Chapter up! When I re-wrote the last chapter, I actually forgot to include something very important to the plot! Brillant, right? ; Thankfully, I was able to fit it right in to this chapter.
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Sesshomaru could remember from his childhood many things, but one thing always stood out sharply in his memory: his father was almost always busy. He had been told that ruling was very difficult and time consuming; his father loved his people and tried his hardest to rule justly. He, Sesshomaru, shouldn't whine or complain about his absence because his work was very important. People needed him to guide them or they would fall to chaos. Sesshomaru knew now that particular explanation was a very poetic one meant to hopefully ease a child's longings for his father, but no one was lying when they said it was time consuming.
Sesshomaru awoke before the sun the next morning and spent the first few minutes of the day meditating. After that, he had no time for himself. He appointed people he knew to be loyal to the positions emptied by the purging. He revoked some of the ridiculous laws created after his father's death, (slightly angered yet not surprised that most were created solely by his mother, with some assistance by Hachi and Fujiyu), and he forged new ones. He began the daunting task of reorganizing the tax system. After finding his favorite library in disarray bordering on ruin, he appointed people whose only responsibilities were to keep the library in order and to care for the scrolls, some of which were very old. Taking a tour of the palace, he ordered renovations on several rooms and set gardeners on the less tame of the walkways and gardens. He reviewed the military and watched them run drills; the commanders swore loyalty to him, and in turn the soldiers lower than them were Sesshomaru's as well. Not that he doubted his own combat abilities, but somehow having a fighting force of over ten thousand men made him feel more secure in this new but so familiar environment. Everything looked so different from the view of a ruler.
Ochiba joined the demon lord for a light lunch, and Sesshomaru knew he had to bring up that which he would have rather avoided.
"Taro and Jiro return tomorrow," he said abruptly, looking at his tea rather than the proud woman across from him.
"Indeed," she replied. "I imagine they will be surprised to hear that you've come back. After all, your mother died so suddenly, and then, another surprise, you've taken over in what? Two days?"
"My mother left the throne to very incapable people who would have abused their power. I had to stop that," Sesshomaru answered, an uneasy feeling creeping over him.
"I see. She was the only person preventing your return," Ochiba murmured with downcast eyes that flickered up to meet her husband's.
"She did not prevent my return in any way," he said sharply, meeting her gaze directly.
"Of course; my apologies. How foolish of me to think that the one who charged you with treason and had you exiled could have prevented your return. Funny, though, how you did return right after she-"
"Why were they in the Southern province?" Sesshomaru asked, forcing the conversation back to its original course. Damn. Ochiba wasn't stupid; she knew. Depending on what exactly it was she knew, he could find himself in a bad situation. For now, he'd have to ignore it.
"Diplomatic ventures. Unfortunately, they were largely unsuccessful. Everything is the same as it was before they left," she informed him. A few moments of silence allowed the tension in the room to increase.
"A quiet meeting to discuss their attempts; I'd like to know why such measures were necessary." He realized that the statement made him seem slightly angered, but he made no move to correct it.
"You, of course, have full permission to join us," he said, noticing the way she was looking at him. "If you would like."
"I would like it very much."
The tension mounted again and the silence stretched on. Sesshomaru attempted to avoid thinking about Taro and Jiro, but found he could think of nothing else at the moment. He hated to admit it, but the two made him feel awkward. He was never quite sure what to say to them.
"Rin-san was teased earlier today."
"What?" His attention snapped back to the present. "Who did it?"
"I'm not sure. Apparently they were mocking her for her lack of manners and her humanity."
Sesshomaru felt anger stir in him, like someone stoking hot coals. How dare they! He suppressed the urge to growl.
"My lord, perhaps I can be of service here? I could teach her formal, proper court etiquette. The teasing would abate if she knew how to act properly." Ochiba's expression was one of a desire to help, but Sesshomaru paused. This was an act, he was certain. It was such a sudden shift in feelings toward his R- He mentally shook himself. A sudden shift in feelings towards Rin. He doubted that they were genuine. Still, he knew she had trapped him. If he said yes, then who knew if Rin would be any better off? But if he said no, it sent the message that he didn't care that Rin was teased (which couldn't be farther from the truth), and that he didn't trust Ochiba to teach. Both would be bad; he would have to risk the former, especially if Ochiba knew enough about what she had hinted at earlier.
"That would be very helpful," Sesshomaru told her, hiding his uncertainty behind his mask, an unreadable face. Ochiba thanked him for the honor, and something in her voice strengthened his suspicions about both Rin and her knowledge.
He dismissed her then, calling for a servant to fetch Inuyasha and his wife. They would need instruction as well; he had prepared the details of their education earlier while reviewing the teachers at the palace. A servant cleared away the remains of his meal, and just as he finished preparing his writing instruments, Inuyasha and Kagome entered.
They sat next to each other, and they both carried the faint scent of having bathed recently. Inuyasha looked the same, still in his red hakama and haori, but Kagome had been transformed. No longer did a teenage high schooler from some distant future sit before Sesshomaru, but a beautiful young woman of the present. She wore a two layer kimono due to the heat, and her face was properly powered and her lips and eyes were drawn. Her hair had been twisted up into a tight bun on the top of her head and it had the soft sheen of being treated properly. Sesshomaru could tell by the way she sat that her new outfit made her uncomfortable, but she would get used to it soon.
"Inuyasha, Lady Kagome," Sesshomaru greeted them, forgoing the formal title for his brother, but keeping it for his wife. He noted that the title made her seem uncomfortable as well; another thing she would have to get used to.
"Are you adjusting well to your new life?" He knew the sheer formality of the room intimidated them, and he wanted to see how they would react. Better see it here and correct any errors than to hope for the best and have them mess up in front of the Court.
"It's… very different," Kagome said with a slight smile.
"It's weird," Inuyasha said outright. "Everyone's bowing and being so damn polite and offering to take care of our tiniest desire. It makes me sick!"
"Why is that?" Sesshomaru questioned.
"Because it's obvious that they hate us! They wrinkle their noses when they think I'm not looking; I can feel their disgust! Yet they act like they would do anything for us! It's so fake!"
"They would do anything for you. It's their duty to serve you as best as possible. Their personal feelings are irrelevant."
"So you agree that they hate us?" Inuyasha asked scornfully.
"There will be some who harbor ill feelings towards you simply of what you are. They think you're inferior, and until you prove them wrong, they'll believe that. I would have thought you would be used to that by now, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru told him, finding himself irritated by Inuyasha's complaint.
"Just because it might happen all the time doesn't mean that he's used to it! A person never gets used to being treated that way," Kagome said strongly, glaring at Sesshomaru. "Don't be so arrogant; you still give Inuyasha garbage all the time."
"Lady, I'm certain my brother is more than capable of defending himself. He doesn't need a human woman to do it for him," Sesshomaru responded curtly.
"Is this all you wanted to talk about, Sesshomaru? Because if that's it, I'd like to leave now." Inuyasha started to rise.
Sesshomaru bristled at the disrespect. "No, the subject of your education still needs to be addressed. Sit down."
"What education?" Inuyasha demanded.
"My point exactly."
Sesshomaru turned his attention to Kagome. "You, I presume, can read and write, am I correct?" He received an affirmative and so continued. "Please detail the extent of your education."
She began listing classes, ticking them off on her fingers. Sesshomaru recognized most of them, like history and literature, but some things, like calculus and 'French', had him lost. He didn't mention his lack of understanding, but he did, however, question her about the subjects he was acquainted with.
"Well," he began after she had finished, "your courses might have helped you in your own time, but they are hardly sufficient for this era. You need instruction in Court etiquette, and calligraphy,-" He had her demonstrate during his questioning and had found her skills to be lacking. "Your knowledge of human history and literature is worthless; you'll need to learn them properly, and you should know how to play at least one instrument. These will make you decently well-rounded." He stopped and Kagome looked rather overwhelmed. Inuyasha snickered at her.
"Don't laugh, Inuyasha; I have a feeling you will be worse off."
Sesshomaru was right. He was dismayed to learn that Inuyasha was illiterate, although he had been expecting as much, which meant that the half-demon obviously had little to no grasp of literature. His knowledge of history was pathetic, and Sesshomaru couldn't believe that Inuyasha didn't even know how many provinces Japan had.
"Ready for your list, little brother?"
Sulking, Inuyasha nodded.
"Very well. First, you need to learn how to read and write. I've never heard of prince that didn't even know how to write his own name. You will be joining your wife in Court etiquette, calligraphy, history, literature, and instrumental instruction. Because you are a prince, you need lessons in law, political science, and war, so you'll at least have a faint idea of what other people are talking about. I'd also like you to learn unarmed combat skills, because, frankly, if you take away the Tetsusaiga, you're powerless." Inuyasha opened his mouth to object but Sesshomaru didn't give him the chance. "I know your demon blood rises in that situation, but then you can't even think straight; I'd like you to learn how to control that. Training for unarmed combat will, hopefully help that."
Inuyasha was effectively silenced; Kagome, however, had one thing to point out.
"Um, Sesshomaru?"
He looked at her.
"Inuyasha and I aren't married."
Sesshomaru sat there for a few moments, stunned. They weren't married? This was disastrous. Kagome had just done a fine job of endangering her life more than it already was. No one would tolerate her presence if she was just some human. She had to be Inuyasha's wife! And their children; bastard children had no claim to anything. They couldn't be considered Inuyasha's heirs. If anyone found out about this, Kagome and her children were as good as dead, and he and Inuyasha would be publicly disgraced. Sesshomaru could see his entire plan crumbling into dust.
"Sesshomaru?"
He looked at Inuyasha.
"How could you do this?" he asked faintly.
"What?"
Sesshomaru shook himself. "You and Kagome aren't married?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"Why not?" Sesshomaru demanded. Inuyasha looked taken aback.
"Well, none of the shrines around here would because I'm half-demon. They all though I'd kill them or had bewitched Kagome or some other such bullshit," Inuyasha explained.
"And you never thought to have Kagome's grandfather perform the service?" he snapped. Damn it; get a hold of yourself, Sesshomaru!
"What's wrong?" Kagome pressed.
Sesshomaru took a deep breath. "I brought you here under the assumption that you were married," he said, hoping no one else would over hear anything. "Without that tie to Inuyasha, Kagome, if anyone brought this to public attention, you and your children would probably be assassinated before night fall."
"What!" they both cried in unison.
"My people, this is sudden for them." Sesshomaru sought for the words to explain, angry at his unexpected ineloquence. "Some only tolerate you because you are, in their eyes, Inuyasha's wife, which places you higher than them. Without that advantage, many would plan to kill you because you are a severe breach of tradition and unworthy to be here because you are human. Your children are bastards; they aren't considered Inuyasha's heirs, so they would be killed as well because of their mixed blood."
"This is why you demons are so fucked up," Inuyasha spat. "You think you have a right to control everything; you think you're better than everyone else! I don't care if we aren't married; I'll take on anyone who tries to hurt Kagome!"
"Be silent, Inuyasha. You aren't help anything," Sesshomaru commanded, unable to keep the irritation from his voice any longer.
"And you!" Inuyasha whirled on his brother, now out right shouting. "This is all your damn fault! You think you can control everything too! But you can't; this only proves it. I'm sorry if we caused a problem in your plans, but we never asked to be a part of them!"
"That's enough, Inuyasha. Sit down," Sesshomaru growled. Get a hold of yourself, his mind repeated over and over again in a strange mantra.
"I don't care what your stupid Court rules are! I don't care what everybody else thinks! If they try to hurt Kagome, I'll take them all on! I beat all their stupid stuck up demon as-"
"I said 'enough'!" Sesshomaru shouted, lunging at Inuyasha and punching him to the floor. The mantra within his mind exploded to a new intensity, louder and more persistent.
Inuyasha scrambled to his feet, launching himself at his brother, who nimbly stepped to the side. Kagome fled to a corner, shouting for them to stop, and being ignored as usual. Claws outstretched, Inuyasha charged his brother, who jumped out of the way. Sesshomaru twisted in midair to avoid Inuyasha's upward swipe, and landed gently. He rushed Inuyasha with his unsurpassable speed and struck him in the chest, sending the half demon crashing through the shoji out into a garden. Sesshomaru leapt after him, touching ground next to Inuyasha, but he was forced to take to the air once more as Inuyasha lash out again. Sesshomaru back flipped and landed on the porch. The mantra in his mind protested his actions loudly, and it seemed to him that it had taken on the sound of his father's voiced. It compelled him to stop, and Sesshomaru listened.
He stood there, quivering with rage, his eyes shut. Part of him wanted to annihilate his brother, that stupid, disrespectful, uneducated, half breed of a mistake. Thankfully, a greater part of him listened to Chichiue's strong voice telling him to stop, to take deep breaths and regain control.
Back on his feet once more, Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru, tense and ready to fight back. Sesshomaru didn't move; he opened his eyes and slowly let out a breath. He then did something that caused both Inuyasha and Kagome to gape in surprise.
"I apologize, Inuyasha, for doing that," he said quietly out of formality more than anything else.
Sesshomaru walked inside and sat down, leaving a shocked Inuyasha standing. He found himself momentarily amused at his brother's expression.
"We're going to be living together; we might as well learn to treat each other civilly," he muttered.
He dismissed them so he could have a few moments of silence. This was turning out to have more problems than he thought. First Ochiba, then Inuyasha and Kagome's little surprise…
Sesshomaru was slightly startled to find that he had a headache.
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Next chapter: Taro and Jiro arrive! Who are they and do they make Sesshomaru feel so uncomfortable? Cookies if you can guess! (Chittyco, you can not guess because you know the answer.)