Brave Hearts (Sesshomaru Fanfiction)

7. Understanding

Hana bit down on her bottom lip lightly but hard enough to prevent herself from sobbing softly.

This was all her fault.

 

That was all she could think as she sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff.

After walking away from Sesshomaru, she’d flopped down onto the grass somewhere a slight distance away from where they’d had their disagreement, though she believed that the only reason she had walked away from him was because she hadn’t wanted him to witness her crying. It had been her fault for not having had more control over her emotions. She hadn’t meant what she’d said; deep down she had known that Sesshomaru was right for not wanting her to confront her father, but she’d been too confused because of her conflicting thoughts and emotions. 

She knew that he cared for her, that he wanted what was best for her, but yet she had refused to understand that before now. Maybe Lord Sesshomaru’s slapping her had been what she’d needed from the start. 

She sighed as a slight breeze began to blow, causing the tree branches to rustle above-head. 

A part of her wondered what was running through Lord Sesshomaru’s mind at the moment. 

She pictured him looking thoughtfully at his open palm for a moment and then closing his eyes and making his hand into a fist and thinking to himself: 

“If it is her wish to be killed at the hands of her own father, then so be it.” 

Hana mimicked Sesshomaru’s voice in her mind. 

Though there was a possibility that he wasn’t thinking such a thing, she was certain he wasn’t coming to look for her any time soon. 

She sighed. 

Suddenly, from behind her came the sound of wind rushing wildly. She’d heard that once before. As quickly as it had come, the wind died down, followed by soft footsteps. Hana turned around and saw Koga walking towards her. 

“Yo,” he said. 

How did this guy always know where to find her? Hana questioned in her mind. 

Koga’s face suddenly contorted to make a somewhat annoyed look. 

“What’s with that stupid look in your eyes? You look even worse than before. I said to cheer up.” 

Hana glared at him for a moment. Even when trying to be nice, he still came off as rude. She then realized that her eyes were probably quite red and swollen after crying to herself.  She turned away from him, looking back over the cliff. 

Even if she knew that Lord Sesshomaru was right, Hana still felt that she had something to prove to the dog demon. 

“Koga,” she said, as he walked up next to her, “would you do me a favor?” 

“It depends,” 

Hana hesitated at first, and then explained her plan to the wolf demon, both unaware of the listeners hiding deep in the shadows.

_________________________________________________ 

“So this is the infamous Sesshomaru, - we finally meet face to face,” said the yokai standing behind Sesshomaru in a low growl.

 Sesshomaru did not turn around to face him, but he knew quite well to whom the voice most likely belonged.

 He was nowhere near Hana. Good. 

After finding Rin and Jaken, he had asked Rin if she minded staying with the old miko for a while and had asked Jaken to take her there. He had smelled that impertinent wolf lord somewhere nearby, and though it wasn’t something he usually did, he didn’t want to jeopardize their safety. Leaving seemed to have been more of a challenge for his faithful servant Jaken than Rin. 

Moments after they’d left, the voice of the wolf had sounded in his ears.

Without turning around, he could hear the demon step closer towards him. 

“My pathetic excuse for a daughter is nowhere to be found. Tell me, Sesshomaru, has she finally gotten tired of being around you also?” 

Sesshomaru didn’t answer. 

“It matters not. I shall punish her eventually. But first, have you decided to fight me yet? In other words, have you decided to hand over your territoryt to me?” The wolf demon chuckled.

The way he spoke of his daughter was sickening, even to someone such as Sesshomaru.

 “You are a weak demon. Fighting the likes of you is a waste of my time,” he finally responded. 

This obviously angered the wolf. Sesshomaru could hear him growl lowly behind him. 

“Hmph, so you won’t even turn to face me, fine then...die!” 

Sesshomaru had pictured the demon leaping forward, claws bared, to attack him long before the yokai had even thought of doing so.  In an instant, Sesshomaru used his poison whip to slice off the wolf demon’s left hand. There was a shriek of pain as the wolf lord fell to the ground, staring at his severed hand. 

“If you can’t even dodge such a minor thing...how do you expect to kill me?” Sesshomaru mocked. He turned his head slightly to face the demon. “Do not waste my time.” 

Even in his state of pain, the wolf lord managed to give an almost pitiful, but still devious smile.

As he smiled, a large white wolf trotted slowly out of the shadows, stopping near the wolf lord and growling. After that, the wolf simply went back the way it had come. 

The wolf lord staggered to his feet, clutching his stump of an arm and looking at Sesshomaru. His breathing was heavy.

 “Fine then,” he growled, and his smile grew even wider, “I suppose I’ll just have to take out all my anger on my daughter,” 

Sesshomaru turned towards the wolf demon even more; he tried not to show his surprise as he questioned what the demon was talking about. 

“It appears she has gone back home, looking for her father. Maybe her death will get the great Sesshomaru to fight me.” 

This yokai was in over his head, and he was also beginning to annoy Sesshomaru.

The wolf demon turned and ran away. Sesshomaru could have easily disposed of him, but something had stopped him from doing so. He supposed that it was because he wanted to see what Hana could do while on her own. He hadn’t been angered by her outburst at all. He somewhat understood what she was going through. And as much as he wished to silence that wolf lord once and for all, he knew how much facing her father meant to Hana. 

Hana meant a great deal to Sesshomaru now. And as he admitted this to himself, he supposed that the least he could do was try to understand her.

He wondered what his mother and father would say about him now.

“Sesshomaru…in love with a woman…? You become more and more like your father each day.” His mother’s sarcastic tone filled his ears as he imagined the woman sitting in her castle with that blank look on her face that resembled his so much.

 Sesshomaru turned to walk down the path which the wolf lord had taken.

Deciding that he would merely take his time following the yokai, he hoped that Hana would not manage to get herself badly injured before he got there.