InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Tale of Sesshoumaru ❯ Submitting to Order ( Chapter 44 )

Disclaimer: I do not own copyright to any of the Inuyasha characters. Wish I did. I make no profit off of my fan fiction. Wish I did.

 

Disclaimer #2: I do own the characters of Akanesuji/Akane, Smart Ass, Hizumeha, Kuza and Manatsu. If you would like to borrow them, please contact me at skycladstrega@yahoo.com for permission.

 

Disclaimer #3: This fan fiction is rated R for violence, sex, gore and supernatural yummy goodness. If you are under the age of 17, I suggest getting your parents permission to read this. I am not responsible for any psychological damage my rantings might bring you :^P

 

 

Morning broke, brining with it some sunshine for the first time in three or four days. Akanesuji was glad to see it, even if it had come to early and was shining right in her eye. She looked down to her front legs to see her dear husband sleeping soundly in his human form between them, naked except for Moko-moko-sama as a blanket. Nuzzling him with her big wet nose, she licked his face and laughed when he wiped at the slobber with a sour face.

 

“That's not very funny.”

 

“I thought so,” she replied. “I think we have a visitor.”

 

Sesshoumaru sat up to see a bright and perky InuYasha entering the large open door to the barn. His eyes were particularly cheerful and he had a hop in his step. When he saw his older brother peeking out between the large dog's legs, he blushed and turned his face away. “I'm sorry. I can come back later.”

 

“No need. This Sesshoumaru would have audience with you sooner or later.” He stood and stretched gracefully, more like a cat than a dog, wrapping the fluffy mantle around him and headed towards his pile of clothes. He put on his fundoshi as his brother looked away into a corner to avoid gazing at him. Once his under kimono was on, InuYasha felt more comfortable about looking in his direction.

 

“I've decided to take you up on your offer Akanesuji-sama. I don't know when we will ever find Naraku or all of the jewel shards and I can't just waste my life or Kagome's waiting around.”

 

The dog nodded and Sesshoumaru was impressed that for once his younger brother had actually thought something through. He had never been one for long term planning. Maybe now he was finally maturing. “Good choice brother. You will now be under my thumb right where I have always wanted you.”

 

“Yes. I suppose so.”

 

“You will learn to take orders and submit to my authority?”

 

“I guess.”

 

“No.” Sesshoumaru said firmly. “You will learn to take orders. You will submit. There is no guessing about it.”

 

“My lord, please.” Akanesuji interrupted. “Brother InuYasha, you must understand what being here will mean. When he and I are not here, you will be in charge of everything, from how much food and spices are partitioned to the peasants and servants, to diplomatic relations with other lands. You must be able to carry out our vision of the future, be our representative and our right hand. You must be able to arrange marriages, pass judgments, settle disputes. For many years, your brother has considered you too immature to share in such duties. You have always appeared rash and confrontational, basing decisions on selfish reasoning, not what is good for the people. That must change.”

 

InuYasha wanted to be insulted, but he could not. What she said was true. He was often rash and confrontational. He had always considered it his strongest feature to be quick thinking and aggressive, but now he was seeing it through their eyes. It was a determent.

 

Akanesuji continued. “You are a bold man. A man of action. There is no doubt about that. Everyone respects your might, but they do not respect your mind. You must earn that respect InuYasha. You must work for it from the ground up. You must become trustworthy by submitting to the order of things.”

 

“You do not trust me?”

 

“Would you depend on you?” Sesshoumaru asked rhetorically. “Would you trust your life and the lives of others one someone who acts like a brat?”

 

“Kagome and the others trust me.” InuYasha offered as proof that he was worthy of respect.

 

“We know. We have watched you for a good time now. That is reason why I am comfortable asking you take your place here.” Akanesuji explained. “I really feel that in time, you will earn the respect of everyone around you, including your brother.”

 

Sesshoumaru glared at her before turning his back on the two of them. She often took the emotional route in speaking, but that was going a little too far. “I will only ask you this one more time. Will you learn to take orders and submit?” he asked, getting back to the original topic. If his little brother was to be here, then it had to be under his terms, not just Akanesuji's.

 

InuYasha stood quietly for a moment thinking before answering. The reasons his brother hated him so were all becoming more clear. It wasn't because he was a hanyou or that he blamed father's death on his mother. It wasn't because he didn't show up to the battle with the cat clan, though that lack of responsibility did have something to do with it. It was because he never played the game. He never accepted his role as a lord. Never accepted who he was and what he could be. He bowed his head and dropped to his knees, the first time ever in his life. He placed his head over his hands and waited in silence. It hurt to do it. Pained him to submit, but if he wanted a future with Kagome, a place in the world to call home and a real family of his own, he would have to learn this new thing called order.

 

Sesshoumaru waited and waited for the answer and when none was given he spun on his heel angrily only to find his brother bowed respectfully before him and the Lady of the West. He let down his balled fist, which he had planned to either knock some sense in his brother or kick him out with and stared at the boy before him.

 

No, that wasn't right. He was now a young man. His little brother was growing up. He was becoming a real man. “Rise, Lord InuYasha. We have much to discuss.”

 

InuYasha lifted his head. Sesshoumaru's toes were just a few inches from his nose. He stood slowly, looking into deep golden eyes that were waiting for his to meet them. A single hand grasp his shoulder and squeezed it approvingly, then before any words could be spoken, the greater lord walked a more comfortable distance away. It was a quiet and small show of approval, one that made him feel all the world like his brother cared about him.

 

It was more than he had ever expected or hoped for and now he would work hard to gain more of those small approvals. They meant so much. His heart was really happy. In the last twenty four hours, he had gone from thinking this trip a total waste of time to the best thing that ever happened to him.

 

“We will be leaving as soon as possible to find Naraku. I want the women to stay here where they can be protected. This will be a hard and fast strike and they will just slow us down,” the elder brother said to the younger.

 

“What about Miroku? He isn't as fast as we are.”

 

“One of us will have to carry him if he is to keep up with us, but I think his sucking palm may be of use. If Naraku cannot be cut into pieces and burned, then we will corral him in that direction.”

 

“What about the jewel shards? If he has them on his body he can't be sucked into Miroku's hand. They would disappear forever.” Akanesuji stated. “My future self said the jewel will eventually be made whole.”

 

“Then leave the monk here. He is of no use to us.” Sesshoumaru finished tying his sash over his pants. “He would better serve as guard to the women.”

 

The lady of the Western lands just rolled her eyes behind Sesshoumaru's back where he couldn't see. InuYasha thought he was going to spew a giggle but stifled it admirably.

 

InuYasha nodded at his brother. It wasn't a half bad plan really. He and Sesshoumaru could travel much quicker without Kagome and the others. It would take real speed to catch up with him after this rain. His scent would not last much longer, if it lasted through the wetness and damp at all.

 

“When we get back, I expect you and the Kagome to take up the wing you used to live in. Make the apartments yours. Fill them with dozens of screaming crawling babies for all I care. I want the barracks filled with soldiers. I want them trained and ready to fight. I want this place impenetrable.”

 

“And don't forget love,” Akanesuji added, “He needs a man's name. He cannot be called Dog Demoness all of his grown life.” Sesshoumaru nodded.

 

InuYasha's ears perked at that. Japanese tradition was that a boy child had a child's name, but when a young man became mature, he would get a man's name. Because his father had died, he never had hope of getting a man's name. He had always assumed he would be “dog demoness” forever, a name that at first he hated because it was a play on his pretty looks, then cherished because he missed his princess mother and she had given it to him, then began to hate it again because it was something to be made fun of. Yes, it was time for a man's name, and now his brother Sesshoumaru would give it to him. That was twice today his brother had shown him care and concern.

 

Maybe being a noble lord beneath him wouldn't be so bad.

 

“Prepare yourself, brother. We have much to do.” Sesshoumaru nodded to him and the younger inu nodded back, bowed just slightly then exited. Turning to his wife, Sesshoumaru had a very blank face on. Akanesuji smiled and batted her eyes, knowing she would get the talking to now. “You are a very, very naughty dog.”

 

“You are a very silly looking dog. You have hay in your hair.” She tried to change the subject, which often worked well with him. There were two things that could always be counted on with her love. The first thing was that he would forget one problem for a while if a second one made him more angry. The second thing was that his vanity could be played upon.

 

Sesshoumaru ran his fingers though his hair and found a long piece of hay trapped near the top of his head. “You let me be seen like that?!”

 

The dog smiled again then nuzzled his cheek with her wet nose. “Oh who cares. It's just our brother.”

 

“You have no since of dignity do you?” He straightened his clothes, brushing them almost obsessive compulsively then ran his fingers over and over again through his hair. If there was one thing this Sesshoumaru could not handle, it was looking poorly before subordinates.

 

“My name is Ass and my mother's name is Bitch and my father's name is Son of a Bitch.” she said mockingly, reminding him of her days disguised as a lowly mixed breed servant. She had dignity when she needed it, but there were just some situations where dignity was better left at home. Sesshoumaru just grabbed his Moko-Moko-Sama and walked out on her.

 

“Where's my good bye kiss?” she yelled out the barn door.

 

“Just lick your own ass, Akanesuji. You're so good at showing it.”

 

“Fine then. You know I can reach it like this.” Akanesuji had no intentions of licking her own furry dog ass, but it did strike her that she could lick the rest of herself this way and she started to laugh hysterically. Being in dog form certainly had it's uses! Then she wondered if Sesshoumaru ever did that....AKKK!!

 

Sesshoumaru grumbled to himself all the way to his bed chambers. By the Kami that woman frustrated him to no end. He had to get a bath and a clean change of clothes before heading out and it would give him a moment to calm down in private.

 

He was not very happy when he got to his door and smelled....kitsune.