Faith in the Stars, For Our Fate is in Your Hands

~I do not own Inuyasha. This story is purely fan made.

A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews! They are all appreciated!

Original Characters

*Lord Ryou- Lord of the North

*Ken'ichi Higurashi- Human lord of the West/ Head of the house of Higurashi

*Nori Takahashi- Human Lord of the North/ Head of the House of Takahashi

*Hinata Matsumoto- Head of the House of Matsumoto

Chapter 3: Going Westward

Small steps echoed throughout the halls as Kagome made her way to her Lord's study. Her pace was slow but she hardly noticed since she was lost in thought. Her brother was alive... She had thought that she was the only one left. She had heard others talking about the fall of her great House and heard them say that there was no one left. Of course they didn't know about her true origins, she had decided to keep that to herself for the time being, but she was surprised that she had heard nothing of her brother's survival until now. So many questions ran rampant through her head. How long has Lord Ryou known of her origins... And why hadn't he said anything? Granted, she had planned to tell him of her true origins before the next tournament but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. She wanted his permission to leave and travel, she wanted to find answers to what had happened that night 10 years ago and she figured that he would grant this request once he knew who she really was, but now everything had changed... Her brother was alive and he had the family's star stones.

Kagome came to a sudden stop as she finally reached the door to her Lord's study. Taking a few minutes, she just stared at it. The ruffling of feathers brought her out of thought as she looked to her right. Yatagarasu sat perched on her right shoulder as he stared at her in confusion. His small black head tilted slightly and 3 black beady eyes blinked down at her. Ruffling his feathers again, Yatagarasu squawked and shook his head before looking back down. Kagome gave a small smile before she relaxed her shoulders. She may not be able to understand him, and for some reason he could understand her perfectly, but what she could do was detect his moods through his aura. Her agitation was effecting him, so she decided to relax her posture. Finally once she was completely relaxed, Kagome lifted her hand to knock on the door. The only way her questions were going to get answered is if she asked her Lord, and she had every intention of doing just that. It was a moment later when she heard Lord Ryou tell her to enter. Taking a deep breath, Kagome opened the door and walked into the study.

Looking around the large room, Kagome took notice that her lord wasn't behind his desk, it wasn't until she looked to her left that she noticed Lord Ryou and Lady Kasumi were sitting at a small table in the corner of the room drinking tea. From the smell of it, it was Chrysanthem tea. Slowly she began to walk forward, keeping her eyes faced downward. Her fingers intertwined with each other in a nervous manner as she lost herself in thought, trying to get her thoughts in order.

Lord Ryou noticed her odd behavior and sighed, they had much to discuss and apparently neither of them knew how to start. Clearing his throat, Lord Ryou quickly decided a course of action and spoke. "Please sit Kagome."

Slowly Kagome made her way to the table before picking a plush cushion and sat down, she noticed offhandedly that a cup of tea was already poured for her. Debating for a few moments, she then decided to pick it up to take a drink. After taking a small sip, she placed it back down before looking over at Lady Kasumi. Her soft pink hair was put up into an elegant bun, a purple wisteria kanzashi was placed on the left side. She wore a deep violet Kimono that had a golden wisteria tree stitched into it, the obi she wore was silver in color and elegantly tied. Her bright red eyes looked deeply into her own, Kagome could see the concern that was there... The concern that was for her.

"How are you doing my dear?" Lady Kasumi's soft voiced rang out.

Kagome sighed before she spoke, her voice coming out just as soft. "I'm fine... I want to see my brother." Kagome watched as Kasumi looked over at her mate with a worried look before she shifted uncomfortably.

"You will Kagome, I promise." Lord Ryou told her gently. A tense silence over took the room, no one was sure how to approach the subject that needed to be addressed.

A few minutes passed before Kagome finally sighed, her body slumped forward as she rested her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands, holding her head up as she looked over at the two that sat before her. "How long have you two known?"

Lord Ryou let out a sigh of his own and Lady Kasumi looked down at her tea cup with guilty sadness. After a moment of thought, Lord Ryou spoke. "5 years... I figured it out after Lord Touga made the announcement about your brother being alive."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock for a moment before they narrowed into a heated glare. "You knew my brother was alive for 5 years and you never told me! Why?! Why would you keep that from me?!"

"For your safety Kagome-" Lord Ryou began before being cut off by his mate.

"We didn't want to lose you." Lady Kasumi blurted out as her clawed hand reached out to grab Kagome's. Kagome could tell that Lady Kasumi seemed frightened at the thought and allowed her to hold her hand for comfort, more for Kasumi's sake than her own.

Lord Ryou sighed again as he looked over at his distraught mate before he continued. "It was for your own safety Kagome. For 5 years Lord Touga kept your brother a secret from everyone. I knew their had to be a good reason for this. If the ones that attacked your family would have known of his survival, then they might have tried to attack him while he was weak. Knowing this, I decided to keep you a secret as well."

"We would have lost you... They would have taken you away." Lady Kasumi added with a sorrowful heart. "Just like we will now."

Kagome and Lord Ryou looked over at Lady Kasumi with confusion before Lord Ryou gave a slight shake of his head and spoke again. "Mate, we are not losing Kagome..."

Kagome tilted her head slightly in confusion before voicing her question. "Lady mother, who will take me away?"

Lady Kasumi sniffed and clutched Kagome's hand tighter before answering. "Lord Touga will... Once he knows you're alive, he will take you away. You belong to one of his Houses. He will demand that we hand you over."

Kagome let out a small laugh before a smile broke her lips. "Lady mother, I'm not going to leave you. I promise. If I have too then I will simple explain to Lord Touga that I wish to stay here."

"It's not that simple Kagome, you are the heir to your father's House. Now that your brother has proven that he can not summon your family's star stones, that leaves you the heir because you can." Lord Ryou explained with a purposeful glance at Yatagarasu. All three stared at the large black Raven as he blissfully ignored them to eat out of the fruit bowl that was setting on the table.

"What do you mean? I'm sure my brother can summon the star stones. Raiju always seemed to favor my brother when we were younger. I remember hearing my father say that he wouldn't be surprised if Raiju would be his soul companion when he got older. Souta's reiki is just as powerful as my own, so I don't understand why he wouldn't be able to summon them." Kagome stated with slight confusion.

"There is a lot more to it than that, Kagome. Only one child will be chosen from each House to lead it. Your brother maybe just as powerful as you but you were blessed by the God's to wield their stars, which makes you the heir to your House." Lady Kasumi further explained.

"But it's not impossible, right? What if Souta can summon the star stones? Then what?" Kagome asked as she looked between the two. Lord Ryou never saw fit for her to go to the local summoner school like the other children with the same gift as her since she only had one star stone, so there was a great deal that she didn't know about. Perhaps she should go to his library and do some research on it.

Lord Ryou raised an eyebrow but gave the question a moment of thought before he answered. "Well I suppose it's not impossible but it has never happened before. So I am unclear as to what would happen. But Kagome, you must understand, your brother has been groomed to take your father's place for the last 10 years. I'm sure Lord Touga has tried everything he could to get your brother to summon those star stones and nothing has worked."

Kagome pursed her lips into a frown. Despite what Lord Ryou said, she was sure that they were wrong. She couldn't fully explain how she knew this but something inside her told her otherwise. Souta could summon, she was sure of it... Maybe he just didn't know how. After a moment, another thought struck her, and it was with slight worry and hesitation that she asked her next question. "Since my brother can't summon the star stones, what is going to happen to him now? You said that Lord Touga knows nothing about me, and I remember you mentioning something about a denouncement to General Shin... My brother isn't in any danger is he?"

Lord Ryou sighed as he ran his hand through his long locks. "No, your brother isn't in any kind of danger. Your House is being denounce by the West, this means that your House will no longer have any kind of power in the Summoning community in the Western lands. Since it is believed that your brother is the last of his line and he can't summon his star stones, more than likely Lord Touga will seize your family's star stones to ensure that they are kept safe. But Lord Touga held great respect for your father so it is unlikely that Souta will be thrown out on the streets. Touga is an honorable youkai, he will ensure that your brother is well taken care of."

Kagome glanced down as she thought over what she was told. She remembered only meeting Lord Touga once and that was at the last tournament. While her brother and herself were not allowed to watch the tournament, their father had decided to officially introduce them to Lord Touga after he won the Tournament. She recalled his long moon spun hair and his bright golden eyes. He was tall, taller than anyone she had ever seen before... She remembered that she didn't even reach his hips. The thing she remembered most about him though was that fluffy pelt he wore, she really really liked to snuggle with it... As well as the gentle smile he had when she finally mustered up the courage to do so. Kagome let out a small sigh, she knew Lord Ryou was right, Lord Touga would do everything he could to take care of her brother. Her brows furrowed again as another thought struck her... If that was the case, then why did Lord Ryou want to get her brother away from the Inu Lord to begin with? Looking back over at her Lord, Kagome studied him for a long minute before she voiced her question. "Why are you sending General Shin to get my brother if he isn't in danger?"

Lord Ryou took a sip of his tea as he contemplated about something. Once he made his decision, he spoke. "I have sent for your brother for two reasons... The first reason is because I know you will want him by your side. The second reason is because you will need him by your side. Like I said previously, your brother has been groomed for ruling... You have not. Now that your the heir, you will need to learn how to rule and your brother will help you with that."

Kagome gave Lord Ryou an odd look and tilted her head slightly. "I thought our House was being denounce? What does it matter if that happens?"

"Your House is being denounced by the West, and once that happens I will be announcing your House as one of my own." Lord Ryou told her with a searching gaze, waiting to see what her reaction would be.

Kagome's eyes widened in shock, her mouth left a gap. It took her a good minute before she collected herself enough to speak again. "But you already have a ruling House and a secondary... I'm sure that the other Lords will not allow you to have a third House."

Lord Ryou nodded to her in affirmative before he began to tell her of his plans. "Your right but I have no intention of adding a third House. I plan to make your House my ruling House, the ruling House of the North."

"But what about the House of Takahashi? Lord Nori will throw a fit if that happens." Kagome asked in total bewilderment. She only met the Ice Lord once and the impression he left still sent chills down her spine. His heir was no different, Lady Izumi was just as cold as her father. She recently heard rumors about her taking her father's place this year in the Tournament. Actually, She heard that almost all the powerful Houses Heirs were competing this year. All the ruling Lords are starting to step down now that they have hit their receding age. Typically a Lord will only be able to compete in 3 maybe 4 Tournaments before their power begins to recede, which then forces them to descend from the throne.

"Lord Nori has recently decided to switch territories. Once Lord Touga denounces your House, he plans to announce the House of Takahashi into his territory. Lady Izumi will then compete against your cousin Lady Kikyo for the rights to rule the West." Lord Ryou told Kagome as he leaned back and crossed his arms, it was only a moment later when a smirk appeared on his lips. "Once everything is officially announced, I will make an announcement of my own. I will introduce your House as mine and then you will compete against Lady Manami from the House of Yamasaki for the rights to rule the North."

Kagome sat in stunned silence... She didn't know what to say. This changed everything, all the plans she had now laid in ruins. So many thoughts were spinning around in her head, she couldn't seem to grab a hold of any one of them longer than a few seconds before it would flee, only to be replaced by another.

Lord Ryou noticed her distracted behavior and cleared his throat to try and gain her attention before he spoke. "Have no worries Kagome, your brother will be here in a couple of weeks. I promise you, everything will work itself out." He watched as Kagome nodded her head absentmindedly before he let out a sigh, he supposed that everything he just told her was a lot to take in. "Perhaps, you should rest. We can further discuss this during dinner tonight. That will give you time to think and I will answer any questions you might have."

Kagome snapped herself out of thought before she nodded. Looking around in a daze, Kagome slowly stood up before she turned to her lord and lady, then gave a bow. Once she straightened, she waited a few seconds to let Yatagarasu fly up and perch himself on her shoulder before she made her way out the door. As she slowly made her way down the hall towards her room, she continued to think about her brother. She couldn't help but wonder what he was like now... How tall was he? Did he still have his little odd quirks like when they were younger? He always had a habit of drinking all his milk before eating his dinner, or how he would rub his left earlobe when he was nervous. A small smile cracked her lips as she continued to delve further into her memories. She could always tell when he was lying because he would scratch the back of his head before he told the lie. Although she was sure that he stopped checking his closet every night for monsters before he went to bed but the thought of it cause her to giggle. Her smile soon faded as another more somber thought struck her... It had been so long since they last saw each other, would he even recognize her? The thought caused her to stop walking completely and as she stood there as another more frightful thought entered her mind... Would he be mad now that she was the heir to their House? It was something he had worked so hard for and now she was about to take it away from him. Not purposely of course but still, the thought that he would caused her eyes to mist.

Kagome took a long deep breath as she tried to get a hold of her emotion. Giving her head a firm shake, Kagome thought for a few minutes longer before she made a decision. She needed to see her brother... And she refused to wait any longer than what she had too. Her eyes narrowed with determination as she began to walk forward, she wasn't going to wait. She was going to go get her brother herself. Kagome's strides turned swift as she marched to her room. Once she entered, she immediately went to work. Going to her closet, Kagome grabbed her long black cloak and tied it around her neck before pulling her hood up. Next she grabbed her leather satchel and started to shove everything she needed for her upcoming trip into it. Once she was done she whispered to Yatagarasu. "Prepare for flight Yata, were leaving."

Kagome watched as Yatagarasu jumped off her shoulder and glided to the floor. He gave about five hops as he made his way to her balcony and once he was outside, bright red fire consumed him. When the flames died down she saw that his size grew 10x bigger, just big enough to fit 2 people on his back. Kagome let a soft smile grace her lips as she began to walk towards him. Just as she reached the doorway to the balcony, she paused. She almost forgot, quickly Kagome turned around and made her way towards her desk. Opening the third drawer on the right, she pulled out her father's leather journal and stuffed it in her bag before making her way back to Yatagarasu. As she approached him, she watched as he lowered himself so she could get on and once she was secure, she whispered to him. "Lets go Yata, we head Westward."

With a nod of his head, Yatagarasu flexed his giant obsidian wings and took flight. The faster he flew the more the excitement began to course through her body. It was time to bring her brother home.

Souta shifted uncomfortablely as he stood next to Lord Touga outside in the courtyard. Everyone in the Western Shiro was bustling about as they all prepared for the new guests that were making their way here. Souta was nervous, but he was doing everything in his power to not let it show. It had been 5 years since he last saw his Aunt Hinata, and now she was on her way here along with his cousin Kikyo. Lord Touga had invited them here to discuss his House's denouncement, as well as the upcoming announcement of the rise of their House.

One week from today, Lord Touga will make his announcement and a celebration will be held in honor of the House of Matsumoto and he... Well he will slowly fade into the background. Lord Touga explained to him that in honor for all that his family had done and the loyalty that his father had always showed for the West, Lord Touga was going to give Souta one of his smaller estates to live out the rest of his life in luxury. He will never want for anything, he even talked about looking into finding a suitable wife for him as well... Although that didn't interest him in the slightest. Souta knew he should be greatful, most youkai Lords would care less to whatever happened to the fate of their fallen House's. He couldn't help but feel slightly bitter, perhaps everyone was right... Maybe his House was cursed. Perhaps this was punishment for all the destruction his mother's late House had caused. His grandfather, Takemaru of the House of Setsuna, had lost himself to madness due to one of his star stones and because of it, he left nothing but fire, death and destruction behind before he died. Most believe that it is because of this that so much ill has happened to his family.

The sound of horse hooves approaching snapped Souta out of thought and caused him to look up at the entrance of the courtyard. Two horses that were attached to a black carriage made their way over to where he and his Lord were standing. He watched as they slowly came to a stop and Souta straightened before running his hands over his clothes to smooth the wrinkles. A few minutes passed before they watched as the carriage door opened abd a small dainty slippered foot appeared before Souta saw his Aunt step out.

She was dressed in a royal violet and black kimono, her onyx locks were put up into an elegant bun. He watched as her dark brown, almost black eyes searched her surrounding before finding him and his Lord. Hinata stepped forward before giving them a small bow. Both he and Lord Touga gave a customary bow back before watching her step aside. Next to step out was his eldest cousin, Kikyo. She was dress in a Miko garb that were colored in the Matsumoto's celestial colors. Her hakamas were black as night and her haori was a rich violet. On the right sleeves of her haori was a large white design of a wolf, which was the emblem of the Matsumoto's celestial beast. Her dark brown eyes scanned her surrounding before landing on him. They stared at each other for a few minutes before she looked back over at her mother. Souta watched with wide eyes as three serpentine like creatures flew around his cousin's figure... The Shinidamachu. He had heard many rumors about them. From what he understood was that Kikyo's Soul companion were soul collectors and the thought made him shudder. Movement caught his eye, forcing him to look down at the third person of the party. His youngest cousin, Keade, was standing behind her sister as she clutched Kikyo's pant leg. He could tell that the small 10 year old girl was slightly frightened to be in such a new environment.

"Welcome, the House of Matsumoto, the West is glad you made it safely." Lord Touga's voice boomed out, snapping everyone to attention.

"Thank you my Lord... The House of Matsumoto is happy to be here." Lady Hinata said in a customary reply.

"Forgive this one for the absence of my mate and children. Lady Inukimi is currently seeing to your chambers and my sons are currently destroying my dojo. But if you would be so kind as to follow this one, I will show you to your chambers so you may settle. This one is sure that you are tired from such a long journey." Lord Touga continued before he swept his arm out in a gracious manner, giving a indication that he wanted the family to follow.

"Yes, thank you my Lord. We would most definitely would like some rest before supper." Lady Hinata bowed in graditude before the family began to follow him.

Souta lingered back as he watched them all head towards the Shiro. He lost himself in thought for a moment before a voice snapped him out of it.

"Souta!" A light vibrant voice called out and he looked over his shoulder. A girl, who was a year younger than him was seen racing towards him with excited energy. She was clad in a orange and white kimono, her rich chocolate brown hair was pulled up into a bun, but what had him most capitivated was her cinnamon colored eyes.

"Good evening Rin." He called out once he cleared his throat. The girl in question beamed a bright smile before she latched herself to his right arm, which caused a light blush to dust his cheeks.

"Come on Souta, your going to miss it. My brothers are fighting in the dojo again. Let's go watch." Rin said with a giggle as she began to drag him away.

The blush on Souta's cheeks grew deeper as Rin grabbed him by the hand. Clearing his throat again, Souta spoke to try and distract himself. "Oh? Who's winning?"

Rin turned to look over her shoulder and shot Souta with another bright smile before answering." Sesshoumaru of course."

Souta absentmindedly nodded his head, he was more than happy to let Rin distract him from his gloomy thoughts, so he gave no resistance as she drug him towards the dojo.

END OF CHAPTER 3

A/N: Thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

(MYTHOLOGY FACTS)

Shinidamachu- they are serpentine like youkai that will collect the souls of the dead. -Japanese mythology