InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Chained ❯ Understand ( Chapter 60 )

A/N: Okay, in this chapter Sesshomaru’s going to be brooding over a few things again (probably things he has brooded over already) but considering how much he obsessed over Tetsusaiga, I don’t know if it’s really that OOC for him.

^_^ ~*~   Understand

Inuyasha and Kagome kept almost entirely to themselves for the next week or so, as did Sango and Miroku.

The kitsune, Shippo, and the fire-cat spent their time getting to know Rin and Kohaku, since the boy was not entirely ready to meet up with his sister just yet.

Sango had been a little disappointed to hear this, but had understood and accepted his reasons and left him alone for the time being.

Sesshomaru had mostly been busy with affairs between other clans and countries-- ones who refused to help, or were all too eager-- to notice them much, but when he actually sat back and took it all in, he was more than slightly startled at how much things had changed.

There had been a point, he was certain, somewhere along the way, where he had been unable to stand humans.

Now he had five of them staying in his castle, and he was working with a ningen witch to plot against Naraku.

Not to mention the fact that he was finally on good terms with his half-breed brother after years of them trying to kill one another, and he had four unexpected youkai in his charge, though three of them were more than capable of caring for themselves.

And the horses were only temporary guests.

Or so he hoped.

Yet they had a tendency to disappear for long hours of the day, and then return near dusk, sometimes with another of their herd accompanying them. By the morning the intruder would be gone again, and the horses would likely be out grazing somewhere.

Sesshomaru let all his “guests” do as they would for the time being, observing by their short run-ins how they were all slowly improving-- having more than just skin dangling from their bones, walking about without help... sometimes even smiling again.

And he would observe them in bemusement, wondering when he had finally started to weaken enough to let creatures like this hang around him.

He supposed the first slip must have been with Jaken, and then it all went downhill from there.

It didn’t really matter anymore, they would all be leaving eventually, and for the time being he could live with their presences.

He was actually starting to get used to them, strange though it may seem.

And, when he thought about it, it was rather difficult to go back to imagining life without them.

The constant sounds of Rin and Shippo running around like mad things, of Sango helping Miroku as he stumbled around, and of Kagome as she cheered and praised his younger brother throughout his training.

Or even those subtle and delicate whispers the two couples shared when they thought no one could hear, but that his sharp hearing picked up on anyway.

In fact, it had gotten to the point where silence was a rare thing, and bouts of silence were enough to cause suspicion within the castle.

It was strange, but not entirely unwelcome, looking after and protecting all the unexpected house guests.

It reminded him of when his father had been alive, and there had been a constant amount of noise and movement in the castle as people-- demons and humans alike-- moved in and out.

He had always wondered how his father had been able to stand the constant stream of intruders-- especially the humans and lesser demons-- always moving in and out, causing all kinds of commotion.

Now though....

A slight commotion from the grounds below caught his attention, and Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome and Inuyasha through the window as they had an exchange of some sort.

He watched as Kagome, who had clearly said something mock-taunting to his little brother, let out a sudden shriek as said hanyou growled and charged at her, causing her to whirl about to run, only to be caught a moment later and pinned easily to the ground by Inuyasha, who was looking quite proud of his accomplishment even from this distance.

Sesshomaru felt a small smile tug at his lips at the sight, never having seen his brother in such a carefree or playful mood as he was with the miko and turned his attention back toward his own thoughts.

And it was strange to him, to think that, after all these years, it had taken his brother, five lesser demons, and six humans to finally get him to concede defeat-- to see what his father had seen so long ago in all these creatures.

And, even stranger, he found that he was not disgusted with the thought.

He turned away from the window with a thoughtful expression on his face, and looked down at Tenseiga, which was pulsing faintly against his side.

‘Father...’ He thought quietly, staring at the sword he had once deemed so useless-- the blade that had set more than one of these chains of event in motion ‘I think I finally begin to understand.’

As if in response, the blade let out a larger pulse then normal, and then grew silent, content for the moment with it’s master’s choice. ~*~  

Glossary

Kitsune - Fox

Ningen - Human

Youkai - Demon

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Miko - Priestess