InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Words with My Uncle ❯ Sesshomaru's Choice: Minami ( Chapter 2 )

-Chapter Two-

-Sesshomaru's Choice: Minami-

 

"When you die they make a list
of every love you never kissed,
of each regret and each mistake,
every choice you failed to make."
- Barenaked Ladies, "Next Time"

 

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Uncle told me that seeing my father in such a state, completely incoherent with rage and despair, was one of the worst experiences of his life. If he didn't have to witness it for another hundred years, it would still be too soon.

 

After the battle Uncle and Miroku, who jumped on Kirara's back, went looking for my father. They found him two miles away in a grove of trees, reverted back to his normal state, but a little worse for wear and still unconscious. Uncle slung him up over the hellcat in front of Miroku and the four of them returned to the battlefield, where Aunt Kagome, Sango, and Shippo were waiting. Together they made the day-long journey home, to Kaede's village. My father didn't wake up the whole time, much to everyone else's relief. Uncle said that he was probably exhausted, and of course there was the huge hole in his stomach to consider. The wound would heal in a couple days with no problem, because Father's poison would fight off any miasma that Naraku had left behind on the skin, but it was still enough to slow him down.

 

Now a little about the place they went back to, Kaede's village. Kaede was an old priestess, the younger sister of Kikyo, and she had guarded the little settlement and the forest around it for quite a while. To this day it is still named after her, even though she died a long while ago, shortly after I was born. It has grown since the days of when it was founded, and especially since Uncle and Aunt Kagome took residence in it. They are widely known as heroes, and because of that people flock to the place to gain some semblance of protection in these troubled times. As my aunt said, it's not called the Warring States Era for nothing.

 

The forest around the village is named after my uncle, and has been since he was pinned to a tree in it almost one hundred years ago. The tree in question is called Goshinboku, and Uncle was sealed fast to it by a sacred arrow fired from the bow of Kikyo, herself. Those were the days before my Aunt Kagome was around; those were the times when Naraku began creating mayhem. For fifty years my uncle was stuck suspended to that immense tree, lost in the loop of time, not aging or feeling the effects of life. It was my aunt who released him, and then their journey began. One by one they gathered comrades, first Shippo, then Miroku, and finally Sango and Kirara. They crossed paths with hundreds of individuals, and sometimes their dealings with them had nothing to do with Naraku at all, but more often than not, they did. There was Yura of the Hair; the fight for Shiori, the bat hanyou; the Band of Seven; and many more. I cannot say I envy my uncle, for his quest was long and hard, and many times they were let down, but I do respect him for all he did. And you know, somewhere inside, though he would never admit it, I think my father did, too…

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

Sesshomaru awoke to the quiet sloshing sounds of moving water, and the odd feeling of something spongy being pressed to his abdomen.

 

He smelled wood, fire, some kind of floral scent, and… his brother's miko. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened his eyes to find himself staring at the crudely built log roof of a hut. Looking down earned him the sight of the girl he had smelled - Kagome, perhaps her name was - dipping an odd pink thing into a basin of water and then dabbing at his stomach with it. Immediately he noticed two things. One, he was bare chested, and two, the reason that the miko was tending to him was a large open wound just above his midriff. Neither of these things pleased him, and the second one didn't even make sense to him. What had caused such an injury to appear on his person? Thinking back to possible culprits, the tai-youkai found he didn't remember much of anything at all beyond arriving at the place where he was determined to end Naraku's life, and then bidding Jaken and Rin to stay hidden in the trees while he-

 

Oh.

 

A flood of memory, and with it a storm of unwanted and unwelcome emotion, came crashing down around him. Jaken was dead. Rin was dead. The hole in his stomach had been caused by one of Naraku's tentacles, so he could hold the inu-youkai still while he took Kagura's life as well. After that his thoughts became hazy, and Sesshomaru didn't have to be a genius to figure out what had taken place next. He'd transformed, no doubt, and Inuyasha had obviously stopped him, as was proved by the fact that his wench sat right in front of the tai-youkai's eyes. Surely she would be dead, sliced open by his claws, if his half-brother hadn't intervened.

 

Emotional pain was not something Sesshomaru was accustomed to, and it had been a long, long time since he'd last felt any of it, but nonetheless it came to him in waves as he lay there. Guilt, anger, sorrow, self-loathing. These things danced around him, a cruel mockery and testament to his failure to protect those he should have. A half-growl, half-whine escaped him, and it was only then that Kagome realized he wasn't asleep anymore.

 

“Oh! Sesshomaru! You're awake… I was just… Um…” Plainly startled by his sudden consciousness, the miko rambled on and on about things that the tai-youkai didn't understand or care about. He gave her a hard look, one meant to shut her up, and she did with a scared little squeak.

 

He started to sit up, with a bit of difficulty being both injured and without one arm, but Kagome's hand shot out to stop him, landing on his shoulder. With a single warning glare from him, she withdrew it, but still she said, “You shouldn't… Your wound is serious. You need to lie down so it'll-“

 

“It will heal on its own, girl. I am fine.” Ignoring her protests, he finished sitting upright and then got to his feet. Little tendrils of pain scored through him from his stomach, but they weren't enough to deter him from moving.

 

Seeing that he wasn't going to listen to her, Kagome figured it would be better to just let him do what he wanted, since it did actually appear as though his injury was already starting to repair itself. She turned around and gathered up the clothes and armor she'd removed from him and held them out to the tai-youkai, not daring to meet his stare since she was sure that he wouldn't be happy about being half naked.

 

He took his possessions from her without a word and donned them quickly with practiced ease. There were, of course, large pieces of cloth missing where he'd been impaled, but those would just have to wait. Something was still absent, however…

 

“My swords?”

 

“Oh!” She blushed and retrieved the weapons from their place up against the wall. “Here they are…”

 

Sesshomaru nodded and took those as well, and since he no longer had a sash to put them in, he just carried them in his hand, before going outside. Wanting to see if his original assumption as to his whereabouts was correct, he lifted his nose to the sky. One cursory sniff confirmed his belief; he was in the village in Inuyasha's Forest. Plus, it was nighttime. That was good. It meant that he could probably leave the place without having to endure the stares that curious villagers would send his way.

 

In the case of his brother, Sesshomaru wasn't so lucky.

 

“Oi! Where are you going?”

 

Inuyasha must have been sitting in his customary cross-legged fashion on the roof of the hut, because he dropped down in front of the tai-youkai, arms stuffed in the sleeves of his fire-rat haori.

 

“That's none of your business.”

 

“Like hell it's not! I saved your ass and brought you back here! Now where the hell do you think you're going?”

 

Kagome edged her way around Sesshomaru as she exited the hut and hurried to Inuyasha's side, casting anxious glances between the brothers and worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Neither youkai nor hanyou was backing down; each stood with their shoulders squared and stubborn, proud looks on their faces.

 

“Inuyasha… Please… Let him go,” Kagome's soft voice broke the stand off. “His injury is already healing. He'll be fine.”

 

Sesshomaru was somewhat surprised by her plea, but he didn't let it show. With an inward sigh, he relented. “I am returning home, Inuyasha. I have no need to be pampered like a pup.”

 

Cocking his head to the side in a decidedly calculating way, Inuyasha regarded his sibling for a minute before responding. “Keh. Fine. Don't get yourself killed, bastard. We haven't settled our score yet.”

 

A nod was all that Sesshomaru spared the hanyou before willing a demonic cloud to form around his feet and lift him into the air. It carried him up, higher and higher still into the sky until the tai-youkai was nothing more than a black silhouette against the shining crescent moon.

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

Sesshomaru had decided, from the moment he left the little wooden dwelling he'd awoken in, on a plan of action. He thought about the first step as his cloud transported him to his home. There were several scrolls scattered across the desk in his office, one of them an eager proposition from the southern tai-youkai for a mating between Sesshomaru and the demon lord's daughter. Upon first receiving the offer, Sesshomaru had scoffed and immediately cast it aside. He wouldn't be mating anyone until Naraku was dead… Until Kagura was free…

 

But alas, the wind sorceress was dead, and the inu-youkai had yet to find a mate and produce an heir. He was loathe to let Inuyasha take over the Western Lands, and fairly positive that the hanyou would decline the responsibility anyway. So Sesshomaru needed a son. An engagement to the southern youkai hime was starting to sound like a decent idea.

 

The demonic cloud dissipated and Sesshomaru touched down on the soft grass outside his extensive castle. He strode through the halls, passing servants and vassals who all stopped to look at him, obviously wondering what had happened while their lord was away, but he ignored them all. He slid open the door to his private quarters, only to be greeted by a twinge in his neck, more of a prickling sensation than an actual pain.

 

“Detach yourself from my anatomy instantly, flea, and I won't annihilate you.”

 

Myoga didn't need another warning. With a frightened yelp, he hopped onto Sesshomaru's shoulder and looked up at the youkai, mustache quivering.

 

“My apologies, sire! It's just that I haven't had any full youkai blood in ages and I just-“

 

“Silence.”

 

“Eep! I'm sorry, m'lord! I didn't mean to-“

 

“What are you doing here?” Patience quickly waning, Sesshomaru wanted an explanation.

 

Extremely nervous, Myoga started rubbing his four hands together. “I was just ch-checking in on you, sire…”

 

“Hn. Now that you have done so, you may leave,” the tai-youkai dismissed the flea and made his way to his desk. He scanned his amber gaze over it quickly, making sure everything was how he left it. He sat down, cross-legged, placing his swords beside him, and selected the scroll he was looking for.

 

Myoga, far from leaving, leaped from Sesshomaru's shoulder and landed on his desk. He squinted, trying to read the kanji on the back of the document that the youkai had just unrolled. “'Daisuke, Lord of the South…' Oh! Why, that's the water demon who controls the lower regions, is it not, sire?”

 

“Hn.”

 

“Why would he be contacting you? Is there a war happening? I didn't hear anything… Or perhaps he wishes to make a trade? Or-“

 

“Stop babbling,” Sesshomaru ordered, not taking his eyes from the scroll. Daisuke wanted him to marry and mate his daughter, Minami, who was, according to her father's letter, a beautiful, healthy, submissive woman who could bear him many strong pups. Sesshomaru almost snorted. The validity of the words was questionable, as Daisuke himself was no show to look at, but still, the offer was worth taking into consideration.

 

Retrieving the pen and ink pot from the corner of his desk, Sesshomaru scribbled a response on the bottom of the scroll. He signed his name beneath that and then rolled the letter back up before standing.

 

“Eh… M'lord? Where are you going?” In his haste to follow the quickly moving tai-youkai, Myoga jumped a little too far and ended up face-first on the floor. Muttering a pained “oomf,” the flea knew he'd lost Sesshomaru when he heard the door slide open and then close again.

 

The inu-youkai in question walked purposefully through the halls of his castle until he reached the front doors, where two boar-youkai stood on guard. He turned to the one on the left and held out the scroll he'd been carrying.

 

“Take this immediately to the southern tai-youkai. Be as quick as you can.”

 

The lesser demon bowed swiftly, eager to please his lord. Not a second later, he was off, message in hand.

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

To say that Daisuke had been happy to hear from Sesshomaru would have been an understatement. Indeed, the water-youkai had been beside himself with joy. He all but skipped through his home, announcing in a sing-song voice, “He wants to meet her!”

 

His daughter, Minami, was more controlled in her excitement. She was glad, of course, that Sesshomaru wanted to give her a chance, but her dignity kept her from prancing about like her father.

 

One week after receiving word from the inu-youkai of the west, Daisuke and Minami, along with a small train of vassals, set out on a journey to Sesshomaru's castle, where he had so graciously invited them for their meeting. Upon arriving at the place they were promptly greeted by several of the lord's servants. One, an ancient dog demon named Ren who had been in the service of Sesshomaru's family for more years than she could count, led them to the dining hall, where a huge feast was already being laid out. The Lord of the West, himself, was there to welcome them.

 

“Good afternoon, Lord Daisuke, Lady Minami.”

 

“Ah, and similar pleasantries to yourself, my lord!” Daisuke exclaimed jubilantly. “What a truly blissful conference this is!”

 

There was a slight downward quirk in the corner of Sesshomaru's lips. “Quite. Please, sit down.”

 

His guests did as was asked of them, depositing themselves on the cushions across the table from their host. Covering the table between them was a wide array of expertly prepared dishes, proof of the inu-youkai's wealth and power, and once he motioned for them to dig in, neither water-youkai wasted their time in doing so. Daisuke's plate was piled high with food in minutes. Minami, the lady, selected a significantly smaller amount. Sesshomaru, it appeared, wasn't eating, for he made no move to grab anything from the selection.

 

“Now, leth's get s'raight to business, Sessoma'oo,” said the southern tai-youkai through a mouthful of cooked fish. “I fink a mating be'ween my daw'er an' yourself would be benefifull to the boff of us,” he swallowed. “I mean, such an alliance would make us stronger, not to mention the positive change in trade we could have!”

 

“Yes, of course,” Sesshomaru assented, deciding to ignore the rudeness of the other youkai. “But my reasons for seeking a mate at this time are not for power or money. I need a suitable heir, that is all.”

 

“If that's the case, you need not worry, my friend! Minami is of the highest breed, and she will not disappoint, isn't that right, my dear?” Daisuke looked at her expectantly.

 

She nodded. “Yes, Father.”

 

“Stand, my lady,” ordered Sesshomaru.

 

Not one to ignore a demand from such a man, Minami did as she was told, standing tall with her shoulders squared and her hands clasped before her. She kept her gaze averted down, a show of respect to the inu-youkai as he stood after her.

 

She was, without a doubt, quite beautiful. Sporting waist length, smooth black hair that was currently pulled into one of the latest fashions, pale blue eyes, and an elegant posture, Minami possessed a quiet reverence that bespoke honor and obedience. She was neither too thin nor too heavy, and beneath the rich kimono she wore, Sesshomaru could make out a pleasing figure. She did not appear weak, by any means, and so his decision was an easy one. She would easily be able to meet his needs.

 

“You will do.”

 

OooOooOooOooO

 

AN: Research is a great thing, isn't it? For anyone who cares to know, when Lord Daisuke was talking with his mouth full, I wasn't sure how what he was saying would sound, so I grabbed a bowl of cereal and decided to try saying his line with my own mouth full! Talk about writing from experience.

 

Hanyou: half-demon

Miko: Shinto priestess

Youkai: demon (roughly translated, that is)

Tai-youkai: I suppose that this would be the equivalent to “demon lord”

Mokomoko-sama: this is the fluffy boa-ish thing that Sesshomaru wears over his shoulder, and it was named this by Rumiko Takahashi, herself.

Inu: dog

Haori: the upper half of Inuyasha's outfit… traditional Japanese clothing

Hime: princess

Kanji: one form of Japanese writing

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is property of one Ms. Rumiko Takahashi. And thank gosh for that, because if I owned it you would be running for your life. Toodles.