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fangsofdestruction · 1 year ago

Text

Partly because of conversations with @dualfated so I felt like writing out a scene. This is a drabble kinda fic, partially HC based.

Context: Follow Sesshomaru's introspection as he reflects on the past and the reason he is mindful of the moon.

Length: 3,046 words

For a being who lived for an unfathomable amount of time humans couldn’t comprehend, Sesshomaru had lived to see seasons pass over countless times, growing bore of the same patterns while also finding comfort in it.

Inevitably, change came to everything in life, but there were things that remained constant throughout the centuries, such as the sky.

Though the number of stars or the phases of the moon changed, the beauty of the nighttime sky was a familiar constant he grew to find solace in. The phases of the moon, though ever changing, still kept to a strict pattern, and this was something Sesshomaru kept a close mental note of. One may assume that Sesshomaru didn’t know the importance of the moon phases, but that would be entirely incorrect.

“Mi’lord, should we visit Rin within the next few days? She would enjoy the gifts you’ve picked for her.” Jaken suggests while getting a bonfire started for him to stay warm next to.

“No, this Sesshomaru still has some business to attend to for the next few days.”

The loyal imp was curious, but he stayed his tongue. If Sesshomaru wanted to inform him of his future activities, he would have spoken. He simply accepts the answer as it was and starts attending to the fire. The dual-headed dragon steed lay nearby, resting after a long day of trailing behind Sesshomaru. Able to understand verbal communication, A-un understood that he may be left behind with Jaken for a few days on end and it would be up to him to ensure the survival of the imp. Were Rin still around, he would be ensuring her safety as the priority.

For being Sesshomaru’s steed, he was most commonly ushering Jaken and other children around, but he wasn’t complaining. It was a great sense of purpose to be trusted with those that Sesshomaru cared for—or at least found useful in Jaken’s case.

“Should we head over first, Mi’lord? Or would you require us to wait for your return?”

“Stay here and await my return. This Sesshomaru will be back within a few days time.” With that, Sesshomaru had left the campsite and took to the skies. Whatever business he had to attend to, Jaken and A-un were left alone to wait patiently for his return. It was a common occurrence, so it was ‘business as usual.’ Bored and tired, the dragon steed laid down to sleep. Jaken sat by the fire, losing himself in his thoughts. How did he come to this in his life? Why did he choose to serve Lord Sesshomaru as one of his retainers?

Just small imp reveries when your master leaves you alone to your thoughts.

The Inu-youkai had taken to the skies and found a tall tree to scout the vicinity from. Though he was no Lord of these lands, he did oversee its borders as he found himself occupying the lands. Unofficially, he considered this area to be his territory, and so no other Demon should lay claim lest they aim to earn his ire. Of course, it wasn’t to say that he would dispose of any Demon who lived within his supposed territory. He’d only eradicate those that posed a threat to either himself or those he had responsibility for—such as Rin.

Weak and cowardly Demons were safe from a pre-emptive culling by his claws. The stronger Demons were assessed and judged by his whims. Overhead were the twinkling stars, and a small crescent moon, reminiscent of the one he shared with his esteemed Mother.

[☾]

Before Jaken had come into the servitude of Sesshomaru, he had mostly been a wandering spirit, searching endlessly for clues of the whereabouts of the Tessaiga. With Totosai avoiding his probing questions for answers, the young Demon had taken to venting his frustrations on unsuspecting Demons that looked like they could hold their mettle against him. Alas, most Demons around were too lacking to serve as an appropriate battle partner. Such is the woe of the strong, that it was too far in between finding worthy opponents.

Through the grapevine he’d heard of a human Princess’s passing, and while that normally would be of no interest to him, he’d heard that her child had been cast out upon her death.

A child whose birth was considered taboo or unacceptable by humans due to his Demon blood coursing through his veins. News travels slow for a wandering Demon who barely cares for any news aside from Tessaiga, but the news had inevitably carried its way to his ears. How long ago had the woman passed before he’d heard of her passing, he wouldn’t know- nor would he care. All the elder half-brother knew was that the last he’d seen Inuyasha, was that he was a gnat. The despicable spawn that was birthed through Toga’s abandonment of his first family.

The child that Toga had seen last prior to his passing.

To say that he felt disdain for Inuyasha was an understatement, but even if that were the case, he still felt a sense of responsibility for the thing that shared half a lineage with him.

Hmph, so he’d been cast from his home after his mother’s passing, was it? Perhaps that’s the reason he’d caught wind of some Hanyo, who was the subject of interest for the lower-ranked Demons had been hungry for a delicious meal. His continued existence meant that for a hanyo, he could somewhat fend for himself. As expected of someone who had Toga’s blood running through his veins. If he died the night he was cast out, Sesshomaru would have to hang his head in shame that his half-brother was so weak.

Inuyasha’s reputation was tied to Toga’s legacy, and like so, Sesshomaru’s reputation. He didn’t know how Inuyasha was raised among the humans, but as nobility, he couldn’t have been taught how to survive in the wild among beasts. Inuyasha’s survival up until now could be summarily described as a miracle. Credit was due to Inuyasha’s cockroach-like ability in staying alive.

Sesshomaru dare say that dying sooner would be better for Inuyasha than to needlessly struggle, but that was the path Inuyasha would sort out for himself. If he wished to struggle and claw his way to the river styx, so be it. So as long as he doesn’t damage the reputation of Inu-youkai across Japan, he won’t have to meet a bitter end.

Flying overheard, a scent carried by the wind catches his attention. One vaguely like that of Toga’s, he knew that a relative was nearby. The Demonic scent wasn’t strong, so the scent had to belong to that of a half-demon… as in Inuyasha. Perching atop a treetop, he’d casually watched with mild amusement Inuyasha’s struggles to fend off beasts in the forest. He used his claws and his grotesque fighting style to trap and incapacitate his foe. How disgusting. How classless.

Now closer to Inuyasha, he could smell certain pheromones being released into the air by Inuyasha’s sweat. Yes, it’s the smell of fear and stress. Appropriate for the situation, he’d suppose. Inuyasha’s demeanor was far from what one would expect from a son of a human Princess. Perhaps he hadn’t been raised in the ways of human etiquette, or maybe that’s simply how crude humans were.

His disdain and discrimination against humanity still rang true, as one could imagine. Toga’s siring a new child with a human woman only exacerbated this disgust he had for humans.

Admittedly, Sesshomaru didn’t entirely disapprove of Inuyasha’s demeanor. While crass, it was appropriate to remain undeterred when facing any opponent. Inuyasha never begged for his life, steady eyes full of rebellious ire stared at his enemies head on. This young hanyo was desperately trying to survive by any means possible, foregoing any vain aesthetics to further his life. It was a good attitude for a budding warrior still gaining his bearings.

The ability to remain elegant and poised in battle was the right of the strong. Sesshomaru’s fighting style was both destructive as it was an awe-inspiring sight all in part due to his strength. He was not so daft to force his standards upon a weaker half-brother who couldn’t even amount to a single one of Sesshomaru’s claws.

Loathe would he be to admit so, he approved of Inuyasha’s attitude. It was befitting of a Demon. Had Inuyasha pleaded for his life and cowered in fear, Sesshomaru would have culled the disgraceful gnat in that very moment. He would have pity on the hanyo by ensuring his death was swift and sudden- as to not prolong his suffering.

What fun is there in observing a battle between two weak individuals? There was none.

After confirming Inuyasha’s triumph, Sesshomaru had taken to the skies once more, now with some ideas in mind. He’d been given trials by Toga himself to test his mettle. Perhaps he should do the same, to train Inuyasha by giving him trials to overcome to increase his battle experience.

It was only appropriate for an elder packmate.

[☾]

Sesshomaru never regretted his actions against Inuyasha. It had crossed his mind that Inuyasha wouldn’t be able to understand the intricacies of Sesshomaru’s actions (what with Inuyasha’s small brain), but he knew that Inuyasha’s extremely hostile behavior towards his existence meant that no explanation would get through the thick skull of the Hanyo. Why should Sesshomaru waste his breath to educate a student who hadn’t the capacity to learn?

Certainly, Inuyasha had nearly lost his life many a time via the machinations of Sesshomaru’s brain, but in hindsight, none of what he’d put Inuyasha through was quite as bad as what other Demons could do. If Naraku’s plots were not evidence of such, what he’d put Inuyasha through was mere child’s play. He had a reason and a lesson to give to Inuyasha with each ‘altercation’ that may have given Inuyasha further ammunition to claim Sesshomaru’s disinterest and hatred towards his half-brother.

It was always more complicated than that, while concurrently, extremely simple.

Though Sesshomaru found Inuyasha’s existence to be distasteful and a plague upon his pride, he didn’t deny Inuyasha’s existence. That was a sign of familial piety. He hadn’t outright denounced Inuyasha’s relationship with him, thereby cutting any ties the two half-brothers had with each other. Simply by attaching Inuyasha’s existence with his own, many of the stronger Demons (ones with a semblance of an intelligence, anyways) left Inuyasha be lest they risk earning the righteous ire of Sesshomaru.

Well, it wasn’t as though Sesshomaru would expect Inuyasha’s ignorance to understand such a point. Nor did he think Inuyasha would realize if Sesshomaru had truly hated him to the point he wished for his death—he would have killed him rather than leaving him sleeping on that tree with an arrow pierced through his heart.

Instead, he left Inuyasha be. It went to show that more than hatred, Sesshomaru felt more apathetic towards him. Curses and spells were such that they grew weak over time, or that if you had enough strength, one could dispel a curse themselves.

Leaving Inuyasha on the tree was yet another trial and tribulation for Inuyasha to face. If luck had it that Inuyasha would never have been freed from the spell, so be it. That was all he’d amount to.

As everyone knew, Inuyasha had been freed from the spell and he became the competent hanyo that he was today.

That said, the hanyo was still limited to the demerits all hanyo had to face: their human nature.

[☾]

It was that scent again, but it was different somehow. It smelled… less feral. Upon investigation, his golden eyes could see atop Inuyasha’s head was neither his furry ears nor the signature silver tresses of the Inu-youkai clan. He looked… human.

The young man had sneakily traversed through the woods, looking for cover in anything he could find, like a hole or a cave.

Knowledgeable that Hanyo were plagued with the disadvantage of turning fully human for a time, he’d assumed today was his weakness. Golden eyes taking to the skies, he notes that the moon was nowhere to be seen. As canines are often associated with the moon (much like he and his own mother possessed lunar motifs in their facial markings), it stood to reason that Inuyasha’s weakness could be tied to the moon itself.

Inuyasha turned human on the night of the new moon.

In the time that Sesshomaru would seldomly come across Inuyasha’s scent and be inclined to check in on his ‘progress,’ he’d yet to find Inuyasha in his fully human state until tonight.

Truly, testing Inuyasha tonight would be most appropriate to gauge his proficiency in staying alive, but Sesshomaru couldn’t be bothered tonight.

Luck was also a skill, and regardless of what Inuyasha may feel personally, he was quite lucky tonight. Tired after a time of being annoyed by Toga’s old associates, pressuring him to follow in his Father’s footsteps, Sesshomaru was in no mood to revel in Inuyasha’s plight. Instead, he felt annoyance that some insignificant beings were tormenting one of Toga’s legacies, the son he cared for in death. The one he painstakingly made sure to be named before he drew his last breath.

Human noses were so pitifully inferior, that they should be considered defunct. Knowing that Inuyasha had no way of picking up scents, Sesshomaru could act as he pleased and not get caught.

Flying away from Inuyasha’s hiding spot, Sesshomaru had found an open clearing, large enough to encompass the size of his true form, he’d undone his transformation to reveal his majestic canid form. Releasing his demonic energy, the forest lit up with energy like it were still daytime. Beasts were startled from their slumber, scrambling to escape imminent demise, fleeing the area. Demons that could pick up on his energy escaped into the night, choosing their life over a snack. No delicacy was worth facing against whoever that yoki belonged to.

Not content with this alone, claws gripped into the earth, and he threw his head back. Deep within his chest came a rumbling warning howl that warned any beast or Demon that dared stay behind to leave else they would become his next meal. Escape they all did, refusing to remain behind to become food for a beast whose voice travelled for miles on end.

The forest had never witnessed such clamor late into the night until tonight with Sesshomaru frightening the inhabitants with his presence.

Now very content with the guarantee of Inuyasha’s survival through the night, he’d made sure to wipe away any traces of his presence by erasing his tracks. By the time morning came, his scent shouldn’t be noticeable in the forest, and Inuyasha would be none the wiser.

The beast takes to the skies, circling the forest to double check Inuyasha’s hiding spot was safe from enemies before he flew off to find a place to nap his frustrations away. He had half a mind to challenge some of Toga’s old associates to battle if it would make them stop pressuring him needlessly.

[☾]

In hindsight, perhaps his actions had the opposite effect, making Inuyasha more restless and unable to rest.

Alas, he too was young and immature then.

Still, even if high strung for the night, he hadn’t been attacked and killed by some rogue beast for the night. A bit of stress was worth a guaranteed night of survival.

As they’ve crossed paths a number of times at the village ran by Lady Kaede, Inuyasha and company would visit Rin on occasion to ensure her safety. He had never asked to know, but he dare think it was either by Kagome or Inuyasha’s prerogative to check in on the young girl to guarantee she was not wanting of anything or ailing. If it were by Inuyasha’s prerogative, then perhaps some of his instincts were kicking in.

Sesshomaru had taken himself to be Rin’s Hogosha[1] and therefore, was considered to be his kin. Despite their strained relations, Inuyasha should be aware enough to understand that Rin was to be considered a part of the family, as something akin to a niece. Maybe a cousin. Pack mentality in canines would dictate that the strong oversee the weaker members of the pack. It was no surprise that Inuyasha and company would drop by the village to check in on Rin, just as Sesshomaru would oversee the human companions of Inuyasha’s ‘pack’ if Inuyasha had stepped away.

Of course, it wasn’t as though Sesshomaru ever made that act obvious to any onlookers.

Many of Sesshomaru’s actions went largely unnoticed or misunderstood, and he was not one to waste his time on explaining himself to deaf ears. Perhaps if Inuyasha had ever explicitly questioned him on his actions, Sesshomaru may deign to answer him- mood permitting.

His avoidance of possibly meeting Inuyasha at the village could be summed to a simple point, the new moon was soon upon them, and it was a delicate time for Inuyasha. The fewer who knew of Inuyasha’s weakest night, the better. Sesshomaru hadn’t spoken a word of his turning human on the nights of the new moon, but one could never control Jaken’s mouth. That imp had the habit of speaking before his brain could process the pros and cons of doing so.

Well, the nights were growing shorter, as the temperature dropped. He should hunt some game to be made into provisions for Rin to keep herself nourished during the winter months that were fast approaching.

This business was to keep Rin fed during the winter. Knowing her generous personality, if he’d provided enough, she’d supply the excess to others—like Inuyasha and company.

He may not accept his sentiments in person, but he wouldn’t deny Rin her sincerity, surely. Even if he had, the women in his party would see to it that her well-intentions were received.

Did he doubt Inuyasha’s ability to hunt and forage for food? No, perish the thought. It was simply a small display of gratitude that Inuyasha would on occasion check in on Rin when Sesshomaru was not around to do so himself.

Of course, it was Jaken's job to prepare the meat to be made into provisions.

---

[1] Basically a legal guardian, basically a parent.

#(Stories Foretold Across Centuries. Drabble)#(The Discernible Truth Told Behind Gold Eyes. HC)#Dualfated

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