Dreams of Red

A week before his due date, Sesshoumaru disappeared. Of course, Suzumi had expected as much, but it didn’t keep her from worrying when it happened. She sent out the guards to look for him and even searched herself, but to no avail. Wherever he had chosen to go for the birthing, it was well-hidden and secluded. So Lady Suzumi of the West was able to only pace in her room and worry as her son gave birth to his daughter, alone.

Sesshoumaru had found the perfect spot. It was a cave with an underground pool in the back. For the week before he would give birth to his pup, he pushed aside the pain and weariness and prepared the place as best he could – using moss and grass to provide a soft bedding, stocking up food, getting extra cloth to wash the baby. Everything he could think off. And now he sat alone, pain stabbing through his midsection. He had wanted to be alone for this. He carried this child and he could birth it on his own. He wanted to be the first to see her, to hold her, to speak to her. He didn’t want his mother or the healer or Aiko or anyone sitting there touching him, speaking to him, even watching him, while he did this.

Exhaling deeply, he recovered from the previous contraction. He had already removed his clothes and settled himself for a long, hard night. His recently-swollen breasts felt chilly. They weren’t as large as a woman’s – for that he was glad – but they were larger, softer, more sensitive, than he was used to. The discomfort was forgotten as another contraction took him. She’s coming…

“Hisoka…please be patient with me,” he whispered. “I’m kind of new at this. All I’ve done is read books, so…this is a first for me in real life.” He threw his head back as pain washed over him, again. “Ready?” He felt her drop lower. “Yeah, me too…” He moaned softly and pushed, trying to be gentle as to not hurt the baby’s head. Breathe. Push. Breathe. Push. Breathe. Push. He moaned and the baby slid into his waiting hands. Chuckling his relief he cut the umbilical cord, dragged his unwilling body to his feet, and went to wash himself and the baby, who was wailing relentlessly. “Shhh my love…I know…shhhh…” He held her and rocked her and once he was done cleaning her he guided her to his nipple. Only once she was suckling did he take time to take in what she looked like.

Thick, silver hair. Her eyes were still shut, puppies didn’t open their eyes for a few days. And pressed back against her head were two, white puppy ears. She was so small and delicate, he felt like he would crush her if he wasn’t extremely careful. Weakly, he slumped to the ground.

“We did it, Hisoka. You and me…we did this,” he whispered. Relief washing over him, he let his head lean back against the stone wall. “I’m glad I can finally see you, musume.” (A/N: I think that’s daughter in Japanese.) He bent his head to kiss her head before at last relenting to his body’s demands and falling asleep himself.

The next day, he was back on his feet. After all, being a demon, he didn’t take too much time to recover. After feeding Hisoka again, he headed home. The second he came through the gates, his mother was there.

“Where were you?!” she demanded. “Do you realize how worried I was?!” Sesshoumaru shot her a glare and she lowered her voice. “I don’t think I’ve been more nervous in my whole life…may I see her?” Sesshoumaru held his daughter a little closer. “I’ll just look. Oh…she has those ears.”

“She’s perfect,” the new “mother” replied defensively. Suzumi didn’t dare argue, at this point, so she just nodded.

“Why don’t you go on up to your room and get some rest?” The prince nodded and went up to his room, his mother in tow. “How will you explain her? Will you say you have adopted her?” This gave Sesshoumaru pause. Then, pulling a perfectly impassive mask, he nodded.

“Yes. I will say I found her.”

“So you will see no one until she’s done nursing?”

“Indeed.” Suzumi bowed her head in consent and left, shutting the door behind her. When did I stop being able to see through his mask? She wondered sadly.

Sesshoumaru crawled into bed, holding Hisoka close. He felt like if he let her go for even a moment, she, too, would leave him. He wasn’t about to suffer that. He wasn’t going to lose her like he had InuYasha. The prince kissed the infant’s head.

“I love you, Hisoka. So please…never leave me.” The girl cooed softly and grabbed onto a strand of his hair, her eyes still tightly shut. “Learn the scent of me and never stray too far from it. Let me protect you.” Then, succumbing to the weariness again, he curled his body protectively around that of his daughter and slipped back into slumber. When he awoke, new cloth had been brought to wrap the child and tea had been left covered on his nightstand. Also there was a little, silver bracelet he’d seen Aiko wearing, before. There was also a note, painstakingly written in wobbly handwriting saying how beautiful Hisoka was and wishing them both the best, signed Aiko.