Kazoku no Kinezuke

(Obligations of Family)

By Lady MoonHawke

Part 1

          Sesshoumaru looked up from the papers he was reading as the fusama slid open, admitting Kagome into the sanctuary of the library.  His golden eyes tracked her as she moved toward the hearth, watching as she habitually fiddled with a water kettle, setting it to heat for tea.

          "You are quiet this evening, Mate," he observed after a moment.

          "Am I?" she asked, turning slightly toward him.  "I'm sorry.  What do you want to talk about?"

          He set the papers aside.  "Whatever is troubling you, of course."

          "I'm not sure what you mean."

          "Do not be coy with me, Kagome.  What is bothering you?"

          She shook her head.  "I'm not trying to be coy.  I don't know what's bothering me."  She turned back to stare into the fire for a moment.  "Tomorrow is my birthday, you know."

          "Yes."  She liked to follow the human tradition of observing various birth anniversaries, particularly making a large fuss for each of the children, and he'd learned that it was appropriate to offer some token of affection on those days.  His gift to her this year, a carefully crafted over-kimono, was already tucked away, just waiting for the right moment to be revealed.

          "I'll be 30," she continued.  "I went down the well on my fifteenth birthday, so tomorrow, I will have spent half my life in the Sengoku Jidai, the odd days here and there aside."

          "Do you regret you decision to stay?" he said, voice carefully neutral.

          "No, of course not," she replied quickly.  "It's just…  I was raised half my life to focus on what I was going to do when I grew up.  And now…"  She trailed off, uncertain how to continue.

          "Now that you have grown up, as you put it, you are unsure about what you are doing?"  Sesshoumaru supplied.

          "Not unsure," she clarified.  "I know I'm meant to be here with you.  But what would I be doing if I hadn't?"

          Sesshoumaru shook his head, silver waterfall of hair shimmering in the firelight.  "I have no frame of reference for your life in the future.  You have never expressed any interest in trying to return."

          Kagome busied herself with making tea for several minutes.  "I've thought about it on occasion," she said finally, carrying the tea things on a lacquered tray to the low table where he sat.  She knelt and arranged things just so.  "But the well refused me when I was first pregnant, and I haven't had the heart to try since.  I didn't want to risk being trapped on the other side."

          "Assuming that were to happen, you would find me waiting there."

          She smiled and set about pouring tea for them.  "What were you reading?"

          He offered her the sheaf of carefully inked pages.  "Sango-san has written again."

          Kagome smiled happily.  "Oh, good.  What does she say?"

          "She and the monk are well, and their children," he started.

          "Uh-huh," she mumbled, scanning through the pages.  "Did she say how Kikyou was doing?"  The former miko had lost several children early in her pregnancies, much to everyone's distress.  However, the most recent seemed to be going well, apparently due in part to Inu-Yasha's insistence that she remain home resting at all times.  "Maybe we should have invited her to stay here…"

          "I would have killed Inu-Yasha within a month, perhaps a week."  He blinked, sipping his cooling tea.  "Too many children have grown up without their parents in this family."  He waited for Kagome to set her own tea down, then continued.  "Kikyou delivered prematurely.  Neither she nor the child survived."

          The sheets fell from Kagome's numb fingers.  "Kikyou…"  she breathed.  Her rival, adversary, enemy, the woman who could have ruined her life.  And her sister-miko as well, who had given her the clue to Naraku's final destruction.  "I hope she finds peace.  How is your brother taking it?"

          The corner of Sesshoumaru's lip twitched, just a bit.  "Badly, of course."

          Kagome made a soft noise, gathering up the papers she'd dropped.  A folded and sealed packet dropped out of the pile, and she picked it up, frowning at the unfamiliar design pressed into the wax.  Turning it over, she just made out the scrawl of Sesshoumaru's name on the front.  She handed it over silently, and he twitched an eyebrow at the calligraphy.  Flipping it, he snorted at the sight of the seal.  "Of course.  Inu-Yasha."

          "That's Inu-Yasha's seal?"  Kagome asked.  She couldn't remember ever seeing any design in the sealing wax of Inu-Yasha's infrequent letters.  "I thought it would be similar to yours."

          "He prefers the crest of his mother's family, when he deigns to use one.  I believe his mother left behind the seal my father commissioned for him.  As she left everything else that was intended for him."

          "Except for the sword."

          Sesshoumaru leveled a gaze at her across the table.  "Because she had no choice.  I was made guardian of my father's lands, and Inu-Yasha his body."

          Kagome saw the tension starting to form in his frame, and felt the roiling in his spirit.  She reached out and grabbed his hand, reinforcing their peculiar connection.  "Hey, it's over now, remember?  You don't need the Tetsusaiga to protect me or yourself."

          "Perhaps I would have liked to have had the… trust, Inu-Yasha was given."

          "Maybe," she allowed, "but that would have left the Western Lands in Inu-Yasha's hands.  Just how well do you suppose that would have worked?"

          "He would have made a very poor Lord of the Western Lands."  Breaking the seal, he unfolded the wrapper and cast it aside, opening the letter inside.  It was a single sheet, thin, and Kagome could see the scrawl of kanji that sprawled down the page.

          "Not very tidy, is it?" she asked, going back to ordering the many sheets from Sango and starting in to read them thoroughly from the beginning.

          "No," Sesshoumaru replied shortly.  He picked up a brush and set out a blank scrap of paper, transcribing the note into something more legible.

          Kagome turned her attention back to the letter from Sango.

          …and I fear the strain is too much for Inu-Yasha.  Since her funeral, he has removed himself to Midoriko's Cave, where we laid Kikyou-sama's ashes to rest.  I am not sure if he is guarding her against another attack like that of the witch Urasue, or if he simply cannot bear to be parted from her.  In all truth, I could understand if this were the case.  The woman who served as our village healer was so different in every way from the construction we fought so often.  I see now why he could never be turned from her memory.  I hope this revelation does not pain you now, Kagome-chan.  I know time and love have healed your wounds, as they will eventually heal Inu-Yasha's.  I fear his wounds are very deep this time though, my friend.  To lose the love of one’s life twice-over.  The pain must be so great...

          There was an obvious break in the letter, as though it had been put aside then taken up again, both in haste.

          ...He has finally left the cave, Kagome, and has spoken of leaving here, of leaving her to rest in peace.  I cannot help but think, Kagome-chan, that he will seek you out.  I know that it is much to ask, but if you can help him, I wish you would.  He is so beaten now, like nothing I have ever seen-

          "Kuso!"

          Kagome looked up from Sango’s letter to see Sesshoumaru glaring at the one he held, as though with his very gaze he could destroy it.  "Is everything all right?"

          "No."  Sesshoumaru crumpled the letter into a tiny ball.  "My brother is out of his mind with grief, it seems.  He intends to return home."

          "To his forest?" she asked.  It seemed to her the worst place for him to go.  Inu-Yasha’s Forest was literally teeming with memories of Kikyou.

          "No," he repeated, chucking the paper past her into the fire across the room.  "He is coming here."  He stood abruptly and walked out, leaving Kagome staring into her cold tea.

          She finally caught up with him again in their private chambers.  He stood on the balcony, staring out over the garden where it lay quietly blanketed in dew and moonlight.

          "Would it be that bad a thing, having him here?" she asked, joining him.

          He flicked a glance at her.  "Would you wish to live with Kikyou?"

          "It would certainly take some getting used to.  What ever happened to make you such enemies?" Kagome asked.

          "You know about the Hyounekozoku already," Sesshoumaru replied dismissively.

          "Yeah, but I get the feeling there was some tension before then.  Why?"

          He snorted irritably.  "Do you never cease asking questions, woman?  What difference can it make now?"

          The trick, she had learned long ago, was not to cower when Sesshoumaru pretended to be angry.  "I'd just really like to know," she said quietly, neither challenging nor retreating.

          He glared at her for a long moment, but she merely returned his stare, refusing to be cowed.  "I told you that when Lady Machiko left, she took nothing from this place.  Not the limitless collection of kimono my father had made for her, not a single toy he bought solely for her amusement.  She left everything behind, with the exception of the black pearl and Inu-Yasha.  I had been away from home when Father battled Ryuukotsusei.  By the time I received word and made my way back, she was gone like a thief in the night, as though she had never been, as though my father had been nothing to her.   She raised Inu-Yasha to be weak, to hate demons, to ignore everything he should have been."

          "But why hate Inu-Yasha for these things?"

          There was another long moment of silence.  "Because she was the closest thing to a real mother I knew, and I could not hate her for it.  When she left this place, she left me as well."  He turned and walked back inside, leaving the room before Kagome could follow.

          She woke when the fusama slid open, lifting her head from where she’d rested it on her folded arms, kneeling at the low table, a cup of tea cold before her.

          Sesshoumaru glanced at her as he strode in, sliding the sheathed Tenseiga from its place at his waist.  "Why have you not retired?" he asked, setting the katana reverently in its place in the shrine.

          "Waiting for you," she said quietly, rising slowly as she felt her lower legs start to tingle, waking up.  Kagome watched him for a moment as he pulled off his armor and shrugged free of the fur wrapped around his shoulder.  She started to free herself of the cumbersome layers of kimono she was wearing when a warm hand wrapped around her wrist.

          "Wait," he instructed.

          Silently, she nodded, pulling the collar of her uchikake back up.  Her fingers tightened against the rich fabric, and she consciously relaxed her hands to avoid ripping the silk.  She remained silent as Sesshoumaru stripped off his own kimono and hakama, leaving only a plain white silk robe.

          From his tansu, he removed a wrapped package, then crossed the room to stand in front of her.  "I know you do not ask questions I do not wish to answer simply for the sake of irritation, and it is never my intention to loose my temper on you."  He held out the package, and startled, she took it.  "Your birthday is tomorrow, as you said.  I had this made in honor of the occasion."

          It was soft and heavy in her hands, wrapped in red cloth with a bright gold cord holding it closed.  "Should I open it now?" she asked.

          His head tilted slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched up in the tiniest of smiles.  "It is yours.  Do as you wish with it."

          She flashed him one of her brilliant grins, really, it was impossible to remain angry or hurt when he did things like this, and pulled on the free end of the cord holding the wrapper in place.  The knot came free, and the fabric spilled open to reveal a mass of more fabric.  She held it out between them, letting folds fall out, and gasped.

          It was another uchikake, of which she had several.  But this one, a vibrant shade of blue that captured the sky just after sunset, was richly embroidered in row after row of repeating kanji.  She studied it more closely and saw their names over and over, Sesshoumaru’s, the children’s, and characters he must have personally selected for her name as well as Rin’s.  He’d apparently chosen the characters for ‘divine protection’ for her, as well as ‘see’ or ‘look,’ and the simple but telling ‘companion’ for Rin.  And he had remembered her preference for Taishomaru’s name as well, she realized, running her fingers lightly over the characters for ‘Perfect Victory.’  "Oh, Sesshoumaru, it’s beautiful.  Thank you so much.  I will be honored to wear it."

          He slipped around behind her and carefully divested her of the sea-green robe she wore, then held the blue one as she slid her arms carefully into the sleeves.  They fell just to the ends of her hands, leaving her fingers free to peek out, and the padded hem puddled on the floor, pulling out into a short train as she took a few steps forward.

          She turned back to face him, and the cloth wrapped around her, the silver embroidery sparkling in the low light.  "What do you think?" she asked, looking up at him through lowered eyelashes.

          Sesshoumaru circled her, studying her intently from all angles.  "Exceptional," he decided at last, coming to rest behind her and leaning down to puff into her ear.  "And the kimono is acceptable as well." 

          Kagome felt his hands on her shoulders, and then the heavy weight of the robe was lifted away.  "I'm glad we meet with your approval," she murmured.

          "You always meet with my approval."  He pulled out the knot in her obi next, continuing their nightly ritual.

          "Even when I ask endless questions?" she asked softly.

          He snorted, but gently.  "Almost always," he amended.  "I suppose perfect obedience would be too much to ask."

          "You suppose right.  I got the impression you didn't know your own mother well.  Will you tell me something about her?"

          He sighed deeply.  "She was the Lady Tettsume, from the Kita clan on Hokkaido, a second cousin to my father on his mother's side.  It was a political arrangement."  He pulled the last of her layers of silk away and ran his hands over her skin, reveling in the scent of her warming flesh.  "From the few times I was summoned by her to be 'inspected,' I gathered that she and Father had very differing personal agendas.  My father was endlessly fascinated with humans; their idiosyncrasies and foibles.  Between the demands of holding the West and his personal interests, he had very little time to raise a son.  And my mother," he spat the word out with bitterness, "felt she had performed her duty to the Nishi clan and returned home.  I remained at my father’s den in the care of various servants."

          "Not here?" Kagome asked after a sluggish pause.  Sesshoumaru’s roving hands were making concentration very difficult.

          "No.  This place came later, after my father had secured his domain."

          "And how did Lady Machiko come into the picture?"

          He steered her toward the futon.  "She was the last in a succession of unofficial consorts my father kept, the daughter of a local daimyo given to him as a ‘gift’.  Ma-chan was the only female who showed me any kind of consideration, any kindness or gentleness of spirit.  The others were only seething harpies, looking for any opportunity to bind themselves to my father through any means possible.  She also proved to be the only one capable of surviving a hanyou pregnancy."  He tucked Kagome under the covers then joined her, abandoning his kimono as he did so.  "I mentioned once that it can be very difficult," he continued, pulling Kagome back against his chest and tucking her head under his chin.  "She had power in her own right, though not with the strength of a true miko.  It helped sustain her before the birth.  The other women were not so fortunate."

          Kagome tried to wrap her mind around what it must have been like for him, a growing boy seeing one woman after another come into the household and die.  It could easily be traumatic enough to make someone close themselves off to feeling anything, particularly if you added being treated like a third wheel at best.

          "So Machiko was different?" she prompted, wanting to hear more of the tale.

          "She spoke to me, she cared to hear my opinion.  I was older than her, of course.  I’d gone to spend a few years at the Kita Court, and when I came back, Father had built this place, had stabilized his domain.  She welcomed me home, though I had never been here.  She told me she was glad I had returned, that my father could use good counsel, that she had heard from him many good things about me.  I felt... useful, wanted."  He pulled her closer into the curve of his body.  "It is an intoxicating thing, to be wanted, needed.  I remained, simply to indulge myself in that feeling.

          "She was young when I first saw her, no older than when I first encountered you with Inu-Yasha, I believe.  It was perhaps five or six years before Inu-Yasha was born, and during that time, she gave every appearance of being content here.  She appeared to pay no attention to the whispers in the council against her, a human wench raised to the position of mate of the Tai-Inuyoukai.  She laughed, she sang, she played with her son in the garden.  It was all too perfect.  Then Ryuukotsusei became involved, spewing a torrent of poisonous words, that she was unfaithful, that Inu-Yasha was not of my father’s blood.  He had to answer the lies, and sealed the dragon-youkai.  But his wounds were grievous, and he died, leaving instructions designed to protect Inu-Yasha from himself.  I was on Hokkaido with the Kita when word finally reached us, and set out for home at once.  But the dragon had forged an alliance with a member of the council, and he went to work on Lady Machiko.  My mother’s hatred of humans was legendary, my own disdain well-known as well.   Machiko, in her grief, was swayed by the serpent’s tongue and became convinced I would kill the pup to assure my succession. She fled with Inu-Yasha and the clothes on her back."

          Kagome rolled and squirmed in his grip until she was facing him, her eyes level with his.  "I think that’s the most you’ve ever told me about your life," she said quietly.

          "I trust I do not have to repeat myself, then?  It is not a subject I care to revisit often, if ever."

          "No, I understand.  Can I ask one more thing?"  He cocked an eyebrow, and she plowed on.  "Is your mother still living?"

          "Hai.  On Hokkaido.  She is banished from the West, not that she would ever deign to visit.  It came out much later, after my father’s death, that she had conspired to keep me away, to keep me from being at his side during the battle.  Because of her station in the Kita clan, I cannot demand her life.  But I can keep her out of mine forever."  He tucked Kagome’s head back under his chin, pulling her slight form into his.  "Sleep now, Mate.  Storytelling will not hold off the dawn forever."

          Days passed, then weeks, and the matters of daily life pushed Inu-Yasha and his plans to the back of Kagome’s mind.  Her life went on as usual, overseeing the fleet of servants who ran the house, seeing that the needs of the infrequent guests were met, and teaching her children the things she felt they needed to know.  She struggled sometimes, wondering if she should warn them of the chaos to come, to arm them against the rising tide of warring human politics.  The youkai lords she’d spoken to about it had seemed supremely disinterested, however.  They were boulders in the stream of human events, and as long as their demands for tribute were met, they cared little about the identities of the daimyos under them.  It was a shadow-world she was part of now, a whole hierarchy missing from her history books.  But the truth was that any area under the auspices of a Taiyoukai lord could expect protection, and, if not peace, at least retribution should they be attacked.

          "Kagome-sama?"

          She pulled herself from her musings.  "Hai, Jiro-san?"

          The retainer bowed.  "My Lady, there is an inuyoukai at the gate demanding entrance."

          "Sesshoumaru-sama and Rin-chan have already left, haven’t they?" she said, rising from the low table.

          "Hai, My Lady.  The Lord left strict orders that no one was to be admitted until his return without your express orders."

          "Well, I should see who’s knocking on the door, then.  Maiko, watch the children."  The servant-girl nodded, and Kagome followed the guard around the side of the buildings and through the interior gate to the courtyard.

          Kagome had long ago given up trying to identify the youkai in the castle complex by their energy.  The sheer number of demons present made it almost impossible to distinguish individual signatures, and her miko senses would be constantly screaming at her if she didn’t deliberately dampen them.  Various taiyoukai made visits to Sesshoumaru as well, and she had ceased trying to guess who was demon and who was human.  Frankly, very few humans deliberately crossed their threshold.

          "Thank you for coming, Lady," another guard, Taki, said, respectfully taking her arm to help her up the step to the top of the wall.  "Sesshoumaru-sama’s orders regarding your protection were very clear."

          ‘If she’s injured, you die,’ more than likely, Kagome thought.  "It’s fine, Taki-san.  I’m glad to come out and look."

          He led her to an arrow loop, already manned, the archer’s arrow already nocked, though the bow was undrawn.  "There he is, Lady," Taki said, pointing.

          The youkai stood a prudent distance back from the gates, a large traveling bag thrown over one shoulder, along with a sturdy-looking bow.  Kagome took in the long white hair and canine ears with a wry smile.  Surely, there couldn’t be two of them out there. 

          She shifted forward a little, catching the edge of the loop to balance herself, and as if she’d made some noise, the traveler’s head came up, golden eyes fastening on her as though he knew where she was.

          Kagome sighed and shook her head slightly.  "Open the gates, please.  I know who it is."  She stepped back from the arrow loop and walked over to the stairs.  "I’ll go down and meet him."

          "But who is it, Lady?" Jiro asked.

          "Sesshoumaru-sama’s brother, of course.  Inu-Yasha."

          Kagome was down in the packed-earth courtyard within seconds, carefully placed where the opening of the gates would reveal her immediately, then gave the nod, and the heavy iron-clad wood portal was pulled slowly open.  The sense of Inu-Yasha’s youki rolled against her as she let down her walls, unimpeded now that the magic-infused barriers between them were gone.  She peered out at him under lowered lashes, watching him walk slowly through the opened doors.  There was a sense of recognition in his energy, of relief, of coming home, and her brows contracted slightly.  I hope you don’t think of me as home, Inu-Yasha, she thought to herself.  This may be the place of your birth, and I’d be the last to argue against your right to be here, but don’t start associating that feeling with me.  You don’t own that part of me anymore.

          Clawed bare feet padded into her vision, at the end of legs covered in billowing red cloth, and the corner of her lips twitched.  Of course.  He’d never change that much.  One clawed hand came into view, gently touching her hands, folded low in front of her.  "Kagome?"

          Something almost electric in the touch startled her, and reflexively she wrapped herself in power.  It wasn’t her own purifying energy she reached for, however, but Sesshoumaru’s youki, folding it around herself and letting it radiate outward.  Once safe in her mate’s phantom embrace, she lifted her head, face displaying exactly what her spiritual proximity to the taiyoukai had done to her.

          She watched Inu-Yasha’s amber eyes flicker red for less than a second as the competing youki rolled over him before washing away.   Then she stood patiently still as he took in her eyes, more citrine now than brown, her distinctly pointed ears, and the pair of blue stripes that wrapped around her neck, almost touching at the front, staining Sesshoumaru claim-mark on one side, and an old injury on the other.  He reached out again, slowly this time, careful not to startle her again, and lifted her hand to study the sturdy claws that tipped her fingers.  They were lacquered pink at the moment, as it happened, and he smirked.  "Still painting yourself?"

          She shrugged a little, carefully reclaiming her hand.  "It was Himeko-chan’s idea.  She likes to decorate things, myself included.  Inu-Yasha, I’m so sorry about Ki-"

          "Don’t say it," he interrupted.  "Not right now."

          She nodded, understanding, and set her face as close as she could to a happy smile.  Reaching out deliberately, she took his arm to propel him into motion, turning to walk with him.  "I’m glad you came," she said, drawing him toward the main doors.  "This is where you belong."

          "Keh.  I’m sure Sesshoumaru doesn’t think so," he replied, but allowed her to drag him along.

          "He’ll get used to the idea," she said.  "I’m sorry he’s not here to greet you himself.  I hope your feelings aren’t too hurt."

          He snorted.  "My feelings have never been hurt by his absence, Kagome.  You should know that by now."

          She giggled slightly, a strange sound at her age, and one she wasn’t sure she’d ever make again.  "I guess so."  She stole a peek up at his face.  The violet youkai striping, once so jagged, seemed to have smoothed a little with age.  "You look well, all things considered."

          He just snorted again.  "So where is my anikisama?" he asked.

          From the inflection he gave the word, Kagome was more than half-convinced he was looking for his ‘big brother, the bastard,’ rather than his ‘honorable older brother,’ and she smacked his arm lightly in reproval. 

          "Watch your mouth around the children, if you please.  Taishomaru delights in picking up new words, and I’m sure that one would please him no end."

          "Keh."

          She read his response correctly as the closest she would get to surrender.  "Sesshoumaru took Rin to visit the local daimyo."

          "Why?"

          Kagome rolled her eyes.  "Because she’s well past the age here to have a husband and children of her own.  And the daimyo has a younger son who caught  her eye.  The feeling is mutual, if I understand correctly."

          "So you’re just handing her over to some daimyo you don’t even know?" Inu-Yasha demanded.

          "Of course not," Kagome snapped back.  "The daimyo and his family have previously offered various female relatives to ‘appease the demon-lord.’"

          Inu-Yasha’s nose twitched.  "Wasted effort on their part.  Keh."

          "Exactly.  But now they have something we’re interested in.  I’m sure the matter will be settled very shortly.  Not that I’m certain exactly what he’s going to do here, honestly."

          "Mated to Sesshoumaru’s oldest daughter?  Cower in fear a lot."  He rested a hand over hers, squeezing gently.  "I'm really glad to see you, Kagome."

          Her smile tightened a fraction.  I could have done without hearing that, she thought.  "Good," she replied, non-committally.  The main house doors opened before them, and she repressed a sigh of relief.  Hana stood back from the opening, bowing deeply. 

          "Kagome-sama.  Welcome, Inu-Yasha-sama."

          Kagome detached herself from Inu-Yasha's arm and stepped out of her geta.  "Hana-chan, please show Inu-Yasha-sama to the rooms prepared for him. I should return to the children.  I left them with Maiko-chan, and I'm sure they've convinced her to do something foolish by now."

          Hana bowed again.  "I hope Kagome-sama will forgive my daughter's shortcomings…"

          Kagome laughed. "I'm teasing, Hana-chan.  Inu-Yasha, you know where the garden is.  Why don't you join us when you're ready?"  Before he could answer, she flitted through an open fusama and disappeared.

          Sesshouinu, Himeko and Maiko were dancing in a circle around Taishomaru when Kagome returned to the garden, and she stopped just under the roof to watch for a moment as they played.  The light wind carried not only their scent to her, but their words as well.

Kagome Kagome,
Kago no naka no tori wa,
Itsu itsu deyaru?
Yoake to ban ni.
Tsuru to kame ga subetta,
Ushiro no shoumen dare?

          The song came to an end and they stopped, silent while Taishomaru stood in the center, little hands over his eyes.

          "Maiko-chan?" he guessed, trying to identify who was behind him.

          "No, not this time, Taishomaru-sama," the serving girl said with a laugh.

          Himeko giggled.  "He’s going to be in the cage all day at this rate."

          "Give him a break, Hime-chan," Sesshouinu said from where he stood behind his brother.  He leaned over, and Kagome had to strain to hear what he was whispering in the boy’s elfin ear.  "Don’t just guess, Otouto-chan.  Use more than your ears.  You’ve got other senses, you know."  He tapped the little boy on the nose and straightened up.  "Come on.  One more round."

          They started again, and Kagome slipped nearly silently across the grass, sliding into the circle between her children, refraining from singing to give away her presence.  With a little nudging, she was directly behind her youngest when the song came to an end, and she heard his little nose go to work.  Clearly, Sesshouinu’s hint had been taken to heart by his adoring little brother.

          The little boy’s head popped up.  "Okaa-sama!" he shouted, turning and throwing himself into her arms.   She lifted him up so he could wrap his arms around her neck.  "Did you see?  I got it right!  Inu-niichan told me how!"

          She smiled at his beaming expression, then shifted him to reach out and ruffle the heavy bangs that fell into the eyes of her eldest.  "Inu-chan gave you some very good advice," Kagome agreed.  "You’ll have to return the favor one day."

          Sesshouinu only stared at the ground and said nothing, but Taishomaru bounced in her arms.  "I will, Okaa-sama.  I’m gonna be the best aviser..."

          "Advisor," Kagome corrected.

          "Advisor anyone ever saw!" he finished excitedly.  Then he squirmed restlessly in her grip and she let him slide carefully to the ground.  "It’s your turn in the center, Okaa-sama," he informed her seriously, his expression morphing into one eerily similar to Sesshoumaru’s.

          "That’s right.  It certainly is."  She took his place in the center and closed her eyes, listening as the voices swirled around her.  When first learning to control and use the youki she shared with Sesshoumaru, she had played this game often with Hana, Maiko and Sesshouinu, including Himeko when she grew old enough to understand.  Now she deliberately closed off her miko senses again and waited for the song to end before trying to pinpoint the locations of those around her.

          At last the singing stopped and she lifted her nose to the air.  Taishomaru was to her left, then Himeko on his left, Maiko, then Sesshouinu.  But if she could smell then all more or less in front of her, who was left to be behind?  She tilted her head a tiny bit, trying to catch any shift of air currents, then gave up and reached out for energy signatures.  She felt the children immediately and the servant girl, then picked up the signature that answered her question.

          "You know, if you’d been singing, I would have had a better chance to identify you, Inu-Yasha."  She turned and offered him a mock-glare.

          "Keh.  Like you didn’t use the same trick on the pup."  He reached out and took her arm, pulling her out of the circle.  "I need to talk to you."

          She gently removed her arm from his grip.  "Maiko-chan, why don’t you take the children in for lunch.  Inu-Yasha-sama and I will eat out here."

          The girl nodded and herded the young ones away, and Kagome turned back to Inu-Yasha.  "What did you want to tell me?"

          He waited until the children were out of sight, then led her over near the main building, picking up the bow she’d seen earlier and offering it to her.  "Kikyou asked me to give it to you.  She was still a great shot; she did her share of protecting the village, the children.  But at the end, she wanted....  She wanted you to have it."

          Kagome took the bow and automatically tested the tension on the string, lifting it into position and drawing back an imaginary arrow.  The heavy sleeves of her over-kimono would have fouled any shot, but she could feel well enough the power in the bamboo and wood composite and the quality of the gut stringing it.  Slowly, she released the string and lowered the bow to her side.  "Thank you, Inu-Yasha.  It’s beautiful, and I’m sure it meant a great deal to her.  I’m honored to have it."  She saw kitchen servants bringing out trays, and drew Inu-Yasha from his introspection.  "Come on.  Lunch is served."

          The fuzzy ears atop his head perked up.  "Cup ramen?"

          She laughed.  "Don’t be silly.  I haven’t left the Sengoku Jidai in 13 years.  Noodles, yes, I’m sure.  But not in a paper cup.  You’ll just have to eat out of a bowl like the rest of us."

          "Keh," he snorted, marching off in the direction of the food.

          Kagome allowed herself to relax a tiny fraction.  If they could just stay on the ‘old friends’ track, maybe this could work out.

          "Come on, Aniyome.  The food’s gonna get cold."

          Yeah, she thought to herself.  This will be okay.

          The hiss of the opening fusama woke Kagome from her sleep, and instinctively she slid her hand under her pillow, reaching for the tanto concealed at the head of the futon between the frame and padding.

          Sesshoumaru's voice came to her out of the darkness.  "Peace, Mate.  You are safe."

          Kagome released the knife and rolled, propping herself up on her elbows to stare into the darkness.  Rays of moonlight filtered in the high open windows, and Sesshoumaru seemed to be toying with them, or her, letting them catch an arm here, a hip there, a silver waterfall of hair that covered ivory skin as silk fell to the floor.  She was ready to huff with impatience at his games until he turned and advanced on her, moving through the moonlight as it stroked up his body like a lover's touch.

          "Are you teasing me?" she managed to ask once her voice was working again.

          His head tilted a fraction, sending silvery hair sliding to one slide.  "Only if I, what is the phrase, fail to deliver?"

          She let her body fall flat to the futon as he slid over her, relishing the return of his scent and the familiar weight of his body.  "I didn't think you'd be back tonight."

          "Rin was invited by the daimyo's wife to remain for a few days, supposedly to acquaint her with the son's preferences.  Like it matters," he snorted before burying his nose in her hair and inhaling deeply.  "I take it Inu-Yasha arrived," he said with a faint growl.

          "You didn't need to smell my hair to tell you that," she chuckled.  His sensitive nose was working its way down her neck, across her shoulder, and into the valley of her cleavage.

          "I wish to be certain he behaved himself."

          Kagome threaded her fingers through his hair and gently tugged him back up so they were on eye-level.  "Assuming that he misbehaved implies that I did as well," she said quietly, her lips less than an inch from his.

          "So I should trust him not to try winning your affection again?"  He slid his hands along her arms until their fingers were interlaced.

          "Trust me not to be the prize."  She stretched their linked hands above her head and wrapped her legs around his, rolling them with a shift of her weight, coming to rest above him, straddling his hips.  "I missed you," she said simply.

          He pulled her down until they were less than an inch apart again.  "And I you."

          Sesshoumaru would have preferred to avoid his hanyou brother entirely.  Certainly, the castle was large enough that, with care, he could have cautiously lived around Inu-Yasha indefinitely without really seeing him.  If, that is, he was willing to give up spending any time with Kagome and the children during the day.  Sesshoumaru was under no delusions as to his brother's sudden return.  Inu-Yasha wanted something that could only be obtained here.  And the only thing they had in common by choice was the miko-youkai.  So rather than taking breakfast with his mate and children outdoors, as he would have preferred, he was seated in the main room, waiting for his blasted brother to decide to wake up and join him.

          He was ready to give up and join the others in the garden when Inu-Yasha slouched in and dropped to the floor across the table from Sesshoumaru, waving a servant with a laden tray over and digging into his breakfast.

          The elder inuyoukai lifted an eyebrow.  "If this is how you behaved in the morning for your mate, I'm shocked she didn't run screaming after a month."

          The hanyou swallowed.  "What do you care?"

          "I don't care to see my children pick up similar disgusting habits.  If it is your intention to be included here, you will modify your behavior appropriately."

          Inu-Yasha snorted.  "Where are they, anyway?  I saw them for maybe five minutes yesterday, before Kagome had them whisked away for lunch.  And then it was all ‘lessons’ and ‘training’ and other crap-excuses."

          "That was at my direction," Sesshoumaru informed him.  "I have no intention of giving you unfettered access to my children until you and I come to an understanding.  I cannot bar you from residence here; it is your birthplace and not mine.  But you are not taking over my lands or titles."

          "That’s not what I want," Inu-Yasha protested.

          "And what do you want?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

          "An heir."

          Sesshoumaru glared at him for a long moment.  "Then go find yourself another female and mate.  Do not trouble Kagome and I with your foolishness."

          "I don’t want a child from just any female.  I want-"

          "NO!"  Sesshoumaru was on his feet, hand on Toukijin's hilt, eyes bleeding red, youki crackling around him.  "You will NOT!"

          Inu-Yasha jumped to his feet as well, Tetsusaiga half-drawn, eyes crimson.  "It’s my RIGHT!  She was mine, and you STOLE her!"

          There was a strange sound, like a spring bouncing across the tatami mats.  A tiny figure bounced from the floor to the table, then onto Inu-Yasha’s shoulder.  "My Lords, stop this, I beg you.  Do not profane your father’s home with bloodshed."

          Sesshoumaru saw the small demon and sneered.  "And where have you been, Nomi?"

          "I am your brother’s retainer, Lord Sesshoumaru.  Of course, I have been serving him in what ever way seems best," Myouga answered.

          Sesshoumaru let go of his sword and his swirling youki, regaining his usual cold expression.  "You were to guard my father’s tomb, last I knew.  Though I would not be surprised to know you ran to hide when you learned I was searching for it."  His amber eyes narrowed as he regarded the flea.  "Have you been encouraging this nonsense?"

          "Brothers’ Rights are not nonsense, Lord Sesshoumaru.  Youkai law is not nonsense.  Lady Kikyou’s death has made Inu-Yasha-sama aware of what he gave up when the young lord was made your heir," the old flea said deferentially.

          "Inu-Yasha lost all rights to Sesshouinu when he disgraced Kagome."  He glared at his half-brother.  "Any demon who can’t tell a rotting corpse from a living, breathing female deserves what he gets."

          "I can go to the Council," Inu-Yasha warned, sheathing his sword,  folding his arms and reigning in his own youki.  "I can petition them to force Kagome into giving me an heir."

          "Lord Inu-Yasha," Miyouga said quickly as Sesshoumaru's youki flared again, "it is not wise to suggest that force would be considered.  Aside from the unforgivable nature of the act, Kagome-sama is a powerful miko, and has access to Lord Sesshoumaru’s youki as well.  Were you to approach her in an unfriendly manner, she could very easily injure you quite seriously."

          Sesshoumaru smirked.  "You make sense for perhaps the first time in this conversation, Jijii.  But Kagome would only have to mop up whatever would be left when I finished.  Go to the Council of Youkai if you wish, Inu-Yasha.  I do not think you will find what you are looking for."  He turned in a swirl of silks and stalked toward the door.  He paused just short of leaving but didn't look back.  "Do not even consider bringing this to Kagome's attention.  I will speak with her, when I consider it necessary."  He swept out, slamming the fusama behind him.

          Myouga's voice carried through the still room.  "I think, My Lord, you could have done that better."

          "Keh."

          The garden was serene, Kagome holding court over the remnants of breakfast, the children seated with her in the pavilion at the center of a grassy lawn.  Sesshoumaru was loathe to interrupt their collective innocence and happy chatter, but he didn't trust Inu-Yasha to refrain from speaking to Kagome at the first opportunity, in spite of his explicit directions otherwise.  Truth be told, there was little he could do now to curb his hanyou brother.  The castle, built to house the succession of Inutaishou's weak human females, may have been Sesshoumaru seat of power, but it was Inu-Yasha's birthplace, and the Lord of the Western Lands could no more evict him than he could his own children.  He could make his younger brother's life hell here, until the brat broke and ran again, but he could not refuse him entry.  Kagome's innocent demand years ago that Inu-Yasha leave had only worked because then, the hanyou couldn't bear to hurt her.  Now, however,  now Sesshoumaru was no longer certain that was the case.

          He crossed the lawn in broad steps, pausing just outside the structure.  Before he could speak, Kagome's hand was reaching out to still Himeko's happy chirping, turning everyone's attention to the Taiyoukai.  The children jumped up and bowed respectfully as one.

          "Ohayo gozaimasu, Otou-sama."

          "Ohayo, kodomotachi.  Kagome, come with me."

          She rose gracefully from the head of the table.  "Of course.  Maiko-chan, have breakfast cleared away and begin the morning lessons.  Sesshouinu, help her, please."

          "Sumimasen, Okaa-sama.  I have training-"

          "You can hardly train with your father when I am speaking to him.  I'm sure he will send for you when we are through."  She glanced over to Sesshoumaru.

          "Do as your mother asks, sotsu.  When we have concluded our conversation, I will collect you myself."  He reached over and grasped Kagome's elbow gently.  "Now, Mate."
 

          Kagome followed in apparent obedience as he swept across the lawn and crossed the small bridge over the creek leading them into the orchard.  The fallen leaves from the bare branches overhead rustled under Kagome's train, though Sesshoumaru's steps were silent.

          "I know what Inu-Yasha wants," he said quietly, face turned from her, body closed off.

          "Oh?  I got the impression he just wanted to come home."

          Sesshoumaru snorted, a sound remarkably similar to Inu-Yasha's own favored expression.  "Nothing in life is so simple.  No.  He has other interests, as well."

          Kagome repressed an irritated sigh.  Clearly, Sesshoumaru didn't want to discuss the subject, but felt he had no choice.  Which meant she had to drag it out of him bit by bit until he could drop the bombshell.  "What's on his mind?"

          "You."

          Unable to see even his minimal expressions, Kagome could only shrug herself.  "Tough.  That train left the station long ago."

          "I do not believe he cares.  Moreover, it may not matter."

          Fed up with staring at his hair, Kagome marched around to face him.  "And exactly what does that mean?"  The side of her face tingled, and she smacked a palm against it absently, feeling something flattened in her hand.  Looking down at it, she frowned.  "Myouga-jiichan?  When did you get here?"

          The flea popped himself back to his normal shape.  "A thousand greetings, Lady Kagome.  I am pleased to see you in such good health and spirits after so along an association with-"

          The tiny youkai was cut off mid-ramble as Sesshoumaru's gleaming claws plucked him from Kagome's hand.  "Inu-Yasha was not invited to this conversation for a reason, Old Man.  You may assume the same of yourself as well."  He flicked the flea away with a look of disdain.  "Stay away, for the sake of your own health."

          Kagome watched him bounce away.  "Inu-Yasha must be desperate for information if he's sending Myouga-jiichan after us."

          "Desperate might indeed be the correct term."  The corner of his lip twitched, but Kagome didn't think it was in amusement.  "It is more something Inu-Yasha desires from you, rather than you, precisely."

          She looked up at him with narrowed eyes.  "And exactly what does Inu-Yasha want, to come all this way?"

          He stared back down at her.  "Your child."

          Kagome blinked.  "What?!"

          "I thought I was plain enough.  Inu-Yasha desires to sire a child on you," Sesshoumaru said coldly.

          She sucked in a deep breath.  "Has it escaped his attention that not only I have done so once, but that it came out rather badly as far as our relationship was concerned, not to mention the fact that I am your mate?"

          Sesshoumaru shrugged.  "By giving Sesshouinu to me, you have cut off Inu-Yasha's ability to claim him as child or heir.  As for the other, there is precedent in youkai law to allow for a female to bear the child of her mate's brother.  Or for a male to sire an heir on his mate's sister, for that matter.  Though in particular, it is the right of the elder brother to take a younger brother's mate when his own has failed to produce issue."

          "Issue," Kagome repeated.  "So is he doing this because I'm your mate, or because Kikyou called me sister?"

          "I do not know," Sesshoumaru replied, "nor do I care, or think it matters.  He intends to petition the Council for permission, should he be refused here."

          Kagome swallowed her rising bile.  "So what are our options?  Will the Council grant his petition?"  She couldn't even conceive of granting the request herself.  Not for the moment, at least.

          "They might," Sesshoumaru allowed.  "Certainly, anything is possible.  The Kita in particular would take any opportunity to see me humbled.  Their repeated petitions to see Taishomaru designated heir over Sesshouinu have all been denied.  They are spoiling for a victory."

          Kagome sighed.  "They want control of the West, don't they?  Sesshouinu is too much like your father for their taste."

          "And not strongly of their blood.  It is common knowledge that I did not sire him.  Normally, it would not be an issue.  But they are determined."

          She sighed again.  The Kita would never have so much as a toehold on the West, and they knew it.  So Sesshoumaru was right.  They would take their opportunity to humiliate him where and when they could.  "What would you think if I were to agree?"

          He turned away sharply.  "It is not a decision that this Sesshoumaru can make-"

          Anger flared and she grabbed him, yanking him around to face her and using his own energy against him.  "Don’t you dare give me that ‘kono Sesshoumaru’ crap!  This is about you and me.  Don’t cheapen it by stepping outside yourself and acting like it doesn’t affect you!  Do you want me to do this?  To let him put his hands on me, his mouth, his-"

          She was cut off this time as he yanked her forward and crashed his mouth over hers, stilling her unthinkable words.  "You are mine." he hissed, breaking free at last.  "Nothing anyone does will ever change that.  Wallow in a sty with swine, and you will still be mine."

          She panted heavily, eyes filling with tears.  "If I do this, I don’t want you to look at me and be disgusted.  We have a lot of time left together, and I don’t want you to hate me for all of it, or even part of it."

          He pulled her close, gently this time, tucking her against his body, his chin resting on top of her head.  "Nothing will make me hate or despise you.  Do whatever is necessary, and inform me if I can help."

          "I wouldn’t want you there," she said quietly after a moment.  "I couldn’t bear that.  I’d be ashamed enough as it is."

          "Do not be ashamed.  This is a gift you are talking about.  Truly, you are more generous of spirit than I could ever imagine."

          She chuckled softly.  "You just wish I was less generous of body."

          "I will manage.  This is not forever, after all."

          Kagome leaned against him, letting their shared youki flow like a river between them.  "Hnn.  Are there limits we can set on this, conditions of some kind, or does he just have me until he gets what he wants?"

          His grip tightened on her, and she worked to exert calm over their bond.  "There can be conditions," he said as his tension eased.  "What limits would you have placed?"

          Her mind swirled.  It was all too much, that Inu-Yasha wanted this arrangement, that he had a right to it even, that he would think to use her in this way.  "I don't know.  I don't even know what's possible.  I want it to be over and done with as quickly as possible.  I want to be with him as little as possible."  The calm she had sent out reflected back to her now.  "You do it," she said tiredly.  "I'll be bound by whatever you think is best.  If I try to think about it, I'll be too generous."

          His inquisitive silence begged her to continue.

          "It's not that I feel the same for him anymore.  Gods know right now I hardly feel anything beyond blinding anger.  But I know him, and I know myself.  We'll get to talking, and I'll start to feel sorry for him.  I'll start to feel like it's somehow my fault, that Kikyou's weakness is something I could have prevented or changed.  I'll remind myself that if things had been right 60 years ago, she would have had a whole houseful of his children, and who am I to deny him one now?  I'll remember that our emotions were running too high when I killed Kikyou and ran away.  And your brother, my Mate, will use every bit of that guilt to his advantage."  She sighed and closed her eyes, inhaling Sesshoumaru's comforting scent.  "No.  It's better if I'm not involved in the negotiations at all."

          "I am more than willing to do this for you.  Moreover, it would not be appropriate for you to conduct any discussions."

          "Well, good.  Don’t tell him I’ve agreed, either.  I want to hear from him why he thinks I’d even think about something like this."  She sighed deeply, trying to curl further into his embrace.  "It feels so damned disloyal just talking about it, even knowing you don’t disapprove."

          "I have not said I do not disapprove.  However, it is not you I am displeased with."  He tilted her chin up until she was staring into his golden eyes.  "I am never displeased with you."  He leaned in slowly and kissed her, reminding her why she could never bring herself to leave.

          Inu-Yasha could just make out the couple embracing in the shadows of the orchard.  Something deep inside was screaming at him to turn away, but he forced himself to remain still and watch, confronting himself again with the reality of his brother and Kikyou’s future self wrapped around each other.  Kagome could whine all she wanted about being someone else, a person separate from Kikyou, but who else could have brought Kikyou back to life but her own self, brought back to him to correct the hideous errors of the past?

          Myouga’s tell-tale bounce broke into his thoughts, and he remained still for once as the old youkai hopped up onto his face and helped himself to a drink of his master’s blood.

          "Well, Old Man?  How is she?"

          "Lady Kagome is in perfect health, as far as I can tell, Lord Inu-Yasha," the flea replied.  "Her scent is of course somewhat altered, given her reliance on Lord Sesshoumaru’s youki, but it has not affected her health adversely at all.  In fact, she may be even more healthy than before, less susceptible to human disease.  Certainly, she does not appear to have aged much if at all since becoming your brother’s mate.  And of course, her overall mood is quite good, considering the current-"

          "I knew all that already, you idiot.  I need to know if she’s pregnant right now or not.  Taishomaru’s old enough that they might be planning on having another pup soon."  His eyes shifted to follow the youngest of his brother’s brood as he ran out onto the sunlit grass, Sesshouinu following close behind and tackling him gently, then picking him up and carrying the youngster back to the pavilion.  He wondered for the ten thousandth time if Kikyou’s pups would have been so strong, so quick, so happy.  But his Kikyou had been fated never to know the joy that seemed drawn to Kagome’s life.  And all he really wanted was a piece of it for himself.

          "I was unable to sample enough of Lady Kagome’s blood to tell, my lord.  But it was evident that she and Lord Sesshoumaru mated last night when he returned.  If she is not pupped, I cannot imagine it will be long before she is.  It seems very unlikely that they would stop at three."

          "Two," Inu-Yasha corrected firmly.  "I may not be raising him, but Inu-chan’s my blood."

          "True, my lord, but he is full-youkai, thanks to Lady Kagome’s magic, and acknowledged as your brother’s heir.  You can count on the Council never to change that.  Much as the Kita may regard Lord Sesshoumaru as a traitor and desire Lord Taishomaru as his heir, no one would dare suggest removing Lord Sesshouinu from your brother’s care.  No, Lord Inu-Yasha, Lord Sesshouinu is as much Lord Sesshoumaru’s as Lady Himeko and the little lord.  Nothing will change that."

          "Feh."  Inu-Yasha shifted her gaze back to the orchard.  "So how do I get Kagome to agree?"

          "You must remind her how much she cared for you, Lord Inu-Yasha.  Make her see that you are still the same person she fell in love with, that you wish to return to a time before things went so horribly wrong," Myouga counseled.

          "Doesn’t seem right, somehow.  Damnit, Kikyou, why’d you have to die?  All I ever wanted was to be with you."  He watched the couple, still huddled together under the trees.  "Doesn’t look like they plan to agree."  He turned abruptly and walked back into the house.

          Kagome knelt on a comfortable cushion under the pavilion, greatly appreciating the weather's cooperation as the children took an afternoon play break.  She cast a quick glance up at the sky and frowned.  Snow tomorrow, she thought, watching the scuttling clouds roll by, born on a stiffening breeze.  I'll have to keep the children inside again.  Gods, how they hate being confined inside.

          The deliberate crunch of grass underfoot pulled her from her thoughts, and she twitched her nose a bit, identifying her visitor.  Sesshoumaru would never make so much vulgar noise, and Sesshouinu not so little.  The two youngest were running circles around their nursemaid in careless abandon, and with Rin away for a few more days, that left two possibilities; a servant, or Inu-Yasha.

          "I guess he told you."

          Her eyes slid a bit to the left to see Inu-Yasha lean casually against one of the pavilion uprights.  She toyed with the idea of playing completely ignorant, of making Inu-Yasha dance around the subject like a puppet on a string.  But it was no where in her to be quite that cruel.  It didn't mean she couldn't pretend a little, however.

          "Hmm?  What do you mean, Inu-Yasha?"  She offered him one of her dazzling smiles.

          "Sesshoumaru.  You did talk to Sesshoumaru this morning, right?"

          She tilted her head.  "Of course I did.  Why?"

          "What did you talk about?"

          She turned her head away and looked down.  "Really, Inu-Yasha.  Asking me about pillow talk with my mate.  What are you thinking?"

          He had the grace to look flustered.  "No.  Not then.  I meant later.  After breakfast.  I saw you two walking in the orchard."

          "What does it matter?" she asked, voice turning a touch icy. 

          She heard his teeth grind.  "I talked to Sesshoumaru about something at breakfast myself.  I need to know if he discussed it with you or not."

          "We talked about the children," she said, the absolute truth.  "We talked about the Kita.  They've been maneuvering the last few months to change the line of succession, without any success."

          "Just political stuff, then?  Nothing important?"

          "Politics are important.  What are you fishing for, Inu-Yasha?  Trying to figure out if he said anything about your disgusting intentions toward me?"  She raised her voice until the pitch was guar