Chapter 3 - Childhood memories

Chapter 3-Childhood memories

Sesshoumaru walked into the familiar surroundings of his old bedroom from when he was a teenage demon; he picked up a book lying strewn across the bed and placed it back on the shelf, as he heard approaching footsteps he stood back by the doorway to see what happened.

A tiny Inuyasha, no more than 3 years old as a mortal would age, tottered into the room carrying a thin stick almost half his height.

“Esso..?” Inuyasha tottered over to the bed; his eyes were barely on level with it. “Esso?”

When he was confident his older brother was not there Inuyasha moved to the centre of the room and raised the stick he carried over his left shoulder and planted his feet firmly apart.

For half an hour Inuyasha swung the thin stick in crude copies of the moves Sesshoumaru used I his daily sword practice; by the end of the half hour the small pup was sweating profusely and had bruised himself all over.

The reed door swung open once again and Jaken entered carrying a kimono that had just been washed and pressed; he laid down the clothes carefully before turning to the young half demon and pushing him backwards.

“What are you doing in here?” Jaken’s voice, as always, grated on Sesshoumaru’s nerves.

“Looking for Esso.”

“My Lord’s name is not, nor has it ever been ‘Esso’. Have you no respect for your elders ‘Lord’ Inuyasha?” The sarcasm was obvious as Jaken addressed Inuyasha as Lord.

Inuyasha’s face screwed up in concentration.

“Essomashew!”

Jaken snorted with derisive laughter and turned back to his work, carefully removing each kimono from the pile he folded in neatly and placed it in the drawers of a wooden chest.

From behind Jaken, Inuyasha began his moves again until he caught his shin with the stick and fell to the floor with a clatter.

“What are you doing, half-breed?”

Scrambling up from the floor Inuyasha held out his stick.

“Inu wants to be like Esso.”

This time Jaken’s laugh was filled with genuine, he snatched the stick from the pup no taller than himself and broke it in half.

“You could never be like the great Sesshoumaru with your filthy half-breed blood”

Still laughing Jaken left the room throwing the broken stick to the floor at Inuyasha’s feet; tears streamed down Inuyasha’s face as he bent to pick up his practice sword, his voice was soft and heart-broken.

“Inu wants to be like Esso.”

As this memory faded Sesshoumaru felt tears uncharacteristically sting his eyes, reminding himself he hated Inuyasha he waited for the next memory.

This time as his sight returned he was surprised to find himself outdoors in the sword-practice meadow; with a shock he realised he remembered this himself and was staring at Inuyasha’s dream version of him.

The two brothers were practicing their sword work together, it was clear that Sesshoumaru was years ahead of his younger half-brother but was being patient.

Inuyasha mopped his brow, in mortal years he would have been 13, he looked up at his, now fully-grown, half-brother.

“I told you not to go easy on me!”

“Very well.” Sesshoumaru smiled slightly and whacked Inuyasha on the side of the head with the flat of his practice sword. “I won’t.”

Growling softly to himself Inuyasha got up and braced himself, he brought his sword up into the ready position and nodded at Sesshoumaru.

After five minutes or so of battling Inuyasha slipped on a piece of wet grass, Sesshoumaru lunged in for the ‘killing’ stroke only to realise, too late, that it was a feint; before he could pull back and defend Inuyasha’s sword was at his throat.

“I won!” Inuyasha’s cry of victory erupted loudly as he dropped the practice sword and leapt on Sesshoumaru hugging him violently.

Sesshoumaru tried to disengage himself but found it was impossible eventually he conceded laughing.

“Yes, pup. You won.”

As the meadow faded Sesshoumaru cracked his claws impatiently, was he going to find his answers or just watch childhood memories?

As if in answer to his questions when the next scene unfolded Inuyasha was much older and just in exile; his bruises were not fully healed and it was obvious he was weak.