Twentieth-four: Lady Tsukiko

A young woman stood on a stone pad in a garden of the western castle when the sun moves to the west in the close of spring. Some trees still bloom but almost of them are lose the petals to leave only the green leaves on the branches.

"Kagome-sama"

"Yes, Chizu"

"The councils want to talk to you."

'What do they want with me? Or do I did something wrong?' She followed the demonness to the third floor of the castle.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in" A middle aged male demon in a violet blue silk turned his face to the slid open paper door saw the two females are one sat at the foot door and one stood at the door.

"Please sit down, Kagome-sama"

"Thank you"

"My name is Dengyo and here is Gendo and the one I think you knew him already."

"Yes, Kobomune-san"

"We had been informed from our lord that your memory is returning, right?"

"Yes, Gendo-san"

"Did he tell you about the missing jewel shards in the demon land?"

"We collected a shard in the eastern island on last two years from the invisible dragon."

"But he said he the one with Lord Bokusui but the last one he didn't know where it is."

"Yes but why Lord Bokusui still keeps the shard for several hundred years but he didn't use it."

"We didn't know maybe he might use it for a reason."

"I see and will Sesshoumaru-sama ask him for the shard?"

"Yes but we don't know the time."

"Do you know their relationship?" It is like a thunder strikes at her heart and why she does not know the relationship and how much of his love gave to the lord's daughter.

"…Yes"

Next two days, the western lord advised the lady of the west to stay with him at the western palace. But she refused to go anywhere so the lord must visited her again at the moon castle.

"Why don't you stay with me for a while and don't you afraid he will come here."

"He cannot trespass this palace."

"Are you sure but he build this palace so he knew the secret passageway."

"Don't worry, Maru-kun. I have been close the way after he left for eight hundred years ago."

"No, I won't trust him and he might find the way to come in." He grabbed her small wrist and walk to the entrance then the lord held her up and turned to her servant.

"Muika, you stay here and informed me if he comes."

"Yes, my lord"

"Let me go, Sesshoumaru" She pushed him away but the strong arms holds her tight.

"Stay with me for a while until we drive him out, mother."

"What the hell, Sesshoumaru?"

"Because of him and I won't let him touches you again."

Muika saw her young lord held his mother and walked out of the gate before leapt through the sky to the western palace. The castle is down to her young lord and his son live for several hundred years ago before the demon lords moved their land and people from the human world to this land are clean and rich of natural resource than the old land and they built the gate to separate the land from the human world. The lord put her down on the floor of the western castle before told his servant to prepare her room.

"Alright Maru-kun, mother will stay here for a while for your comfortableness."

"Hn"

The golden eyes stared at her back until she left the corner to the stairs to the lower floor. The silver hair woman reached to the eastern garden saw the familiar human girl played with the two heads dragon.

"Tsukiko-san!"

"Osen"

"Do you live here but why don't I see you for long time if you be here?"

"I didn't live here, Osen."

"I see. By the way, do you find Ren?"

The name hit her but she did not show the feeling in front of anyone. "No" She glanced at the girl.

"Doesn't he accompany you to the south?"

"I was separated from them at the boundary because the other demons attacked us."

"I see and where is Hana?"

"I thing she might be with Ren."

"I see."

The young demon lord walked toward the females who sat on a wooden bench under a green maple tree next to the brothers who lay on their stomach on the green yard while the one saw him walked forward the group.

"Granny"

"Hn!" Such a grieved word hurt Kagome's feeling.

"What the matter, Osen?"

"Nothing" She shook her head. 'My damn grand child, Yashahiro'

"What, Kaito?" She looked at him. "Does your father want to see me?"

"No but the councils wait for you at the meeting room."

The lady stood up and left the group to the castle but her son's word memorable her. So a small hand tugged his claws to sit beside her but the young demon lord did not do as she wants.

"Why do you call her your granny?"

"Don't you know her?"

"She is my friend."

"Your friend?" He knitted the silvery bow and turned around toward her immediately. "Why do you call your mother in law is your friend?"

"Hn?"

"She is the lady of the west and my father's mother so she…"

"Oh! No!"

"Hn" He looked at her shocking face turned to him slowly and turned back.

'What I have done?'

"Don't you see her blue crescent moon on her forehead is the same as our foreheads?"

The elegant lady sat on a silk pad in front of the demon councils in the meeting. She waits patiently with their business but the familiar voice of her young lord rang her pointing ears.

"What the matter, my lady?" A council glanced at her.

"Nothing, Gendo" She tried to hind her laugh when her grandson told her the truth.

"By the way, why Sesshoumaru-sama brought you here?"

"I will leave if you want to see me because of the silly reason but why don't you ask him?"

"No, my lady and we have another subject to talk to you."

"So what?"

A demon lord of the north was reported from his assistant about the asked for the hand of the western lady but she refused him. The assistant asked for the reason but the lady said only she is not the single woman and she has a pup who is the western lord. A lord knew that fact but it is not the true reason so he will visit her at the moon palace in a recent day.

"We are sorry, Lord Hisayuki but she didn't live here."

"What do you say!" He stared at the lady's servant. "Here isn't her palace anymore?"

"No, here it is but Lord Sesshoumaru took her to the western castle for weeks."

"Is that so?"

The lord and his assistant left the moon palace to the western palace to see his intend woman. They wait for the lady, the western lord and the western councils in the meeting room in the late morning. The councils sat at the side while the western lord and the western lady sat on the fine silk pads at the head of the room. Two pairs of golden eyes stared at the new comers who they gave them the answers over a week but the lord persistent to see her.

"Your messenger didn't tell you about my answer, Lord Hisayuki?"

"No, he already told me but I want to know the truth why do you refuse my asked?"

"I am too old to be your mate."

"No, Lady Tsukiko"

"Why don't you choose other demonnesses who are more beautiful and younger than me?"

"But on one cannot comparable to you."

"Thank you but I still give you the same answer."

"So please tell me the true reason and I won't disturb you again."

"I…"

"Because of she is my mate." A boy voice diverted all of the room made everyone sees him stood at the door.

A silver hair and silver eyes boy held his sword tightly while the soldiers followed him. But they stopped when they saw their lord's assistant at the door. The western heir and a human girl rushed to the meeting room after they heard the boisterous from the third floor of the castle.

"Ren!"

"Touga"

"Who are you, boy?" Lord Hisayuki stretched his form but does not get up.

"I'm her mate."

A young woman is going toward the boy but the western heir caught her arm to stand next to him made the girl looked at his beautiful face.

"Ren, what are you doing here?" She whispered and knew he can hear her.

The young demon does not turn to her or answer her question but stepped into the room to face his son and his mate again after he died for eight hundred years ago.

"What are you doing here, Touga?"

"So tell me who steals my mate from the moon palace and force her here."

"I don't know who you mean."

"Don't be silly, my son."

The two guests sat in silent after they heard the boy said that the lady of the west is his mate and the western lord called this boy is Touga. They knew the previous lord was died for long time to protect his human woman from her fiancé after she gave birth of his half-blood pup.

"You left her to that wench and have your happy family but why do you return to her again?" The western lord glared at him but still sit on a pad next to her. "I though that you are in peace with that human in the under world forever."

"Yes, I love Izayoi but I still love your mother, too."

"There's nothing left to you and here is my castle not your castle and I'm not your son anymore."

Such a malignant word hurts his feeling but the western lord is right because he destroyed his family with his hand by chose the human woman to be his mate and died for her. He returned from the other world again but he is a boy and younger than his son who sat beside his mate.

"You are right, Sesshoumaru. You are not my pup anymore but she is my mate who bares my mark so you cannot take another man's mate if her mate still alive." The boy glanced at the new face.

"Is it true, my lady?" A council turned around to her who sat in silent beside her son.

"We are sorry, Lord Hisayuki but please left the castle."

"Hm" A new lord cannot help and he knew she still has a feeling toward her old mate. So he must leave before he gets hurt more than this time but it does not mean he will submit.

'Not this time and I will come back.'

The western lord and the other followed the boy to a field yard out of the castle. The dog lord looked around the area saw his mother, his pup, a human girl, a servant and his assistant stood at the grove edge to see their fight. He glanced at the lady and the young woman before looked back at his father stood opposite him like an old day in the last eight hundred years before he left the land to save his wrench.

"Sounga?" The western lord stared at the sword that was hidden in the castle but it is in his hand again.

"Draw your sword, Sesshoumaru"

"Hn"

The audiences just looked at the bloodline fight between Lord Sesshoumaru of the west and the rebirth Lord Touga who challenges his son for his mate is the Lady of the west. The human eyes cannot see or catch their movements but she hears the metal sound and saw only the sparks until fifteen minute later. There is no one lost their forms then the boy pointed the blade at the demon lord while Bakusaiga pointed at his throat too.

"You are stronger than I ever though, Sesshoumaru." The boy dropped his sword and kept it in the sheath.

He walked toward his mate and pulls her soft hand to follow him into the grove. The girl looked at them but turned around to follow her lover and her son to the castle gate.

'I want to know they will protect me if someone is going to take me from them alike Lord Touga and Lady Tsukiko?' She glanced at they but does not dare to ask and fear for the answer. 'I think they will say no.'

…

The boy stopped at a spring and tugged her hand to sit beside him. Then he bends down to search something in the water and held it up to put it on her palm.

"What is it?"

"Opal" He fell on his back and joins his hands under his silvery head to see the summer blue sky. "You said you like it as a pink cone shell*."

'Can he remember?'

The short hair boy picked a pink cone shell and put it in her hands. "I know it is too small but it is the most beautiful one that I can find in the time."

"It's not necessary."

"No" He caught her hand and pulled her down on his warm chest. "It is necessary and valuable…to me"

He sighed lightly. "I know you still hate me but I never forget you until the day I died on the last eight hundred years." He turned a side but still holds her soft body close to him. "Hana"

"Woof"

"Bring that pelt to me, girl"

A brown dog dragged a big white pelt to her two allies who lie on the green grass at the spring edge before walked back to her tree to get nap. The young man took off some of her silk cloth and wrapped his arms around her small waist.

"What are you doing?"

"Feel you"

"I feel hot, Touga."

The rebirth lord smiles widely when she called his name again then he kisses her scented cheek. "You are still the same, my Tsukiko…shy but cute and I glad I'm the only one who saw your cuteness and your timid."

"I never shy."

"No, my dear. Your cheeks will get bush when you feel shy." He smiles softly and kissed her blue crescent moon. "But I won't allow you show your cuteness to the other males."

"What do you do if I say no?"

He gnashes his teeth while tighten his wrapped. "I will kill them all." He whispered in her pointing ear before nibble her sensitive ear made her shivers through her body.

Two days later, the demon boy say good bye to his mate, his son, his grand pup and his daughter in law to go back to his home in the eastern land but he will come back to take his mate again when he is stronger than this time to protect her from the other demon lords.

"Do you forgive him, Sesshoumaru?" A girl saw him and her dog walked out of the western gate.

"No but I gave him a chance to prove himself again."

"Thank you"

"Hn?" He looked at the young woman beside him.

"To give him a chance" She turned around and humming a song to the eastern forest to visit the brothers. 'And will you give me a chance, Sesshoumaru?'

Pink cone shell* in Last Quarter