Chapter 8 - First loves and broken hearts

Chapter 8

Bone weary and his mind exhausted from all the new information he had just discovered Sesshoumaru slept soundly on the cold floor of his own dungeon; his arms tightened protectively around his injured half-brother as memories of his own began to assault him.

Ukil laughed softly as she brushed aside strands of silver hair that were blowing into Sesshoumaru’s eyes; she sat back on her heels and regarded him in silence for a moment, counting her blessings.

“What is it, Ukil?” Sesshoumaru’s face was once again solemn.

“Nothing, I was just thinking about how lucky I was.”

Sesshoumaru blushed not able to help himself, his face turned slowly crimson as he smiled shyly. Unable to help himself, he pulled Ukil towards himself and kissed her passionately, drawing back from lack of air he kissed her softly on the top of her head before releasing her.

“It is I who is lucky, beloved.”

This time it was Ukil’s turn to blush, her chocolate brown eyes looked up at her betrothed sparkling with happiness.

“I was so afraid when my father told me I was betrothed.” Ukil’s voice was serious as she clasped Sesshoumaru’s hand tightly. “Especially when he told me I was to marry the future Lord of the Western Lands; I had seen you from afar, of course, as you had passed through my village but you seemed world’s above me. After all, what am I but a lowly half-demon.”

Sesshoumaru pulled her into his strong arms and held her in a warm embrace.

“Beloved, never think that being a half-demon makes you lowly or unworthy; my own younger brother, whom I love dearly, is only half-demon and he is already growing so very strong. Whatever you are, beloved, I love you.”

As they sat together in the summer sun Sesshoumaru found himself wishing time would stop so he could stay this way forever.

In the dungeon Sesshoumaru’s normally expressionless face was twisted in anguish and terror.

Sesshoumaru wept over the mutilated body of his mother; she had been washed and dressed in her finest robes but even the skilled servants of the castle had not been able to erase the marks of the attack.

Hate towards Inuyasha rose in him again as he remembered who had done this; in his long years of life his father had tried to warn him of half-demons, had tried to forbid his marriage to Ukil but he hadn’t listened.

Ukil!

He hadn’t thought of her before this but now he did he realized with a wrench of his heart that he could not love or trust a half-demon after this day; he resolved to put her from his mind and, before he could change his mind he called for a messenger.

“Go to Ukil and tell her that I will not see her again on pain of death; I will allow no half-demons with their filthy blood to ever walk in this land again.”

Slightly startled the messenger did as he was bidden; as he left Sesshoumaru turned back to the body of his mother and all thoughts of Inuyasha or Ukil fled from his thoughts.

As he wept he was simply a boy crying for the mother who would never return.

Outside the reed door Rin was arguing quietly with Jaken; they had stayed outside after being told to leave but all they had heard were some whispers of their lord and moaning, now the moans were loud and clearly Sesshoumaru’s.

“We must go back in to my Lord, foolish mortal girl!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!” With a sigh of exasperation Jaken tried to push past Rin but the young mortal girl had gained strength in the months she had traveled with Sesshoumaru, she easily held him back; just then the room went deathly quiet.

No matter how he tried to convince himself that all half-breeds were scum who deserved death Sesshoumaru could not rid Ukil from his mind, his thoughts were always turning to her and he longed for her touch, her kiss.

“Perhaps I should go to see her,” he mused. “That might explain why I cannot forget her.”

Pleased to have reached a decision Sesshoumaru left immediately, the village where Ukil resided was barely fifteen minutes from the castle and he was soon there; the village was unnaturally quiet but he assumed it was fear of him that kept the villagers in check.

Gracefully he walked through the small streets until he reached a tiny wooden hut, swinging aside the reed door he entered the room beyond, inside Ukil’s mother sat weeping to herself.

“What ails you, Samu?”

The mortal woman looked up in fear, but that was quickly replaced by a burning anger; she launched herself at Sesshoumaru taking the demon by surprise, she clawed at his face with her fingernails and managed to make his cheeks bleed before he threw her off.

“Bastard!” Samu spat the word at Sesshoumaru, she threw a piece of parchment at him before turning on her heel and stalking into the bedroom of the small hut.

Bemused, Sesshoumaru unrolled the parchment; as he read the words in the familiar handwriting of Ukil he seemed numb.

‘My dear parents,

I am sorry I must leave you now but my heart has been wrenched from my body; I know not what I have done to Sesshoumaru but only that my crime against him must be heinous indeed. I cannot live with myself knowing I have wronged my love so grievously; please understand that I am not angry at him nor at you.

Goodbye, Ukil.’

Tearing the parchment accidentally with his claws Sesshoumaru almost ran into the room Samu had disappeared into; on the bed lay Ukil, her eyes were closed and her face peaceful but her chest did not rise and fall.

He realized in that moment what a terrible mistake he had made and a strangled cry tore from his throat; he collapsed to his knees as the bedside and sobbed clutching her hand, Samu watched on expressionless.

“Beloved Ukil, please do not leave me. Please, please.”

She lay lifeless as ever upon the bed; Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, the tears blurring his vision, he picked up the body of Ukil tenderly and walked from the hut; Samu let him go, she knew her daughter could come to no more harm.

Back to the castle Sesshoumaru walked; being careful to not let anybody see him he stole back to the room where his mother’s corpse lay ready for burial; he let his strong arms lift his mother and silently as a ghost he carried both women into the eastern forest.

There he buried them at sunset, his tears washing down his face as he remembered them both in life. After he had buried them he broke a nearby boulder into two slabs and, painstakingly, he carved them both with an inscription.

‘Here lies Shioma, beloved mother’

‘Here lies Ukil, simply beloved’

In the dungeon Sesshoumaru awoke with a cry of grief, to his surprise he found his face was wet with tears; he stood slowly letting the memory fade, he laid his brother gently on the floor and prepared to leave.

He had not gone five paces when a blinding pain stopped him in his tracks and left him gasping for breath; when he had recovered he walked forward again only to find at the same point the pain returned.

Sesshoumaru growled loudly at the shadows.