Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

A House Divided
By : theMaven
Category: InuYasha > General
Views: 5281 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
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Disclaimer - I do not own the characters of InuYasha, nor do I make any money from this.
                                                          A House Divided
                                                      Prologue: The Arrival

            The Lord of the Western Lands was not nervous as he paced within the torchlit corridor.
Nervousness suggested uncertainty, unpreparedness, doubt, and there was certainly no need for
any of those things. He was certain his mate would be fine. They had been preparing for this
moment since he’d returned from the Southern Lands and was able to fully appraise the situation,
and there was no doubt in his mind that the miko would heed their call and come as commanded.
It had already been agreed upon, after all.
            Yes, the castle had a healer. Yes, Master Sumida possessed the skills of a midwife. But
neither of them had any experience with human females, and it had been decades since the
Master had been called upon in that capacity. Though it was a given that as he lived, his mate
would survive, there was no such guarantee on the lives of the pups. If their bodies were viable,
Tenseiga could revive them, but if not . . .
            No, he chided himself. He refused to let himself dwell on that possibility. His mate had
said the Fates were mischievous, not cruel. This was simply a bit more of their mischief. When
he’d decided to take Rin as his mate, it was he that suffered. “Too much desire tears the heart,”
Lao-Tse had written, and Sesshoumaru could now admit that he’d been quite torn–torn between
his own youkai pride (his desire for power, prestige and the privilege of the aristocracy) and his...
love for the low-born, human female.
            He had no love for human religion, but there was . . . wisdom to be found in some of their
words. It is a Buddhist belief that all suffering stems from desire, and to end suffering one must
rid himself of desire. Once he had achieved his desire–once he had claimed Rin and firmly
secured her place at his side–his relief was immediate. But his Rin had yet another desire, and he
supposed, according to the Fates, it was her turn to suffer, now.
            “I’ll kill him for this!”
            Sesshoumaru turned as the screen to the healer’s quarters slid open, breaking the
soundproof seal on the room.
            “Do you hear me, Sesshoumaru? Never again! Y–you’re never touching me again!”
            He raised an eyebrow at Master Sumida as she joined him in the corridor, sliding the
screen shut, reinstating the seal on the room.
            The bald female gave him an easy smile and bowed her respect. “It is nothing, I assure
you, my lord. All females–even those well-schooled in the ways of pain management–say such
things in the midst of childbirth. There is no pain like it anywhere on earth.”
            “Oh?” Curious, he was more than tempted to reach inside his haori and brush over Rin’s
mark, opening the connection between them. What pain could be so great as to cause his Rin to
wish for his death? Surely, it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
            Master Sumida cleared her throat. “I would not recommend it, my lord.”
            He glared at the seiyuuki youkai.
            “With all due respect, my lord, there is a reason why females birth the young and males
do not.”
            “If the pain is that severe, this Sesshoumaru can take some of it away.”
            “Again, my lord, I do not recommend it. As you do not know what you are up against,
your mind and body aren’t properly prepared for such an experience. You could have a patently
negative reaction to the stimulus, and instead of taking away from her discomfort, you would be
adding to it. The mating bond goes both ways, you know.”
            That was clearly a challenge if he’d ever heard one, and the Lord of the Western Lands
never backed down from a challenge. However . . . as this particular challenge involved the
comfort or discomfort of his mate, he decided not to press the matter. “This Sesshoumaru
wishes to see her. Has Akako completed her examination?”
            The Master nodded. “Yes, but . . .”
            “But?”
            “It’s too soon, she believes. We’ve done everything we can to stop the labor pains and
delay delivery, but . . .”
            “This Sesshoumaru has no patience for stalling.”
            “They want out,” she finally said. “Or at least one of them does. He seems to be a good
size and everything should be fine.”
            “And the other?” he asked.
            “We cannot reach him at his current position; the other is in the way, and any further
probing could further progress her labor. As it stands, she should give birth in the next day or so.
Her pains are strong, but they’re quite far apart.”
            “I see,” he nodded
            “I have no experience with hanyou births, but as I’ve heard, every one is different. A
human would carry an infant for nine months. A demoness would carry a pup for nine weeks.
But for a human to carry a pup . . .”
            “InuYasha’s mother whelped him after six months, and they were both perfectly healthy.”
            “But she was only carrying the one child.”
            “And what?” he asked. “Twins should be carried for twice as long?”
            “You know that’s not what I’m saying.”
            “Of course not,” he said. “That would be ridiculous. Now, if you’ll excuse me, this
Sesshoumaru wishes to see his mate.”
            The Master bowed to the lord. He slid back the screen to the chamber and was greeted
with a grimace and a glare. Rin was stretched out on a futon mattress in the center of the
rectangular room, a thin white sheet covering her flushed form, her head propped up on a rolled
pillow. Unlike other rooms in the castle, this chamber had no spectacular decorations or ornate
furnishings; everything was kept to the bare minimum. Like his father’s study, the chamber had
no natural lighting, so there were several oil lamps kept burning at all times, giving the room an
orangish-yellow glow. There was a collection of seat cushions in the left corner of the room and
two more mattresses rolled up along the left wall. The floors were wood and the walls were rice
paper screens.
            The healer, Akako was seated on Rin’s right side, a pitcher and a basin full of water
before her, a wet cotton rag gripped in her clawed hands. Akako was an insect youkai, a
mosquito. Like most of her kind she smelled of blood, wind and medicinal herbs. Her slitted
pupils were the color of frosted glass, and she wore her rust-colored hair in a long braid that
trailed down to her ankles. With her unique abilities, she was able to administer pain-numbing
injections and take blood, cleanse it, and then return it to its owner. To the human eye, she
appeared no older than thirty, but she was several centuries his senior–five, to be exact. And no
one in the castle could claim to have more knowledge of him than she did; she had helped his
mother deliver him.
            Rin continued to glare at him as Akako passed him a seat cushion, and he settled down on
her left side. “You do know you’re to blame for this,” she declared gruffly.
            He humphed quietly then turned his attention to the healer. “Can you not give her
something for her continued pains?”
            She dipped the cloth in the basin, then wrung it out and placed it upon Rin’s forehead. “It
is unwise,” she shook her head. “I am unfamiliar with human anatomy and don’t know what
effects my toxins would have upon her and the pups. Master Sumida has tried to assist her by
using some breathing techniques.”
            Rin scoffed. “Breathing! If breathing were enough, I’d be up and about instead of flat on
my back.”
            He ignored his mate’s comments and nodded to the red-headed female. “Would it be
possible for you to leave us for a few minutes?”
            The healer nodded. “Her condition is stable, now. I see no harm.” She bowed then rose
to her feet. “If you have need of me, I’ll be checking on some of my other patients.”
            “Very well.”
            She then left the two of them alone.
            “You are not yourself.”
            Rin frowned. “It hurts,” she bit out. “Even worse than before. It’s been hurting all day,
and I’m miserable! I’m hot, I’m achy, and if there was anything in my stomach, I’d vomit. I hate
this!”
            He brushed some errant strands of hair back from her cheek, somewhat surprised to find
it quite warm. “Master Sumida says it will not be much longer. You should deliver within the
next day or so.”
            “Day or so?” she spat out. “Now, Sesshoumaru! I want this to be over, now!”
            “You cannot force them to come before their time.”
            Rin scowled. “Well, believe me, when this is over, it’s never happening again.”
            He continued to stroke the side of her face. “You do not mean that. Master Sumida says
it is the pain talking.”
            “Talking?” she laughed derisively. “It’s been screaming at me all day. And even after it
stops, I’m still so sick and miserable and . . . oh, I hate this. It isn’t ‘beautiful.’ It isn’t
‘miraculous.’ It’s disgusting. I feel fat, bloated and disgusting.” The anger had faded from her
voice, and instead of a scowl, her face bore the most endearing pout he’d witnessed since the
days of her youth.
            “Do not fret, my Rin. You are not ‘fat,’ nor are you ‘disgusting.’ And your fluid
retention will cease once the pups are whelped.”
            “But I feel awful,” she whined. “Worse than the past three months.”
            “Shhhh . . .” he removed the damp cloth from her forehead and pressed a kiss there. “I
apologize for your discomfort.”
            “You should apologize,” she pouted. “It’s your fault.”
            “Now, my Rin, we both know that is not entirely true. We both enjoyed the activities that
led to your current situation.”
            Her mood shifted, yet again. “But it’s me that’s lying here, isn’t it!”
            Sesshoumaru jerked himself upright, trying unsuccessfully to rid himself of the loud
ringing in his ears, her cold compress in his hand. He frowned at his mate. “That was uncalled
for. You know how sensitive my ears are.”
            Her pout returned. “If I have to suffer, why shouldn’t you suffer as well?”
            “You wish me to suffer?” he asked softly.
            Her pout grew more pronounced then tears began to fall. “No . . .”
            Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. “Do not weep. It is . . . all right.”
            “You hate me,” she continued. “I’m bothering you. You should still be in the Southern
Lands. You had to come back early because of me.”
            “Stop this.” He took the cotton cloth and wiped the tears from her face as they fell. “You
are not ‘bothering’ me, and I do not ‘hate’ you. You are my mate, my life.”
            “I hurt your ears.”
            He continued to cleanse her face, a slight smile quirking his lips. “Yes, you did.”
            Her eyes turned downcast.
            “But it is a small matter. Even now they are recovering from your verbal assault.”
            “I hate this,” she cried softly. “I thought I could handle it, but . . .”
            He glanced towards the screen door, taking notice of the two shadows still out in the hall,
then stretched himself out beside Rin’s futon, propping himself up on his right elbow.
            “What are you doing?”
            He reached a clawed hand over her swollen stomach, gently gripping her right side,
pulling her to him. “Enough of this,” he quietly commanded, nuzzling his nose against the side
of her face. “You are behaving like a child. You have endured it this long. What is a day or two
more?”
            “I can’t help it. This is hard. I’ve tried being strong, but–gods!”
            He felt her tense beside him, her heart pounding, her breathing stilled, her eyes squeezed
shut. “Rin?”
            She slowly opened her eyes, biting her lower lip, more tears spilling down her flushed
face. She then opened her mouth to draw in several deep breaths, her body finally relaxing then
almost collapsing in on itself. “This . . . is what I’ve been doing all day.”
            “Shhhh . . .” abandoning the cloth to the basin, he cupped the right side of her face with
his left palm, flicking her tears back with the pad of his thumb. He then turned her towards him
and pressed a chaste kiss to her parched lips. “. . . all will be well.”
            “But I can’t do this by myself. I–I know you’ll hate it, and I know I’ll be loud, and it’ll
smell horrible, but . . .”
            He felt a shaky hand grip his upper arm, watched as her lower lip trembled, smelled the
apprehension in her scent.
            “I don’t want to ask because I know it’s not done, but . . . will you stay with me? Till it’s
over? Please?”
            “Rin . . .”
            “Please? Just this first time? I won’t ever ask again. I’ll know what to expect after this,
but right now . . .”
            She didn’t have to say how scared she was. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her
voice, feel it as she trembled beside him. It was a scent so strong, he could very nearly taste
it–acrid, bitter and quite pungent.
            “Please?”
            He reclined completely on his side and slipped his right arm beneath her neck to hug her
shoulders as his left hand made its way to her swollen stomach, rubbing slow circles over the
sheet that covered her abdomen.
            “They behave so much better when you’re here. I swear to the gods it feels as if they’re
having a battle to the death in my insides.”
            “It shows that they are healthy,” he said simply. “If they were not active, there would be
a reason for concern.”
            Rin scoffed. “Well, I think they’re too damned ‘active.’”
            He gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze then pressed another kiss to her forehead.
            “So, will you stay?” she asked again. “I need you to be here.”
            “I will stay,” he agreed. “If it gives you comfort, I will stay.”
            She let loose a long, ragged sigh, throwing her arms around him the best that she could.
“Thank you,” she cried. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d said ‘no.’”
            “You would have been fine,” he insisted. “But as I am here, there is no reason for you to
be without me.”
            She nodded against his shoulder.
            “Now, no more tears. Will you show our pups such a sad face?”
            She sniffed back her tears, shaking her head.
            “You will be fine.”
            “But Akako said . . .”
            “You have proven her wrong thus far, and you will continue to do so. You are strong, my
Rin. You will be fine and so will our pups.”
            She nodded her head, quietly sniffing back more tears.
            “I will stay as long as you need me.”
            She nodded, yet again, then drew in a deep breath and pushed it out.
            “Perhaps it would be best if you rested for awhile. You did not sleep last night, and I am
told birthing a child is quite strenuous. You will need to be at your peak.”
            “You won’t leave me, will you? If I fall asleep?”
            “No, I will not leave you.”
            She gave him the barest of smiles. “Then . . . maybe I will try to get some sleep.”
            “And I will be here when you wake.”
            Her smile grew, and she, again, nodded, sleep slowly beginning to claim her.
            Once her breathing had evened out and her face had slackened in slumber, he eased
himself from her embrace, sitting up, then lowered his head to her stomach, his two hands placed
flat against her rounded flesh. In a language not of this world, he growled softly but firmly,
“You two will cease this senseless assault on your mother. She is not your enemy, and you will
need her later on in life.” He felt an uncharacteristic, but becoming all-too-familiar, surge of
emotion rise in his chest. “Be good to her.”
            He then raised his head high, straightening his spine, taking in his mate’s still-flushed
form. As he was about to remove his hands in order to retrieve the cloth from the basin and run
some cool water over her face, he felt two small . . . kicks, he supposed, both on the palm of his
left hand.
            His eyes narrowed, his eyebrows knitting together. “Was that a ‘no?’”
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Author’s Notes: Akako means “red.”
I added a few sentences here and there to infer that Rin’s entire pregnancy has been troubled. I
hope that makes things a little clearer about the seriousness of her condition, and it will make her
future complications understandable. What Sesshoumaru experiences in the next chapter isn’t a
dream. I want that plainly understood. What he remembers happening between Rin and himself
did happen.
*sigh* I don’t want to “talk down” to my readers, spelling out every little thing, insulting your
deductive reasoning. That would make some future chapters horribly long (and, lol, terribly
boring for some of my more astute readers) but I don’t want anyone confused about what’s going
on. As a rule, when I read something I don’t understand, I read it again. But you won’t
understand the full implications of some parts of this fic until it’s completed, so I BEG you to be
patient.
The next chapter will flash forward a few years, and the twins will be adults by human standards.
Any questions raised by this chapter, like how long was Sess gone and how did he find out Rin
was pregnant? Will be answered in later chapters. If you include those questions in your
reviews, it will only frustrate and discourage me.
My writer’s block seems to have passed concerning this fic, but I am working a great deal more
than I have been in the past, so I’ll try to update at least twice a month. I’m still not sure how
long this one will be.
In the meantime, for you Sess/Rin fans, might I suggest my most recent fic, “The Girl?” Though
it’s a deathfic, I feel it’s my strongest Sess/Rin work to date, and I’m particularly proud of my
portrayal of Sess in the last chapter. Pardon the pun, but I do try to portray him in a different
light, and I’ve read very few fics where Sess is presented as anything but the epitome of maleness
;) So, give it a read and leave a review. I’d really appreciate it ^ ^
But . . . getting back to “In a Different Light,” I’d like to thank any and all of you who voted for
it. It took 1rst place in the InuYasha Fan Fiction Guild 2^nd Quarter 2004 in the Best Romance
Alternate Pair category! I’m brimming over with joy! You love me; you really love me ^ ^
Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope I didn’t disappoint,
theMaven :)
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A House Divided	By : theMaven Category: InuYasha > General Views: 5281 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

A House Divided