The Taisho fire

Decisions

Yes... sure, came Gwen's voice from the adjacent room. I've never seen that many books. Yes, mostly in Japanese unfortunately... Do you know how many kanji there are, dad?

That last line caused Tōga's lips to quirk. Nothing excited Gwen like the promise of a new language to learn. Taken away from both her home, her life and her country, she seemed to thrive in this strange environment.

But could this be long term ? He and Sesshōmaru sat, planning a possible future for them both, and he knew he just couldn't decide without her. For the moment, his little lady was pretty oblivious to the difficult choice that awaited ahead; he would have loved to prolong the moment. But his first born wasn't one to procrastinate.

"I need Gwen to be able to see her family again", he told the daiyōkai.

Sesshōmaru only nodded; given the merry conversation they were both overhearing, there was no questioning why Tōga was adamant about it.

"It can be done, Chichi-ue. But she cannot bring any of them here."

"Even with a non-disclosure agreement ?"

White strands, so akin to his own, shifted when the stoic yōkai shook his head.

"No. We keep it contained to direct family for safety reasons. It is already difficult enough to handle with InuYasha's brood."

"I understand."

He wouldn't be fighting his son on this; being responsible for the whole pack was already heavy enough on one's shoulders.

Oh ! You would like Sesshōmaru-sama, he is so well read in history and culture. His knowledge is endless.

Sesshōmaru stiffened and Tōga couldn't suppress a smirk; if the daiyōkai had tried to hide he was spying on Gwen, the cat was out of the bag. And the fact that she complimented him, even after he'd treated her callously, seemed to throw him off balance. Golden eyes narrowed and magenta stripes jolted as he clenched his teeth.

It is great here, so beautiful and ancient. You would love it.

As he watched his son's guarded demeanour, the former general envied the easy relationship Gwen shared with her own father. He felt so inadequate... and unable to bridge that gap between them, because he wasn't the man who had caused him such rancour and suffering in the past. The two yōkai shared a look, one loaded with regrets, the other nearly blank. Damn that poker face !

Fortunately, Gwen returned to break the standstill, a smile upon her lips. Until she took in the atmosphere in the room and sobered. Sitting beside him, she grabbed his hand and asked:

"So what it this about ?"

"Your future."

Two little words uttered with utmost seriousness. Tōga proceeded to fill Gwen on the options Sesshōmaru had laid out at his feet, trying to be as factual as possible. He knew that if he showed a preference, she would likely comply to his wishes.

So far, they could live at the Shiro of the pack in Japan, without any option for her family and any outside friends to join them. The second option would be to disappear, somewhere with little crowds, no presence on the internet, and security teams handled by the pack. InuYasha would welcome them in Colombia, or they could chose any other place. Gwen's grey eyes lit up at the idea, but her brows furrowed the very next moment.

"But those poor people... ? If we end up at the end of the world, how are they going to live ?"

Such a big heart, even when it came down her own safety. Gwen should be trembling in her boots, right now, especially after the trauma she'd just been through. But her first preoccupation was to ensure those assigned to watch over them wouldn't be excluded from a good life.