July 2010 Week 4
Title:How It Could Have Been; ch 45, Parting
Author:petalears
Universe:AU
Rating:PG
Summary:All things pass.
Quote:Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.-Author Unknown
Parting
Sesshoumaru had been deep in thought, when he realised that he could hear the soft sounds in the next suite indicating Susumu was busy about his usual business; that of making sure his master’s rooms were in their normal pristine condition. It was hardly a task that was taxing, Sesshoumaru was quite fastidious; but neither Michiko nor Inuyasha cared as much about putting his things away after they had finished with them. He would have to have a word with Susumu at some point as it was obvious that the kitsune had been listening to him talking with Inuyasha.
The next day after lunch Inuyasha was returning to the farm and his human family. To his great delight, the whole of his youkai family accompanied him, ostensibly to say hello and introduce Inuyasha’s latest sibling. In reality they showed a united front in support of the small hanyou; a point not lost on any of the human adults. Izayoi in particular noted with gratitude and a sense of impending great sadness, that Inuyasha’s hand was held protectively and securely by his Aunt as they walked to the door.
The two mothers nodded with understanding at each other and then Aunty smiled at Inuyasha reassuringly, as she allowed him to go and greet his mother and the rest of the family. At first the hanyou was a bit shy, remembering that everyone knew why he had been taken to his youkai home; but it didn’t last long when nobody mentioned it and just welcomed him back. Once again Inuyasha’s father had already been to explain a few days before, and to make sure that his little son would be treated normally when he returned, specifically by Aunt Toshi.
Wisely she was not in sight when the family greeted one another and fussed over the new baby; the complete difference between the youngest two obvious, as Inuyasha held tightly onto his Hanako once more. He had missed her greatly and had not ever fully got rid of the fear that she was not safe if he was not around. She too had missed him if the great toothless smile when she saw his golden eyes was anything to go by. She now had hold of his hair in each tiny fist, determined it seemed to never let him go again.
The evening finished well in a party atmosphere; food had been provided by the youkai kitchens so as not to ‘inconvenience’ Toshi and there was a promise of treats to be sent down daily for Inuyasha and the other children, once again so as not to put too much work on Toshi. Truthfully though, it was to appease Sesshoumaru who was concerned that Toshi might try to poison his little brother. Not that there was any real danger of that, Inu no Taishou knew the woman was repentant; her scent proclaimed it and had there been any deceit, she would have died at his claws and Inuyasha would be brought permanently home to the Palace.
That night when everyone had gone and the rest of the family asleep, Inuyasha walked around the farmyard with Hanako; he was lonely and felt divided. It seemed wherever he was he missed the rest of his family, and he felt a tad jealous whenever he wondered what the other half was doing without him. He was a bit like his little red ball as it got tossed from one side to the other, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling. But before his jealousy became bitter, Sesshoumaru kept his promise and arrived to spend some time in reassuring Inuyasha that he was missed just as much as he missed them.
By the time a week had passed, everyone was back in routine; during the day the children did their chores and then played, their break-times made interesting by the treats from the Palace which came promptly in time. Toshi felt the full weight of her prejudice when she found she missed not only her true niece and nephews congregating around her for their snacks, but she inexplicably missed Inuyasha’s sunny face too. She realised once again to her shame that she had pushed him away for no fault of his own and now, when she wished to make amends, he kept well away from her.
Izayoi had been overjoyed to see Inuyasha return to her and she kept him with her for the first day. He wouldn’t tell her though about what had passed between him and his father and she didn’t force him; besides she did of course know. But there was something that pleased the young pup and he took no time in apprising her of the wonderful change that was happening to her. She was becoming Inu, her hair had some silver strands in it, and soon, she would have hair the same colour as his. Izayoi tried to share his joy in the discovery, but so quickly after seeing the Youkai Lady holding his hand, her own mortality seemed a curse.
She was only thirty four but she had started to be aware of her age; no matter how well she was cared for, her strenuous first and last childbirths had taken their toll on her looks. But she reprimanded herself; she was far from old yet and was healthy, so she smiled at her small son who had begun to worry about her lack of response and tousled his hair. But there was some chagrin, how could she darken the errant hairs now that her son was so pleased to see them; if she knew Inuyasha and she did, he wouldn’t forget and would be on the lookout for more.
Within the month however, Inuyasha noticed that Hanako had lost weight; for a few days he watched her, she seemed to have her normal brightness and there was no sign of poison or any other untoward interference. He noted that she still smiled at him and her family, but she no longer ate so much, nursing for a shorter period of time at each feed. He tried to encourage her by pressing her head to his mother’s breast to stop her pulling back, until he was in danger of smothering her and until Izayoi firmly made him stop.
He would spend his time alone with her at night trying to encourage her to eat; telling her how important her food was and even Sesshoumaru gave up telling him it was to no avail. He did however assure Inuyasha that the baby wasn’t being poisoned and that her decline was unfortunately a natural process. Inuyasha didn’t want to accept that and growled at his brother; he wouldn’t give in encouraging and doing everything he could to make the baby eat. However when he was stopped as he tried feeding her rice and pieces of sweet dumpling, thinking that maybe she no longer liked just milk, he was told gently that Hanako was dying.
Both Izayoi and Makoto sat the boy down and said that it had become obvious over the last month that the child was not thriving and that the healer had warned them when she had been born that this would be the probable outcome. Inuyasha was upset with the calm way they spoke and shouted:
"Is that why you would have let her be killed?"
"You forget yourself Inuyasha; neither of us wished for that or it would have been done. It is common practice for a baby such as Hanako." Makoto said firmly and Izayoi added:
"Just because you don’t want something to happen doesn’t mean you don’t understand why others do. But we are sad too, we tried to keep her with us, but it won’t be long and you should be prepared for it soon."
"There must be something you can do...you are just giving up?"
"We have done all we can, we have sent for healers and holy people; you do not know all we have done, as we didn’t wish to worry you. Even your father’s healers cannot cure or make her stronger. So speak not of what you do not know and hurt your mother even more Inuyasha."
"Sorry Mama...I didn’t mean..."
"We do understand Inuyasha, but it doesn’t change anything; all we can do is make sure that Hanako is comfortable."
"She won’t ever grow up, never play with toys or walk with me to see the animals?" Inuyasha whispered.
"No, My Lovey; but you knew she would never be as strong as you and your brothers and sisters." Izayoi replied, thinking how ridiculous it now seemed that she was worrying about a few silvered hairs, when her baby would not reach the end of her first year. Inuyasha still stood gazing at her, shock plain to see on his bewildered face. It was true he had known she would always need him to help her but it had never truly sunk in before that Hanako’s life itself was weak.
Everyone else knew too, and nobody stopped Inuyasha from his usual task of being Hanako’s constant caregiver whenever she wasn’t with her mother. But nothing he did, nor however hard he tried, was he able to prevent the baby fading every day. He watched with sadness and a growing desperation as her movements that had never been many, grew less and less; eventually she didn’t have the strength to reach for his hair, although her smile and sparkling eyes never faltered.
When the day came that showed Hanako was giving up the fight she was surrounded by her family; the children all came to say goodbye and then went outside, subdued and quiet. Even Toshi came in to say her farewell to the babe that had caused such dissension in her early life but had earned respect for her cheerful nature. Finally in the arms of the woman who birthed her she breathed her last, and no matter how hard Inuyasha willed her to take the next breath, it never came. Inuyasha was given Hanako by Makoto so that he could see for himself that the baby was peaceful and had truly died.
Inuyasha held her until he could feel her body start to go cold. He ignored his mother’s soft sobs and his foster father’s deeper sounds of mourning; they had lost a child and needed to grieve, but tears were not in Inuyasha, he was going to implore his father to use Tenseiga. Inuyasha would give the child back to his parents, who would be ecstatic to see her smiles once again. Therefore while Makoto and Izayoi comforted each other and Toshi took care of the other children, Inuyasha put Hanako into the sling he carried for the purpose, and silently slipped away into the woods at the end of the farm.
He walked slowly so as not to jostle his precious charge and he hummed her favourite songs to soothe her sleep. If he pretended he was just keeping her warm and asleep, it stopped his grief which was threatening to be overpowering. What Inuyasha didn’t know was that he was on his own with his bundle, his guard had already gone to alert Inu no Taishou that the baby had died and didn’t know that Inuyasha was making his way to the Palace.
Sesshoumaru was alerted to his brother however, by means of his disturbed youki bond; and had realised what had happened, as they too already knew that Hanako was dying. He asked and was granted leave to go to his brother and he arrived at the farm carrying his family’s condolences to the bereaved parents. It was only then that they realised Inuyasha was missing, along with Hanako; although Sesshoumaru knew he could not have got far in the time he’d been gone.
Sesshoumaru soon tracked his little brother and the slight burden he carried; but he didn’t stop him as he could hear Inuyasha singing softly to the baby. The younger brother was so absorbed that he hadn’t even felt his brother’s aura as his steps led him unerringly to the Palace and his father who wielded the marvellous sword.
Author:petalears
Universe:AU
Rating:PG
Summary:All things pass.
Quote:Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.-Author Unknown
Parting
Sesshoumaru had been deep in thought, when he realised that he could hear the soft sounds in the next suite indicating Susumu was busy about his usual business; that of making sure his master’s rooms were in their normal pristine condition. It was hardly a task that was taxing, Sesshoumaru was quite fastidious; but neither Michiko nor Inuyasha cared as much about putting his things away after they had finished with them. He would have to have a word with Susumu at some point as it was obvious that the kitsune had been listening to him talking with Inuyasha.
The next day after lunch Inuyasha was returning to the farm and his human family. To his great delight, the whole of his youkai family accompanied him, ostensibly to say hello and introduce Inuyasha’s latest sibling. In reality they showed a united front in support of the small hanyou; a point not lost on any of the human adults. Izayoi in particular noted with gratitude and a sense of impending great sadness, that Inuyasha’s hand was held protectively and securely by his Aunt as they walked to the door.
The two mothers nodded with understanding at each other and then Aunty smiled at Inuyasha reassuringly, as she allowed him to go and greet his mother and the rest of the family. At first the hanyou was a bit shy, remembering that everyone knew why he had been taken to his youkai home; but it didn’t last long when nobody mentioned it and just welcomed him back. Once again Inuyasha’s father had already been to explain a few days before, and to make sure that his little son would be treated normally when he returned, specifically by Aunt Toshi.
Wisely she was not in sight when the family greeted one another and fussed over the new baby; the complete difference between the youngest two obvious, as Inuyasha held tightly onto his Hanako once more. He had missed her greatly and had not ever fully got rid of the fear that she was not safe if he was not around. She too had missed him if the great toothless smile when she saw his golden eyes was anything to go by. She now had hold of his hair in each tiny fist, determined it seemed to never let him go again.
The evening finished well in a party atmosphere; food had been provided by the youkai kitchens so as not to ‘inconvenience’ Toshi and there was a promise of treats to be sent down daily for Inuyasha and the other children, once again so as not to put too much work on Toshi. Truthfully though, it was to appease Sesshoumaru who was concerned that Toshi might try to poison his little brother. Not that there was any real danger of that, Inu no Taishou knew the woman was repentant; her scent proclaimed it and had there been any deceit, she would have died at his claws and Inuyasha would be brought permanently home to the Palace.
That night when everyone had gone and the rest of the family asleep, Inuyasha walked around the farmyard with Hanako; he was lonely and felt divided. It seemed wherever he was he missed the rest of his family, and he felt a tad jealous whenever he wondered what the other half was doing without him. He was a bit like his little red ball as it got tossed from one side to the other, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling. But before his jealousy became bitter, Sesshoumaru kept his promise and arrived to spend some time in reassuring Inuyasha that he was missed just as much as he missed them.
By the time a week had passed, everyone was back in routine; during the day the children did their chores and then played, their break-times made interesting by the treats from the Palace which came promptly in time. Toshi felt the full weight of her prejudice when she found she missed not only her true niece and nephews congregating around her for their snacks, but she inexplicably missed Inuyasha’s sunny face too. She realised once again to her shame that she had pushed him away for no fault of his own and now, when she wished to make amends, he kept well away from her.
Izayoi had been overjoyed to see Inuyasha return to her and she kept him with her for the first day. He wouldn’t tell her though about what had passed between him and his father and she didn’t force him; besides she did of course know. But there was something that pleased the young pup and he took no time in apprising her of the wonderful change that was happening to her. She was becoming Inu, her hair had some silver strands in it, and soon, she would have hair the same colour as his. Izayoi tried to share his joy in the discovery, but so quickly after seeing the Youkai Lady holding his hand, her own mortality seemed a curse.
She was only thirty four but she had started to be aware of her age; no matter how well she was cared for, her strenuous first and last childbirths had taken their toll on her looks. But she reprimanded herself; she was far from old yet and was healthy, so she smiled at her small son who had begun to worry about her lack of response and tousled his hair. But there was some chagrin, how could she darken the errant hairs now that her son was so pleased to see them; if she knew Inuyasha and she did, he wouldn’t forget and would be on the lookout for more.
Within the month however, Inuyasha noticed that Hanako had lost weight; for a few days he watched her, she seemed to have her normal brightness and there was no sign of poison or any other untoward interference. He noted that she still smiled at him and her family, but she no longer ate so much, nursing for a shorter period of time at each feed. He tried to encourage her by pressing her head to his mother’s breast to stop her pulling back, until he was in danger of smothering her and until Izayoi firmly made him stop.
He would spend his time alone with her at night trying to encourage her to eat; telling her how important her food was and even Sesshoumaru gave up telling him it was to no avail. He did however assure Inuyasha that the baby wasn’t being poisoned and that her decline was unfortunately a natural process. Inuyasha didn’t want to accept that and growled at his brother; he wouldn’t give in encouraging and doing everything he could to make the baby eat. However when he was stopped as he tried feeding her rice and pieces of sweet dumpling, thinking that maybe she no longer liked just milk, he was told gently that Hanako was dying.
Both Izayoi and Makoto sat the boy down and said that it had become obvious over the last month that the child was not thriving and that the healer had warned them when she had been born that this would be the probable outcome. Inuyasha was upset with the calm way they spoke and shouted:
"Is that why you would have let her be killed?"
"You forget yourself Inuyasha; neither of us wished for that or it would have been done. It is common practice for a baby such as Hanako." Makoto said firmly and Izayoi added:
"Just because you don’t want something to happen doesn’t mean you don’t understand why others do. But we are sad too, we tried to keep her with us, but it won’t be long and you should be prepared for it soon."
"There must be something you can do...you are just giving up?"
"We have done all we can, we have sent for healers and holy people; you do not know all we have done, as we didn’t wish to worry you. Even your father’s healers cannot cure or make her stronger. So speak not of what you do not know and hurt your mother even more Inuyasha."
"Sorry Mama...I didn’t mean..."
"We do understand Inuyasha, but it doesn’t change anything; all we can do is make sure that Hanako is comfortable."
"She won’t ever grow up, never play with toys or walk with me to see the animals?" Inuyasha whispered.
"No, My Lovey; but you knew she would never be as strong as you and your brothers and sisters." Izayoi replied, thinking how ridiculous it now seemed that she was worrying about a few silvered hairs, when her baby would not reach the end of her first year. Inuyasha still stood gazing at her, shock plain to see on his bewildered face. It was true he had known she would always need him to help her but it had never truly sunk in before that Hanako’s life itself was weak.
Everyone else knew too, and nobody stopped Inuyasha from his usual task of being Hanako’s constant caregiver whenever she wasn’t with her mother. But nothing he did, nor however hard he tried, was he able to prevent the baby fading every day. He watched with sadness and a growing desperation as her movements that had never been many, grew less and less; eventually she didn’t have the strength to reach for his hair, although her smile and sparkling eyes never faltered.
When the day came that showed Hanako was giving up the fight she was surrounded by her family; the children all came to say goodbye and then went outside, subdued and quiet. Even Toshi came in to say her farewell to the babe that had caused such dissension in her early life but had earned respect for her cheerful nature. Finally in the arms of the woman who birthed her she breathed her last, and no matter how hard Inuyasha willed her to take the next breath, it never came. Inuyasha was given Hanako by Makoto so that he could see for himself that the baby was peaceful and had truly died.
Inuyasha held her until he could feel her body start to go cold. He ignored his mother’s soft sobs and his foster father’s deeper sounds of mourning; they had lost a child and needed to grieve, but tears were not in Inuyasha, he was going to implore his father to use Tenseiga. Inuyasha would give the child back to his parents, who would be ecstatic to see her smiles once again. Therefore while Makoto and Izayoi comforted each other and Toshi took care of the other children, Inuyasha put Hanako into the sling he carried for the purpose, and silently slipped away into the woods at the end of the farm.
He walked slowly so as not to jostle his precious charge and he hummed her favourite songs to soothe her sleep. If he pretended he was just keeping her warm and asleep, it stopped his grief which was threatening to be overpowering. What Inuyasha didn’t know was that he was on his own with his bundle, his guard had already gone to alert Inu no Taishou that the baby had died and didn’t know that Inuyasha was making his way to the Palace.
Sesshoumaru was alerted to his brother however, by means of his disturbed youki bond; and had realised what had happened, as they too already knew that Hanako was dying. He asked and was granted leave to go to his brother and he arrived at the farm carrying his family’s condolences to the bereaved parents. It was only then that they realised Inuyasha was missing, along with Hanako; although Sesshoumaru knew he could not have got far in the time he’d been gone.
Sesshoumaru soon tracked his little brother and the slight burden he carried; but he didn’t stop him as he could hear Inuyasha singing softly to the baby. The younger brother was so absorbed that he hadn’t even felt his brother’s aura as his steps led him unerringly to the Palace and his father who wielded the marvellous sword.