Everyone was shocked when the Great Western Lord brought a human girl home as a mate. They were even more shocked when they heard that Lady Shirubi was pregnant. Most could not understand why the Lord would willingly father a half-demon.
"Jaken."
"Yes, My Lord?"
"Send Sessho-Maru to me, would you?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Wait. You haven't told him about Lady Shirubi, have you?"
"No! Of course not, My Lord."
The Great Western Lord nodded approvingly. Then just as Jaken was about to walk off, he asked, "What would his reaction be?"
"My Lord, you... want... my... opinion?" Jaken asked hesitantly.
"Of course."
"I... I think my Lord Sessho-Maru might be bitter that you seemed to have forgotten..." Jaken couldn't go on.
The other showed no response. Jaken stood there for several minutes not knowing what he was to do. Suddenly the Lord barked, "I thought I told you to fetch Sessho-Maru for me, what are you doing here?" Jaken shuffled off quickly, sighing at his unfortunate fate.
***
Months passed by without much worthy of notice. Sessho-Maru sharpened his fighting skills, often overpowering his masters. His resentment to Lady Shirubi also faded, although he never communicated with her, apart from a curt nod whenever they happened to meet. Then one night, as Jaken sat with him in his garden, Lady Shirubi paid him a visit.
"Lady Shirubi," Sessho-Maru got up to offer his seat to her, and Jaken quickly followed suit.
She smiled warmly as she sat down, though her eyes betrayed her fear of him. "Your father bade me to come and see you."
Sessho-Maru was taken aback, "Why?"
"He said we must sort out our differences. I understand why you hate me..."
He broke in before realising he was being rude, "It's not your fault you're a human."
She flushed slightly with anger, but she continued calmly, "I was referring to your mother."
He was suddenly interested, "What do you know about my mother?"
Lady Shirubi blushed from his sudden attention. She said hesitantly, "I have only heard that she was a very powerful demoness. Your father seemed to have loved her a great deal. I... really am not supposed to mention her."
Sessho-Maru was only dying to hear more. For the first time in his life, he was interested in what a human was to say. Yet their conversation was cut short when he picked up a foreign scent.
Suddenly a four-headed demon loomed over the castle wall, glaring menacingly at them. Lady Shirubi's maids all screamed and ran in horror but she remained rooted to the spot. Jaken, in his fright, remembered very little of what happened after that.
Sessho-Maru yelled for her to run and and transformed into his true form and defeated the other demon. To their horror, they then found Lady Shirubi lying on the ground, a pool of blood around her legs.
For the next few hours, Jaken watched his lord as he sat motionlessly outside his father's chamber, hearing the cries of pain from Lady Shirubi, as she gave birth to a stillborn child.
The Great Western Lord came out to pass the news to his son, his eyes displaying anger and distrust.
Sessho-Maru received the news with disbelief. "Father, I didn't... I mean..."
The Great Western Lord only looked scornfully at his first son and heir. He said coldly, "Get out of here." Without another word, he walked away to console his sobbing wife.
Over the many months that followed, Jaken accompanied his banished Lord around various domains, establishing in the heart of various demons, that Sessho-Maru was not an opponent to be taken lightly. Jaken knew that Sessho-Maru tried his hardest to push the memory of that night from his mind. Yet he resumed his original bitterness towards Lady Shirubi, whom he blamed for his exile. Then quite suddenly a messenger came to summon him back, as well as bringing a news which unsettled Sessho-Maru greatly - Lady Shirubi was expecting another child.
Their return only lasted a very short time, during the course of which they did not see Lady Shirubi at all. Sessho-Maru did not reveal to Jaken what his father had told him, but from his expression, Jaken knew he was not pleased. That was also the last time Sessho-Maru was to see his father alive.
***
When they next returned, they found Lady Shirubi had given birth to a son, whom his father named Inu-Yasha. Jaken felt his Lord's displeasure in his half-brother right away. That intensified into a strong hatred due to the disappointment he felt when he found that his father had left the Tetsusaiga to the younger son. Yet in front of Sessho-Maru, Jaken never dared to bring up any of these incidences up, and the memories, seemingly forgotten, remained buried deep in the minds of each.
The End