Chapter 4:

Sesshomaru sat stiffly on the forward-facing seat of the stretch limo with his brother on one side and Tamisé on the other. Mavis, Rin and Jaken occupied the back-facing seat. Mavis held Rin on her lap and was pointing out things to her through the window of the car. Jaken stared out of the window on his side, his mouth hanging open in amazement at everything he saw.

"Lady Tayne sends her apologies for not being at home to greet you properly, Lord Sesshomaru," Tamisé was saying as Inuyasha translated. "They have had a death in the family and she will be unable to return for a few more days. In the meantime, her housekeeper, Mrs. Willard, will see that you have everything you require."

Sesshomaru nodded. He wanted badly to gawk out of the window as well, but that would have made him look undignified.

"Here we are," Tamisé announced.

They waited until Leo opened the doors before getting out of the car. Tamisé led the way to the main entrance of a stately mansion.

"We typically use the kitchen door," the tall redhead said, grinning. "But Mrs. Willard will have my head if I bring 'his lordship' through the kitchen like a commoner."

Mrs. Willard had the front entrance open as they mounted the first of the three steps of the porch.

"And here ye are already! Do come in, milord. On behalf of Lady Tayne and Mr. Newcastle, welcome."

Sesshomaru nodded as his brother translated. "My thanks."

Sesshomaru allowed himself to stare around his new environs. This place was radically different from a modern Japanese home. Everything seemed so large! The furniture was quite different, and he was not certain what some of the pieces were used for.

"I'll be takin' you right up to your rooms," Mrs. Willard said. "You must all be tired."

The group followed her up the broad main staircase.

"I've put the young miss in here," Mrs. Willard said, indicating a pretty room decorated in pinks. "And Mavis, you're right next door in the blue room. Master Jaken, I've put you in here and Lord Sesshomaru will have Tam's old suite."

Rin clapped her hands in delight at the pretty room she had been given. "Oh look, Lord Sesshomaru! I've never seen such a bed! Have you?"

"No, Rin. Never. I imagine that it is quite comfortable, though. Perhaps you'd like to try it now."

"I'll tuck her in," Mavis said, taking the child by the hand. "Good night, everyone."

Jaken stuck his head into the room he had been given. "Oh, that's far too grand for me! I should be staying with Lord Sesshomaru."

"I can have Leo bring in a cot, if you want," Mrs. Willard said. "Here, my lord. This is your suite."

Sesshomaru walked into a cozy sitting room and looked about at the unfamiliar furniture. The room was furnished with a handsome cherrywood desk and a comfortable-looking chair in one corner. There was a loveseat and another easy chair across the room, facing a large television. Bookcases along the walls held reading materials. Sesshomaru, of course, did not know the names of many of these things, but he could, for the most part, deduce their function.

Mrs. Willard indicated a door at the far end of the room. "And the bedroom is through here, milord. There's a bath attached and another door out to the hall.

Sesshomaru stepped into the bedroom and surveyed the contents. The bed was huge, much larger than he needed, and there were pieces of furniture designed to hold clothes, as well as an alcove for more storage. The bathroom was large as well, containing a huge bathtub, as well as a showerstall, toilet and sink.

"Very nice," he said.

"Now, are you needing anything else, milord? Anything to eat or drink before you retire?"

"Nothing, thank you."

The housekeeper bobbed a curtsey and left Sesshomaru with Tamisé and Inuyasha. Sesshomaru heard her speak to the young driver, who was bringing in a trunk of clothing. His brother coughed for his attention.

"Let me show you how some of these things work, oniisan," Inuyasha said.

The half-demon quickly explained the function of in the bathroom, showing Sesshomaru how to flush the toilet and turn the sink taps on and off. In the bedroom, he showed him how to turn the lights off and on. Back in the sitting room, he showed him how to turn the television on and off.

Sesshomaru had jumped back a little when the television had come on and a late-night newscast blasted into the room. Inuyasha quickly turned the sound down, then demonstrated how the remote worked to change the channel. Jaken pressed his face against the screen.

"How did those people get in there?"

"They're not really in there, Jaken. The screen just shows pictures of them. They're somewhere else."

"What strong magic these people have!"

"Not magic, imp. It's technology. A whole different thing."

Sesshomaru suddenly envied his brother. Inuyasha had had time to get used to these marvels and seemed very comfortable around them. It would take some time before Sesshomaru could become as competent in their use.

"Do you want a cot brought in for Jaken?" Inuyasha asked him.

"No. I think I shall be fine on my own. Jaken, you may assist me with my armour, and then retire to your own room."

"Yes, my lord."

"You will attend me in the morning, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said. "And we will take care of certain matters then."

Inuyasha bowed his head. "I will be here first thing, brother."

"Good night then. And good night to you as well, Tamisé. Thank you for all your help."

"Good night, Lord Sesshomaru. We will see you tomorrow."

OoOoOo

When Inuyasha returned to the Windrows' house, he found Kagome and Sango curled up together on the livingroom couch, nattering away a mile a minute. Miroku sat in Jonathan's favourite armchair, smiling indulgently.

"Where's Jon and Kirsty?" Inuyasha asked Kagome.

"Gone to bed. Ryan's going to stay at Tam's so Miroku can have his room and Sango and Shippo will have mine."

"And you?" He gave her a naughty smirk and raised an eyebrow.

Kagome blushed. "Like you'd let me sleep anywhere else but with you."

"So…" Miroku said. "When did all this happen anyway? Not that I'm not happy for you both."

"Well, truthfully, not that long ago," Inuyasha said. "Come on, Miroku. I'd like to talk to you, and we're just in the girls' way."

Miroku followed Inuyasha outside. "This is so strange, Inuyasha, to be on the other side of the world. To me, it feels like morning."

"Keh. You'll adjust in a few days."

"So…"

Inuyasha examined his nails. "Yeah…"

"I understand that you let Kagome go with another man for a while."

"Yeah. Tamisé said it was better to let her discover for herself that it was a mistake. It was hard, though, Miroku. I'd smell David on her and want to go berserk. But she came back to me when she realized that I would treat her better than that asshole. That I would never force her to do anything she didn't want to. This sleeping together thing was her idea – not that I'm complaining, mind you. I feel like I've been in heaven these last few days."

Miroku smiled. "You look more relaxed than I've ever seen you, Inuyasha. And you smile a lot more. Even your brother wasn't able to provoke you."

Inuyasha laughed a little. "Yeah – that was amazing in itself. But tomorrow morning, I have to go talk to him about Kagome. And I'm going to try to have a serious discussion about him and me. About my future. 'Cause there is gonna be one, monk! I have someone now, to look after, to care for, to build a life around."

"Sounds very serious, Inuyasha."

"Miroku… this party we're having for Kagome's birthday – she doesn't know about it yet. She thinks we're just going to hear Tam's band play. But at that party, I – I'm hoping to become betrothed to her. I'm gonna ask her to marry me. I have to speak to her mother first, when she gets here, but whether she gives her permission or not, I'm gonna ask Kagome."

Miroku felt himself grin from ear to ear. "That's marvelous, Inuyasha! I'm sure her mother will give permission."

"Y'think so? She did promise me she wouldn't stand in our way, as long as it was what Kagome wanted."

"I had the opportunity to meet her mother before we had to leave. She's a very nice woman. I'm sure there won't be any problems."

"I hope not, Miroku." Inuyasha yawned. "Sorry! It's very late for me, and I have to get up early tomorrow. When Sesshomaru says 'first thing', I know he means it. I'll be going over there for breakfast, I think. Then afterwards, we can spend some time together. Kirsty won't want to jump right back into training – there'll be paperwork she has to catch up on." Suddenly, Inuyasha grinned evilly. "I should introduce you to Sharon, her secretary."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Oh – I think you'll like her. She's a woman after your own heart."

"My…? Wait a minute, Inuyasha – is this going to get me into trouble with Sango?"

"Probably!"