Encounters In Small Meetings by Angelic Memories

In the Past

Theme: Heartless

700 words minimum: 1 037 words used

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In the Past

Much to Sesshomaru’s pleasure, or rather displeasure, his mother took it upon herself to remain at the Western Palace for a few weeks longer than anticipated. He would frequently find his mate and mother in one of the rooms within the family wing chatting away. Most of the time he paid very little attention to what was being said. Other times he focused for a little while before getting bored and leaving to take care of other matters of the castle.

Today was different.

Sesshomaru never heard his mother speak about her past or his father very often, and he thought it was because he had taken a human woman for a mate when it was his mother who was arranged to be Touga’s mate. But whatever the real reason was, he never pushed for his mother to talk about him. He hated the man anyway and he always believed that learning about him would do very little to improve his impression.

“You know Kagome,” his mother began, “When Sesshomaru’s father was younger he was very much like Sesshomaru. But my son was not always heartless as he is now.”

“Tamika, you’re doing it again. Maybe you should start at the beginning and tell me the entire story.”

Both women chuckled before Tamika sipped at her tea and began to explain what she was tryng to explain.

“Touga was very isolated. His father and mother died young. A murder suicide. So Touga was forced to take the title of Lord at a young age with little training. He had no one to trust, so never depended on others. It wasn’t until I found him hunting in the forest one day that he begun to open up. Our first couple of meetings we sat by a river in silence. He never said anything, most of the time he would leave first without a word.”

“I always wondered about him, who he was, what he was doing there, why he kept coming back. After a month he spoke up and said who he was. I asked him if I could do anything for him. Instead of answering he slapped me and walked away. He told me: ‘Do not presume to think I will trust a whore.’”

“I continued to go to the river, hoping to meet him again, though I was under the impression that he was heartless. I felt that he was incapable of caring for anyone or anything. So I was determined to show him that he would trust someone. That he could love a woman, the way I had come to love him.”

“Months turn to years, and finally he came to the river again. We began where we started. Sitting in silence, until three visits later he told me he was sorry. He began to open up slowly. He told me of his father decision to murder his mother to make sure she would never leave him and how he went insane and killed himself. He told me of his fears of betrayal. He told me more about himself in one day than he had said in his entire life.”

“But the time when we met was not the nicest of times. War plagued the land and all too soon my own mother was killed. You see lords and ladies in the youkai society fight for their lands and people. Fearful that he would leave before he had the chance to choose my mate, my father declared that I would be mated to Touga.”

“I was whisked away to this palace, where I met Touga before the court. Of course we had to pretend that we had never met before. But there was something in his eyes that told me he was happy. For many years we lived together, preparing for the time we would be able to mate. I never understood why we waited so long. But I guess now I realize Touga was afraid of commitment.”

“After Sesshomaru was born Touga retreated from me. He spent more time with our son. They trained, ate, travelled, and fought together. It was in Sesshomaru’s third hundredth year that Touga found Izayoi and betrayed me. I remember the pain that overwhelmed my heart. I could not take being near Touga or anything that reminded me of the youkai I fell in love with. So I left. I had a castle created for me and have lived there ever since. I watched over Sesshomaru, hoping he would be different from his father and it pained me more to learn that he was following the same heartless path.”

“I suppose it was partly because of me. I don’t blame him from accusing me of being uncaring and pitiless. The day I left I knew I was acting as heartless as his father. I now wish I could take it all back, but that is impossible. Instead I have this beautiful daughter-in-law who seems to understand my stoic son. It is nice to see that he is opening to you and showing the affection that he seems to have lost long ago. I only wish that you do not meet the same fate as I did. Keep Sesshomaru to yourself for a long as possible before you bare him a child.”

Kagome gulped at the statement and brought a hand to her stomach. “But… I’m already pregnant.”

Tamika studied the woman and shook her head. “Does he know?” she asked.

Sesshomaru stepped into the room suddenly, getting his mother’s attention with a low growl. He pulled his mate closer to him before pushing her so he could stand between her and his mother. His eyes narrowed and tinted pink.

“I will not repeat the same mistakes as father. He was weak to let his heart wander from keeper to keeper. He remained heartless to the end of his days because he couldn’t keep it under lock and key. Kagome will have my heart for the rest of eternity. I will not let another have it.”

Figuring that he had said enough on the issue, he led his mate away, guiding her through the doorway and down the hall where he could make sure she would be prepared for bed.

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Ja ne

Angelic Memories

© 2009