Intervention; Thy Name Is Bakusen'O! || lunamist » vonlane

Chapter 22

Sitting in his study, Sesshomaru thought back to the events of the night before as well as those of this very morning. In the space of a few hours Inuyasha's moods and feelings had swung in a pendulum of unpredictable emotion. And, given the Hanyou's quiet demeanor upon waking, he was fairly certain Inuyasha was struggling with this fact just as much as he. Although it was frustrating, the DaiYoukai was fairly certain this was a sign of healing. It was foolish to expect so much trauma to be washed away with one lone emotional breakdown. Chances were good that this was simply the beginning. That Inuyasha had opened the floodgates to a cadre of pain and abandonment. Still, as difficult as it was seeing his future mate in such distress, he knew it was a sign of progress, a sign that the Hanyou trusted him enough to allow such vulnerability to show.

With his golden eyes fixed upon nothing in particular, Sesshomaru's voice was impassively cold when he heard Jaken knock upon his door. "What is it you require, Jaken?"

"My Lord, Shippo has arrived as you ordered."

"Show him in."

With a low bow, Jaken scrambled from the room only to quickly return with a worried looking fox Youkai. Green eyes scanning the room, Shippo didn't see any evidence of Inuyasha, nor could he scent his Hanyou smell to any greater degree than what wafted off the Lord of the West. When he'd been summoned, he'd naturally assumed it would have something to do with his adoptive father. Or maybe he'd just hoped that would be the case. "You asked to see me?"

"Close the door, Shippo."

Swallowing a particularly dry lump of saliva, Shippo did as told, but barely moved further into the room as he asked, "Is Inuyasha okay?"

"The Hanyou is not your concern, but if it will calm your nerves, my future mate is well."

Bristling, Shippo couldn't help but respond, "Begging your pardon, Lord Sesshomaru, but you can not ask me to not care about him. Inuyasha protected and helped raise me when I was a defenseless kit. He is like a father to me and I can not simply turn off such feelings simply because you order it."

Golden eyes narrowed, Sesshomaru didn't like the tone in the fox's voice, but he did understand the sentiment. Still, he kept quiet long enough to have the pleasure of seeing Shippo's nerves set in. "Your point is noted but it would be wise to remember to whom you are speaking in the future. Inuyasha is fond of you and I would not upset him, but I am the Lord of these lands."

"I – "

"Perhaps it is unrealistic of me to wish to keep Inuyasha to myself, but you must remember to tread lightly, Fox."

Lowering his head, Shippo nodded. "I will remember, but please understand that I only want to keep him safe."

"Then we are of agreement. Now, let us see if we can come to an agreement on a different topic."

Tails twitching, Shippo felt relief at having the conversation redirected, unfortunately, that relief would be short lived. Moving further into the room, he sat in the chair directly across from the DaiYoukai's desk, cautiously shifting his tails so they draped over the armrests of his seat.

"As I wish to return to Inuyasha as soon as possible, I shall make this brief and get directly to the point. There is a traitor amongst your clan."

Shippo's mouth gaped before closing in a thin line. "That isn't possible."

Sesshomaru had expected denial. "Unfortunately, it is."

"You have proof."

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshomaru remained silent. It was a question that required no answer on his part as it had been a foolish one. The Lord of all Asia did not make such claims lightly and Shippo well knew it. Soon enough, the silence spoke for itself.