Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to: Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Media, Shogakukan, Sunrise, Yumiuri TV and the other foreign manga rights companies that I have not dealt with. Twiknham owns intellectual rights only to the original characters including: Michael, Lucy, Logan, Armaund, Jin, Sesshoumaru's household staff (minus Jaken) and any characters in this story who reside in Texas. Twiknham makes NO monetary gain from this story, it is a completely free fanfic and Twiknham will not accept any payment. Reviews would be great, but are not required for updates. Also, as with any Twiknham fic, criticisms are welcome but please keep the language clean. Reviews do not come with ratings and are open to all viewers. Thx! –TK
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Kagome left Sesshoumaru alone until dinner. Over a fowl and vegetables dish, she finally got around to the subject. "Sesshoumaru…kun, can we talk about this whole 'merger' idea?"
Sesshoumaru put his glass down and looked up, giving her his undivided attention. "Yes."
She played around with the food on her plate for a minute, it was obvious that she'd not eaten much. "What is the ritual of Youkai?"
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "That is not important for what we are doing."
"Oh." Kagome had at least expected an answer. "Is there anything you particularly want for the wedding?"
"I want a simple ceremony. That elaborate mess your brother had yesterday does not appeal to me."
"You don't want your wife to come down the aisle in pancake powder and ornamented wig?"
"I asked Higurashi Kagome to marry me. I did not ask a doll to marry me."
Touched by his statement, she blushed. "How about the shrine, does it have to be at the shrine?"
Sesshoumaru sighed. "Kagome, we could get married on the street. The ceremony is not important to me. I want a piece of paper that states we are legally married. The rest is not important."
She thought he sounded like a man in love, but that wasn't possible. Nodding her head, she smiled. "Okay, simple and legal. I can handle that."
"Thank you Kagome. Now, if you are finished worrying about the wedding…"
"Yes?"
"Would you eat something?"
Surprised to find her plate rearranged; but mostly uneaten, she dug in.
After dinner, they both retreated to separate areas of the house. Kagome had fallen in love with the library and Sesshoumaru had work to do in the office. He found her after his bath to let her know it was her turn. She was curled up in a large leather chair, reading an old manuscript. As he approached, she looked up, startled. "What are you reading?"
Kagome blushed a little. "It was on the shelf."
"Yes, but what is it?"
"Your father's diary."
He reached forward and snatched it, surprised. Flipping through a couple of pages, he saw several weeks of entries. Tossing it lightly back to her, he turned. "I am finished with my bath." She acknowledged and watched him leave. At the door, he stopped. "Let me know if there is anything important in there."
"Your father loved you." She watched as his nails dug into the wood at the doorframe. "There's a passage in here, just after you're born. It says…" She flipped to a certain page and ran her fingers down the ancient Kangi. "Now, I get some of these wrong, it's very old language. But here it is. 'Today my son opened his eyes. I was…saddened to learn they were the gold of my clan and not the silver of my wife's, but when he looked upon me, I suddenly became a fierce warrior; capable of…dragging any demon to hell. I pray to the maker that he will grow strong and brave. But his…grip is strong and I know that my prayers will be granted. I am worried about my wife, she seems very sad by this birth. I do not understand because Sesshoumaru-kun is perfect in every way. She has birthed a god and should be proud. I have called a healer, I will wait to see what she says.'"
Sesshoumaru felt age lift off of his shoulders, but was not willing to acknowledge anything publicly. "I never questioned my father's love."
"But you question it every day. You questioned it in the feudal period, that's why you fought InuYasha for Tessaiga."
He turned and walked out of the room, nothing else being said. When he reached the bedroom, he walked over to the ancient armoire and opened it. Going into a false panel at the back, he dragged out an old sword. It wasn't Tenseiga, it was older than that.
Inutaisho had died protecting InuYasha. The mere human scum did not kill him, the wounds he suffered fighting Ryuukotsusei were mortal. Takemaru just helped quicken his death. After his father's passing, Sesshoumaru was not sure what happened to the blades he'd carried, although he eventually found Tessaiga and Sou'unga reappeared years later.
The sword he now held in his hand was the wakizachi sword that Inutaisho had carried before creating Tenseiga. If it had a name, he did not know it. Sitting down in the back corner of the bedroom, he started sharpening the blade with a stone. It had been decades since he had touched it, and it had aged as metals do when not cared for.
When Kagome came in from the bathhouse smelling warm and soapy, Sesshoumaru's head whipped up. She froze, seeing him working in the corner on a blade. "Are you going to use that on me for reading your father's diary?"
"I told you to tell me anything important. Does that sound like I would kill you?"
She walked over to kneel beside him, causing the edge of her yukata to fall open over one silky knee. "I did tell you a very intimate passage about your birth, that may have overstepped my bounds."
He glanced at the open space beside him, hoping she would catch the hint. As she sat down, he stifled a sigh, glad that she was no longer tempting him with bare flesh. "This was the companion sword my father carried before Tenseiga was forged."
"Does it have a name?"
"I am sure it does, but Tenseiga was forged shortly after I was born. I was never taught the name. It was abandoned to age when I found it."
"Where did you find it?"
"In this room."
"If I find any references to it, I'll let you know."
He was back to working on it, so she stood to leave him in peace. "I'm going to bed. If that noise bothers me, I'll let you know." He looked at her, arching a brow. She chuckled. "Doesn't mean you'll stop. I understand. Just that you'll know it's keeping me awake."
"I am almost through sharpening the blade. Oiling a sword is a silent task." He was scraping the stone along the tip of the sword now, working on the piercing edge.
As Kagome lifted the covers to climb in, she wondered about a man who kept a weapon solely because his father had once used it. She settled in her normal sleep position but rolled over to face his side of the bed when she realized he was working on her side of the bed.
Sesshoumaru oiled the blade well, letting it soak into the metal. Then he wrapped it back in the cloth he had found it in. Wondering if the sword deserved a sheath, he put it away. When he turned back to the bed, he groaned. His responsibility was once again in the middle of the bed. He really did not have the patience to deal with her tonight. Nor did he have the temperament to wake up to her accusing gaze if they happened to be in a clench. Deciding to retreat from this battle for the night, he turned and left the room.
Jaken was sweeping just outside the door when Sesshoumaru opened it. Looking at his retainer in confusion, he was surprised when a light blush caused Jaken's skin to turn slightly greener. "I was headed to the entertainment room with a bowl of popcorn." He looked at the floor.
"Continue."
"Well, I tripped over that rock right there." Jaken pointed at a small pebble.
Sesshoumaru picked it up and examined it. It looked like it had come out of the bathhouse. "One of our shoes must have picked it up."
"That's what I figured, no harm no foul. However, I wanted to clean up my mess."
"What were you going to watch?"
"The blind samurai."
Sesshoumaru had to hide a smile. Zatoichi was entertaining in its simple storyline with complicated relationship plots. "I will join you."
Jaken looked at the door, then back at his master. "Yes sir!" Hurriedly finishing his sweeping, he scooped the kernels up and was getting ready to dump them back into the bowl when he caught his master's disgusted look. "Oh, I guess you want to share?" When Sesshoumaru nodded, Jaken handed the bowl to him and carried the sweeps to the nearest garbage can. Wondering at the complexity of a man who did not hesitate to eviscerate an enemy with his bare claws; but was disgusted by the thought of popcorn off the floor, he followed behind his master to the TV room on the sixth floor.
A/N: Kanban wa. I hope everyone had a great week last. Thanks for continuing to hang in there with me. Again, thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I enjoyed them greatly. They were a wonderful treat at the end of each of seven long days. Please be safe this week and I hope this chapter was enjoyable for each of you. -TK