InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tale of the Twins ❯ Chapter Four: Misfortune ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Four

Misfortune

Sesshoumaru was giving them one year to at least become functional in the language before they began their move. He was already considering traveling arrangements. It was true that they could just fly there, but he didn't want to abandon the things in the palace, or the palace itself. It created a bit of a dilemma for him.

He almost decided to just let them all leave by themselves. He could stay behind. But then… That feeling—loneliness—would come back. He never wanted to feel that emotion again. It hadn't been a big deal when that was all he had known—but now, it would be unimaginable. He could never go back to that. No, staying behind wasn't an option.

Then what to do with all of this? He supposed that human servants could take it. They could just bring everything but the palace with them. But this was his home. He had grown up here. And, even though many of those memories were painful… it would still hurt to lose this place. At the same time, though, he would finally be breaking bonds from the past. Echoes of memories still lurked in the recesses of his mind. Sometimes, he would be passing down a hallway, and one of those memories would come back to haunt him like a ghost. Not always painful—sometimes it was something as simple as dashing down a hallway after his mother or father. Sometimes, it was something more hurtful—like when he had been the equivalent of about twelve and his father had looked slapped him—her at the time—for “parading about as something she was not.”

His father wasn't usually so violent, but they had been quarreling for a long time about it, and it had seemed as though violence was the only thing that would get through—to Inutaisho anyway. It had been true, after all. The only thing Sesshoumaru had ever responded to was violence.

Maybe it would be good for him to lose the palace. Maybe they shouldn't take so much with them. Maybe it was better to begin life anew--to say farewell to the past, and welcome the present and the future. Rin and Naraku may or may not have considered this. But he doubted it would really bother them. They were merely material possessions. So, it didn't matter. Sell everything—take the money with them. A few choice possessions would make the journey with them, but that was all.

The door opened, then slid shut as the figure entered the room. Naraku.

Sesshoumaru sat up, a bit of his hair slipping over his shoulder. “I want to ask you something.”

“Then ask.” He began untying his obi.

--Changing Prose--

“Does it matter if we sell everything here?” I wondered softly.

“Does it matter to you?” he asked as he folded the obi and set it down.

“Hm.” Did it? In some ways, it did, in other ways not. “I suppose not.”
He nodded. “Good.” He sat down on the futon, his haori falling open to reveal his hard-muscled chest. My gaze flickered back up to his face. “Your palace isn't going to last forever—a long time, but not forever. The things in it will not either.” He pulled off the haori, folded it and set it down again. He was already barefoot. I fought against my growing arousal. Why did the sight of him always do this to me? It was rather annoying, actually. “What matters—to me—is you… the twins…”
“Rin,” I said.

“Her too.” A sly smile crept across his face. “You'll never change, will you?” He pulled me gently over to him. I let him, my heart pounding in my chest. He was the only one that had this affect on me. I gripped his shoulders and kissed him. At first, he was fairly compliant, then pulled away. “I'm not feeling quite up to it tonight.”

I would have to change his mind, then. Completely undeterred, I ran my tongue over the sensitive spot on his neck. I knew all of the places he liked being touched, and exactly what to do with every part of him. He randomly liked and disliked that. He may have just wanted me to seduce him—or it really could be genuine. It was difficult to say.

I pinched his nipple, sliding one leg over his lap and moved to straddle him. He abruptly put a stop to it and pushed me away. “I'm going somewhere else…”

“Hm?”

“Somewhere that I won't be molested.” I frowned. What was wrong with him? I decided to ignore him. I grabbed a hold of him and used my superior strength to pull him down on the futon. My fingers trailed down to his hakama. “Sesshoumaru…”

I once again ignored him. My fingers curled under the fabric and I began to tug them off. He batted my hands away, looking a bit annoyed. I scowled. Persistent, wasn't he? I slid my hand along his chest, enjoying the way the muscles curved and moved as he inhaled and exhaled.

“Stop.”

His tone gave me pause. I looked at his face quizzically. Why should I stop? “Why?”

“I told you I'm not interested right now.”

I crawled on top of him, resting my chin on his chest. “I am.”

“Then take care of it yourself,” he muttered and attempted to dislodge me again. He failed, so he sat up just enough to release two tentacles and he managed to pry me off of him. He set me down nearby, then the tentacles sank back into his flesh.

I looked away. He had never done this before. Had I done something—said something? What the bloody hell was his problem?

“Sesshoumaru…”

I glared at him.

“It's not that I'm angry with you. And it's not that I don't find you attractive, or that I don't love you any more.”

Well, there had gone all of my reasoning for his behaviour. “Well?”

He sighed and sat up. He moved over to me. “I just start feeling fatigued when I need to undergo…” His voice trailed off a bit. Ah. A hanyou's biggest secret. I had never been able to figure out when that time was, though. Naraku usually just sort of vanished for a while—sometimes for days. And when I thought that it might be one day or the other, the day changed.

“I see.” I sighed a bit. Later, then. I lied down, pulling the blanket up over my shoulders. I glanced back at him. He was finishing undressing. And, as tempting as that sight was, I restrained myself. “When is that time?”

“I choose it,” he said. “However, if I attempt to go without it, I become extremely tired and eventually, my body will do it on its own.”
He slipped under the blankets. I turned immediately and kissed him. I was getting hot again. I wanted him to fuck me senseless. But when I pulled away and looked at him, I decided to let it slide. “Then do that tomorrow.”

“Mm.” His eyes were closing. They slid shut. His breathing slowed and evened. I wished I could fall asleep so quickly. I wasn't going to let this slide, either.

--Normal Prose—

When Sesshoumaru woke, Naraku had vanished mysteriously—probably off somewhere in whatever form he took. He had a feeling that he didn't want to know. Considering that Naraku was really just an assortment of youkai, he probably just became a pile of limbs, entrails, and skin. Not something anyone wanted to think about—particularly the smell that would emit. No wonder he was never around during that time period; Sesshoumaru wouldn't be able to stand it.

Rin was in the largest study, studying Italian. She seemed to be having trouble with the language.

“… That's… No. My accent is all wrong.” She sighed deeply.

“Rin.”

She turned. “Yes, my lord?”

“Do you need help?”

She smiled warmly. “Please.”

Sesshoumaru sat down across from her and helped her with pronunciations, which was what she was struggling with right now.

On the other side of the palace, things were not so peaceful. The twins had got it in their heads to play tag on the roof of the palace—Shuarra Meitsuki's idea originally. Jaken was making attempts to stop them, but they were already outside and climbing up the poles supporting the roof outside. Kuraimaru was better at it than his sister, and pulled himself over the edge before she did. Jaken, on the ground, was in a panic—as usual. If the twins should happen to fall…

“Get back down here immediately! Your parents will be furious!” the toad shrieked.

The twins ignored him completely. Kuraimaru helped his sister of the edge. They disappeared from view. Jaken's panic level rose to new heights.

He could hear them running around, laughing, and shouting. Never in his life, had he been so terrified. Sesshoumaru would be furious if one of them got hurt…

He had to do something—fast! He had to get them off of the roof immediately! But how? He couldn't even get up there. Perhaps, if he could simply find a ladder… Then what? Those rambunctious children wouldn't listen to him, and he didn't have the strength to drag them both down to the ground, where it was safe. What to do?

There was a slipping sound, then a bone-crunching like sound. Then Jaken felt extreme pain in his left leg. He fell over instantly, groaning in pain. It felt like it was broken, but it couldn't be.

Shuarra Meitsuki gave a cry. What had happened?

In the study, Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. Rin gave a cry and inspected her leg, trying to hold back the scream. It felt like the bone in her leg had suddenly shattered.

“What happened…?” she wondered, her eyes watering.

“Kuraimaru!” Sesshoumaru struggled to his feet. His brain was insisting that his leg was broken, and it felt like a horrible idea to get up right now. However, he did anyway and followed Kuraimaru's scent, and the source of the feeling of pain. Slowly, the feeling subsided. Kuraimaru had probably lost consciousness. Outside, in the garden, Kuraimaru lay in a heap, unconscious. His leg was covered in blood, and it was quite obviously broken. Shuarra Meitsuki peered over the edge of the roof. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. They had been playing on the roof? He didn't really blame Jaken. The imp couldn't do much when they had their minds set to doing something, but he should have come to get someone who could.

“Is Kurai-kun okay?” she whispered, sliding down one of the posts carefully. She looked truly frightened for her brother.

Sesshoumaru found himself wishing that Chiyuota was still around. The old youkai had passed away of old age, though. “Shuarra Meitsuki. Go get the healer.”

That youkai, the new healer, was Chiyuota's niece and apprentice, though she had never completed her training, as Chiyuota had died before she could. Soon, Shuarra Meitsuki and Iria rushed out of the palace. The young healer kneeled beside Kuraimaru. She had felt the pain he had sent out as well, so had a good idea of what to expect. Before this, she had always jokingly said that he was her easiest patient to treat, because she never had to ask what was wrong. The projecting his physical pain on to others—that was something he did consciously. He had been calling out for help before he had lost consciousness.

Iria had a small kit with her. She cut off one leg of his hakama, a bit apologetically, but there was no way around it. Taking it off could damage his leg. She slit it open and carefully peeled it apart. Shuarra Meitsuki made sure to be far away for this part. Some of the bone was protruding from his leg. Iria flinched. She took a cloth and a bottle. She wet the cloth and, gently as she could, she wiped away the blood to better see the wound.

“I can do one of two things right now,” she said softly, looking up at Sesshoumaru. “I can cut away the protruding bone and let it him regenerate it—which would be less painful, but he wouldn't be able to walk for quite some time. Or… I can set it and it would be healed in about two weeks' time.”

“If you set it… How much would that hurt him?”

“He would probably wake up,” she admitted. “It's not a clean break, so I'll have to scrape away some of it anyway. And it will be extremely painful for him.”

Kuraimaru was slowly recovering. He stirred and his eyes opened. They were glazed with pain. Sesshoumaru kneeled beside him, taking his son's hand gently. “Kurai-chan…” He explained the two options. Healing a youkai was different from healing a human. Humans didn't heal as well, and couldn't tolerate hacking apart limbs as well either.

Kuraimaru shivered and swallowed. “Could I… see the saw?”

Iria obligingly held up a small saw she would use to cut the bone.

The boy cringed, then gasped in pain. “Set it.”

“Kurai-kun…”
“Do it.”

She nodded and went to work. Kuraimaru's grip on Sesshoumaru's hand tightened. He shook furiously, eyes watering, fighting to keep from crying out in pain. Finally, as he heard the sound of his own bone grinding, he screamed.