it long. Rin took to the fashion too, but she couldn't use clumsiness as an excuse. His Rin worshipped the woman and did her best to mimic her at every step.

 

He left the next morning, disposing off all of the altered garments as he did. It was one thing for a child to wear their garments that short, but for a grown woman it was inexcusable and horribly inappropriate.

 

When he returned a few weeks later his mortification reached all new heights when he saw her at dinner. She cut the silk. This time it was even shorter, barely past mid thigh. If she had dropped anything (thank the gods she didn't) she would have exposed herself to the world in her attempt to retrieve it. Scandalized more by her triumphant smile than by the length, or lack thereof, of her garments he left that very evening, taking with him the altered kimono. She had only cut one; apparently it was a game to her. This time he left Jaken in charge of the kimono. He was to deliver it in the morning and take them at night, it was a waste of a decent retainer, but he was not going to let her best him.

 

The next time he returned she was waiting for him at the door. It was almost fall and the temperature was starting to drop. Given this, he had figured she would be grateful for the warmth that the kimono would offer. He was horribly mistaken. Smiling, she waited for him in nothing but her under robe. A thin white garment that concealed nothing and left more skin than was tolerable visible.

 

Refusing to let her win he ignored her manner of dress. It wasn't until dinner that evening that anything was said and it was her that started the conversation.

 

“You should have known I wouldn't let Jaken dress me. I mean, really, JAKEN?!” She huffed indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest. The night was getting cold and she was shivering more and more as time went by.

 

“I left the kimono in Jaken's care because you could not be trusted. If he felt it was necessary to dress you in order to assure their safety then he was within his rights.” With out much thought Sesshoumaru removed his haori and draped it around her shoulders.

 

Kagome pulled the haori tight around her body and stopped shivering. “He said that you told him that he had to dress me. If you didn't really tell him that then why was he so insistent…” She trailed off with a horrified look on her face.

 

Sesshoumaru smirked but otherwise remained silent. If he were a different man he would have laughed. Rin giggled uncontrollably from her spot at the table.

 

“Oh! That little pervert!” Kagome blushed bright red for a moment then joined in Rin's laughter. The sweet sound of their laughter filled the dining hall and Sesshoumaru decided that how she dressed really didn't matter. She was an adult. They would call this round of their little battle of wills a tie. In the end Jaken was a real winner. He may not have gotten to dress her, but he got quite a show with her walking around in the under robes.

 

Now, the strips of kimono that she and Rin had cut were being given new life as colorful decoration for some kind of celebration which Sesshoumaru knew nothing about.

 

He found Kagome in the main hall kitchen. She was cooking what could only be described as a small feast. Plums, eggs, rice, pork, chicken, and a few things he wasn't too sure of were all laid out nicely on platters and garnished with flowers and greens. Kagome had been doing most of the cooking there and he knew that she was a good cook and that she always took some pride in presentation. But this was way over the top for her normal meals, reaffirming his belief that they were having some kind of celebration.

 

“Oh! Your back! What great timing!” Kagome chirped excitedly when she finally looked up from her task and took note of Sesshoumaru.

 

“What is the meaning off all this?” Sesshoumaru gestured to the food around the kitchen and the house as a whole.

 

“Well…” Kagome started unsure of how to explain and unsure or his reaction. “It's Touga's birthday.” She clarified when the look on Sesshoumaru's face was not one of recognition. “He was born a whole year ago today, or near today anyway. So, we are having a little party. We had one for Rin and I in the spring, but you weren't here for that one. Rin said she remembered being resurrected in the spring so that's when she wanted her birthday to be. When were you born?” Kagome mentally slapped herself when she realized she was babbling again. A bad habit she had around the Taiyoukai.

 

Sesshoumaru laughed inside at her nervousness. She always did that when she though he would be displeased and it amused him greatly. Naturally, he would have preferred her to be afraid of his wrath and anger, but he took what he could get.

 

Celebrating the years of mortal life made very little sense to the Taiyoukai. Humans lived for such a short time, why celebrate taking one more step closer to their imminent demise. It could be the fact that they lasted throughout the year that they are celebrating, he figured. But that made little sense also. Why celebrate how fragile your existence is? A sense of dread and unease came over him as his thoughts continued down that path. Rin was older now than when he found her. She would keep getting older year after year until she died, and so would Kagome. Some how that made him feel rather anxious.

 

“Fall.” Sesshoumaru answered her last question in an attempt to curve his currant train of thought.

 

“That's great! Wait a minute, if you didn't know what a birthday was and you've never celebrated one then how did you know when yours was?”

 

“The year I was born winter came early. It was the coldest winter anyone could remember, even my father who had been alive for eons. Many, human and youkai alike, died from the cold or hunger that year. It was said that my birth was the cause the anomaly and brought death to many.” Sesshoumaru watched Kagome's reaction closely. Her expression was one that he had never seen before, an odd mixture of sadness, sympathy, and understanding. It was gone quickly and replaced by her normal cheery smile.

 

“Well then I guess celebrating will be a first for you. Oh! I have something for you and I've been waiting for the right time to give it to you, I guess this is as good a time as any. Touga already got his this morning. I hate waiting until after the party to open gifts!” Kagome rushed past Sesshoumaru in a whirlwind of excitement.

 

Sesshoumaru followed the woman to the doorway of her and Rin's quarters. It was inappropriate to enter the building unless he was asked to. It may be his house, but he would still abide by some standards of decency, even if he was the only one who seemed to care.

 

“Come in here will you?!” Kagome yelled from inside the building. She and Rin had done a fantastic job of decorating the place. He remembered these rooms; the whole house actually, had always had a rather dark and impersonal feel to them. Now they were full of new life and something else. Something calming and beautiful. It was nothing physical, just a feeling when one walked in the doors. Rin and Kagome's rooms seemed to have a life all their own. A feeling all their own, and it felt kind of nice.

 

“In here.” Kagome called from her sleeping quarters. The woman was digging through a trunk looking for something. Clothes and shoes were being strewn across the small room and the futon she shared with her son. This room seemed more like Touga's than Kagome's. There were little toys and dolls that she and Rin had made for the pup everywhere. Most of them were now missing body parts thanks to the teething stage the pup seemed to be going through. There were paintings covering a whole wall, some were done by Rin and the ones that were little more than color splashed on paper must have been done by Touga.

 

“A-ha! There it is!” Kagome popped up out of the trunk with a small silk package in her hand. “Here, I got you this awhile back. Kind of a thank you gift. I didn't know what to get you, you're a hard guy to shop for you know, I've never really seen you want or need anything and that leaves a girl in a bit of a dilemma. I hope you like it.” Kagome took a deep breath to stop her rambling and gestured for Sesshoumaru to open the package.

 

Wrapped neatly in the silk was a gold disk with a whole in the center. Around the sides there were symbols and writing.

 

“It's a charm for luck. For travelers more specifically. It's supposed to help you find what you're looking for.” Kagome bit her lip and a light blush spread across her cheeks. Sesshoumaru wondered why she would be embarrassed. He was not displeased with the gift; he quite liked it in fact. He didn't need a charm for luck with the kind of skill he had, but it was the first time he had received a gift from anyone but Rin. It was a nice gesture and was definitely appreciated.

 

“Where did you get the money for it?” He asked as he slipped it into the sash at his waist. He may have appreciated it, but that didn't mean that he had to let her know how much.

 

“There was an ominous aura around the headmaster's house in the village south of here.” Kagome said simply while she put back the clothes she had dug out of the trunk. She hadn't expected a `thank you' from him anyway so it really didn't bother her.

 

“The south?”

 

“Yah the south.”

 

Sesshoumaru arched one brow at her. “I pass that village often during my travels and have never felt anything out of ordinary there.”

 

“No? Well I guess I AM the only one out of the two of us who has holy powers so I guess that makes sense.” It didn't really, because if there had been a demon in the area Sesshoumaru would have smelt it. “Miroku taught me many holy secrets of detecting evil presences in convenient locations.”

 

Sesshoumaru didn't believe that for one second. But, he had to admit that the girl was resourceful. Maybe she would have been ok on her own after all.

 

“Is it a custom to give gifts on ones birthday?” Sesshoumaru asked Kagome as they walked back to the main hall.

 

“Yah.” Kagome shrugged. Good, because he had been holding something that he meant her to have, and now seemed like a good time. Especially if she was traveling to the village alone to do phony exorcisms on a semi-regular basis.

 

Sesshoumaru stopped walking and instinctively Kagome stopped as well and turned to him, an inquisitive look on her face.

 

Out of the front of his chest armor Sesshoumaru produced a beautifully sheathed blade and handed it to Kagome. The blade wasn't very long but it was beautiful and deadly looking. Whoever made it put great care into its design. What stuck her was the femininity of the blade. It didn't seem like something Sesshoumaru would normally carry. She started to hand it back to him when he shook his head.

 

“No, it is yours.” Sesshoumaru wasn't sure why he held onto the blade for so long. He had intended to give it to her all along but the fact that it had a piece of him in it as well made the gesture seem so personal. A type of informality he wasn't sure if he was ready breach with her.

 

But now, as she stroked the sheath and blade with such care and reverence he knew that the blade was in good hands. It was where it was meant to be.

 

“Thank you Sesshoumaru, I don't know what to say.” Kagome ran her hand along the sharp edge of the blade testing it with her fingertip.

 

“Take care, that is sharp. And poisonous.” Sesshoumaru intervened when she almost broke the skin.

 

“Poisonous?” Kagome sheathed the blade and tucked it into the tie at her waist. “This blade, did you have it made?”

 

“No.” Sesshoumaru hesitated not sure of how much he should tell her.

 

“It feels strange. Familiar.” Kagome muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

 

Her recognition of the blade made Sesshoumaru's mind up for him. “Inuyasha had it commissioned by Toutousai before he died. It is made of his fang… and my claw.”

 

“He's not…” Kagome started then stopped. It was an argument between them that would never be resolved it seemed. On the rare occasion that Sesshoumaru even said his brother's name it was followed closely by the word `dead', on the rare occasion that Sesshoumaru was around anyway. Kagome sighed and admitted defeat. Today was a celebration and he had given her something nice. Leave it alone, just this once, she told herself.

 

“Thank you Sesshoumaru-sama. I love it.”

 

“Hn.” Sesshoumaru nodded briskly and the two continued their way back to the main hall.

 

 

Once Kagome set their little feast out on the table Rin ran off to find a gift for Sesshoumaru. The girl was horrified, much to Kagome and Sesshoumaru's amusement, that she had not known it was her lord's birthday.

 

Kagome took the time while waiting for Rin's return to try and get Touga to walk. The boy knew how to do it, but in his haste to get to his uncle he preferred to crawl.

 

“Come on Touga, walk baby.” Kagome encouraged as he made it to Sesshoumaru who would take a few steps back as soon as the pup reached him.

 

After the tenth failed attempt to encourage him to walk Kagome gave up. Sesshoumaru reached down and set the boy on his feet then took a few steps back. “You will walk now pup.” Sesshouamru ordered. To Kagome's dismay he did just that. He had been walking for the past few weeks, a few steps here and there, but he always returned to his hands and knees. This time he traversed the whole distance between him and his uncle on two feet then continued his wobbly journey that way as Sesshoumaru stepped back out of his reach once again. Kagome clapped and cheered for her son and they continued their game.

 

“Da,da,da,da,da,da.” Kagome stopped clapping and her gaze flew to Sesshoumaru to gauge his reaction. His eyes widened and this time he let Touga catch him. The pup clung to his leg and Sesshoumaru seemed frozen in that spot staring down at him as if he were some kind of foreign entity attaching itself to his body.

 

Kagome scooped Touga up and deposited him on the blanket that was laid out for him to play on, where he had been playing before the impromptu walking lesson began. Then suddenly realizing that the table was laid out all wrong she set herself to re-arranging the food.

 

“He says that all the time.” She laughed nervously when she realized Sesshoumaru still hadn't moved. “Really it doesn't mean anything. He calls Jaken dada too. It's really all he can say. I read that it's the first word for all babies. Actually that's why it is so universally used as the word for father. Men yanno, their name just has to be the first thing a baby says. It's not even a word really just a jumble of repeating syllables.” Kagome waved her hand dismissingly and tried not to look at the taiyoukai standing somewhere behind her. Suddenly his presence seemed so big and menacing. Filling the room completely.

 

Kagome spun around when she heard the loud menacing growl coming from him. The cup in her hand fell to the floor and shattered.

 

He wasn't looking at her, she noticed. Instead he was looking toward the door at the two imposing figures half cloaked in shadows that stood there.

 

“Sorry to interrupt your celebration cousin.” The first youkai sneered as he stepped from the safety of the shadows and pulled the hood of his cloak and mask off. His long midnight hair was held tightly in a braid down his back and his bright golden eyes sparked with malicious intent.

 

“How did you find this place?” Sesshoumaru ground out through tightly clenched teeth. His cousins should have never been able to find this place, let alone enter and get so close without his knowledge. They had grown more skilled since they last met over 150 years ago.

 

“You were in such a hurry to get back that you were careless. Following you was simple. Give us the hanyou and the girl and we will leave here with out a fight.” The second figure stepped out of the shadows as well also dropping his hood and mask. The second was identical to the first, obviously they were twins, Kagome noted.

 

“What do you want with my son?” Kagome stood as tall as she could and tried to keep her voice as calm and cool and Sesshoumaru's.

 

“They are here to kill him. And you.” It was Sesshoumaru who answered, never taking his eyes off of the intruders.

 

“Why?” Kagome gasped.

 

“They are mercenaries from my father's clan-“ Sesshoumaru began.

 

“Here to correct the mistakes and defilement of our noble blood line.” The first inu finished.

 

“And this time, Sesshoumaru, your promise to kill the whelp will not be good enough to stay our hands.” The second chimed in looking all too eager to make this kill.

 

“You will NOT lay a finger on my son.” Sesshoumaru was a bit taken back by the venom in her voice, although outwardly he remained unaffected.

 

She was a brave one this little human. And this was her fight. His cousins were right, if he killed them the whole clan would come after him for retribution and that was not something he would look forward too. The last time they came to `correct a mistake' they failed. When they returned years later Sesshoumaru claimed Inuyasha's life as his own to take. Now his hands were tied. She would have to defend herself.

 

He noticed Rin standing at the door with a bundle of flowers in her hands. She hesitated only for a moment then with a quick nod from Kagome she disappeared. The two inus in the door obviously didn't see her as a threat so they ignored her presence giving her a chance to get away.

 

“Why didn't you kill Inuyasha when you had a chance? Were you too weak to kill him as an adult so now you come to strike while my son is too young to defend himself?” Kagome was stalling. She was goading them. Sesshoumaru recognized the tactic as a very Inuyasha-esque move. It was a move that saved his life on many occasions, giving him time to think and come up with some kind of plan.

 

Sesshoumaru didn't pay any heed to their reply because Rin had reentered the room with a bow and quiver and tossed them to Kagome.

 

What happened after that was a blur of movement. One inu went for Touga as the other moved in on Kagome. Sesshoumaru streaked to the side to protect the pup, he may not have been able to fight but he couldn't just stand aside and watch. Before he reached his destination the twang of the bow filled the room and the arrow hit home in the neck of the inu in front of him. In a blast of pure pink light the youkai was gone.

 

The move that saved her son left Kagome wide open for the other inu's attack.

 

“Bitch! You killed my brother!” The enraged youkai growled as he wrapped his hand firmly around Kagome's neck lifting her from the ground. His claws dug into her skin and the bow slipped from her hand.

 

Sesshoumaru turned back to Kagome with every intention of killing the other inu. With them both dead there would be no one left to report back to their clan the reason for their failure. It would just be assumed that they had died and hopefully no one else would come to try to rectify their failed attempt. And if they did Seshoumaru could only hope that it would take years, and by then Touga would be able to defend himself. A moment ago he had resolved to let her fight her own battle, but now he was going to kill his kin to save her. If she had protected herself first she wouldn't have been in this situation.

 

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome struggle for the blade at her side. Through the pain and loss of air it took her a moment and a few fumbled attempts before she pulled the blade and buried it deep in the inu's side. He threw her roughly against the wall then groped for the blade and ripped it out splattering blood across Kagome's face and the floor.

 

The inu turned the blade on Kagome and stalked toward her. “A scratch! And now you will die by your own-“he broke off and grasped at his side. A mixed look of pain and confusion crossing his features before he fell to his knees, chocking, and died.

 

Toutousai was right; the poison did add a nice touch to the blade.

 

Rin picked up the wailing Touga and Sesshoumaru took the unconscious Kagome out of the room. The scent of death was thick and disturbing to the pup and the taiyoukai. She was so light and fragile, Sesshoumaru mused about the limp girl, woman, in his arms. She was weak and clumsy and usually flighty. But, she was strong in other ways. She may not be able to run fast or kill with her bare hands, but she took out two full grown male demons in defense of her son without effort. When given the choice of saving herself or her pup she chose him. Her strength was a different kind of strength. A kind that he didn't see very often in humans and even when he did it paled in comparison.

 

She began to stir in his arms as they reached her rooms. She tensed and her eyes flew open. “TOUGA!” She lashed out against him and began to struggle forcing him to tighten his hold lest he drop her.

 

“He's safe. He is with Rin.” He said between her struggles and frantic questions.

 

Kagome stopped trashing and leaned into him, grateful for the hold he had on her and the strength he was unknowingly giving her.

 

“We have to go.” She said finally as they reached her room and Sesshoumaru sat her down to check the wounds on her neck.

 

“You are safe here.” He grabbed a cloth and dipped it into the pitcher of water already sitting at the bedside.

 

“No we're not. Not really. What if more come? What if next time I don't win? What if next time Touga gets hurt? Or Rin? What if your not here? I don't know if I am strong enough to protect us if your not here.” Kagome tilted her head to the side to give him access to the wounds, grateful that she didn't have to look into his eyes while she questioned his ability to protect them. And her own ability.

 

Sesshoumaru stopped his ministrations on her neck and took a step back so he could see her more clearly. And so that she was forced to look at him.

 

“You are safe here.” He repeated. “And I will be here more often from now on. As for your own ability to protect your pup and yourself… you are stronger than you realize.” Stronger than he realized. Stronger than he thought possible. Stronger in ways that he didn't realize were important before now.