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The Game of Silence	By : anachan Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2858 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The Game of Silence
- 2-Part 2 (final)
- 1
- 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Inutaishou, Totousai and Izayoi. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Sunrise, & Yomiuri TV.

Setting: Right before Inuyasha was sealed by Kykio. Flashbacks take place eight years before Inuyasha was born.

Thanks: My friend Lalachan, for the translation, and all those who reviewed the story. I apologize for taking so long to post part 2, but finally here it is, I hope you have a good time reading� ^_^

The Game of Silence � Part 2

Fanfic by Ana-chan

It didn�t take long for Sesshoumaru to realize that the night near the stream had been only the first of many to come. Although he never did anything to inspire those moments, he didn�t do anything to avoid them either, no matter how awkward it felt most of times. Deep inside he had craved for his father�s regard so much and for so long that he just couldn�t waste the chance to earn it, even if it made him feel somehow less highborn. Sometimes he feared what his mother would say if she were alive. Not that he remembered her well enough though.

In the end, it didn�t matter anyway, did it?

Besides, the leader of the White Dogs was above all youkai in strength and skill, as he was the only one who could bear Soun�ga, the most vicious sword ever forged. No one would oppose him. No one would dare to defy him� yet. His so called father was not only his ancestor. He was his destiny. He had to be.

Even if his destiny became night after night as distant as the most unreachable dream, he just had to be.

Sometimes, he was caressed like a child. Sometimes he was only held in place until it was over. Now and then, he would wake up feeling sick, with a strange urge to run away to a distant place and never see a soul again. Most of times the morning would find him alone, wishing there were two dog furs around him, instead of only his own.

One way or another, there was a piercing feeling growing stronger inside him day by day, like an abyss after an earthquake: humans disgusted him and so did the idea that his father was about to marry a pathetic woman.

He winked twice to wake himself up of those disturbing memories, so long buried. He would not find his father�s tomb, therefore Tessaiga, acting like this.

He was obviously losing his time in the wrong place. On the other hand, his other options weren�t pleasant either. Waking Jaken up� Thinking about the next direction to take in his journey� Anyway, all he wanted was to leave those hills for good. However, before doing that, his gaze met an amount of little rocks, in a pile between two visible roots of a tree nearby.

He crouched near the pile of pebbles, untouched, for so long. He started to remove them slowly. Its secret was still there, just somehow hidden, as those awful thoughts in his mind. Maybe it was time to finally put an end to that, something he should have done a long time ago. As expected, Sesshoumaru found the small wooden box intact, as if a hundred and fifty years made no difference at all. Considering it was a human doing, it he wasn�t sure if it was supposed to resist for so long. Despite all those years, he had never understood humanity at all.

�Oi! Youkai-sama!� His voice sounded out of breath, kind of desperate. �Wait a moment, please!� the young man insisted.

Sesshoumaru looked back, recognizing the same confused human of a few days ago. He could foreseen another plead for other stupid favors coming his way. He closed his eyes with anger. His father had ordered him to give that human a strand of his own hair, to be used in some kind of medicine or whatsoever.

�Youkai-sama, I�m glad to finally find you. You have no idea how many times I climbed the hills searching for you� Do you mind if I talk to you now?�

He was smiling, a foolish smile that contrasted with his fine cloths. He was a soldier from the village and was looking as one now, no longer with peasant cloths. His voice was bearable and he had good manners, a really rare thing among humans. Since the day Sesshoumaru hurt the visitor, no one from the village ever spoke to him again. Some of them even turned their backs on him when he passed. Women covered their children�s eyes to prevent them to look at him. He couldn�t care less.

�What do you want?�

He made a friendly bow.

�I want to thank you! My brother started to walk again this morning. His leg is almost cured. I am very grateful to you.�

He remained still, just looking at the man as he was talking in another language.

�Oh� you don�t know. Forgive me. I was rude to not present myself. My name is Watanabe Tama. My father was one of the leaders of the village when your respectable father saved us. He passed away three years ago and I took his place because I am his eldest son. Do you remember when I asked your father for your hair strand?�

How can I forget such humiliation?

�Since my father died, I�m responsible for our house. One of my little brothers fell of his horse recently and injured his leg. The monk said he would never walk again by his own. One of the ancients of the village, however, told me that a youkai hair strand can fix any broken bone, if tied hard around the place. I�m much honored to have been given a strand of your beautiful hair. Thanks to it my brother is recovering well. Please�� he made another reverence and handed him an object. It looked like a wooden box.

�It�s a gift, to express my gratitude.� He insisted.

A negative answer was ready to come to his lips but never did. Instead, he took the box, not believing he was actually doing it. Maybe it had something to do with that annoying, stupid smile on the man�s face, the one reserved only for small children.

He opened the box, clueless of what could there be inside, except for the scent of wood. Cherry tree, to be more exact.

�Please take a look, see if you like it.� The human insisted, getting closer without any sense of danger for being so near him.

Inside the box there were pieces of wood, tiny sculptures, to describe better. The figures of a man, a horse and a dog, all so small and well-detailed that one could spend the whole evening to memorize their shape.

�I make them in my spare time. My little brothers find them funny. I know you are a great youkai warrior, and you can kill a humble fighter like me with one single thought� However, when I saw you for the first time, standing by your father�s side, I couldn�t help noticing how young you are. So I thought you might appreciate the figures, although I know you deserve more valuable offerings, of course.�

He looked inside the box again. The gift was obviously useless. So, how to explain his inexplicable wish of keeping it?

�Well, I have to go now. Sayonara, youkai-sama.�

It was getting dark. Soon his father would be back. He was spending more time at the village, now that his union with the woman was coming near. It was affecting Sesshoumaru�s habits as well, since there were some new rules he had to obey now. He was not allowed to wander around all night like he always did. And he had to eat human food. This was the worst of all. His stomach simply wouldn�t accept it, aching all the time.

That night Sesshoumaru returned home with his gift. He took advantage of the absence of his father to skip dinner. The shreds on his wrists were half destroyed by the insistent poison, so he changed them. Then he sat down and took a better look at the contents of his box. He heard his father arriving, and then having dinner with Izayoi. He waited a while before coming into his presence.

He stood by the entrance of the room his father was occupying. Inutaishou was sitting in a corner, biting a hare newly hunted. Clearly, the rule about eating only human food was not applicable to him.

The smell of warm blood was tempting to his senses. Another detail from that scene, however, claimed his attention more. His father was not wearing his armor. He could count on his fingers how many times he had been seen without it.

�What are you doing here? Have I called you?�

He turned around. In fact, he hadn�t been summoned.

�But since you�re here...�

Sesshoumaru turned around again in his father direction.

�... Get rid of the carcass.� It was shoved to him, �And� Come back then.�

�Hai, chichi-ue.�

He almost surrendered to the desire of licking what was left of the trap of bones and fur. But then, his father would surely know. He just buried the remains of the dead animal and came back, like he had been ordered.

As soon as he came in, he was enveloped by his father�s arms, something that didn�t surprise him. Even so, he dropped the wooden box on the wooden floor, spreading the contents all over around. His lips were taken completely while he was roughly undressed, as usual. For the first time Sesshoumaru dared to caress his father�s cheek, a dainty lick from his jaw up to his ear lobe. Even though the well-crafted touch was highly inappropriate and lost its way among the following rages of passion, the young youkai didn�t regret it. For some reason, he wouldn�t like to be alone at that night.

He buried the box back again, standing up quickly. Why in the world hadn�t he killed the damned hanyou?

Energy surrounded him as his feet left the ground. It is never too late to get rid of one unfinished task.

Sesshoumaru was thankful when his lips were covered by his father�s hot hand, considering the sounds that escaped from his lips against his will. While his body was being crushed to the floor roughly enough to scrape the skin of a dragon, his nails scratched the floor, leaving crevices on the wooden surface. Luckily they were both lying on three stripes of soft dog fur. His father smelled so good, a really unique scent that inebriated his taste. And when he least expected, the touch of strong fingers reached his groin in a kind of attention he definitely wasn�t used to. The strokes became harder, causing tears to his eyes, emptiness in his mind and a scream that was hardly contained by the big hand on his mouth. Soon the excruciating pain left room for the outburst of pleasure which took over his almost motionless body.

He was so exhausted that barely noticed when Inutaishou reached his own climax for the third time that night. Soon he was asleep, but this time his slumber was unsettled. Normally the recent sensations on his body would follow him to unconsciousness, leaving him weak and prostrated. Slowly and oddly, the remaining pleasure on his body was replaced by increasing pain, the very same ache that had being haunting him since the day he hurt the human visitor. Hadn�t he been so sore, he would enjoy his awakening a great deal, since his father was naked and asleep by his side, with his long, untied hair spread in silver silk tresses.

That moment was so precious that he tried to ignore his own sickness and snuggled to his father, hoping that the best smell in the world ever would lull him back to sleep: the scent of Inutaishou�s body after sex. But despite his effort, the delightful surrounding didn�t have the power to eliminate the growing disorder that begun to overtake his body.

�Sesshoumaru... what is it?�

�... pain...�

He was unable to speak... His jaw was paralyzed. From that moment on, everything became blurred on his mind. His father carried him to the same stream where they were together for the first time, and made him swallow and threw up water countless times before he was allowed to blank out for good. After he got to his senses again, he could only remember the events of the previous night as an inexplicable nightmare, in which the figure of the daiyoukai, lying beside him, was the only image that remained clear in his thoughts.

His father didn�t explain to him what had happened. He didn�t ask about it, either.

The shining, spinning sphere stopped abruptly, leaving cracks on the soil beneath him. Why did he hesitate so much? It was nothing more than a filthy hanyou, a mere incarnation of his father�s ridiculous obsession for that pitiable woman.

There was only one thing that stupid half-breed could be sure of. Sesshoumaru would never despise him as much as he had despised his mother.

Izayoi. The best daydreaming he ever had was to think of ways of killing her.

So he would do it. He would kill that freaking bastard and shove half of his corpse on the grave of that woman. Such a well-cared grave surely deserved that kind of adorn. The other half he would save for his father�s tomb when he found it.

A smile almost touched his lips.

�Have you called me, chichi-ue.�

�Hai. Close the door and sit down.�

�Izayoi was crying this morning. Do you have any idea of what may have happened?�

He looked away from his father�s gaze.

�Answer the question.�

�I don�t know why a woman would cry, chichi-ue.�

A slap hit him so hard and quickly that he almost lost his balance. He touched his face with a trembling hand, as a burning feeling of shame almost brought tears to his eyes.

�Get a hold of yourself.�

He sat back to the initial position, over his heels. Some drops of blood slipped from his nose. He barely noticed it.

�Why have you offended her? What has she ever done to you, Sesshoumaru?�

�I have not...�

This time he really thought his head would be separated from his body. Blood stained the floor while he fought to regain his composure.

�If you insist on lying, I�ll take it as an offense to me. Recompose yourself. I want to hear it from you. I have been warned about your unworthy behavior from servants enough.�

�Izayoi-sama asked me if I would like to have a brother...�

�Go on.�

�I told her that I don�t mind to have one or not�� he continued with difficulty, �Izayoi-sama said that she would like to give you a son, another boy. So I told her that a hanyou is an aberration.�

�Why did you say something like that?�

�Because it�s true.�

The golden eyes narrowed at him, severely.

�Look at me. I want you to listen very carefully, because this is the last time I�ll tell you. Izayoi is the woman I love, the one I have chosen to be my wife. I will not tolerate that you offend her or hurt her feelings, just because you believe to have any rights for being my son. Tomorrow morning, you will go to her and humbly ask for her forgiveness.�

�Hai, chichi-ue.�

�I�m not done yet. Since the moment I found you in that degrading place you mother governed, I have been enduring your presence. I recognized you as my son and tried to be patient about your arrogance and disobedience. If you are not smart enough to learn for yourself, I will tell you with all the words: Izayoi is the most important person in my life. Feel grateful that she feels some sympathy for you, otherwise you�d be shown the road a long time ago.�

He made a pause to certify that he was being listened to.

�I hope I made myself clear this time.�

�Hai...�

�I want you to take those wood things you have and get rid of them. Now.�

�... Hai.�

He stood up, feeling a little shaky. As he pushed the sliding door he was called again.

�And come back then.�

One more time Sesshoumaru interrupted his journey as he identified other scents on the air, which changed his plans a bit. The night was coming and it was a good thing, since he knew Inuyasha would probably be wandering around the village. No more hesitation. He�d slay with his eyes closed if necessary, to avoid the face that looked so much as his father. However, although he was eager to put an end to that brat�s life, something was different then before. He could tell even before getting closer to the village. After all, he had been to a human celebration before�

He was not wrong indeed: A stupid festivity was going on down there. Soon enough he distinguished the unpleasant smell of his half-brother in the midst of the crowd.

Maybe this was the perfect chance to avenge the pathetic death of his father with a single blow. He would kill the despicable hanyou and bring the human village to dust, like his mother used to do. Or so he guessed, he really couldn�t remember her.

From nearby hill he would hear the sounds of the party down there. The children laughing, the beating of drums� all sounds were an offense to the silent nature around them.

His hands closed tightly with the fingers bent against his palms. Just once, he wished to have other memories on the back of his mind... rather than every moment of the days he spent with his father.

He stayed all night sitting by the tree whereto he had cast the insolent human boy�s head. His father probably would hardly miss his presence back at the house at such a special night. He was being disobedient, but he doubted there would be a problem. Just a little violation to the rules would not matter at that very night.

Sesshoumaru glanced back to the village. He was providentially against the wind, which was a good thing, but his eyes couldn�t miss the ongoing celebration down there� a wedding celebration, the marriage between the daughter of the local leader and the strongest of all youkai.

The humans performed strange dances and gestures, while their singing voices helped to increase that madness. Everyone seemed to be enjoying that nonsense. Even his father was laughing, surrounded by those fools. And by his side, there she was: the sweet, loving wife. Izayoi-sama.

He had always imagined that day as the day he would finally leave, to never come back. He was old enough to live on his own, rather than keep on bearing a never-ending torture remaining at that awful place. He had even tried to talk to his father the day before the wedding, but the words got stuck in his throat.

He knew his father would never leave that woman. He knew his father would never do anything to keep him there, either. He knew, didn�t he? He just didn�t understand why it had to hurt so much to know.

Once more, he stared at the dark sky above him, wishing to be taken far from everything, to an alternate world in where that woman never existed. He remained still until the sounds from the village started to fade away, to nothing more than murmurs from drunken men.

It was dawn when he finally got up. His arms were a mess, and only then he noticed that the fire rat strands had been completely dissolved by poison, like any ordinary human fabric would. Sometimes he had the impression that he would never get better. That poison was the same as his father�s devotion to humans: inexplicable, pathetic, and about to get his total resignation.

He paced a little, going anywhere and nowhere. The weather was cold and rainy but it didn�t bother him. He came by the stream, rolled up his sleeves and sank his arms in the water until it got to his elbows. He hoped to make the burning calm. His head was heavy; his stomach hurt greatly� a strange thing since he hadn�t eaten anything since the day before.

�So, you are hiding here...�

Somehow he managed not to fall to the ground, but it was close. Still trying to maintain his balance, he wondered why he was not able to feel his father�s smell.

�Follow me.�

He didn�t feel like going around randomly then, although sometimes it was the only opportunity for him to be by his side� Nevertheless he did as he was told.

They got into the forest. When they were far from the village, his father stopped.

�What did you mean to tell me yesterday?� asked the daiyoukai, beating around the bush for something else.

He lowered his head, unable to keep one last bit of dignity.

�... Nandemonai.�

His father smiled.

�Come here.�

Strong arms enveloped him, keeping him steady, as his barefoot barely touched the damp grass underneath them. He started to be undressed easily, as usual, and then closed his eyes, trying to let his mind flow free, and his body focus on the familiar warmness. However, that night his father�s smell had become the unpleasant combination of sake with Izayoi�s sweat.

There was no way he could ignore it.

His arms started to ache again.

He was pushed down to the ground as his lips were covered completely by his father�s mouth. An aggressive, exploring tongue invaded his mouth, in a not usual caress between youkai. Still he let his father proceed, trying his best not to get nauseated by the unbearable scent. Suddenly the daiyoukai stopped, abruptly. He spit, as his face showed an undeniable expression of disgust.

The young youkai had his legs lifted. That made him feel worse of his stomach, and he tried to turn without success. In the end he gave up and made one last fruitless effort to adjust himself before he closed his eyes again, tightly, feeling strangely ashamed.

As the movements began to get rougher, he turned his face to the side, letting his hair cover it. He had never felt the weight of his own submission as deeply as he felt then.

And despite all the pain and effort, he felt like his body was far away from there.

It was raining again, a faint, cold rain, still capable of damping someone in short time.

His father had finished satisfying himself, but remained there, staring at him silently.

�The poison your body produces is getting stronger.� He stated, as breaking the silence.

�...�

�Do you know what happens if you don�t control it?�

�Hai.�

�Is that the reason why you stay here? Are you afraid of dying alone?�

�... no.�

�Why do you stay, then? Tell me, lad. It�s obvious that this is no life for you.�

�...�

He remained lying on his back, face down, as he had been left, still avoiding the daiyoukai gaze.

�I... will go back to my wife now...�

�... Because it�s the only way.�

�Only way?�

�I don�t want to live away from you. But when you want me to leave, I will do so.�

Inutaishou stared at him for a moment. It was clear to him that, for many reasons, that couldn�t go on.

�I won�t help you if you get sicker. I know nothing about the strange bloodline curse you have. From now on, you can live in the forest if you want, and eat whatever you wish, but you�ll be on your own. Do you understand?�

�Hai, chichi-ue.�

�I� will not touch you again. Your body only tastes like venom.� He got up and started to leave the clearing, before his son�s dispirited image perturbed him even further.

Then he stopped walking. He turned back and looked at the youkai still lying on the ground.

�Try to pull yourself together at least, goddamned. By the way, in a few days a youkai is about to come here to meet me, a blacksmith called Toutousai. If you sense his presence, stay away. My business with him is not of your concern.�

Inutaishou left then. Once more he failed on banish Sesshoumaru off his life. He tried not to recriminate himself though.

Soon enough, he wouldn�t need to do a thing about this matter anymore.

What�s the use, he thought, as he observed the human crowd in the village. It had been proved before that the sword his father left him was unable to take a single life. Sure he had his poisoning claws and fight skills� But how long would it take to kill all those people, one by one? Not counting two or three priestess, some monks, and his half-brother of course.

He initiated his way back, this time walking.

It was a beautiful night, indeed, too beautiful for such a filthy task.

A group of well armored, threadbare men crossed his way, riding weary horses. They didn�t notice him as he was covered by the darkness. How fortunate�for them.

Just a bunch of stray thieves. Even a youkai disgusted by humans could tell them from a group of loyal warriors. And they were probably heading to the village.

If Inuyasha carried a single drop of their father�s blood in his veins, those detestable creatures would be riding their horses for the last time.

Sesshoumaru could feel them coming closer, even though he hadn�t been living in the village for some time. Whoever they were, they had perfect timing, since his father had left the village and no one knew when he would come back. They were not thieves, however. Mere thieves would not dare to invade that well protected place. The attack had been ordered by another human lord, with an army of his own and still equally organized. They should have inside informants as well. It was not a coincidence that they picked exactly the period Inutaishou had left the village.

Quite a few days had passed since he saw his father for the last time. Every single movement demanded great effort from him now and sometimes he wasn�t able to move at all. He came to the conclusion that his poison was the paralyzing type. It�d make a great weapon, if only he could manage to resist to it.

He touched his belly painfully. A deep wound had appeared right there, as a signal that his entrails had finally given up. The poison was melting him from inside out. He knew he wouldn�t resist much longer that way and that maybe he would never see his father again. Oddly he had stopped to care about this.

The attack to the village, however, still taunted him. His sense of loyalty to his father still demanded him to do something since he hadn�t left his domain. Besides, humans would fight for their proprieties, not for his father�s rule. If they ever fought� But what he really could do?

He got up uneasily, and headed to the opposite direction: the center of the forest. With his remaining sense of smell he approached an old, big tree which had a slot on its surface. He dashed through it using his right hand claws, opening a hole, from where he pulled out a little youkai. The creature struggled and grumbled in his hand, like a bug caught in a spider web.

�Ack, let me go, you... you... Ah�� he seemed to calm a little. �Sesshoumaru-sama! It�s your, sir. I�m so sorry. I didn�t recognize you�.�

The lizard-like creature widened his eyes open and closed his mouth shut, suddenly understanding the reason why he couldn�t identify the Inutaishou�s son scent.

�... Ano... Sesshoumaru-sama? Are you all right?�

�I want you to look for my father. Tell him to come back. The humans are being attacked.�

�They are? Ah... But, Sesshoumaru-sama! How can I find your honorable father like this?�

�This is your problem. Just go and don�t fail or I will kill you.�

He was released.

�Father left the village with a youkai named Toutousai. Now go.�

�Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama! I�m on my way...�

A pair of transparent wings popped out of his scaled back. He quickly crossed the sky heading to the mountains.

Now that his messenger was gone, there was a duty left for him: one last order from his father.

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they were blood colored, the same blood red of the mighty leader of the dogs. Energy surrounded him, letting his body free from the limiting human form that carried the hidden power of a future daiyoukai. If those stupid humans were attacking the village counting on Inutaishou�s absence, soon they would be greatly surprised.

He mused about Jaken�s reaction when he woke up and found himself alone. Would he come back to his land or search for him? Probably he would stay in the same place for some days, before thinking about something else to do.

For some reason he returned to pick him up before moving on. There still was the staff, his best chance to find the tomb of his father.

And as for his half-brother� He would let him live a little longer. Even for a half-youkai, making allies with humans was not entirely safe. Maybe he wouldn�t have to kill him after all�

He opened his eyes when he felt his smell. That�s how he knew he was still alive. However, only his sense of smell was working now. Everything around him had turned into senseless and deformed moisture of dark and light before his eyes.

The daiyoukai kneeled beside him, but he didn�t really notice it. He heard his voice, though the words were unintelligible.

His back was raised from the floor and his head found shelter on a smooth, familiar surface.

He closed his eyes for the last time.

His father�s scent was pleasant once again, like it always had been.
�Sesshoumaru-sama, where are we going?� asked Jaken anxiously �The staff is pointing to the opposite direction.�

�The staff can wait. Be quiet.�

How painful it was to follow him by that rocky ground, never pausing to rest. Why they wouldn�t simply go around the mountains? And to think they would have to do all the way back, since the staff was leading to another way.

His master always became sourer after his encounters with his inferior half-brother, not that he didn�t have a good reason for that. So, what kind of father was that? A father who had caused so much shame to his own lineage and still received such consideration of his true descendant.

He nearly stumbled when Sesshoumaru stopped without warning. He narrowed his eyes, trying to improve his eyesight.

�Ah...� He squeezed his eyes, tired �A dragon?�

�Ryuukosei.�

�Ahn?? And why are we here, sir? It seems dangerous.�

�He�s sealed.�

�Well, if that�s the case...�

�Let�s go.�

He continued to follow him, ignoring the pain on his feet. He just hoped that the dragon was really out of combat�

The scent of poison... it had disappeared.

Sesshoumaru woke up suddenly, like one who wakes up from an ill-timed nap.

Inutaishou was sitting on the ground, with his back to him, and a sword on his knees. He almost looked like a mere apprentice, despite his splendid armor.

�Get dressed.�

Only then he realized he was naked, or almost. His skin was still a little damp from a recent bath. He looked both sides for his clothes, but the only outfit near was certainly not his.

The huge injury on his belly had disappeared as it never existed. His arms seemed cured from the burns, although they showed two deep rose-colored marks by his wrists.

�My clothes...� he tried to ask.

�They were reduced to shreds. Anyway, you are old enough to wear more suitable ones. Try these, they are more adequate.�

He got up so easily that he almost lost his balance. The new clothes were not far.

�Armor...�

�You have seen me dress and undress it enough times. You know what to do.�

He had no problems with the two layers of clothes, but the shoes were something new. Actually, he didn�t remember seeing his father putting those boots on or off.

�You�ll get used to them.� The daiyoukai affirmed, as if he could perceive his son�s difficulty. �And you can still use your fur over your shoulder, if you want.�

He stood up, testing the movements of his now covered feet. It was a little uncomfortable, but he didn�t mind it since it was part of the costumes of their youkai kind.

Before putting on the rest of the armor, he turned to the immobile youkai near him.

�Chichi-ue... What happened?�

�Don�t worry about it, for now. You are cured. You can even take advantage of the poison your body produces, if you really work on it.�

�... you said you wouldn�t help me.�

�I didn�t. You may be sure your problems are just beginning.�

�The village... I don�t remember what happened after...�

�The attack was struck back by the local guards. When the enemies saw you, they thought I had returned. A lot of them gave up striking.�

�They knew you had left. I�m sure that some people of the village were helping them. A relative of Izayoi-sama was leading the attack.�

�Sesshoumaru... always thinking to be telling me something new.�

�Why don�t you leave this place? Take the damn woman with you, if you care about her so much, but don�t fight for them anymore. They will betray you, chichi-ue. Sooner or later��

�Hn... You have just dressed as an adult and you think you can talk like one.�

Sesshoumaru finished dressing. Despite his inexperience, he knew he had done a good job. He took a few steps, coming closer to his father, and sit right behind him. He felt so incredibly good. He couldn�t remember feeling that way in a very long time.

�When are you leaving?� the tone of his father�s voice changed, becoming deeper.

�Now.�

�I imagined so.�

The silence between them was the most perfect farewell. Nothing was left so say� still, his father continued to talk.

�... You were so small then. The battle had just ended and I was still admiring the corpse of your mother when I noticed that my henchmen were fighting over you, as they always did every time they shared the spoils. I knew immediately that you could only be my son, but I did nothing to stop them from scaring you to death. I didn�t want any part of that woman to survive. But when I approached them, just to take a better look at the scene, you ran towards me and held my hand. You were trembling so much� I couldn�t push you back. So I allowed you to follow me since then, like a stray dog would follow its master. Everyday I wished to wake up and find you dead by an animal attack or some natural child disease� I refused to keep you warm, to protect you, to teach you or even leave you any meat on the carcass� because I wanted you to run away. Every time I looked at you I preferred to see the face of your mother, rather than the face of a son. Nonetheless you never left. And I never understood why��

Inutaishou stood up, still with his back to Sesshoumaru, his usual pose. He was the perfect image of greatness and pride, everything that one would expect from a blue-blooded youkai. His son imitated his father, standing up as well.

�So... this is your decision.�

�Hai.�

�I am not asking you to stay. I am not leaving with you either. You will live completely alone. You know that��

�I do.�

�Farewell, Sesshoumaru.�

�Sayonara... chichi-ue.�

�It�s really petrified.� Jaken mumbled, highly impressed by the size of the creature encrusted in the mountain, like a big sculpture.

After a while the little servant noticed something way more interesting than the youkai sealed in the mountain right before them: the look on Sesshoumaru�s face� Jaken didn�t recall ever seeing his young master admiring something, or someone in all those years. Indifference was the word that could always used to define him, but not at that moment. Something had changed that invariably cold, distant expression. What could it be? Sadness? Nostalgia? Anyway, that kind of innocent look just didn�t fit his master.

He wondered if he missed someone. And what would that dead dragon have to do with it?

�Sesshoumaru-sama� he started, already expecting a gruff reply. �This dragon, Ryuukosei, is that same dragon that was defeated by your ancestor?�

There was no answer, not even a reprimand. Better that way. He was really being an inconvenient servant. Besides he could always get his answers with local youkai around.

They left that mountainy region by dusk. Jaken was exhausted and his humor was not good. Sesshoumaru had told him that they would keep on following the direction pointed by the staff. One more time he didn�t notice that he had been left behind.

The daiyoukai sit by a tree, on the top of a hill not very distant. He hadn�t stopped to rest since the fight with his half-brother. Maybe that was the reason why his mind was troubled. So many dark, deep memories that should remain forgotten in the past should never be brought to light again.

Mindlessly, his left hand touched Tenseiga�s hilt. A sword that couldn�t kill was as useless as a mouth with no teeth. Still, he wasn�t able to get rid of it.

He gave a few steps on the beach sand before he stopped as he saw his father standing not so far ahead. The strong smell of blood came to his senses. He had been informed about the fight with the dragon, but never imagined him to be so badly injured. What a nerve of him, to summon a ruthless killer being so weak like that. If the circumstances were different, he could consider such a display of confidence as an insult.

�I thought that you wouldn�t attend to your father�s call.�

�I�m here, chichi-ue.�

�Sesshoumaru... your power increased so much since the last time I saw you. Only eight years have passed and I feel so old in your presence.�

�What do you require from me?�

�Do you remember when you said that the humans would betray me?�

�...�

�It doesn�t matter. I want you to know it from me that Izayoi is expecting a child.�

This time the daiyoukai waited for the youth to answer, even if he had to wait all night long.

�Have you called me here to tell me this?�

�When I took off to the mountains, the village was invaded. The invaders planned to kill my offspring on birth, and force Izayoi to marry a human lord. However, she managed to send me a message. As soon as I returned, I heard that her gestating is coming to an end, and the human who lead the attack took her to his own village, in the other side of the forest. Actually I don�t have much time left.�

�You still haven�t told me why I�m here.�

�I have been told some news about you in the last few years. I know that you are preparing yourself. You will be a great opponent in a couple of years. I have called you because I want you to know that, if I have to fight you over the swords one day, it will be a privilege for me.� His voice became even deeper. �� Lately I have remembered you a lot. I even miss the sound of your steps on the wooden floor of the house. The sound of your voice... Not that I find it bad how it sounds now. It certainly suits your personality better.� He made a pause, as like he wanted to shorten the subject. �I... wish that things had been different... well, some of them at least.�

�I have changed more than you can imagine.�

�I see.�

�Are you going now, chichi-ue?�

�Do you intend to stop me, Sesshoumaru?�

�No, I don�t. But before you go, leave Soun�ga and Tessaiga with me.�

�If I say no, will you kill your own father?�

�...�

�Do you desire power this much?�

�...�

�Why?�

�I take the path of vanquish. This is my goal. I need power to take this path.�

�Vanquish...? Sesshoumaru, is there anyone you wish to protect?�

�Protect someone...? I don�t have a need for such a nuisance.�

So he left, as he said he would. Every time he dreamed of his father, the images of his last encounter repeated over and over in his mind, like a truly deserved punishment. He let his father go, and at the same time, he let go the chance of claiming the swords as well. He lost the chance to stop all that�

Stupidity.

The strongest youkai of all times, reduced to a mere slave, willing to give his life away for a human woman and her newborn aberration.

He closed his eyes. Even after so many years, the night of his father�s death still haunted him, as a single event that deprived him of the right to fight and defeat his begetter� that stole from the right to make his father come to his senses again, or at least try.

Nevertheless, it was useless to complain about it. All he could do was to keep on going. One day he would get over it.

One day.

He forced himself to open his eyes and face the moon above him, the only witness of his disturbing dreams.

Mindlessly, he took his dog fur and got it around both his shoulders as he sat by the tree.

Tessaiga� it doesn�t matter that I have lost you. You will be mine again. One day.

So he allowed himself to be taken to the dream world again. That time he had a feeling that his stay would be more pleasant. He was so fed up of recollecting his past mistakes, and yet not being able to fix them.

And once more he longed that the sky would draw him far away� like he always had in the past, to the room with wooden walls, where he would be wrapped by the warmness of his father arms and within the most perfect silence, wish to never wake up again.

The End

Glossary:
chichi-ue: father, respectful way
hai: yes
youkai/mononoke: �demon�, mythological being
daiyoukai: great youkai (the boss ^_^)
hanyou: half-youkai
sayonara: Good bye
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The Game of Silence