Without You | Sesshomaru

Chapter 22

Sesshomaru placed Lyra down to her feet once they arrived at the shrine in the future. It was evening and she wanted to see her aunt, cousin and grandpa first. They were still mourning over her and she wanted to put them at ease. She forced Sesshomaru to go inside with her despite his not wanting to. It would be so much easier to explain everything to them if he was there.

When she entered, she walked further into the house to find everyone in the kitchen. Grandpa was looking out the window, Sota was sitting beside his mother, and Mama was crouched over the kitchen table with her head in her arms. The news was on the TV that was on in the background but the volume was low. Sota's attention was caught and his eyes widened.

"Lyra!" He jumped up to his feet and ran over to her before hugging her around her waist. "You're alive!"

Lyra almost teared up at seeing the elation on his face. Mama and Grandpa looked over, both having the same reaction as Sota. Mama walked over to her and enveloped her into a tight hug.

"This is truly a miracle," she said through tears of joy. "I hope I'm not dreaming."
Lyra hugged her back. "It's not a dream. I promise you that."

They parted as Grandpa joined them and Lyra gave him a tight hug, surprising him. Sesshomaru watched Lyra with her family and the bond they shared. It pleased him to see she was happy. His eyes darted down as he noticed the little boy staring at him in awe.

"How is this possible?" Grandpa asked.
"Whoa! Cool swords!"

They turned to see Sota was about touch one of the swords but quickly recoiled at Sesshomaru's glare. Lyra laughed nervously and gently pulled Sota away.

"This is Sesshomaru," she introduced him. "He saved me."
Mama gave a small bow. "Thank you for saving my niece."
Sota stepped forward again. "You kinda remind me of Inuyasha!"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at him and again, Lyra pushed Sota back.

"They're half brothers," she explained. "But opposite personalities," she said more directly to Sota.

Hopefully he would understand that Sesshomaru wasn't as carefree and merciful as Inuyasha.

Mama made some tea as they all sat around the table on their knees. Sesshomaru sat beside Lyra, Mama and Sota opposite them whilst Grandpa sat at the head of the table. Lyra and her aunt spoke to each other and Grandpa sat in silence. Sota kept on staring at Sesshomaru and it was annoying him a little. If Jaken had done that, Sesshomaru would have already whacked him by now. However, since the boy was Lyra's family, he tried his best to ignore it. Lyra wanted to know what her aunt knew about her birth.

"Did dad ever tell you about my mother?" Lyra asked.
Mama breathed out softly. "Not much I'm afraid. I only knew her name was Hara. I didn't even know about you until you were a year old."
"Really?"
"There was a time where your father disappeared for a few years. He came to visit me and Kagome's father. Then one night, he was just gone. We thought he went missing. There was an entire police investigation to find him but he was officially declared as missing," Mama told her. Lyra was in complete shock, not knowing anything about that. Her aunt continued. "About three years later, he just walked into the house with you in his arms. I still remember the state he was in. Like he had just lost everything. Kagome's father and I took care of you whilst your father worked through his bad phase. He told us your mother died during childbirth but nothing more. We all decided not to discuss it any further. We had to take care of you. Renji eventually moved away into the city with you and brought you up there."

Renji had kept everything a secret. Everything she knew about herself and family had all been false. All to keep her protected. She regretted feeling resentment towards her father. Now that she knew the truth, she hoped that he wouldn't hide anything else from her. And she hoped he would forgive her.