InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Daimyo's Son ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

CHAPTER FOUR

The lord of the Western lands folded his arms and tried not to let his impatience show. "So, what is your decision, Totosai?"

The old swordsmith took his time answering, making a great show of stroking his chin whiskers thoughtfully. Sesshomaru tried to not let his face show his discomfort, he was busy trying to ease the growing heat that was slowly toasting his feet. The piece of ground where he was standing was unusually warm even for the sweltering fire-country. He discreetly edged his way to a small rocky patch of ground and immediately felt better as the rock was a few degrees cooler on this side.

"I accept your commission," Totosai said at last. Inutaisho didn't smile, but his face relaxed visibly. Totosai met his expression with a sober look of his own. "I hope you understand the implications of your request. I can forge what you ask, but like your Tetsusaiga, this new blade will also have a powerful will of its own and I cannot predict how it will perform."

Inutaisho inclined his head graciously to the old smith. "With you as its maker it will be a work of art if nothing else."

Totosai snorted. "Enough of your flattery already. Come inside, come inside, all of you now. I have several weeks of work ahead of me now and we need to get it started."

Sesshomaru looked with interest around the forge. It was dark, almost shabby looking. His father always insisted to never take anything solely on its appearance but the young lord thought that the swordsmith might have found a way to have the place cleaned once in a while. Thick dust coated much of the small space, piles of discarded tools and materials were left at irregular intervals around the floor. Sesshomaru found his eyes drawn to a small ornate blade that had been discarded and reached down to pick it up.

"Don't touch, pup!" the smith barked from across the room. Sesshomaru flinched and tucked his errant hand behind his back. His father looked at him humorously. "It's always better to ask permission first, Sesshomaru. Not all of Totosai's creations are safe to handle. Another good reason that we didn't bring Naota along, wouldn't you agree?"

Sessh nodded. "Yes, my lord Daimyo."

Totosai hummed and murmured to himself as he prepared to start his work. Sesshomaru watched the swordsmith wander aimlessly around the forge and a small frown crossed the boy's forehead. Artisans were not supposed to make lords wait, much less forget that they were there. He wondered why his father didn't upbraid the old man, he would have been quick enough to correct any lax service back at the fortress. Sessh let a small sigh escape his lips without meaning to. This was so boring.

Totosai peered nearsightedly at a tool he was holding and scratched his ears. "My lord, I hope we're not going to have a repeat of what happened the last time."

Inutaisho scowled, he hadn't forgotten what had happened but he'd thought Totosai would have the good manners not to bring it up. "I am prepared. If you'd warned me the last time nothing would have gone wrong."

"Hmmm, I'd say it hurts less when you don't know it's coming," Totosai answered as he picked up a large set of tongs. His eyes wandered vaguely out of focus. "You know, I still have a scar from that. I should show it to you."

The youkai lord grinned. "Maybe some other time. It should serve as a reminder to use more caution before you attack one of your patrons and yank out a tooth."

"If you say so. I can live with the scar. I've just been hoping I won't have to listen to any blubbering this time when I extract that tusk."

Inutaisho's eyes blazed. "I did not blubber. I've never blubbered in my life, especially not over having a damn tooth yanked." The swordsmith gave him a sour look. "Now whose memory is becoming selective?"

Izitaki leaned over Sesshomaru's shoulder. "I've been waiting for this," he whispered. The bodyguard's expression was intent, he was quite looking forward to a little entertainment at his lord's expense. Totosai was oblivious to the others present in his forge. "Now, just open wide and try to relax…"

An earthshaking howl split the air and Sesshomaru clapped his hands over his ears and winced. His father's shout had cracked the earth beneath their feet. Ari and Izitaki stood quite still, disbelief and shock written on their faces. Totosai himself had been thrown back by the force of the demon lord's shout of pain and sat crumpled against the far wall of his forge, a gleaming white fang clenched in his tongs.

"You miserable old coot!"

The smith sighed and pulled himself to his feet. "I suppose I forgot to mention that the discomfort might be more intense this time? Since your fangs are much more mature now, it's only natural that the pain might also be more noticeable."

"Discomfort? Noticeable?" Inutaisho growled, holding his hand clenched over his face. Totosai clucked appreciatively, ignoring his friend's angry glare. He held up the fang, examining it carefully. "Oh this will do quite nicely."

Sesshomaru was curious how a small fang might be transformed into something like the Tetsusaiga. The old smith carefully placed the fang on his anvil and then raised his hammer to tap it gently. The fang instantly grew larger until it was the length of a proper katana. Sessh stared at it, completely fascinated. Totosai noticed his entranced expression and chuckled. "There you go, pup, a fine tusk for a sword, wouldn't you say? It will be a long time before you're able to produce something on this level so get a good look while you can."

The swordsmith waved the boy over, Inutaisho being otherwise occupied by the throbbing pain in his mouth. Ari's expression was absolutely neutral, Izitaki seemed to be having some difficulty in restraining his amusement over the inventive cursing that was still pouring angrily from the lord of the Western lands. Sessh looked closely at the large, slightly glowing fang. Totosai grinned at him, running a cloth over the surface of the tusk. "Not every demon can do something like this," he said slyly. "Good thing too, I turn away enough unworthy clients."

"Will you make a sword for me someday, Totosai-sama?" the boy asked in a hushed tone. The smith gave him a piercing look, quite unsettling after his affected senile babbling. "Perhaps. If you measure up to your father, I might be so inclined. Right now I'd be hard pressed to get a table knife out of your puny fangs."

His face flushed. How dare this old man judge him? "I'm going to be a great demon someday. My fangs will make a sword that will be every bit as powerful as Tetsusaiga."

Totosai fastened the youkai lordling with a sour stare. "I doubt it. You've got a long way to go, pup. I'm planning on being retired long before you are able to produce anything that could rival Tetsusaiga. Even if you do wield that sword someday, you'll probably never understand its true potential."

Sessh was starting to get angry now. "You don't know anything about me. You're just an old fart who doesn't know his place."

Totosai smirked. "And you're just a wet-eared puppy who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Don't think that you'll measure up to your father just because you're his son, there's more to being Tai-Youkai than just bloodline. Those pompous snots at your father's court are living proof of that and I'll eat my hammer before I forge anything of power for an arrogant fool. Go back to your training swords, boy, and don't bother me until you get something beyond your baby teeth."

The young demon opened his mouth, trying to think of stinging reply to the condescending swordsmith. His father's hand fell on his shoulder. "Come, Sessh," his father said sternly. He shut his mouth obediently then and followed his father out of the forge with only a furious glance back at the smith. Totosai was quite oblivious, already absorbed in his examination of the tusk. He barely noticed when they left, only raising his hand to wave distractedly. "I'll send word when I'm finished, don't bother me until then."

Sessh was still fuming at the old smith's words and his careless attitude. Dismissing the Daimyo of the West like a servant, he thought angrily. A smith should act like a smith and be grateful the Daimyo favored him with his patronage. Sesshomaru continued his dark thoughts about Totosai as he followed his father and their bodyguards into the forest where their animals were awaiting them. When I'm the Daimyo, I'll never put up with that kind of disrespect, he thought. Almost as if his father could read his thoughts, Inutaisho chuckled softly.

"Don't let old Totosai rattle you, boy. He treated me just the same when I first met him. Believe me, he was a lot more careful with his words when he was addressing your grandfather. Not that it mattered much, courtesy was always wasted on that bastard."

Sesshomaru looked up at his father. He'd rarely heard his father mention the old lord who had preceded him. Maybe this was the right opportunity to glean some information. "What was grandfather like?"

"Evil." Inutaisho glanced down at his son, a wry smile pulling at his face. "Cruel. Barbaric. Ruthless. Anything else you want to ask me about?"

For a few moments, Sesshomaru couldn't think of anything and wanted to kick himself for it. Here he had the Daimyo to himself, no courtiers or Naota to interfere or distract his father and he couldn't think of what to say. The only sounds of the forest were their footsteps gently stirring the leaves on the ground. A light wind lifted Sesshomaru's hair and the boy looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "What about Naota's father, was he like that too?"

Inutaisho hesitated. Discussing his brother was painful, but he'd learned to live with the dull ache where his love for Inoki used to reside. "My brother? Why do you want to know about him?"

"I'm, I'm just curious," he stammered. Bad topic Sessh, he berated himself. I should be asking him about the status of the army, the invasions on the coast or at least the latest political set-tos in the court. Not family history, especially not the most touchy subject of all. Nobody wanted to talk about what had happened, even Naota didn't know and he sure had the right to have all the details about his parents.

The Daimyo sighed heavily, running his hand over his hair in distraction. "Inoki was my half-brother, my best friend, and the only man I've ever trusted completely. I loved him and I miss him to this day. I wish you'd gotten the chance to know him and I wish even more that Naota could have known his father."

Feeling somewhat reckless, Sesshomaru decided to see how much his father was willing to reveal. The Daimyo's melancholy mood had hung over them for the past few days and Sessh was more than curious about what dark secrets were surrounding the truth. "Is it true that he betrayed you?" Sessh asked in a soft voice.

Inutaisho didn't answer immediately, instead he paused and stared off into trees as if he expected a ghost to ride out of the darkness. "Yes, it's true. It's also true that I executed him. I cut off his head, Sessh. You don't want to know how it feels to have to kill someone you care about, I hope to hell you'll never know that kind of pain."

Sessh stared at his father, looking up at the man's face with a mixture of fear and awe. Inutaisho was expressionless, but even his son could see the darkness lurking behind his father's eyes. "But you had to do it," the boy burst out. "If he really betrayed you…"

"I never would have executed him for that," the Daimyo said flatly. "There's more to it than you know, more than I'm willing to tell you right now. He did turn on me, he tried to have me killed, and he deliberately gave away information to my enemies for the sole purpose of destroying me. What I will tell you is that Inoki was misled, deceived, and very well might not have been in his right mind by the time I found out what was going on. The fact that he betrayed me I could have forgiven. I would have chosen banishment over execution if I'd had any choice."

"Then why?" Sessh breathed. The pain and bitterness in his father's voice was so thick he could practically see it. Ari and Izitaki had withdrawn to a polite distance so that the Daimyo could speak to his son privately. Inutaisho looked down and regarded his son, his golden eyes thoughtful. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, emotionless, and dry as the dust that covered Totosai's forge.

"When Inoki realized that his betrayal had been discovered, he went home to his wife and children. He tore them apart, Sessh. I saw the bodies and they were horribly mutilated. He also killed everyone else in that household and even brought the building down on top of them. Naota was the only survivor. That's why I killed Inoki. The man who was my brother never would have done such a thing, he had become a beast consumed by hatred and rage."

Inutaisho took in his son's shocked expression and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "If I'd been able to find a way to bring him back to himself, he never would have been able to live with what he'd done. Executing him by my own hand was the only thing I could do for my brother. I killed him out of love, not anger or hatred. Are you understanding me, Sesshomaru?"

The boy nodded dumbly, quite struck by the story. Inutaisho grinned sharply. "This is between us, Sessh. Do not tell Naota, I'll find a way to tell him someday, but it should come from me. I've done everything I could to spare him from the truth until he's old enough to deal with it. It's the least I could do for my brother's son."

*****

Sesshomaru was certainly enjoying the ride back to the fortress more than he'd enjoyed the ride out. He stroked the demi-dragon's neck fondly. It was good to get away from home, he looked forward to the day when he was of age and could go where he pleased, when he pleased. Not for the first time, he wondered why they were riding slowly through the forest instead of flying over the treetops. His dragon could cross the distance easily and he was sure the same could be said of both Ari and Izitaki's mounts, they were of a similar breed even if they were not the rare twin-headed creature that he rode now.

As for his father's charger, he couldn't say he knew as much about the monster's capabilities. It resembled a horse, somewhat. A thick, glossy black hide, a silvery mane and tail, that was where the horse-like appearance ended. You couldn't call the creature a horse when it looked at you with bottomless glowing eyes. And you couldn't mistake it for anything less than the weapon it was when it bared its sharp fangs and yowled a terrifying battle cry. The sound made the hair stand up on the necks of the most hardened warriors and lesser demons would run in terror.

Rumor had it that the Daimyo had the beast specially bred for just his use, it was unique and Sesshomaru couldn't guess what kind of youki influenced arts had created such a monster. The entire stable staff lived in fear of it in any case and Sessh could well remember the day the head of the stable staff had insisted, no, demanded that a special enclosure be built for this beast as it had developed a regrettable taste for the flesh of other animals and devoured no less than four of the Daimyo's prized breeding dragons. Sesshomaru also understood that the creature had a taste for youkai flesh as well and always made sure to keep himself at a distance unless his father was nearby as it seemed the Daimyo himself was the only person who could touch the stallion without fear.

The youkai lord had the enclosure built and quite patently doted on the animal, visiting its den at least once a day when he was in residence and feeding the snarling monster whole chickens and small pigs like a noblewoman dropping tidbits to a favored pet. Sessh grinned to himself, only his father would have ever named such a vicious, violent war stallion after a flower. Kuchinashi. Gardenia.

Ari stopped suddenly, reining in his animal and peering around him. "My lord," he said softly. "Something up ahead."

Inutaisho frowned and moved closer to Ari. "I smell blood."

Instantly, Izitaki dropped back to Sesshomaru's side. The bodyguard gave the boy a quick glance. "Well, maybe a little excitement after all. Can you smell the blood trail, Sessh?"

He nodded, sniffing the air. "Human blood?"

Izitaki nodded. "And a lot of it. Shall we investigate, my lord?" Inutaisho considered the question. They were well within the borders of his territory, not far from the pass that would take them though the mountains and into the valley that held his fortress. "I believe we must," he said quietly. It wouldn't be the first time there'd been raiders, human or youkai. The Daimyo tolerated a certain amount of brigand activities, especially in the wilder parts of his territory. Most of the time his guard kept such raiding to a minimum, indeed most of the humans living within the territory had very little idea of how much the youkai patrolling the countryside protected them from outside attacks. He firmly believed that the less contact his people had with the humans, the better off they all would be.

Outlaws and petty criminals were another story. He would allow the villages under his protection complete autonomy as long as they neither took up arms against his soldiers or attacked each other. He had no time whatsoever to settle human disputes. Peaceful villagers knew they had little to fear from the Daimyo's men and only had to flag down a passing patrol to report any attacks from nomadic bandits.

The smell of blood was becoming stronger and Inutaisho found himself frowning. He estimated at least a half dozen or more humans to be the source and a low growl started in his chest. He was already becoming angry that some fool had chosen his territory to stage some kind of petty slaughter. It was unacceptable to say the least. "Let's go," he said, sharply nodding at Ari and Izitaki.

Moving silently, they pressed through the forest, following the scent of bloodshed. Ari gave an inarticulate grunt and suddenly pressed ahead, Inutaisho a bare heartbeat behind him. Sesshomaru looked over at Izitaki but the bodyguard held up his hand, indicating that the young demon was to remain at his side. Sessh's sharp ears picked up the sound of a struggle and the muffled shouts of human voices. He tensed, holding tight to the reins of his mount and wished he could see through the thick underbrush and find out what was going on.

"Taki!" Ari's voice rang out clearly. "All clear." The bodyguard nudged him indicate that Sesshomaru was to follow where his father and Ari had gone. His demi-dragon snorted loudly, tossing one of its heads as it picked up a stronger blood scent. Sessh leaned forward in the saddle eagerly, wondering what had caused such an overwhelming smell.

They came into a small clearing, Sesshomaru's eyes were instantly drawn to his father, sitting imposingly on the back of his charger with his arms folded and a dour expression on his face. Kuchinashi was pawing at the ground restlessly, his sharp armored hooves tearing great gashes in the soft forest floor. Ari stood a few yards to the side, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. At their feet, four humans were sitting, or rather cowering in fear. Sessh noticed that their armor was shabby and their clothing worn. Bandits, he decided.

Inutaisho was deeply annoyed, his fingers were twitching angrily against his arms but he managed to control his temper and not fry the bandits where they sat. "Do you fools have any idea who I am?" he demanded.

Fearfully, the humans shook their heads. The one who looked the best fed actually pressed his forehead to the ground in a respectful bow. "No, lord, we are just simple soldiers who…"

"Simple soldiers who attack unarmed travelers and slaughter them for fun?" Inutaisho's voice held a low, controlled fury that made chills go up the back of Sesshomaru's spine. The human squirmed uncomfortably. Izitaki laughed unpleasantly and Sesshomaru looked around the clearing.

Two hand drawn carts had been overturned, their contents ransacked and strewn around the forest. A couple of sad looking heaps of cloth and hair seemed to be human remains, men or boys who had been taking their wares to market at a nearby village. They must have decided to cut through this forest instead of keeping to the main roads, Sessh decided. It had been their undoing as the bandits had obviously ambushed the travelers and butchered them. He edged to the side, trying to get a better look at the cowering bandits and for the first time noticed the bodies of two other victims. Their nakedness made it obvious that these were females and Sesshomaru flushed when he realized what he was looking at. It was horrifyingly obvious the women hadn't died quick or painless deaths. He swallowed hard and looked away.

Inutaisho saw his son turn away from the scene and smiled darkly. "Sesshomaru, come here," he said softly. His son approached and looked at him, curiosity in his eyes. "Here is a fine example of human on human brutality. One of the many reasons I prefer to leave them to each other. Tell me, what do you think about what you've seen here today?"

He swallowed nervously. "They're disgusting," he said in a soft tone, looking down at his hands. Inutaisho nodded. "I would have to agree at the moment. Of course, I want you to understand that most humans are not like these pathetic specimens. Still, it is inevitable that our paths must cross theirs from time to time. As Daimyo, you might find yourself in a position like this again."

"How do you mean, father?" Sessh gazed at him, confused. Inutaisho's golden eyes looked past his son and down at the men. "I want you to decide for me," he said simply. "Shall we execute these murdering beasts or show them mercy?"

Sesshomaru's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Me? You want me to decide if they should die? I don't understand."

"Think about it," Inutaisho murmured. "If you regard humans as no more than animals, are they accountable for behaving like beasts? Do you punish the wolves for behaving like wolves when they bring down the stag? It would be simple to put them down without a second thought. You do not know what circumstances have brought them to this end or how their lives might have turned if they had been shown compassion or pity."

It didn't make any sense to Sesshomaru. What did abstract ideas like compassion or pity have to do with anything? He chewed his lip and looked down at the humans. They smelled awful, like rancid alcohol and unwashed, stinking flesh. The men stared up at the young lord hopefully, their eyes wide in the thin, harsh faces. The bolder one who had spoken before crept closer. "Please, young master," he whined. "Spare us and we promise to change our ways. Our lives have not been easy." He reached out for the young demon's foot.

"Don't touch me!" Sesshomaru snapped, yanking himself away. He was even more revolted by them than he had been before. He glanced back at the ravaged bodies of the women. "They don't deserve mercy," he said in an icy voice.

His father's face was almost placid, contemplative. "It's easy to be merciful when mercy is deserved. Much more difficult when it's not."

Sesshomaru sat straighter in the saddle and tried to assume a regal bearing. "They deserve to die. They've committed a crime within the Daimyo's territory. We can't tolerate filth like this inside our borders."

"I see," Inutaisho said quietly. "And that is your final decision?" Sessh met his father's eyes firmly. "It is."

The Daimyo inclined his head graciously. "Very well. You may carry out your judgment then. Execution it is."

Sesshomaru stared at him. "You want me to do it?" His father's eyes were hard and impassive. "Responsibility, Sessh. If you can make difficult decisions, you must be prepared to carry them out to the end."

His face went pale. "But father, I've never killed anyone…" Izitaki and Ari exchanged dark looks, surprised by the Daimyo's order. Sesshomaru was very young, unblooded, and even for youkai this was a very unusual turn of events. "Sire," Ari said delicately. "Perhaps you should allow Izitaki or myself…"

"No," Inutaisho said coldly. "My son has made this decision. I trust his judgment in the matter. He absolutely will not be allowed to back out of it just because he doesn't want to get his hands bloody."

"But father," he breathed, his heart racing in his chest. He looked down at the sweating faces of the humans, one of them was starting to cry, another was muttering something intelligible over and over under his breath. Sesshomaru's hands were ice cold and he felt a prickle of sweat drip down his neck. His father looked at him, annoyed. "Oh all right," he snapped, raising a hand and waving it lightly in the direction of the humans. They instantly went quiet, their faces passive and relaxed as they slumped over. "Are you happy now? They won't feel a thing, but I still expect you to do as you're told, Sesshomaru."

He blushed hard. "I don't have a sword," he muttered, looking down at his toes and feeling humiliated. You son of a bitch, he thought darkly, hating Inutaisho for forcing him into this.

"Izitaki," his father snapped. The bodyguard hesitated a moment and then produced his long dagger. His face a stoic mask, he leaned over and pressed the hilt of the blade into Sesshomaru's hand. "I'd suggest you do as your father wills," he murmured softly into the boy's ear. Sessh didn't answer, but slid off his mount and squared his shoulders.

It was surreal, finding himself standing over the helpless bandits with Izitaki's long dagger clenched in his fist. Sesshomaru approached the first human and was at a loss. Ari cleared his throat. "A quick cut to the big arteries in the neck would be the best." Sesshomaru reached to take hold of the man's hair, wrenching back the head and made a sharp slash against the unresisting skin.

"Messy," Izitaki commented. "A little less force next time, Sesshomaru. You don't need to cut so deep." The boy didn't answer, fury and something else was building in his chest. He wanted to scream at his father, but a strange excitement pounding in his veins. The smell of fresh blood was in his nostrils and something primal was answering.

By the time he'd finished with the last bandit, he was breathing hard, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Sesshomaru shuddered at the mess, the gore that was caking his hands. He cleaned the dagger as best as he could before giving it back to Izitaki. When he met the bodyguard's eyes, something had changed in them. Izitaki gave him a fighting grin and he looked over at Ari, who smiled faintly and gave the boy a respectful nod, the kind he would have given the Daimyo.

"I want you to remember this, Sesshomaru," Inutaisho said and his voice was no longer cold and hard. "I don't think you'll be able to forget it in any case. With power comes responsibility and you are not a child any longer. When we return to the fortress I will expect you to report to the master at arms to begin your training. You will learn to fight and to lead others in battle. The lives of others will depend on your ability to make cool minded decisions and see them through. These men may have deserved their deaths, but I want you to understand that there are always other options, other choices open to you. As my son, I will expect you to consider that always."

END CHAPTER FOUR