InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Daimyo's Son ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

CHAPTER THREE

"This is the place?" Sesshomaru looked doubtfully at the gaping maw of some long dead youkai beast. The fire-country was unnerving, smelling heavily of sulphur fumes. The young demon covered his nose discreetly and glanced at his father's bodyguards for reassurance.

Izitaki just laughed. "Stinks to high hell, doesn't it?" Ari seemed impervious to the noxious odors or the bleak, threatening landscape. "We don't have to be here very long," he told the boy in his mild, unconcerned voice. "Just be patient, we'll return to the forest to make camp tonight."

Sesshomaru was relieved, he thought the foul gasses might make him sick to his stomach if he had to breathe them for much longer. His father had left them sitting in this hellish place, apparently he was unaffected by the vapors and oppressive heat. Inutaisho had only given them a terse instruction to wait for him, not any indication of how long it might take him to conclude his business with the eccentric swordsmith.

He was tired, they'd set out in the late afternoon and ridden steadily all night long. At first, Sessh had enjoyed himself immensely, quite enchanted with his beautiful new friend and occupied his mind with trying to decide on a name. He'd proudly displayed his father's gift to Namichi and Jano before leaving, his cousins were every bit as surprised as he was.

"Maybe you should attack Naota more often," Jano said, admiring the demi-dragon as he walked around in a wide circle. Namichi was nursing her pride, she had boldly run up to Sesshomaru when she saw the demi-dragon and been thrown back by a quick thrust of one of the dragon's heads. The beast snorted at her, not quite hostile but still annoyed and very protective of its new master. Naota had made things worse by rolling on the ground in a fit of amused laughter when Namichi went flying.

"Knock it off, stupid," Sessh said, irritated as always by his cousin's bizarre sense of humor. He went to help Namichi up, the girl's face was burning with embarrassment. Namichi recovered her equilibrium by chasing Naota around the stable yard, trying to smack the giggling hanyou face down in the dirt. Naota evaded her easily, springing to the stable roof in a single jump to escape Nami's anger.

"Is it my imagination or is he actually getting faster?" Jano asked, stroking the scaled neck of his cousin's new friend. He had been properly introduced to the demi-dragon and received only an interested huff as a response. Sessh played with the long black mane on the dragon's right head, braiding the soft hair absently between his fingers. "I guess so," he said disinterestedly. His cousin was always pretty fast when it came to getting himself out of trouble. He started trouble faster than a swarm of fire-rats could invade a storehouse but he never stuck around to clean up the messes he caused. Sesshomaru decided that it was the fact that no one in the fortress ever held Naota responsible for anything that annoyed him the most. Everyone was always tolerant and sympathetic to the boy due to his tragic past, losing his mother and siblings when he was just a young baby. As for what happened to Naota's father, his own uncle, Sessh himself was a little hazy on the details. He knew the man had died at roughly the same time as the rest of Naota's family. Some scandal, some betrayal by a trusted family friend maybe, had caused the destruction of the Sutakasi clan and Sesshomaru knew his father was still deeply bitter over it.

Curious or not, he knew better than to ask for details. Inutaisho had frowned darkly when he'd asked once several years ago. "I'll tell you what happened someday, you're too young right now to understand." That didn't make a bit of sense to the young demon. He knew every last detail of his own mother's violent demise, Inutaisho hadn't seen fit to spare him the details of that. His mother had been slain by assassins, valiantly defending her husband and child against the betrayal of her father, the Azaryu lord Kashikoto.

Sessh had a feeling there was also more to that story than his father had let on, more than anyone had known. His mother had become something of a legend in the years since her death and Izitaki had deeply embarrassed Sessh by treating him to a lengthy and colorful description of his mother's physical attributes and her frequent, violent quarrels with his father. It's a wonder I ever was born, he thought grumpily.

Jano poked his cousin in the arm to bring him back to the present. "What's with you? Are you worried about going with your father this afternoon?" Of his cousins, Jano was the most serious minded, not inclined to imitate Namichi's hot temper or Naota's irreverent humor. He kept his own council on many subjects, thoughtfully and quietly.

"I'm not worried," Sessh said stiffly. He petted the dragon fiercely, scratching behind the ears of his head so that the creature's double-lidded eyes closed in bliss. "I'm very honored that my father has chosen me to accompany him on this important journey."

"Meaning you don't know why he asked you either," Jano said dryly, earning a yellow-eyed glare from his cousin. Naota finally leapt off the stable roof to join them. The young hanyou fell gracelessly on the hard stones, picking himself up with an airy unconcern for his bruises. He grinned at them, his face still bandaged on one side. He'd managed to tear out a half dozen stitches that morning, crawling under the garden gates to steal strawberries. The infirmary staff confessed themselves to be at a loss when it came to Naota and had threatened to tie the hanyou to a bed for the weeks necessary to heal all his wounds completely. Sesshomaru hoped to be there if they tried it, knowing his cousin would fight like a cornered swamp oni rather than submit to confinement.

"So why do you get to go and I don't?" Naota demanded, having overheard their conversation. He planted his hands on his hips and glared at his taller cousin. "I don't think its fair, I want to see the swordsmith too!"

"Maybe Totosai-sama doesn't want to see you," Sesshomaru snapped. Naota tossed his head, his thick black hair hanging loosely over his bandaged face. "I bet if I ask Uncle to let me come with you, he'll say I can."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, pretending to be completely unconcerned. "You do that, Naota. I'm sure the Daimyo will change his plans just because you whine like a spoiled puppy to him. I don't care either way." Just like the brat to try and beg his way into coming with them. Sessh's lip curled in contempt. He hoped that his father wouldn't give in this time, the idea of spending three days trapped with the relentlessly annoying Naota made him cringe.

"See if I don't," Naota said defiantly. Namichi and Jano watched as the boy turned and stamped his way back to the fortress. Namichi pursed her lips, looking annoyed. "I really hope he doesn't get his way this time, Sho-kun. He's been hard enough to live with for the past few months."

Jano chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it, Nami-chan. Naota likes to think he can get his way anytime he wants, but I overheard Ari talking to the stable staff and Totosai-sama lives in the deepest part of the fire-country. A hanyou like Naota, particularly Naota, would have a hard time enduring the heat and smoke that comes out of the ground."

Sesshomaru thought he was having a hard enough time dealing with it himself. He wiped his sweaty forehead and sneezed. Ari turned and gave him an implacable look. "Sessh, you can go back to the forest if you like. Just wait for us at the edge so we don't lose you. Your father will not be pleased if we have to track you down like a lost housepet."

He grimaced and pulled himself straighter on the demi-dragon's back. "No, thank you Ari-san. I will wait with you and Izitaki-san until the Daimyo returns." The bodyguards exchanged grins. "Pride does have its uses," Izitaki laughed.

*****

"Inutaisho-sama, my old friend. How many years has it been since I saw you last? Twenty? Thirty? More? My memory seems to blur at my age."

The frail old swordsmith was delighted to see his friend and puttered happily around his forge making tea for the Daimyo of the Western lands. Inutaisho hid a smile behind his cup at Totosai's affected senility. The swordsmith liked to pretend at being absentminded and vague, but the truth was the old man was sharp as the blades he forged so masterfully. "It's good to see you too, Totosai."

The smith settled himself at the battered table. "And you brought your young one with you, is that him outside? You wouldn't be coming here to ask me to forge a blade for him, would you?"

"Actually, no," Inutaisho confessed, drumming his fingertips on the table. "This concerns a blade I've had in mind for several years. I've decided to go ahead and have it done now."

Totosai's smiled, absently scratching behind one of his ears. "Another Tetsusaiga? I would think that one would be enough for any demon to wield. For anyone else, I would have refused such a commission. I will not have my work used for ill purposes. I once refused your father for such a reason."

"And I fought him for your life," Inutaisho answered. A dark look passed over the youkai lord's face. "Not one of my more pleasant memories, Totosai. I thought for certain that I would be dying along with you that day."

It has been the first time he'd ever challenged his brutal father in a serious physical confrontation. Inutaisho knew he had been lucky to have survived, clinging to his life by sheer will alone when his father had finished with him. He would never be certain that his father hadn't deliberately spared him, perhaps even he was unwilling to murder his own son for the trifling matter of a intractable swordsmith. It had taken the young Inutaisho months to heal from the wounds he'd been inflicted with. Only his brother Inoki had seen the true extent of the damage. In gratitude, or maybe out of respect for the young lord's stupid gallantry, Totosai had agreed to forge the Tetsusaiga.

Now Inutaisho drew the sword from its sheath to lay in Totosai's hands. The old demon passed his fingers fondly along the edge, smiling wistfully. "My finest work," he said softly. To ordinary eyes, the blade looked chipped, rusted and ill-used, its hilt ragged and frayed. The Tetsusaiga's appearance was deliberately deceptive, let other lords carry their blades like showpieces on parade, the Tetsusaiga would only reveal its true power to the demon it considered its master. Crafted from a living tusk and forged by Totosai's skills, it had the ability to grow beyond its creation, take on new properties and abilities. Such had been Inutaisho's commission, a blade that would continue to grow in strength to match the hands that wielded it, able to absorb the power of those it slew and bind itself to its master.

Fondly, Totosai passed the sword back to his friend. "Then tell me what you've come for," he said simply, raising his rheumy old eyes to meet the lord's golden ones. "I find it difficult to believe that you've come to ask for another weapon. What is it you desire in a blade that Tetsusaiga cannot deliver?"

"I want a sword that can cut death itself," Inutaisho said softly, his fingers tightening over his Tetsusaiga. "I can deal death, I can take life so easily. I need to balance that, with this blade I can protect, but I cannot heal. That is what I want you to forge for me."

Totosai's eyes abruptly lost their watery appearance and became as hard as splinters of obsidian. "Are you deranged?" he shouted, filling the forge with the sound of his anger.

"Not in the slightest," Inutaisho shot back. "I know what I'm asking. Is it within your ability to create?"

Totosai jumped to his feet with a speed that belied his age. He paced restlessly around the forge. "No, I will not be party to such a travesty against nature. It would be wrong to even try to create such a blade, even if it's possible, and I'm not sure that it is. Who are you to think that you should have dominion over life and death itself?"

"If you ever left your forge, you might see that there's a lot of suffering and grief out there in the world," Inutaisho snarled. "All I want is the capacity to correct it when I can."

The swordsmith rubbed his eyes, feeling exhausted suddenly. "And I should place such a tool in your hands with no second thoughts? A blade like that could only be used with the utmost discretion and only by a Tai-Youkai of unique power and self discipline. Oh, I know your intentions are noble, Inutaisho. Do you think that upsetting the natural order of the universe will come without a price? You are not a god, my friend."

"To hell with gods," Inutaisho snapped. He would not threaten Totosai into attempting such a creation and he understood the magnitude of what he was asking. "Don't lecture me about the dangers a blade like that could pose. I'll take the responsibility for it and the gods themselves can come to me for retribution if they see fit."

Totosai shot the youkai lord a piercing look. "It won't bring him back, Inutaisho."

He glared at the old swordsmith. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"For an old man who doesn't leave his forge, I know a great deal. I know exactly what happened to your brother Inoki and why you executed him. I know what he did to deserve it too, for all you've managed to blur the details surrounding his family's deaths. And I know what you did in the mountains, justified or not. You have a lot to live with, don't you?"

"You're wrong, I don't give a damn about what I did!" Inutaisho exploded. He crossed the room swiftly and seized Totosai by the front of his clothing. "How dare you question the way I govern my territories?"

Totosai looked at him without fear. "Is it Inoki's face or Anuki's you see each night before you sleep? Could it be your wife Seshiko's death you can't forget? Or is it the crying of the Azaryu children you slaughtered that haunts you?"

Inutaisho froze where he stood and released the smith, his fingers unclenching with difficulty. His face had gone blank and Totosai saw dark shadows flickering in his usually bright gaze. "Is it my judgment you question, old friend?" he whispered. "Or is it that you don't consider me worthy of controlling such a blade?"

"Should I place such power in the hands of the same man who, out of rage and vengeance, committed genocide against an entire clan?"

The youkai lord took a deep breath to steady himself. His body was trembling with reaction to the memories the old smith's words had brought to the surface. With an effort, he brought himself under control at last and turned away from Totosai. "No, you should not. I will leave you now."

Totosai blinked, unprepared for Inutaisho's sudden shift of decision. It was possible that he has misjudged Inutaisho. "Wait, old friend. I ask that you give me time to consider this. It is a daunting challenge you have laid before me, I may have spoken out of my own fears and not honest reflection on the decisions you had to make. Perhaps only a man who has learned by living with his regrets could wield a blade like that with wisdom and discretion. Come back tomorrow, I will have my answer for you then."

*****

Sesshomaru sat on the ground and tried not to fidget. They had made camp only a few yards from the edge of the blackened ground and it was a bit close for his personal choice. The sulfur smell was annoying and he'd had a headache since that afternoon. As neither his father nor his bodyguards had voiced a complaint, Sessh decided he would be wise to keep his discomfort to himself.

The Daimyo had returned from his consultation with the smith wearing a decidedly black look on his face, his lips set in a grim and uncompromising line. Taking one look at their lord's face, Izitaki and Ari had followed him into the forest without so much as a word. Sessh was dying to know what his father and the swordsmith had spoken of, but he had some common sense left, thank you very much. A small fire was built and a silent supper was taken as night settled a dark blanket around their campsite.

Sessh wasn't ready to sleep yet even if his body was exhausted. His mind was still ticking right along, ignoring his tired muscles and sore places. He watched his father out the corner of his eye, the man's face never flickered, his eyes hardly blinked. Is he made of stone or what, Sessh thought to himself. If the Daimyo wasn't going to show weakness, neither was he. The young demon sat as still as he could, his face composed and expressionless, his eyes half closed as if in meditation. He was rather pleased with himself for being so in control of his appearance, still he wished he might have brought Jano or Namichi with him. The waiting would surely go faster in their company.

Izitaki concerned himself with sharpening a long dagger, it was mainly to keep his hands busy, having no further duties to occupy his time. He ran the stone along the edge of the metal, occasionally seeing a spark as the blade was honed even sharper. His lord had been unusually taciturn since they'd begun their journey and Izitaki thought longingly of his bed back at the fortress and the faces of an agreeable young woman or two who would be willing to share it with him. He sighed, the Daimyo's glum mood had settled over him and his brother both and for once, he felt no inclination to liven their evening with songs or jokes.

He finally gave up pretending to sharpen the dagger any further and slipped it back into the sheath. He looked across the fire to see that his lord's young heir had fallen asleep sitting up, chin resting against his chest and white hair hiding the boy's eyes. Izitaki grinned and nudged his brother, who glanced up from the scroll he was reading by the firelight.

"Seems he finally gave up," Izitaki murmured, nodding at Sesshomaru's sleeping form. No wonder, it had been a long ride for someone unaccustomed to leaving the fortress for more than a few hours at a time. Ari let a ghost of a smile cross his face. The young lord had been up for the better part of the last two days and it wasn't expected that his stamina would be up to par with experienced warriors like themselves. He certainly had given it his best try.

"My lord?" Ari said softly. Inutaisho's eyes suddenly snapped back into focus, returning from whatever dark places his mind was given to wander. The Daimyo shook his head and looked around them, his gaze falling at last on his sleeping son. His lips curved into a slight grin. "I guess we could all do with a bit of rest. Ari, see to the fire would you?"

"Yes, my lord." The bodyguard lifted his hand and willed the already low fire into quietly darkening coals.

END CHAPTER THREE