Warm-Ice: (sigh) Well, here I am again, the most annoying authoress in the world.
Inu-yasha: hey! Why are you back? Why are we back?
Warm-Ice: well, dear inu, due to popular demand and a whole lot of 'WTF's, 'HOLY F#$'s,'OMFG's and 'WHO THE HELL IS IT?'s from my lovely reviewers, I've decided to create a sequel. Though I don't trust it'll be as good as My Daughter!
Kag: Well, the good thing is that I'm getting my daughter back! (hugs Haruko)
Haruko: (blushes and hugs her mama back) I'm glad to be back, mama.
Warm-ice: (looks at Sessh looking at them and smirks) really, Sess. If you wanna hug them, just hug them. They're both yours anyway.
Sess: (glares at Warm-Ice) silence yourself, woman. I want no such thing.
Tiffany: I am now 15 years old, thanks for asking. And I'm a pretty fast typer so...yeah. And aboutyour story, I'm flattered that you want me to type it. But sorry, I don't do that. Thanks for the compliments and the reviews! And no, I don't write it down first. I hope I answered all your questions.
Dra Gan the Dragoniodian King: hehe, I'm so glad you understand my predicament. Can I ask you one simple question? In the real world, are you male?
Haruko: (blush and looks down shyly)
gny: hehe...I guess your wish has come true. hehe...
Warm-Ice: why does everybody think I'm so evil? i just tried to leave them with a cliffy.
Inu-yasha: That's the point, you baka!
Kagome: SIT! (Wham!) don't call Warm-Ice a baka.
Warm-Ice: I am so glad to have you, Kagome -chan!
Haruko: (smiles at her father and bows) I'm glad to be back, Father.
Sess: (tries to subdue a smirk) yes well. (looks to Warm-Ice as a signal)
Warm-Ice: okay, let's all go on with the story, shall we?
Haruko: oh, before anything else, thank you to everyone who kept supporting the story!
My Father
Chapter 1: The Challenge
"Sesshoumaru!" Sesshoumaru tore his cold, blazing eyes from the young man at the end of his blade to the goddess hurrying down the stairs towards him, his half-brother following suit. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, coming to Shippou's side to help the young man to his feet.
Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword and glared threateningly at the red-headed Fox youkai. "I will not allow anyone to create chaos in my own palace. The kit must know his place."
Silently, Haruko walked down the stairs, her eyes trained solely on the necklace upon the floor. She was just a few more steps away from it when someone's familiar voice had rung into her head.
"What do you intend to achieve by creating such disturbance, wolf?" Sesshoumaru had spoken, his voice slicing through the silence like thunder in the stormy clouds of twilight.
Kouga scoffed with an arrogant smirk as if he didn't have two spears threatening his neck. "I never thought you'd go so low as to let trash like that rot in your kingdom, Sesshoumaru." He said, referring to the seething Shippou.
"How dare you insult Shippou-sama, you damn wol—" Aki had started to speak.
"Aki!" Shippou silenced with authority much like Sesshoumaru's own.
Sesshoumaru came forward, towards the wolf and looked at the two soldiers holding him down. "Release him."
Immediately, the spears from Kouga's neck were withdrawn. Kouga quickly sat up in an Indian sit and dusted his arms off of dust. "Sheesh! What is it with you inus and sticks! It's always up your asses!"
"You will learn your place, wolf." Sesshoumaru warned.
"Yeah, yeah! I've heard that before." Kouga waved off.
Almost everyone glared daggers at him at that but he seemed completely unaware of it. Either that or he was ignoring them all together. He stood up with a huff and dusted his legs off of dust, grinning arrogantly at Sesshoumaru simply to irritate him…which was working quite well.
Turning his eyes to Kagome, he grinned, "Hey, little Lady!" Kagome smirked at the charming guy whom she still considers a friend of hers. "Yo, inu-hime!"
She turned to him sharply with surprised eyes, not expecting to hear his voice. Upon the sight of him, she smiled. Even after so many centuries—despite the slightly more mature physic, Kouga was still that arrogant, rude, child-like man he once was. She bowed to him respectfully, to everyone's surprise, and smiled with a reply.
"It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you once again, Kouga-san."
"Hehe...You haven't changed a bit." He grinned.
"Neither have you, Kouga-san." She smiled back respectfully.
Shippou frowned with displeasure, seeing the familiarity between the two. Briskly, he walked to Haruko, catching her attention. Shippou picked up the necklace on the floor.
"Shippou-sama?" Haruko asked. Shippou stood up, looking at Haruko with intense emerald eyes. She blushed, not accustomed to having him stare at her. Normally he would do his best to keep out of her way, her sight and simply away from her presence. She was hardly ever near him and having him as close as an arm's reach was a little disconcerting.
Suddenly, Shippou closed his eyes and leaned forward, Haruko's eyes widened. Their lips would have touched if it wasn't for a fist making contact with Shippou's face.
The punch was so strong that the kit fell back onto his elbows and at Sesshoumaru's feet. He looked back sharply with a growl and a glare at the one who dared to punch him.
Inu-yasha held up his fists as if challenging Shippou as he stood protectively in front of the shocked Haruko. "Save it for the wedding day, red. You're not married yet."
Haruko gasped as her mind began to register everything in her mind. It was Shippou. Shippou was her fiancé. But…
She turned to her father with a confused expression.
"Aw, Inu-yasha!" Kagome whined.
"What!" Inu-yasha asked.
"Perhaps this is why this Sesshoumaru never made you swear for military secrecy." Sesshoumaru said, glaring angrily at Inu-yasha. But then again, he wasn't that peeved. He never wanted to make it a surprise anyway. It was all his wife's idea and he was just going along with it.
"What! What'd I do?" Inu-yasha asked. "He was gonna kiss her, for Pete's sake!"
"Baka!" Kagome said. "Well, I guess there's no hiding it now."
Coming to her side, Sesshoumaru looked at the shocked faces of their guests, and smoothly declared, "This Sesshoumaru is honored to introduce to all of you… General Shippou, Prince of the Southern Lands, as the future husband of Lady Haruko, Princess of the Western Lands."
There was a long shocked silence before everyone clapped and some even went so far as to cheer for the new couple. Haruko stared at Shippou in shock, incredulous that the kit was actually royalty. But…if he was the lord of the Southern Lands, why was he the general of the Western Army?
Aki helped Shippou stand and Shippou was graceful enough to stand tall. His eyes turned to Haruko and they were locked in each other's gaze for a while. Haruko's eyes were questioning while his was empty.
"Keh! If there's even gonna be a wedding!" someone suddenly yelled. They all turned to Kouga who stood proudly with his hands to his hips.
"What're you talking about, you damn wolf?" Inu-yasha said.
Kouga proudly pointed his thumb to himself and said, "I'm challenging Shippou, the lord of the Southern Lands as Inu-hime's husband-to-be."
"What?" Shippou said, now very irritated.
"Yeah, you heard me! I'm challenging you! I will officially be courting Lady Haruko of the Western Lands as of now!" He said, still grinning arrogantly.
Haruko's lips parted, her mind becoming a big blank. Was he crazy?
"Kouga, you can't—" Kagome tried to explain.
"And what have you to offer?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly. Everyone looked at him suddenly, as if they had just seen Sesshoumaru laugh gaily (which is highly impossible in itself).
"If you were to choose me instead of crap-o' here, Lady Haruko will not only have a happier life, she will also have the title of Lady of the Western and Eastern Lands. The discrepancy between wolves and inus will vanish and an alliance will take its place." there was a shocked silence for a long while. It seemed that everyone was amazed by the fact that the wolf was actually royalty and that he actually knew the meaning of discrepancy.
"The Eastern lands?" Inu-yasha asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, bet you didn't know that, did you, dog boy?"
"What did you say!"
"Then..." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "You must be the true son of lord Nai the Strong. There were rumors of you."
"I never would have thought you would be a prince, Kouga-kun. How come you didn't tell us before?" Kagome said.
"Well, I guess I'm just not one to blow my own horn." He said, flipping his hair from his shoulders, the ebony locks now reaching his knees.
"Keh! Sure, I'll believe that." Inu-yasha said sarcastically. "And I'm the queen of the Northern Lands."
"Well, are you?" Kouga said. Kagome stifled her laugh and Haruko hid her smirk.
"Why you—" Inu-yasha started.
"Kouga." Sesshoumaru interrupted, stopping Inu-yasha from causing anymore trouble. "You should be honored to have gotten this Sesshoumaru's interest." Shippou looked at him at that, his eyes shining with confusion and anger.
"What?" he said as if insulted.
But Sesshoumaru ignored him easily, "I will grant your challenge if … lord Shippou accepts it."
Everyone turned to Shippou then, his emerald eyes icily glaring at Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru, though, was unaffected. "Tell us, Lord Shippou; shall you grace this wolf with your time? Or do find him too much of a threat?" Shippou's eyes narrowed.
Without a moment to spare, Shippou answered, never turning his gaze from their Taiyoukai, "I accept."
"Shippou-sama…" Haruko whispered, sensing the all too familiar tension between her father and him. Ever since she could remember there was always this icy tension between her father and the handsome general. It was as if they were simply forced to work together but didn't necessarily like each other.
She had always felt that of all people, Shippou would have been her father's best companion for they had many common traits. But never had she seen a day when her father showed any sign of friendliness towards Shippou. There was always a barrier. That's why it was such a shock to find that Shippou would be her husband. It was him all along.
But what should she do now? Shippou had accepted Kouga's challenge. Meaning she will one day have to choose between the two of them! Her hand came to the black half of the yin yang necklace hanging around her neck, her heart pumping wildly against her chest. Why? Why did Kouga have to challenge Shippou? Why did he have to keep his promise to her? Why couldn't he just accept that she had to follow her destiny? This definitely spelled trouble.
She turned to Kouga who was smiling triumphantly at Sesshoumaru. Definitely.
Sesshoumaru turned to look behind him when he heard the bathroom doors open and was highly pleased, though clandestine, to see that it was his lovely wife. Kagome looked up at him from her long black lashes, smirking slightly at the sight of him in the small tub of hot spring water, the steamy liquid rising up to his waist. His damp silver hair fell freely over his back and shoulders, down his perfect upper torso.
Delicious.
He watched with intense eyes as Kagome closed the entrance to the bathroom, coming forward afterward with a natural sway to her hips.
He raised his eyebrow at her, "Yes?" he asked as she knelt at the edge of the tub like how a Japanese lady should. After settling her hands to her lap, she looked up at him.
"Why did you accept Kouga's preposition?" she asked directly, knowing Sesshoumaru hated it when she beat around the bush.
At that, Sesshoumaru smirked and continued to splash the water upon his body, as if telling her it was a secret. "Sesshoumaru…" Kagome started with a warning tone. Sesshoumaru gave her no heed. "We don't have much time left. Accepting Kouga's challenge will just make everything else complicated. For once you're the one who's not being logical here." She said gently.
"I have my reasons." Sesshoumaru simply stated.
"Sesshoumaru." Kagome slightly whined.
Sesshoumaru looked at her, that small smirk still on his lips. He came to the edge of the tub and cupped her cheek in his clawed hand. Kagome instantly leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as she did so.
"You once told me…it is never too late to change for the better."
At that tears started to well in her closed eyes and her jaw tightened as she struggled to suppress the urge to cry. Sesshoumaru stroked her cheek gently, coming closer so that his forehead was touching hers.
"Kagome…" he chided softly. Kagome tried to turn away but Sesshoumaru didn't allow it. "Woman, look at me." Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes, revealing soft sapphire eyes filled with fear and pain. He looked at her sternly, "Be strong. Do not fear. I will be with you forever."
Tears fell from her eyes and she started sobbing uncontrollably. Sesshoumaru slowly wrapped his arms around her, drawing her nearer. Kagome looked him straight in the eyes and softly kissed him, pulling back to whisper, "I love you…"
Sesshoumaru smirked again, "You will always have my heart." He replied. That was always his reply. And that was always the truth. She would always have his heart.
He wiped her tears away with his thumb and kissed her more passionately this time. He abruptly pulled away though and looked at her with a raised brow. "Have you taken a bath today?"
"Huh?" she blinked. "Uh, yeah, why? Do I smell?" she asked with worry, looking at herself.
"Slightly." He answered.
"Really?" Kagome blushed, "I don't understand how—AHHHH!" she screamed when she was suddenly pulled down into the water. There was a loud splash and she quickly resurfaced, flipping her hair from her face. The look on her face was indignation and completely adorable.
"WH-What did you do that for!" she yelped, touching the wet fabric of her silk kimono.
Sesshoumaru chuckled dementedly and came a breath away from her, coyly untying her soaked obi. "Kagome, it is improper to bathe in the hot springs with apparels." Slowly, he trailed wet kisses down her neck, loosening her kimono to give him access to her shoulders.
Kagome held back a moan as her grip tightened on his shoulder. She closed her eyes tightly, craning her neck instinctively. "You are—so—bad, Sesshou—maru…" she struggled to say between pants and stifling her moans. Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru pushed her back to the edge, successfully sliding the kimono from her shoulders. His hands slowly traveled down her back, to her sides then to her front; his finger leaving heated trails upon their wake.
His lips rose to hers and their tongues wrestled for dominion. Her body arched against his as she felt his arousal pressing against her. Kami! They have had each other for more than hundreds of years yet the passion between them still lived. It was a wonder how they had kept their relationship alive.
Kagome could feel Sesshoumaru's heart beating wildly against his chest as her own bare chest was pressed against his. His hands traveled down below the water and Kagome couldn't help but whimper, "Don't tease me, Sesshoumaru!" he smirked in triumph.