Sesshomaru had, at first, looked down with amusement at the tiny fists that were pounding ineffectually against his armored chest. But the whelp's insolence, as well as his incessant crying out for his mother, had soon worn thin.
" Be still, or I will drop you." He said, coldly.
Upon hearing those words the half-breed stopped, staring up at Sesshomaru with eyes that seemed too large for his tear-streaked face. Eyes that showed all of the child's fear and grief within their golden depths.
{Golden eyes. Like father's...like mine.}
The thought was accompanied, yet again, by that same disquieting sensation he had experienced before and Sesshomaru's own gaze hardened, as he wondered how the miserable wretch could manage to cause him such discomfort. Seeing his displeasure the child, Inuyasha, instinctively grabbed at the fur mantle trailing over Sesshomaru's shoulder, clutching it tightly as his little body trembled from the effort to contain his sobs.
But it was to no avail. As the tears continued to spill from the mongrel's eyes, Sesshomaru let out an impatient sigh. With an elegant motion, the lord brought his left hand up and placed the tip of his index finger on Inuyasha's brow.
" Sleep." He said.
Those disturbingly golden eyes closed, and the little half-breed went slack within the the crook of the demon lord's right arm. The night, likewise, settled once more into stilness as the dark cloud continued on towards its final destination. Sesshomaru lifted his gaze to stare at the stars in the heavens. The coldness of his expression at odds with the almost gentle way he held the now-unconscious form of his little brother...
" Me Lord! Me Lord! What great fortune to see you safely returned...eh?"
The pupils of Sesshomaru's obsequious retainer, Jaken, widened in shock and his green skin paled, as the short demon beheld the form craddled in his master's arms.
" Jaken. Bring food and tea to my private chambers."
Without sparing so much as a glance towards his underling, Sesshomaru continued on down the hallway until he came to an elaborately-painted set of Fusuma screens. At his approach, another one of his demon servants scrambled to slide them open, before prostrating himself, just as the lord glided by.
"See that I am not disturbed by anyone but Jaken." Was Sesshomaru's only admonishment, before he went through the entrance.
"Y-y-yes...m-master."
Once inside his elegant rooms, Sesshomaru deposited his cargo on the floor, before one of the large cushions flanking the opposite sides of a sunken firepit. He watched, detachedly, as the half-breed curled his small body into a tight ball, noting with distaste that tears continued to course down his cheeks, even though the runt was still unconscious. Frowning, the lord walked to the other side of the firepit and without bothering to remove his armor, let himself sink into the soft plusheness of his resting cushions. from there, he stared at the abomination that was his sibling, his frown deepening as he pondered this unexpected turn of events.
he had originallt intended to tear the mongrel apart before the horrified eyes of his dying mother. Thus, he would punish Izayoi for her amorous presumptions and rid himself of the get born from his father's indiscretion. But as he had watched the woman valiantly struggle to protect her sleeping offspring, he had heard the words that ultimately stayed his hand.
" Have you someone to protect?"
Sesshomaru's right hand flexed involuntarily, its clawed fingertips puncturing the delicately embroidered fabric of the cushion.
{ Is your power so great, father, that you still managed to influence my actions, even from the Netherworld? }
It was a disturbing question. Yet Sesshomaru could find no other reason for uttering the words that resulted in his, essentially, rescuing the child.
{ Nevertheless, I did gain some measure of revenge. } He thought with grim satisfaction, recalling the despair in the woman's eyes as he made it clear that her son's reprieve would be but temporary. He now briefly contemplated ending that reprieve. It would be so easy to just lunge across the firepit and spill the mongrel's tained blood...too easy. He, Sesshomaru, was a Taiyoukai lord. It was honor that separated his caste from that of lesser demons. His word was his bond, even when given to a lowly human. And so he would ensure that the whelp, indeed, reached adulthood.
His musings were cut short by a soft scratching at the Fusuma screen. "Enter" he said, without raising his voice. He then watched as Jaken approached, trailed by a female demon who kep her eyes respectfully lowered, while still managing to balance a large tray bearing the tea and delicacies the lord had ordered. With an indolent motion, Sesshomaru indicated where he wanted the tray placed, and after the female demon poured the tea, he dismissed her with another silent wave of his hand. That left Jaken to stand nervously by while trying, in vain, to keep his gaze from straying towards the small red-clad form laying on the floor.
" Tell me, Jaken. What do you make of that child?"
At the cold sound of his master's voice, the short demon started, his bulbous eyes darting back to the imposing figure reclining on the cushions.
" He has the stench of a Hanyou, me lord. Hardly seems worthy of even the small trouble it would take to kill him. Allow me to dispose of him for you, so that your great personage need not be sullied by so menial a task." The green imp bowed deeply, his high-pitched voice betraying his excitement at the prospect.
" Fool!" Sesshomaru shot back " Do you think I bothered to bring that runt here, just so you could dispose of him? Now use whatever brains you have and tell me, what else do you see?"
" Aaah...aaah...Forgive your humble servant, me lord!" jaken exclaimed, all but throwing himself at his master's feet.
Sesshomaru allowed the other to grovel for a few moments, before signaling his impatience. At which point, Jaken returned his attention to the child with alactricity.
" Well, me lord. His haori and hakama are of a most unusual cloth." he began " In fact, even through the half-breed smell permeating it I think I can detect the sent of... Why, that material is made from the hair of the fire rats!" One of the imps hands strayed up to scratch at the side of his head " That's impossible! The fire rats are anathema to both demons and humans! Only one has been known to succesfully hunt them, and that is..." The slitted pupils of Jaken's eyes contracted into two, tiny pinpoints and his arms began to gestigulate wildly, as he screeched in surprise " B-but that would mean that this child is..."
" Inuyasha. My father's half-breed get." Sesshomaru finished, his deadpan voice cutting through his servant's squaking, like a whip.
" Me lord! I... I don't understand!"
" No. You do not. But you are not required to understand. You are only required to follow my instructions, which are as follows: You will have this mongrel placed in the farthest rice fields serving the household. He is to be put to work under the direct supervision of the overseer. He is to be provided with sufficient food to ensure his growth, and he is to live apart from the other laborers."
Sesshomaru's quiet voice took on a steely tone, as he continued.
" Only the overseer will have the authority to discipline him. But make it clear that while I expect that discipline to be hard, under no circumstances is the half-breed to be permanently maimed, nor killed. That pleasure will be mine, and mine alone."
The demon lord pinned his retainer under a glacial stare that promised merciless retribution, should his orders not be carried out to the letter. Quaking under that scrutiny, Jaken fell to his knees and touched his brow to the floor.
" All will be done in exact accordance to our wishes, me lord. I will not fail you!"
" See that you do not. Now, leave me. Return for the Hanyou when you have finished making the arragments."
" Y-yes, me lord."
After yet another obsequious bow, Jaken hurried from the chamber. As the Fusuma screen slid shut once more, Sesshomaru turned his attention to the still-sleeping figure across the firepit. With a fluid motion, the demon lord brought his hand up, then snapped his fingers.
" Awaken." he said...
TBC...