Light of My Life
Light of My Life
Title: Light of My Life
Author: kazeko
Series: Inuyasha
Rating: R
Archive: Sesshoumaru/Kagome
Characters: Sesshoumaru/Kagome, Inuyasha/Koyama, Sango/Miroku
Summary: A powerful prophecy brings mortal enemies together, but prejudice may well tear them apart and spell the end of all inuyoukai.
Disclaimer: No ownership.
Chapter 21: To Let Her Go
Inuyasha gathered his pups and assigned three members of his pack to watch them on the trip back to their lands. Koyama was bidding Sesshoumaru's pups farewell as the Lord watched the activity, motionless. As the Fire Stripe Pack finally gathered together and headed south into their area of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru took his pups back into the castle. Akihikomaru was acting strangely, a result of his prolonged trip away from his family, no doubt, so the lord ordered Jaken to entertain the pups for the night. He mentally checked off the tasks he had decided to accomplish that night and found nothing lacking, turning to retire to his study.
Sesshoumaru reached the study doors and froze, uncertain about entering for some reason. Deciding to yield to his instincts, the taiyoukai headed for the upper floor of the castle instead, walking onto a balcony and seating himself on a large cushion shielded by the overhang. Safe from the elements and finally able to enjoy the silence, Sesshoumaru looked east, toward Edo and Kagome, and let his thoughts return to the time they had spent together. He did not move all night.
Kaori watched her father for an hour, her brothers and Shippo sitting in a half-circle behind her. Sesshoumaru had not moved in a week, had not eaten, and had not slept. Sometimes, youkai could go much longer without taking care of themselves in a battle situation or when tending newborn pups, but their father was only sitting and missing Kagome. Kaori had learned that her grandmother prevented Sesshoumaru from visiting the human, afraid that his beast would try to claim her. The pup knew that until she was older and her visions were clearer, Sesshoumaru would continue to take his mother's advice over hers. Resigned to waiting, the pup decided that her father could not be allowed to sulk any longer.
Standing, Kaori walked the few steps to join the Western Lord, staring up at her father. Sesshoumaru looked down at the pup and smiled, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "What are you doing here? You pups should be playing in the garden."
"We're sick of playing. We want to go hunting and patrolling. I want to see that lands that I will rule and meet the lesser lords I have to keep in line. You will take us to patrol today and stop staring across the country."
Sesshoumaru stared at his daughter, considering her demand. Sighing, he stood and reached for his swords, slipping them into his obi. "Very well. But if you plan to have me treat you more like adults, I expect you to learn how to defend yourselves, as well. It will be a long journey to visit all of the other lords."
Kaori raised her head high in acceptance of the challenge. "I know that I and my brothers are ready, Father."
"Very well."
Shippo crossed his arms as he stared at the assembled pups of the Flower Storm Pack. Tsukiko and Takeshi had eighteen children with them, some nearly old enough to mate, some still young enough to play with Sesshoumaru's pups. The young kitsune had been surprised when Sesshoumaru brought him on the tour of the Western Lands, but he was glad that he was being included in the pack. Kaori sat beside him, nibbling on a sweet fruit one of the pups had offered her, waiting for her brothers to wander away so she could speak with Shippo in private.
"I spoke with Akihiko after his trip to see Kagome."
"Yeah?"
Kaori nodded. "There was no pup. Our herbs were unsuccessful."
Shippo growled in frustration, a trait he had picked up from the pups. "After all the work we did to get the herbs in her ramen in the first place! Did the Rights not go as planned? Was there a problem or something and Naraku interrupted?"
"I don't know, Shippo. I never got a chance to see if the Rights were completed. It can take a few days for the female's scent to change. Kagome rejected the pack, cast off my father's blood if she received any at all. The ritual to cast off the pack is the same for an unbonded lover, a female who is being courted, or a bonded lover. There's no way to know. Only the three in attendance could tell us, and they would never speak to a pair of pups about that sort of thing. There's no way to find out."
"You're sure there's no pup? They might have kept it a secret from Akihiko when he visited. I don't know why, though."
"Why is easy. Uncle Inuyasha would do it to protect this pack from the miko curse. Even I cannot deny the validity of the wandering miko's words. However, my brother would not have been invited back if there was something to hide from him."
"So what do we do, Kaori? Your plan hinged on a hanyou pup saving us all."
"We will have to save ourselves, I suppose. Give me a few years to think of something."
Seizukiko glared at the toy on the floor, blue eyes narrowed in determination. She had been playing with it peacefully when it fell out of her hands and landed on the floor, very far away. Her tiny ears twitched back and forth, unsure if she should try to retrieve it, but there was no one else around to get it. Determined, the toddler sunk her claws in the wood of her crib's railing, pulling herself up until she could just lean over the edge. Lifting her tail, she moved her center of gravity forward and squealed as she fell, landing on her belly on the floor. She crawled over to her toy and picked it up, letting out a fierce growl warning it to behave.
Looking around, she realized that the little room she lived in had an opening. Crawling closer, she found that the opening, covered by a heavy fabric, led to another room that also had an opening. Feeling adventurous, the toddler headed out the door, through the living area, and into the sunlight of the Great Outdoors. She paused a moment there, nose raised high as she gathered information about this new world. She had never been here before, never seen so much green, and certainly had never scented so many humans and youkai. One scent in particular called to her, its deep, musky aroma setting it apart from the weak scents of the coyotes and the earthy scents of the humans all around. With only a moment's hesitation, Seizukiko abandoned her toy and crawled out of the hut, heading for the interesting smell.
The hanyou pup squealed as she was lifted into the air. Her mother's scent surrounded her and she growled in irritation. She had lost the interesting scent she was following.
Kagome shook her head at her wandering daughter, kissing the girl's silver ears. "Where were you going, Sei? Did you see something interesting?"
"Probably smelled something interesting," a young voice piped up from Kagome's feet. Seizukiko squirmed, demanding to see the person who spoke. She was handed off into another set of arms, and that strange musky scent she had been following surrounded her again. She sighed as her nose began to work in earnest, taking in that smell.
Akihiko chuckled at the baby in his arms. "She recognizes me as her brother, Mother Kagome. It was probably my scent she chased out here. Inu youkai want to be around family. It's an instinct. We recognize family members by scent."
"How can her sense of smell be that strong? She's only half youkai."
"Uncle Inuyasha has a very developed sense of smell, even though most of his other senses are weak in comparison to a full-blooded youkai." Akihikomaru smiled as he nuzzled the pup. "I'm glad I can come see you, baby sister."
"I'm glad she'll get to know someone in her family."
"The years pass so quickly, Inuyasha."
The hanyou looked up from his report, one eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"
Sesshoumaru sighed and turned away from the window. "It has been more than ten years since I last saw her, a full decade of human life. My pups are growing well, they are strong, and they are learning to fend for themselves. Soon they will form a true pack hierarchy among themselves. In a mere hundred years, they will be mated and have pups of their own. And I will still not have seen her."
Inuyasha sighed, twitching his ears. Over the years he and his brother had come to understand one another and no longer fought, no longer argued. After Inuyasha's second litter of pups, they had begun to see more of each other so their children could play and later train together. Inuyasha wished that he could tell Sesshoumaru about Seizukiko, but it would only cause the taiyoukai more pain. "You'll see her when Rin is ready to wed. You already agreed on that."
"True. But I know Mother will be there to make sure that I do not touch her and do not talk to her any more than necessary. That is not the reunion I wish for."
"I know."
"The fault lies with this curse. If Kagome had been born youkai . . . there would be a chance. I could have taken her for a mate. We would have pups by now, strong pups with her blue eyes." Sesshoumaru turned at the sudden change in Inuyasha's scent. "What? What is it, brother?"
Inuyasha froze for a second, desperately searching for an excuse. He felt a stab of guilt at Sesshoumaru's words, thinking about a blue-eyed hanyou who might never know her father. "It's just . . . I feel bad about the whole situation. I've got a mate I love, a pack who supports me, and a lot of fine youkai pups. If there was a way for me to bring her back, you know I would."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "Indeed. Certainly it must be almost time for Rin to mate, now that you mention it. Certainly she has many suitors by now. You must go to Kagome and bring Rin here so that she might visit with me and the pups. I understand Mother's reasoning for sending her away, but there is nothing stopping her from visiting."
"I'll go in a few days. Right now, we have the issue of the three villages between my lands and the Green Mist Pack's lands. They've been monopolizing the trade even though we have an open agreement."
Sesshoumaru reached over for the report, turning his concentration to the agreement.
TBC