Nocturne - An Inuyasha Fanfic

Chapter Thirty-One: Beautiful Mine

Nocturne - Chapter Thirty-One: Beautiful Mine

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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The flight back to the Western lands was swift and uneventful as could be while traveling with a small child. She did not make much of a fuss, rarely making more than an amused gurgle the entire trip. Sesshomaru had never traveled with such a small child and could not have fully comprehended the needs of a youngling. He was fortunate not to deal with any such thing in flight.

The child had fallen asleep in his arms towards the end of the flight. She remained so once he alighted upon the palace he had procured. It still struck him as strange not to always be on the move, but that would be no life for a child of his.

He recalled his childhood brought up in a sprawling palace. Life had been different then, being brought up by two parents who seemed indifferent to each other at the best of times. He had not even been genuinely raised by his parents but left in the care of a lesser yokai. He could barely even recall the woman now, nearly a millennia later.

Sesshomaru stepped through the house's halls and into a room intended for children, a nursery of sorts left behind by its previous tenants. Looking about, he scowled at the mild decor left for a human child. This was unbefitting a yokai child, even one of mixed blood. The scenery depicted upon the wall were lies depicting glorious human victories. He made a mental note to express his distaste to Jaken and have the items removed.

He laid the child down and turned to walk from the room. There were immediate matters to attend. He'd gotten nearly to the door when he heard something. Sesshomaru turned to look over his shoulder only to find the child now missing. Another sound, below him, was heard, and he felt a tug on his nu-bakama. An amused squeal was heard, and he looked down to see the child pulling herself up using his clothing for support. She sported a mildly toothy grin and pushed herself up and down in some strange dancing motion.

Was this usual for a child? Or was this something attributed to her human half? A yokai would certainly not behave so ludicrously.

Sesshomaru reached down and picked the babe up. She continued to make babbling noises in his arm, "Mumamama," she cooed.

The child began to chew upon her hand and make distressed noises. How very much like her mother, this one, with moods that shift faster than the sands of time. Sesshomaru examined the child, attempting to conclude the source of her displeasure. She seemed to be chewing on her fingers quite a bit; perhaps that was the source. He placed a finger near her face, and she grabbed onto his finger like a vice. Quickly, she moved his finger into her mouth and began to gnaw. Her budding canine pierced his flesh, and had he not anticipated such a thing, he may have reacted differently. Indeed, blood had been drawn, and he gently pulled his hand from the child. She protested with her wordless grunts before continuing to chew on her hand again.

He moved to the middle of the room and sat the child down again, determined to leave. He would have to prepare for the child's extended stay, and there was nothing at hand for her minus a few human toys. Sesshomaru concluded that the child would be fine unattended for a time after assuring himself that she would stay put. She currently began crawling towards the side of the room to inspect something that had caught her interest. Satisfied he could exit without being followed, he closed the door and continued down the hall.

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There had never been a time in his life when he had felt so powerful, so free. It had been ages since he'd not had to be at one's beck and call. It was something of which he thought he could grow accustomed.