Brave Hearts (Sesshomaru Fanfiction)

Epilogue

 

Sesshomaru looked up at the white-haired demoness standing before him with much indifference.  

What could have possibly caused her to come all this way to see him?  

This was what Sesshomaru thought as he sat under the shade of a tree, all by himself, while, nearby, a river rushed loudly. He looked up at the woman dressed in the elegant kimono, her hands tucked deep into its sleeves, and as he answered his own question, the daiyokai smiled to himself.  

She, however, was the one to break the silence:  

"Sesshomaru," she said, "I believe it's about time I met my grandchild."  

He looked at her for a moment, trying to keep his calm demeanor. He had known that sooner or later she would have come to pester him about that.  

Just as he was about to give a reply, Jaken's voice had caught their attention.  

"Lady mother! What brings you here!?" Jaken sounded quite cheerful as he ran up the hill, towards Sesshomaru and his mother and away from the river bank. The female dog demon began to walk towards the little imp. Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk as he watched her walk right past the toad demon, causing him to fall over from the pure shock of being ignored. Instead of stopping, Sesshomaru's mother continued past Jaken and down the hill – off to see her grandchild. It wasn't long before Sesshomaru had decided to rise from where he had been sitting and proceed to follow.  

After that faithful night when he had allowed his emotions get the best of him – that night when he'd been overwhelmed by the feeling known as sadness -, something in the daiyokai had changed.  He had become a bit more caring, he supposed, and a bit less coldhearted. He had also become much more affectionate towards Hana.

  And just as Hana crossed his mind, they had come to the river bank, and Sesshomaru fixed his eyes on the sight of the fair skinned wolf demon sitting in the grass – a child in her arms.

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After so much sadness and sorrow, she had finally found her silver lining. The great being that had control over all of them had finally decided on blessing her rather than cursing her. Hana looked down at the pup which she held with much care in her arms, a joyful feeling in her heart. Rin knelt next to her, happily trying to talk to the baby.  

After the loss of her first child, about two winters had passed, and it seemed that, over that course of time, she and Sesshomaru had grown even closer than before. Their love had become much greater. And somewhere in that period of time, she had discovered that she was, once again, with child.
For most of her pregnancy, she had been beset by worry and fear – fear that she would, once again, mess things up. Luckily, he had been there most of the time to comfort and support her.   This time, she'd been all alone when the contractions had started.  

Sesshomaru had gone off somewhere, taking Rin and Jaken with him. She had decided on waiting for them to return as she had been feeling somewhat sick that day. Sesshomaru had refused to leave her alone, but after a good amount of persuasion he had, surprisingly, given in.   She had known that familiar and almost frightening feeling more than anything else. And, unlike before, she knew immediately what to do.  

Time had passed and she had soon delivered a smiling – and seemingly strong – pup. And though this time she had given birth to a female child, the baby reminded her oh so much of not only her first born but of Sesshomaru also. Her eyes were as golden as her father's, if not more, and she possessed the same markings on her tiny cheeks as he did. With tears of joy welling up in her eyes, Hana had held her child snugly in her arms. And at that moment, Sesshomaru had miraculously landed where she had been with Rin and Jaken in his arms and a somewhat happy look on his face.

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"Sayuri,"  

Sesshomaru uttered their daughter's name just as Hana got up to greet his mother and carefully handed her the smiling child. If he hadn't done so, he was almost certain that he would have received a "do you not care to at least tell me your child's name," from the woman.  

Both he and Hana had decided on giving their child the name which meant 'lily' – a flower, like her mother. On the day he had first laid eyes on his daughter he had been surprised that Hana had not delivered a male child, but at the same time he had felt...happy. He had been glad that both Hana and the pup were healthy, and he was thankful that he now had an heir – or heiress, rather. Even from standing yards away, he could have easily sensed the strong demonic aura coming from the child.  

Sesshomaru closed his eyes where he was standing, feeling the touch of the light summer wind on his face and in his hair. Suddenly he felt something grab onto him. He looked down to find a smiling Rin, hugging him. She had gotten much taller over time, and her hair had also grown longer.  

Sesshomaru placed a hand on the young girl's head.  

It was a soft chuckle – originating from his mother – that had caused the daiyokai to look back up. Sesshomaru looked at her, and as she held Sayuri delicately in her arms, she spoke:  

"Congratulations, Sesshomaru," she smiled, "it seems that, luckily, your daughter has inherited her mother's personality instead of yours. She seems to enjoy smiling."  

He looked away from her with a low 'hmph', and both Rin and Hana giggled softly.  

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"Aye, she is a cheerful one indeed."

"She's nothing like Lord Sesshomaru!"

"Aw, Rin, don't say that. Little Sayuri is just as courageous and just as strong hearted as her father."

Sesshomaru sat silently, looking at the scene before him while at the same time pretending as if he weren't paying attention.

Hana had been pestering him about coming to show his brother their newborn child, and for some reason he hadn't objected on coming to the village. Now, he'd somehow ended up sitting in a house with Rin, Jaken, Hana, the old miko and Inuyasha's wench. Inuyasha, however, was absent, but Sesshomaru wasn't complaining – Inuyasha's absence actually somewhat pleased him. (Although, he knew that Inuyasha would show up sooner or later. He always did.)

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Every time she looked at him, Hana couldn't help but smile faintly. The thought of how much Sesshomaru had changed over so many years never failed in making her happy. And every time her child stirred in her arms, Hana felt her heart flutter a bit.

She had been through a lot, this was certain. And there was no denying that she had also caused Sesshomaru to go through a lot also. But, in the end, she found that it was all worth it, for now she had surely blossomed from a mere spoiled wolf princess to something even better.

She had friends and a family, and she had someone whom she loved and whom she knew loved her dearly, and for this she was glad.

 She looked over at Sesshomaru who was obviously trying to appear indifferent, and laughed a bit. When he looked over at her, he suddenly appeared startled.

"Why are you crying?" Sesshomaru questioned with a hint of worry in his eyes.

She'd been so lost in her thoughts, that Hana hadn't even noticed the tears (happy tears) that had started to trickle down her cheeks. Hana shook her head, still smiling.

"It's nothing." She said as she looked right into Sesshomaru's golden-brown eyes. "It's just that I love you...and so does your daughter."

Sesshomaru seemed to be surprised at how Hana could openly utter such words in front of everyone. Amused, Hana giggled.

Sesshomaru quickly regained his composure and looked away – out the window of Kaede's house and up at the starry night sky. And just as he had done this, Hana thought she'd heard him mutter the words

"I love you too."

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Thank you all for your endless support! I truly appreciate it. If you enjoyed reading, feel free to check out my other, still ongoing, Sesshomaru fan-fiction entitled "Four Seasons." :)