#and did I say that I love seeing him being a chichiue?

[megaclaudiolis]

柄本 佑 || 「光る君へ」 (2024) · 第三十一回 「月の下で」 ​​​​​​

[galaxyregent]

“Be sure to rest well and eat well; those humans never did feed you properly.”

“Hai, Chichi.”

“Keep up with you training, Kyosuke is a skilled guard and will give you some decent practice.”

“Hai, Chichi.”

“One more thing…”

              Sousuke wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t heard it with his own two ears. Was his father, the Western Lord, the ferocious and callous Sesshomaru fretting?! It may not have sounded like to an outside observer, but to Sousuke it was clear as day. He and his mother were lucky to get a nod as acknowledgement in his presence. But here he was, his cold, stoic father fussing over his older half-sister! Sousuke felt his face burn with shame and rage. His father had never been so concerned about him, even when he was ill or injured. He dug his claws into the wall he was hiding behind.

              Ever since the return of his father’s other children, the household had been turned upside down, especially in regards to the female. The brother and sister had entered the household, scruffy and dirty, both in ratty human garbs. Neither had the fine silky fur of their clan, or cheek markings, they were mutts at best. His so-called brother was a monstrous thing, neither youkai nor human in appearance but a grotesque in-between, the male was timid and weak, hiding behind his sister despite being twice her size. The bitch though…..

              She had a pretty face that would rival any youkai woman if Sousuke was honest. And his father doted on her like he had never seen. Sousuke rarely even got verbal acknowledgement of his existence but within days of the bitch moving into the household she had been showered in his good will. She had been set up in the finest chambers in the keep, finer than the one he and his mother enjoyed. He had commissioned multiple fine kimono woven from the silk raised by gonayu, carefully dyed and painted in marvelous colors. She was currently wearing the one painted with thistle flowers, like her name. He had even convinced the Master Totosai to forge a blade for her, made from star metal a treasure of their household. The blade was called Mugestu and rivaled the blades of his father and grandfather. She was loved and adored, and the servants treated her as if she were the true heir of his legacy.

“While I’m gone, the household is yours. You are in charge of its running, finances and governing.” Sousuke jolted, if his father hadn’t been aware of him yet he certainly was now. He poked his head around the corner to see the bitch’s ears perked up, then slick against the side of her head.

“Chichi…. Such duties belong to the Lady of the household, the Lady Ryoko. This Azami is merely your daughter.”

“It is your place if I say is your place.” Her posture drooped minimally. She stiffened before daring to speak again.

“Is this Chichiue’s will?” She asked, a hint of wavering in her tone.

“Hai.” His tone was firm.

“If Chichiue will indulge this Azami, would Chichiue mind bringing this new to Ryoko-sama, it may come across poorly coming from this one.” Sesshomaru nodded his head, bring up a single hand to rub her head, grazing one ear, and Sousuke’s jaw dropped at this point. Their father walked toward the door without a word, only pausing to glance at Sousuke as he passed.

“Such behavior is below a son of Sesshomaru.” He remarked continuing on. Sousuke glared at the bitch, who stood there, just as stoic as their father, watching him. Sousuke gave her his best glare and stormed off in a huff.

X

Rule Number 1 when introducing new kids to your family, Don’t blatantly favor them.

Sesshomaru ignores this rule with a vengeance.

Azami tries to be chill about the unabated hatred for her, getting why people feel that way so just kind of does her own thing. Daddy keeps putting her in awkward situations that make her the unabashed bad guy.

[sarah-writes-stories]

Chapter 13: Pack

A Post-Canon Inuyasha Romance/Adventure Epic

Find it on: Fanfiction.net / AO3 / Wattpad

Words: 2,254

Prologue  •  Chapter 1  •  Chapter 2  •  Chapter 3  •  Chapter 4  •  Chapter 5  •  Chapter 6  •  Chapter 7  •  Chapter 8  •  Chapter 9  •  Chapter 10  •  Chapter 11  •  Chapter 12  •  Chapter 13

⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯

As Inuyasha and Kagome approached Miroku and Sango's home they were greeted by the familiar, staccato rhythm of axe meeting wood.

"What the heck?" Inuyasha seemed completely confounded by the sound coming from around the side of the house. He moved towards it rather than to the door.

"What's the matter?" Kagome questioned.

"I think Miroku's chopping wood."

"And?"

Rounding the corner they found Miroku standing beside a small pile of split logs. As he paused to wipe the sweat from his brow, Inuyasha used the momentary silence to call out to him.

"Oi, you musta been desperate if you resorted to chopping wood!"

Miroku looked up to see his friends approaching and laughed. "Well, well. Welcome, my friends. I am merely seeing to my husbandly duties."

Inuyasha snorted at that. "Husbandly duties that you usually avoid like the plague." Jerking his thumb in Miroku's direction Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "This lazy monk usually tries to get me to do his wood-chopping, or else will trade already-chopped wood for blessings and other monk stuff with the other villagers."

Miroku tried to look affronted, "Inuyasha, my friend, you wound me. Should I not receive compensation for my holy works?"

"Ha! And yet here you are, axe in hand. Did it work? Were you able to keep yer trap shut?"

"If you are inquiring as to whether or not I gave any of your secrets away to my lovely wife, then the answer is no." He smiled sheepishly before continuing, "I have been much too busy with very important, very loud work to do much talking, as you can see."

Kagome laughed at that. "Well, thank you for your valiant efforts, Miroku. But we're here now. Do you want to take a break and come inside with us?"

"Of course, Kagome, of course. What kind of host would I be if I ignored guests to my home?"

Inuyasha smirked at him, "Better to ignore your husbandly duties, eh, Monk?"

Miroku's eyebrows waggled suggestively when he answered, "I assure you, Inuyasha, my… ahem… husbandly duties are one thing that I never ignore."

Kagome was laughing at the two of them as they entered the house. "Kagome, there you are! What's so funny?" Sango asked.

Sango sat at a low table, sorting out what looked to be small packets of seeds, a sleeping Ichiro strapped to her back.

"Oh, you know," Kagome replied. "Just Miroku being Miroku." She smiled at her best friend.

"Ojisan! Ojisan! Up!" Aki came running from where she and Yuki had been playing in a sunny patch by the window. She launched herself at Inuyasha fully expecting him to catch her before she collided with him. He hoisted her up gently till she was at face level with him. "Hey there. You being a good girl for your Okaasan this morning?" Aki's eyes widened a little as she nodded solemnly at Inuyasha before breaking into a wide smile and hugging him around the neck.

"Chichiue, up me, too?" asked Yuki, joining them at a more leisurely pace. She waited for her father to lift her into his arms before putting her small head down on his shoulder.

Kagome watched the two men. They were two of the most fearsome warriors in the region, if not the country, and yet they held the sisters so gently that her heart clenched painfully watching them. She shook her head, eyes growing misty before whispering, "Look at us. Look at them. Did you ever think, back when we were hunting for shards, that we would ever actually make it to this?"

Sango came up behind her dearest friend, pulling her into a hug, her own eyes misting over at Kagome's words.

"Oh, don't get me started! If I think back too much…" She trailed off shaking her head. "But we're here now, and you must tell me. How was your first night back?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, who glanced her way at the same time, a small smile on his face.

"It was… eventful… though I don't think I'll be staying at Kaede's again tonight." Kagome said with a small smile.

Sango pulled back from her friend's embrace to look at her face in question, "Oh, no?"

Kagome's small smile turned into a full-fledged smirk as she said, "Naw, I think I'd rather stay in my own hut with my husband-to-be."

"Your…?" She paused for a split-second before understanding lit her eyes.

"Eeeeekkkkk!" Sango squealed in delight, causing Inuyasha to flinch and slick his ears down against his head. She paid him no attention, instead launching herself at her dearest friend for another tight hug… which was rudely interrupted by the wail of an affronted Ichiro who appreciated his mother's squeal about as much as Inuyasha did.

"Oh dear," said Sango on a laugh. "Kagome will you help me lift him out of the wrap?" Kagome moved to Sango's back, retrieving the fretting baby and placing him in his mother's arms.

Sango moved to sit down by the fire with Ichiro, motioning for the rest of them to join her as she said, "I'm so happy for you both!"

She looked across the fire at Inuyasha then, locking eyes with him. She would not say aloud how especially happy she was for him. How she'd watched him suffer without Kagome these three long years and how she was so proud of him for having the courage to confess his feelings to Kagome. Sango hoped her eyes would convey her message, and as a smile of embarrassment mixed with pride spread across Inuyasha's face, she thought maybe it had.

"Congratulations, Kagome, Inuyasha! This is truly auspicious news!" Miroku smiled his too-bright smile at the couple, hoping to conceal his slightly delayed reaction, but immediately Sango was suspicious.

"Miroku, did you know about this and that's why you were out there chopping wood?" She narrowed her eyes at her husband, watching as a slight flush crept up his cheeks.

"Oh, don't be angry at him, Sango, I swore him to secrecy. I wanted to tell you myself." Kagome broke in.

"I figured something must have been up when he said he was going out to chop wood. That man usually avoids physical labour at all costs!" She smirked at her husband then.

"You wound me, dearest!" Miroku mockingly held his hand over his heart.

Sango gave him a very unladylike. "The truth doesn't wound, husband of mine. It merely stings a little."

She winked at Kagome and the two of them laughed before she continued, "But back to the good news… You must tell me everything, Kagome!"

Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look at Sango's words… one that she didn't miss.

"What? What is it?"

They looked at each other again. Inuyasha gave a small shrug, as though leaving it to Kagome to decide how much she was ready to say.

Sango didn't miss that either. "Inuyasha, Kagome, whatever it is you're holding back, you better tell me right now." She growled a little. "If something is going on, Miroku and I want to know."

Kagome smiled at that. Sango hadn't changed either. "I guess I should just start at the beginning right? Well, when we left here, Inuyasha took me over to his hut…"

Aki and Yuki had quickly tired of the grown-up talk, going back to their patch of sunlight to play, and Ichiro had happily nursed his way into a deep slumber as Sango and Miroku listen to Kagome explain everything that had happened last night and this morning.

When she was done, there was a long moment of stunned silence.

Finally, it was Sango who spoke, "Are you saying you're immortal now?"

"No, I don't think so." Kagome shook her head, "I mean, youkai aren't really immortal just…less mortal. I could still die–"

"You ain't dying, wench," Inuyasha growled from where he sat.

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. "What I meant was that I'm not so fragile anymore. I'm harder to kill, less likely to age, like Inuyasha… but it's still possible for me to die."

Inuyasha didn't think this explanation was any better and scowled at Kagome, letting her know his opinion on the topic.

Sango ignored Inuyasha, "Still, Kagome, this is incredible."

"Indeed." Miroku who had been silent up till now, finally spoke, "Truly, Kagome, your new power is remarkable. And I am happy for the two of you that this accidental manifestation has granted you this wondrous, blessing."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I wonder…" He trailed off again.

"Wonder what?" Inuyasha questioned, not liking the sound of that.

"We have seen and experienced too much in our lives to live under the pretense that there is such a thing as coincidence in this world. Why did the well allow Kagome to pass through now? Why not before, or sometime in the future?"

Kagome shivered slightly at Miroku's words. "Kaede said something similar, as though my being allowed to return was not an accident."

"I don't care what it was. Accident or not, you're here now and you ain't going anywhere." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome could tell he was worried. He only ever got this belligerent when he was worried about her. She shifted closer to where he was sitting, lightly placing her hand on his knee, silently letting him know that she here with him.

"What has me most concerned is this disappearance of all youkai that you spoke of," Sango said in a low tone so as not to wake the babe in her arms. "It's unnatural. It worries me that someone or something could be so powerful as to erase an entire race, and not just from our island, but from the whole world?!" She shuddered, "What can we possibly do in the face of that kind of power?"

Miroku chimed in, "And it is not just youkai and hanyou. To think that even human Monks and Mikos will be affected… It is as though the very fabric of heaven and earth shall be rewritten."

"I don't like the sound of that," Kagome said quietly.

Inuyasha had had enough. Worry was beginning to creep into Kagome's scent and he didn't like it. "Look, we've got 50 years head start, and we know it's coming. That's gonna be our upper hand. Sooner or later something's gonna slip and when it does, we'll be on it because we're ready. We won't fail. We can't, not when there's so much at stake."

Kagome smiled up at him, basking in the strength of his conviction, and allowed herself to be hopeful. "Inuyasha's right. Whatever the reason I'm here, whatever's coming, it doesn't matter. We're together again. We've got this."

Sango looked at Kagome, "We're family now, all of us who went through the battle with Naraku together. It's a bond that will never be broken." Then a hardened look came into her eyes, as she glanced down at her sleeping son, "And nothing and no one will ever threaten my family and get away with it."

"Pack," Inuyasha said the word quietly, almost to himself.

"What was that?" Kagome wasn't sure she'd heard correctly.

But Sango had heard. She was Tajiya and knew what it meant. "I– We are honoured, Inuyasha."

Kagome was still confused. She looked between Inuyasha and Sango. Inuyasha seemed a bit embarrassed, but Sango spoke in explanation. "Pack is the foundation of Inu-youkai culture. It's like family…. only more. It's an unbreakable bond."

Kagome understood then. She looked up at Inuyasha before speaking. "Like all of us."

Inuyasha looked around the room at the faces of his friends and their children, at the smile of the woman he loved. Myoga had explained Pack to him when he was young, and it had intrigued him. After he'd lost his mother he'd had no one, and when he'd finally gotten up the courage to seek out his brother for the first time, Sesshōmaru had rejected him instantly. Bitter, he'd given up on the idea of Pack after that. He was hanyou, after all. Tainted. Not belonging to one world or the other. He'd always been on his own. But now…? Now he wasn't alone anymore.

He smirked at Kagome before finally replying to her words, "Damn right."

Miroku looked around the room, taking it all in as well. Finally, he gave an exaggerated sigh, shook his head, and looked at Kagome, eyes filled with mischief and teasing. "Well, Kagome, I must say, you have been back with us for only one day, and yet already our fates have turned. I would say that it was truly astonishing… if I didn't know you so well." He smirked at her.

Kagome gave a sharp bark of laughter at that, before returning his teasing smirk, "I know, right? Did you guys miss me, or what?"

[completeoveranalysis]

TRC Translation Notes Volume 13 (Chapters 91 - 99 + Omake)

The wondrous third installment of the new Translation Notes from @giniroangou, now looking at Volume 13. I can’t believe how far we’ve come, this still feels so recent. 

Highlights include: that’s so love, secret drugs, justice for Syaoran’s detective skills, improved Kuroparents, and cuddle pile!

Chapter 91

p.11-12 - Just for fun, the word that’s been translated as “love birds” is “raburabu”/“love love,” which is frequently used to indicate that two people are lovey dovey together, so to speak. Mokona continues to use the word “rabu”/“love” throughout her proceeding comments. First she says, “It’s love! It’s love!,” then she turns the word “love” into an adjective (so, “But it was so romantic” becomes literally, “But it was so love”), and finally, “Isn’t love nice?”

p.15 - Since a commenter asked, this world’s name rendered directly from the katakana is “Rekoruto.” I think the fan translation of Lecourt works the best as a country name, but I’ve always liked how the original name is reminiscent of the word “record” given all the libraries, so I can understand the use of Recort as an alternate translation. As far as I know there are no right answers here - I don’t think CLAMP has officially clarified? - but in fandom you’re probably most likely to see people using Lecourt.

P.22 - The translation has switched from “Daddy” to “Father” but the original Japanese is the same as it’s always been. As I mentioned earlier, this was “Otou-san,” for which “Father” would be a more accurate translation.

When Fai says that they’re “not permitted” to sell the swords, he’s really just saying they shouldn’t sell them. I’m pretty sure if they actually wanted to they could.

Chapter 92

p.31 - As a bit of trivia, Kurogane calls his mother “Hahaue,” which is a more formal and old-fashioned word for “Mother” than the commonly-heard “Okaa-san.” It’s something you’d be unlikely to hear from anyone today, but fits right in with the apparent time period of Kurogane’s Nihon. (Likewise, a little later he calls his father “Chichiue,” the equivalent word for “Father.”)

p.33 - In the translated version Kurogane’s father calls him a “brat,” but the term he uses is “wanpaku bouzu,” different from both words Kurogane has used for Syaoran (“gaki” and “kozou.”) While I think “brat” works well for the exchange between Kurogane and his father, normally I’d interpret this phrase a bit more warmly - it’s like he’s calling him a little rascal. Not that brat can’t be said fondly, of course.

P.34 - Following up from the previous note, Kurogane’s “I’m not a brat!” can be interpreted along the lines of “I’m not a kid!”

Kurogane’s father is referred to as the “ryoushu” (領主) indicating that he is a feudal lord, but the extent of his holdings isn’t necessarily as large as a daimyo (though it very well could be!) From the tiny bit of research I’ve done, ryoushu seems to be a fairly ambiguous term, so we have some leeway in interpreting his position. If anyone is well-versed in historical Japanese terminology and/or has more information on this, feel free to step forward!

p.35 - The translation of “kusa” as “grass” here is unintentionally hilarious - that is a legit translation of the word, but in this context “herb” would be more appropriate. (Either way they’re suddenly sounding like pot farmers though, HELP.)

p.38 - It seems like you may have misinterpreted the speech bubbles from your tags, but the parent who Kurogane is said to resemble is his father rather than his mother, much as I love the image of baby Kuromama climbing trees (though who’s to say she didn’t!)

Chapter 93

p.51 - Kurogane’s “I want to protect Suwa and everyone in it,” is spoken first as, “I [want to protect] Suwa,” then clarified to, “I want to protect everyone.” You could interpret this the way the official translation did, or you could say that to Kurogane, Suwa is equivalent to the people there.

More significantly, Kurogane’s vow of protection is, “I want to protect Mother and Father, who protect everyone else.”

p.59 - Now that Kurogane’s grown up a bit, he calls his father “Oyaji.” This means “Father” as well, but it’s used primarily by men - it’s rougher and more casual than “Chichiue” or “Otousan.” In English translations it’s often rendered as the colloquialism “my/the old man.” We see later that he still uses “Chichiue” when speaking to his father directly, though.

Chapter 94

p.67 - There’s nothing here I would consider a mistranslation, but I’d like to clarify some nuances in the dialogue. Kurogane’s “I’d rather have you feeling better!” is, “It’s fine as long as you get better.” When his mother responds by calling him a good child, the word she uses is “yasashii,” meaning gentle/sweet/caring. I really love this word choice in juxtaposition with Kurogane’s actions - he’s yelling, but his mother clearly recognizes that it’s coming from a place of care and concern.

p.68-70 - This is getting into nitpicky territory and I’m too lazy to write out the specifics, but please take my word for it that in the original text it feels clearer that Syaoran is actually in the process of figuring things out and heading towards a conclusion rather than just summarizing information he’s already said, lol.

p.79 - Since “You people...” sounds kind of alienating in English, I’ll clarify that Kurogane’s saying, “Everyone…”/“All of you…”

Chapter 95

p.87 - I don’t think it’s clear in the translation, but Kuromama tells Kuropapa that he mustn’t take Ginryuu with him without calling for her first (to bless the sword, as we learn shortly after.)

p.88 - The tone of this exchange is different as well - it’s not about demands being made but about the actions each of them choose to take. Kuropapa says, “You’ve always been like this. You keep pushing yourself too hard,” and Kuromama replies, “I could say the same of you.”

p.90 - A little elaboration on Ginryuu as the “Dragon of Water” - the original text refers to Ginryuu as one who rules over/controls the water.

Chapter 96

p.107-108 - I’m not certain that Kuromama’s final words are a request for Kurogane to protect Suwa. It’s difficult to tell because she’s speaking in sentence fragments, but she’s using the same structure for both “Suwa” and “You” (“Suwa wo...” “Anata wo...” vs “Anata ni/ga…”), and there is no pronoun associated with the following “Must protect…” This leads me to believe that she’s still struggling under her own obligations here, feeling that she must protect both Suwa and her son even as she dies.

p.120 - A clarification so Amaterasu doesn’t sound totally irresponsible here: She says she led her army in assuming that monsters would invade Suwa, the implication being that she came as soon as she could after hearing about Tomoyo’s dream.

Chapter 97

p.133 - Amaterasu isn’t trying to reason with Kurogane, as it appears in the translation. She’s speaking to the people with her (or the readers, however you want to see it), saying that he’s lost himself and that it can’t be helped, but she has to stop him. My interpretation would be that she’s ready to put him out of his misery here, tbh, hence the look of pain on her face. It’s brutal, but she believes it’s the only thing to be done at this point. Tomoyo literally saved Kurogane’s life here.

Chapter 98

p.142-143 - Since this became a topic of discussion, the “U” noises Kurogane makes here are indeed a sort of animalistic groaning noise (at least that’s how I would interpret them.) The Japanese “u” sounds like a shortened English “oo,” so just imagine he’s alternating between short and long versions of that sound and you should have an idea of what it’s supposed to be.

p.150 - I’m pretty sure this came up near the start of the manga, but as a reminder this castle is called “Shirasagi,” not “Shirasaki.”

p.153 - When Kurogane says his name here it’s “...Kurogane” rather than “Kurogane…” There are far too many weird punctuation-based tonal shifts in this translation, let me tell you.

p.156 - SPEAKING OF WHICH… Mokona’s line should end in an exclamation mark (“Syaoran is crying!”) and the ellipsis comes at the front of Fai’s line (“...He won’t let go.”) I don’t always point these out or even notice them but they’re deeply frustrating. As subtle as the changes may be, they still affect the way these lines come across.

Chapter 99

p.165 - It’s actually quite likely that Syaoran led with “I think I saw your past” - the language Kurogane uses in the original text implies that he’s confirming something that was already speculated/assumed. I don’t think it lessens the moment at all, though.

Omake

p.177 - What’s been translated as Yuuko telling Mokona to find a good place to stay was originally, “You need to make sure you get enough sleep.”

p.179 - Mokona’s actually saying here that everyone’s going to sleep together! Canon cuddle pile! :D