I do not own Inuyasha

Ch. 26

"How-How can this be?" Inu Taisho asked, completely bewildered.

"I know what you are probably thinking, but it is not so. I have come from five hundred years into the future," Yoshirou explained. Then he orbed to stand on the same bank that his grandfather stood.

Inu Taisho was still wide eyed. He had no words to describe the man in front of him. My grandson. He closed his eyes for a moment and then a question came to his mind.

"Why did you come?"

"To save my father. You see he will go tomorrow to confront the Lord of the East and he will die," Yoshirou paused a moment for his grandfather to grasp what he said.

"Sesshomaru…will…die?" Inu Taisho couldn't even get the words to flow correctly.

"That is why I am here, at the request of my mother. You see my father will die, but you bring him back using Tenseiga, but coming back from the dead will only temporarily save him. Over the course of the next fifteen years, he will slowly be consumed by the dark lighter poison inside his body and he will die a second time. Leaving my mother and siblings behind. My mother was never the same after that. All the life inside of her died with him. I am hoping to change that, by preventing my father from going to that fight. It must not happen. Will you help me, grandfather?" Yoshirou finished his speech, with Inu Taisho now leaning against a tree trying to grasp what was told to him.

Then he turned his gaze upon his grandson.

"Prove it," Inu Taisho said. For some reason he needed some proof. Everything this pup told him was a bit outlandish.

"I will be conceived this night. In the morning father will come out and stand alone on the cliff. He will seem distant to you, more than usual. Jaken will come back with a letter from the Lord of the East. He will read it and that is when he will take off to fight him. Know this, when he does, that is when I plan on stepping in, with or without your help. Until then," Yoshirou finished and walked off down the bank.

Inu Taisho looked after him. He watched his stride and it was so much like Sesshomaru's. Strong, sure, and with purpose. Inu Taisho sighed.

"Wait, Yoshirou," he called out.

Yoshirou turned his head to the side to show he was listening.

"I will help," he said with conviction, "but just so you know, I still don't quite believe you even though you smell of the truth. It's still a lot to take in," Inu Taisho sighed again.

Yoshirou nodded his head. "That is understandable and thank you."

With that he turned back around and walked away. Once Yoshirou was out of sight, Inu Taisho started to hear…

I better get out of ear shot for this. Ugh.

With that thought he orbed a fair distance away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

He folded the letter and set it next to his will. Then he stood up and walked over to get his swords. He strapped them to his waist, then he walked over the the sleeping beauty laying on his furs, kneeled over and placed a kiss on her brow. "Um, Sesshomaru, please return soon. I love you," Rin whispered. Sesshomaru had to look at her carefully, but she was still asleep. Breathing in her scent one last time he stood up and walked out of his pavilion. He kept going until he stood at the cliff that looked over the entire valley. And there he waited.

"So what are you going to do now, my son?" Inu Taisho asked from behind. Sesshomaru turned his head to the side to show that he was listening, but made no move to respond. Inu Taisho sighed out loud. He knew what occurred last night, not because his intuition told him so, it was because of the racket those two made. They didn't make it exactly subtle. Inu Taisho walked calmly to his side and stood in silence with him. Neither of them moved as the sun crept higher into the sky.

Inu Taisho watched him carefully and noticed that what Yoshirou said was true, so far. Sesshomaru was more distant than usual.

It's like he is mentally preparing himself for the inevitable.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken yelled breaking the morning silence. He landed with AhUn nearby to where Sesshomaru and Inu Taisho stood. Jaken jumped off AhUn and headed towards their direction. Jaken bowed low as Sesshomaru turned toward him. "My lord. The Lord of the East sent this with me to give to you. Another letter." Sesshomaru took the letter from Jaken, opened it, read it quickly then melted it with his poison claws before his father could get a chance to read over his shoulder.

Inu Taisho widened his eyes and as soon as his son melted the letter with his claws, everything turned into slow motion. Everything that Yoshirou had told him was coming to light. Inu Taisho wasn't quick enough and Sesshomaru leapt into the sky.

"Sesshomaru!" Inu Taisho yelled out, but just as he yelled his name, orbs started to form in the sky, making Sesshomaru stop his escape.

When the orbs disappeared, Yoshirou stood right in front of his father. Sesshomaru stared wide eyed at this stranger, but the feeling didn't last long. He narrowed his eyes.

"Move aside," Sesshomaru said smoothly, but deadly.

"I am sorry, but I cannot do that," Yoshirou said just as smoothly.

"Then die," Sesshomaru said, lifting his right hand in preparation to throw his whip at this insolent pup.

"You wouldn't kill your son, now would you," Yoshirou said making Sesshomaru pause for just a moment.

"That is not possible. I have no sons," Sesshomaru said in disbelief.

Yoshirou couldn't help it, he started laughing.

"That's funny! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Has he lost his mind? No matter, I plan to end his miserable existence.

With that thought, Sesshomaru charged him. Yoshirou expected this and orbed out of the way. It became a game of tag, except it was reversed. Yoshirou smiled fondly, but he could tell that his father was losing his patience. So after he orbed one last time, Yoshirou drew his sword.

Sesshomaru noticed this and drew Bakusaiga.

"I've always wanted to fight you at your true potential," Yoshirou said quietly and charged his father. Sword met sword and they were nothing but blurs, even Inu Taisho had a hard time keeping up.

Then as soon as it started that was a loud crack, and a whoosh that went past Inu Taisho and another loud crack as something hit a tree. Inu Taisho turned around and found his son sprawled at the base of a tree.

Yoshirou calmly floated down, with confusion written on his face.

"I can't believe you left yourself open like that," he said quietly.

Sesshomaru looked up at him and growled. Yoshirou responded in kind. That is when Inu Taisho had had enough. He stepped in between them.

"That is enough. I think you have accomplished what you wanted Yoshirou," Inu Taisho said.

"Father you know this whelp?" Sesshomaru said as he got up. He was really itching to put this pup in his place.

"I only met him yesterday," Inu Taisho said looking at his son, then he turned back to Yoshirou, "You better explain it to him." Inu Taisho stepped back.

"Explain what?" Sesshomaru asked, his body visibly twitching from agitation.

"Father-"

"I'm not your father!"

"Oh yes you are. I don't belong to this time. To tell you the truth, I didn't exist until last night. You and mother conceived me in that pavilion," Yoshirou explain, earning another wide eyed look from his father.

"I have come from five hundred years into the future to prevent you from making a terrible mistake," Yoshirou added.

"What mistake?" Sesshomaru inquired.

Yoshirou went to open his mouth again, but instead looked to his right and growled.

"Uncle Inuyasha always has the worst timing," he said under his breath. Just as he said it Inuyasha, with Kagome on his back, came bursting through the trees.

Inu Taisho looked interestingly at him, Sesshomaru was annoyed, and Yoshirou just crossed his arms at the timing.

Inuyasha and Kagome immediately felt the tension in the clearing. Nobody spoke up at first. It was Kagome who broke the silence.

"You must be their father. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Kagome, Inuyasha's mate," she said cheerily to Inu Taisho.

"It is nice to meet you, but unfortunately, you have come at a bad moment," he said, looking between Sesshomaru and Yoshirou. Most of the tension was being emitted between those two. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru who looked like he was really close to transforming and then looked to the young man, who looked strikingly similar to Sesshomaru.

"Yoshirou, please continue explaining before your father explodes," Inu Taisho said, looking at his visibly shaking son.

"As I was saying, I am from five hundred years into the future. I was asked by my mother, to save you, father," Yoshirou said, pointing at Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru immediately stopped shaking.

"Save me? From what?" he asked.

"Death," Yoshirou said simply, letting that lone word sink in.

In response, Sesshomaru sheathed Bakusaiga and turned away.

"Ridiculous," Sesshomaru scoffed, but before he could take a step in the opposite direction, Yoshirou was right in front of him.

Inu Taisho, Inuyasha, and Kagome watched the exchange with baited breath.

"Don't you dare scoff, father. You can smell the truth on me. I wouldn't lie about something as important as this. If you go and fight Katsuo, you will die," Yoshirou said through clenched teeth.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at this pup before him. Now really looking at him, he did have some of his characteristics. The crescent moon, the hair, the eyes. He even saw a bit of Rin in him. The nose and the shape of the mouth. Even with these similarities, Sesshomaru still couldn't believe him. He admitted to himself of a foreboding feeling he had felt since last night. He knew he would probably get injured badly, but death? Not possible. Not for the Lord of the West.

"This is not your fight, pup. Move aside," Sesshomaru said, attempting to step around Yoshirou.

Yoshirou would have none of it.

"What part of the word 'death' do you not understand! You go and fight Katsuo, you will die and not just by his sword through your chest, but by dark lighter poison too. Grandfather brought you back using Tensiega, but your life is still short lived. Fifteen years. Only fifteen years and then your life is gone again. Out of all of us, who do you think took it the hardest?"

Sesshomaru's jaw tightened. There was complete conviction in his voice. The last sentence was what hit home. Rin was the answer. Rin was the one who would take his death the hardest. He closed his eyes.

Yoshirou could tell that he finally relented. He let out a sigh of relief and then he noticed another person joined the audience.

"Mother," Yoshirou whispered.

Rin stood at the edge of the trees, looking at the scene before her.

"Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru opened his eyes and they visibly softened at the sight of her. Now he fully understood the implications if he left to fight Katsuo alone. Without even thinking about it he made it to her side in one leap and swept her up in his arms. He didn't care anymore that they had an audience. Nothing mattered more than her.

"Sesshomaru? Who is that?" she asked, bringing Sesshomaru back to the situation at hand. He gently set her down, took her hand and walked her over to Yoshirou, who suddenly became very fidgety.

"Rin, this is our son…from the future," Sesshomaru said, looking at Yoshirou.

"Our son? How can that be?" she asked, staring at Yoshirou with awe. After a moment of silence, a wide smile spread across her face. Yoshirou immediately relaxed. He wanted to commit it to memory, just in case he still didn't succeed.

"Um, I'm sorry to break up the moment, what are you going to do about Katsuo?" Inuyasha asked. Sesshomaru looked down in thought, but then looked up at Yoshirou. He had a glint in his eyes that he recognized all to well. He would have the same look when he really wanted to kill something.

"Usually I am very passive. Blame it on my white lighter roots," Yoshirou looked amusedly at his mother when he said this. She just stuck her tongue at him.

"I want Katsuo dead. He is the main reason why I am here," he continued with a very aggressive look to his features.

"What did you have in mind, Yoshirou?" Sesshomaru asked.

"You do what you planned to do in the first place. You will fight him, but you will not go alone. Me, uncle, and grandfather will be around you, killing the dark lighters, laying in wait. Know this though, on Katsuo's person is a black pebble. Make sure to get this without him knowing it," Yoshirou said, laying out the plan of attack. Everyone nodded in understanding.

"But what about us?" Kagome piped up.

"You and my mother will stay here," Yoshirou said simply.

"What?!," they both yelled, trying to protest.

"I am not going to stand by while you go fight-"

"I can help! I know about dark lighters better than anyone here-"

All of the dog demons winced at their outburst. Yoshirou raised a hand to get them to silence. They both paused their ranting.

"The reason you are not going mother, father will tell you," Sesshomaru took that time to lean to Rin's ear and whisper, making her eyes widen, "and Aunt Kagome the reason you are not going to protect mother when father can not. Do you understand?"

Rin nodded her head and left her mate's side and stood next to Kagome and whispered in her ear. Kagame's eyes widened and looked at her and then down to Rin's stomach, then to everyone in the clearing. Kagome growled her frustration then.

"Perfect timing Sesshomaru. Absolutely fantastic and yes Yoshirou now I understand," Kagome huffed and went to sit on a stump.

Rin went and sat down next to her.

"Let us go before Katsuo gets suspicious. Lead the way father," Yoshirou prompted. Sesshomaru stood rooted to the spot, taking one last look at his mate, then he turned and leapt into the sky. Yoshirou followed after him. Inu Taisho though took Inuyasha by the shoulder and orbed.

Rin and Kagome sighed as they were now alone.

"So how are feeling about all of this?" Kagome asked to break the silence.

"Surprisingly well, though I still can't believe I'm already with child," Rin said resting her hand absentmindedly on her stomach.

"Sometimes one night is all it takes. How many times did you, you know," Kagome asked, now getting curious.

"That is none of your business, Kagome, but I do have to tell you that man sure has stamina. I'm still feeling the effects from the last time we did it," Rin speculated.

Kagome giggled. "Well now I can officially call you my sister."

Rin smiled at that. "I just hope all of them come back safe."

Kagome nodded in agreement at that.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A/N: Well I decided to stop there with the chapter. Thought about continuing it but that will have to wait till the next time I update.

Until next time my faithful followers. R/R