Sakura

Inukimi stood silently at the shoji, looking out into the night after the streak of light that was her husband. He seemed like a falling star in the sky, and just as unreachable. Where did he go on these midnight excursions? What was it that kept him away for days at a time and occupied his mind to distraction upon his return? As she stood and watched his fading form she felt a creeping loneliness surround her. Her heart felt heavy in her chest, but she refused to bend under its weight. Life had made her a hard woman, and strong, but she was still a woman, and there were still parts of her that were soft. These parts were what ached now, dull and persistently.

She suspected the reason for his going, and though she would be within her rights, she could not be angry with him or whomever he went to meet. The blame, she knew, did not lie only on his shoulders, but also on her own. When had the passion between them cooled? It had been ages since he had sought her bed, and truth be told she hadn't sought him out either. Soft caresses and intimate moments had been steadily replaced by the crushing monotony of routine. Indifference and a kind of respectful neglect grew in the darkness left by the fire of love and devotion.

She remembered his molten eyes and how they used to gaze on her, filled with love and want. She remembered soft lips and the brush of fangs on her skin. She remembered the feel of his hair between her fingers, his muscles under her hands, his arms around her. Inukimi closed her eyes against the overwhelming longing and regret that washed over her. Turning away, she shut the shoji against the night and retreated down the halls, heading for the sanctuary of her corner of the palace.

"Mother." The voice of her son, the culmination of her duty and her passion, paused her progress. Sesshoumaru gazed at his mother in the dim hallway. She was regal in her flowing kimono, her hair pinned back with twin combs, her eyes reflecting gold, but there was a sadness about her tonight that seemed out of place. The question in his eyes had no need to be spoken. Her face softened, but her troubles remained her own.

"Good night, Sesshoumaru," she bid, firm but not unkind. She ignored his reproachful look as she continued on her way, wishing only to retreat into her room and herself to nurse the wounds in her heart. Sesshoumaru watched her go and the anger in him towards his father only grew. How could he throw his mate, Sesshoumaru's mother, away for a weak human woman? He could not reconcile how his most honorable father could do something so dishonorable. Discomfited, Sesshoumaru stalked away on his own errands.

In the night a star streaked across the sky and extinguished. The soft scent of sakura carried on the breeze.

A/N: I don't think a lot of people explore the feelings of the other characters involved in Inutaisho and Izayoi's love story, but I think it makes for a more compelling and rich tale. I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into the mind of Inukimi, who I think would not be angry at her mate's indiscretion as many assume, but more desolate at the betrayal.

Pensively yours,

Fox