InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ Not Quite the Last Part III ( Chapter 54 )

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

Part III

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

Everyone was frozen as Satori's shock caused them all to stop and stare – and no one more than her son.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously as he took in the large male before him.

“Mother... you know this male?”  he asked, his manner not quite polite.

Satori blinked, pulled out of her memories of several centuries past by her son's question, and that brought her back to the here and now.

She turned slightly and looked at Sesshoumaru, then turned back to the male that was still silent, obviously trying to deal with his own shock.

“Yes,”  she said softly.  Meeting the large male's gaze, she said,  “It has been a very long time, Shun.  I had thought...”  she trailed off as a slight hint of pain became just noticeable in her voice, then cleared her throat and continued,  “that you were... dead.”

After a moment, he answered.  “I very nearly was.”

She looked around after a silent moment, then met his steady gaze again.  “Why... Shun, why, if your people were being attacked and destroyed by these birds, didn't you come to the West?  There are so few of us left,”  she said slowly.

At that, Shun snorted.  “Have you forgotten why I left, Satori?  I was banished from the west, along with all those under my care.”

Eyes turning cold, Sesshoumaru stepped up and confronted the other male.  “Why were you banished?”

Shun met Sesshoumaru's icy gaze with one just as cold.  “You must be the son of the Taisho,”  he said, something not quite friendly in his gaze.  “Though you did get the fortune of favoring your mother, rather than your sire.”

It looked like things were about to degenerate rather quickly at that point, and Kagome stepped in, standing protectively in front of the still frightened pups and their mothers.

“Perhaps we should sit down and actually talk this out?”  she suggested.  “It's apparent that there are things that need to be discussed.”

Sesshoumaru glanced at her, his expression giving nothing away.  “Hn.  Perhaps we should,”  he said as he palmed Bakusaiga's hilt.

Shooting him a look, Kagome quickly had everyone seated in one of the larger buildings, and within minutes, had tea made for the group.  Passing out the cups to a rather bemused group of people, in short order she was ready to hear the story the two, Satori and Shun, had to tell.

In a peaceable manner.

Satori began.

“Before I met your father, Sesshoumaru, I knew Shun.  He was courting me,”  she said, to her son's surprise.  He'd never known this about his mother.  “But... then your father came along one day, and decided to also court me.  You know what happens when something like that occurs,”  she said to her son.

“A challenge,”  Sesshoumaru indicated his knowledge with an incline of his head.  

“Yes,”  she murmured, eyes sad.  “Being who your father was, Sesshoumaru, it was no surprise that he won.  Shun is a strong warrior, but there was no one in your father's class.”

“That does not explain why he was banished from the Western Territories,”  her son replied, voice still cold.

With a sigh, Satori caught her son's gaze.  “Contrary to popular opinion, your father wasn't perfect, Sesshoumaru.  He had his bad side, too.  Even though he did not love me, and chose me as mate simply for my bloodline, he was a jealous male.  Very jealous – unreasonably so.  He banished Shun and his people because of jealousy, and nothing more.  It was not justified-”  her expression turned sour,  “-especially as he ended up taking a mistress.  It was okay for him to have another, but not for me,”  she sighed.

Shun turned angry eyes on Satori.  “You mean to tell me that after everything, the bastard threw you aside?”  he growled, his eyes flickering from silver to red and back again as his inner beast tried to get out.  “Where is he?”  he snarled, in his anger not noticing the way Satori had spoken of her former mate in the past tense.

Sesshoumaru, trying to take in what had just been divulged, fisted a clawed hand in anger at the male's tone, though he knew deep down his father wasn't perfect – after all, he'd had the same anger at his father for throwing over his mother for a human.  He glanced at an Inuyasha that had been oddly silent, who met his eyes understandingly, for once.

“Keh.  That's why I told the old man that if you hurt Kagome the way he hurt your mother, I'd kill you.”

Shun turned narrowed eyes on Inuyasha.  “You are also his son?  From his mistress?”  His growl deepened.  “She was a human?!  Where is the bastard?!”

“My father is dead,”  Sesshoumaru replied coolly, after a moment of gathering his control.  It was obvious that his sire had been in the wrong, and now it was up to him to set things straight.  “I am the current Western Lord.”

Shun glanced at Kagome, then back to Sesshoumaru.  “And the human?”  he asked.

Kagome spoke up at that, her voice quite firm.  “My name is not human – it is Kagome.”

Surprise flared in his eyes at her unruffled tone.  “You allow your... pet to speak so to others?”  he asked Sesshoumaru, whose eyes began to bleed red at the insult to his intended.

Before Sesshoumaru could attack him for his inflammatory words, Satori reached out and put a hand up to her son's arm, then looked at Shun.  “She is no pet.  She is the Shikon no Miko – and my son's intended.”

Taken aback, Shun simply stared at her for a few moments, then glanced at the icy daiyoukai at her side – who was quite angry.  He sighed.  “Obviously, things have changed greatly in the West.  Tell me... why are you all here?”

Satori explained, and Shun was stunned to find that all the silver inu left were Satori, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and those that had been exiled with he, himself.  

“The West is open to you and yours,”  Sesshoumaru said stiltedly after gaining control of his temper.  “You cannot stay here, and the craven birds are chasing the mothers and pups even into other lands.  But if they think to attack in the West, they will be utterly destroyed.”

It was clear from Shun's expression that he felt torn.  After being thrown from the West unfairly and banished with his people, he was reluctant to return, even though the Inu no Taisho was no longer alive.  But it was also clear that they could not stay where they were.

He sighed.  As leader, it was incumbent upon him to put the welfare of his people above his own comforts and desires.

“We will accept your offer to return to the West,”  he finally replied, meeting Sesshoumaru's gaze slowly.  “My duty is clear – my people need safety.”

Kagome spoke up, then.  “Are these all that are left?”  she asked, her voice sad as she thought back to the mother and pup she'd buried.

Shun eyed her for a moment, and then nodded.  “Aa,”  his voice terse, but neutral.

“You do not have a wife or child?”  Sesshoumaru asked, obviously wondering why a male of his age did not seem to have a family.

Shun's eyes went closed and cold.  “My wife and son were among the first to die.  I no longer have any family.”  With that, he stood and turned to the inuyoukai still in the room.  “Gather all your belongings, and prepare to depart for the Western Lands.”  

Kagome's heart wrenched at Shun's words, and she glanced sideways at Satori, wondering at her reaction to what had been said.  She appeared to be pained for one single moment, and then her normal cool demeanor took over and she rose to assist the others in their preparations for leaving.

Kagome was also about to offer her help when Sesshoumaru reached out and took ahold of her arm.  With a significant look at her, he led her outside and some small distance away.  His aura was unsettled, and she knew what was needed.

When they reached an area that was invisible from the small village, he stopped, and taking a seat, indicated the spot behind him.  With a small smile, she dropped to her knees behind him, and when he handed her the small comb, she didn't even say anything, just began brushing out his long locks.

For some reason, this always calmed him down when he was upset, and Kagome was more than willing to oblige – she seriously adored his hair.  He'd told her once that  mates groomed each other, and that was always soothing to an inuyoukai.  But his tension left her wondering which part of what had been said this day was upsetting him the most...

“Sesshoumaru?”

“Hn?”  he thrummed lightly in his chest in response.

“What's wrong?  I mean... I know today has been a shock, but... what's the worst part of it for you?”  she asked softly as she continued in her lulling combing.

Already beginning to relax, Sesshoumaru considered her question for only a moment.  “He called you a pet,”  he growled slightly, tensing again as he thought about that.

Kagome stopped in her combing for a moment, startled, and stared at the back of his head.  “You... you're most upset about him calling me a pet?”  she asked incredulously.  She would never have thought that was what was bothering him the most out of everything they had learned today.

He nudged her to get her to continue her grooming, and when she did with a start, he answered her.  “The things I have learned of my mother's past, while surprising, do not really concern me.  She is an adult, free to choose her own life, and if she chooses to renew her... relationship with that male, then I have no quarrel with it.  But... his disrespect to you will not be tolerated, and should it continue, he will find that I, like my father before me, am also a warrior without equal.”

Kagome's heart just melted all over at that declaration.  Not that she wanted him fighting over something as simple as someone's words, but that he would defend her so staunchly!  It showed how much he had changed since she'd first begun traveling with him.

It also showed that despite the less than warm relationship between he and his mother, he wanted to see her happy.  

She smiled tenderly as she continued her combing, taking note of just how relaxed he was.  It would not due to get him too relaxed, after all – they did still have a bit of traveling to do today, so that they could then finish the trip on the morrow.  Despite the fact that there were going to be pups with them this time, it would still be best to travel swiftly, so that there was less chance for the birds to attack while they were vulnerable.

With that in mind, she finally handed him back the comb with one last pull through his hair, and sighed.   The truth was, combing his hair also relaxed her... and right now she was feeling quite limp.

“We should get back so that we can leave.  The sooner we get them all away from this place, the better,”  she said.

After a moment, Sesshoumaru tucked the comb away in his sleeve, and stood, turning to pull her gently to her feet.  His eyes met hers and the drowsy, content look in them pleased him; grooming him also seemed to please and relax her.  

He could hardly wait 'til the grooming could move to more... intimate levels.

Just as he was thinking to lower his head and kiss her, his mother appeared in the glade and cleared her throat before speaking.

“The others are ready to leave – we await you,”  she said shortly, but Sesshoumaru didn't take offense – it was obvious that the day had been a bit of a strain for her, and he did not begrudge her her upset.  With a simple nod, he escorted both women from the little glade, and within moments they were back in the village.

Kagome's eyes swept over the gathered inuyoukai, and a pang hit her heart – there were only about twenty adults, and twelve pups, all still fairly young.  This was all that was left of the silver inu...

The now much larger pack was quickly settled into a defensive formation, with the pups and their mothers in the center, and with nary a longing glance back, the group took to the skies, rapidly leaving the now dead village behind.

As difficult as this was, though, there were things to be thankful for - that they were able to save as many as they had... and that Satori had found someone from her past that she had once cared for so greatly.  It was clear to Kagome that both inuyoukai, Satori and Shun, still had deep feelings for each other, and she had a sneaking suspicion that once they had had time to reconnect and work out their pasts, Satori would find her own happiness.

Yes... this day's work was good, she decided, glancing up at Sesshoumaru through thick lashes with a small smile.  He would probably never say it, but it was clear that he wanted to see his mother happy – even if it was with a male he himself wasn't overly fond of.  

He hid it well... but deeply buried though it was, it was clear that his heart was strong, and in the right place.

Sesshoumaru knew she was looking at him, and could almost hear her thoughts...  and reflected that, much as he disliked admitting it, it was true – he did, indeed, have a heart.

Little did she know, however, that its warming was all because of her.

She'd been the one to uncover his long frozen heart, and bring it back to life with her gentle ways and her own loving soul.  Who could spend any amount of time around her, after all, and remain cold and aloof?  As far as he was concerned, if even he couldn't do it, no one could.

He still didn't understand her, and acknowledged wryly to himself that he probably never would, but that didn't stop him from loving her.  It wasn't necessary to understand a person, to love them – all that was needed was a willingness to share yourself openly with that person.

He glanced at his mother as he thought that, not surprised to see her looking over at Shun.  He will make her an acceptable mate when they have worked out their differences, he thought to himself.  I can already tell that is where it will end up – he scents of attraction every time his eyes land on her.

Satori glanced at Shun, then at her son, surprised to find his own eyes meeting hers.  And even more surprised to find understanding – and acceptance – in his gaze.  For one of the first times ever, Satori saw honest affection for her in her son's golden eyes, and her own eyes softened...

She returned the look – and the affection.  Though she really didn't have much of a maternal instinct, and had raised her son in a much more cold manner than most mothers did, it did not mean that she didn't love him, and in that moment, she openly acknowledged her affection for him in the small smile she sent to him.  

It was tentative, but it was the beginnings of a closer rapport than they'd ever had before...

And Kagome simply smiled happily as she watched through knowing eyes.

Neither are as cold as they'd like everyone to believe...

I'm glad for that, too.  Isolation isn't good for anyone, and now neither one of them will be alone.

Kagome's aura thrummed soothingly over everyone there in her contentment, calming them all, even the traumatized pups, and suddenly, Shun understood just how off base he had been to call her a pet.

It was clear that she was anything but...

Especially for Satori to defend her and accept her as a mate for her son, because she had never been one for humans.

It was apparent she'd changed, and he was intensely interested in exploring those changes.

He wondered idly as they flew how many of those changes had been brought about by the tiny human woman being held so tenderly by the fierce warrior Satori had given birth to.

If she could change someone as immutable as Satori, then perhaps... perhaps she will actually be worth knowing.

At least now, I, and my people as well, will have time to see.

I must at least be grateful for that, I suppose – he glanced at Satori from the corner of his eyes – and for the chance to see her again.  She's just as beautiful as she always was.

While he would always feel awkward around her son, he was grateful for the male's offer to return to the West, and of protection.  

He had honor, to right his father's wrong... and that was enough.  

The past could not be undone, but the wrong had been redressed in a fair – and thankfully timely -  manner.

It was as much as he could have asked for.

Converting /tmp/php2itZhL to /dev/stdout