A1969: I love updating as much as I love breathing!

Sesshoumaru: yet another one to add to her lost of greetings.

A1969: don't make me say it. Do the pesky disclaimer please.

Sesshoumaru: the author, no matter how demented and crazy, does not own Inuyasha.

A1969: call me demented one more time and I'm saying it!!!

SoSoSoSoSoSo

"We're back!" Shippou announced as he, Sango and the others entered Kaede's hut with much enthusiasm. Sango and Miroku were much closer than they were when they had left and Kaede could easily see that.

"Where are Inuyasha and Kagome?" Miroku asked as soon as he saw that there was no sign of the priestess or of the half-demon.

"They're still in the Western Lands," Hakudoshi answered.

"They're taking an awfully long time," Sango observed. "I hope nothing bad happened to them." Hakudoshi opened his mouth to tell them about Ryuukutsusei and Sesshoumaru but he thought that maybe Sesshoumaru wouldn't want anyone to know about what happened so he shut his mouth.

"Nothing's happened," Hakudoshi answered in a bored manner. "Sesshoumaru only wanted Inuyasha to stay for some silly gathering."

Miroku nodded in a somewhat sympathetic manner. "I pity Inuyasha," the monk said with a sigh.

Sango gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Well aside from the fact that he's going to be the only half-demon in a chamber filled with demon lords," Miroku began, "I've heard that those kinds of gatherings can be pretty boring."

Hakudoshi grinned. "I wouldn't put it past Inuyasha to make some sort of mischief to lift the boredom," he said and everyone nodded in agreement.

SoSoSoSoSoSo

Inuyasha squirmed violently in the spot where he was sitting. There originally four lords but since Makai was dead, that left three and Inuyasha was sitting in their presence…

Him, the half-demon.

The other two lords had first given him startled looks which turned to looks of disgust as soon as they saw that Lord Sesshoumaru entered accompanied by a hanyou.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," the Northern lord, Hiroshin began, taking his beetle black eyes off Inuyasha. "It has been the custom and agreement of the lands to gather when summoned by one…For what purpose is your summoning?"

Inuyasha was aware that his brother, though he was the youngest of the lords, was already respected as much as their late father. "The Eastern lord, whom I did not know was my father's old enemy, is dead," Sesshoumaru said softly.

The other two lords looked nervously at each other. "Lord Sesshoumaru," the Southern lord, Zatsumaru, said. "Have you…killed your father's enemy?" Makai had not been very popular but it was no reason why he should be killed.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at them. "Yes," he answered without hesitation, although he was not the one who had killed Makai. "I killed him because he would have endangered the Western lands."

Inuyasha looked around. There were other demons present; the advisers and members of the council of the three lords. They all had nervous expressions on their faces; Inuyasha knew that they were afraid of Sesshoumaru. Unlike other demons, Sesshoumaru wasn't bothered by the fact that he had slaughtered one of the lords and he was even confident to admit that. Inuyasha envied that about his brother. He envied the way other demons seemed to quail beneath Sesshoumaru's gaze; he also envied the sense of power and overconfidence that his brother gave off.

"That is understandable," Hiroshin murmured softly.

"But it is not just!" One of Zatsumaru's advisers protested. "Lord Sesshoumaru…did you even have any proof that Lord Makai was going to lay siege to the West?"

"He brought back Ryuukutsusei," Sesshoumaru said softly.

"Ryuukutsusei?" Zatsumaru said with disbelief. "That dreaded dragon? You were able to defeat him and live?" there was awe in his voice.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru said without hesitation. Inuyasha inwardly grinned. He wouldn't have lived it wasn't for Mizuki, the hanyou thought. The demons in the room didn't know about that; learning that Sesshoumaru had slaughtered Ryuukutsusei and lived only increased the respect and fear the demons showed toward him tenfold.

"So no one is ruling over the Eastern lands," Sesshoumaru said idly. The two lords and the other demons exchanged glances. It was clear to them that one of them would gain possession of the East…

"Which means," Zatsumaru said pompously. "One of us should claim the East!" He was very pompous and conceited.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "One of you?" he asked with faint amusement. Inuyasha knew that tone well; Sesshoumaru was about to humiliate them. "One of you?"

"Certainly," Hiroshin said in agreement. "You are too young, Lord Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as Hiroshin's advisers nodded in agreement.

"You are forgetting that I, Sesshoumaru, am the one who killed Makai and his heir…Therefore I may do what I wish with his lands," Sesshoumaru said with a triumphant look in his eyes.

"B-but…" Hiroshin said. "You are too young!"

"I am quite aware of that," Sesshoumaru said icily. "Which is why I am bequeathing the Eastern lands to someone else."

"Who?" the two lords asked. Their tone clearly indicated that they expected it to go to one of them.

"My half-brother, Inuyasha." There was silence after Sesshoumaru's words. Inuyasha looked dumbfounded, thunderstruck and shocked. He thought that, perhaps, his brother was not right in the head. After all, he was only a hanyou…

"That is outrageous!" Hiroshin bellowed. "He is a hanyou!"

"Preposterous!" Zatsumaru agreed, nodding his head.

"Unheard of," the council members said. "But certainly not preposterous."

"You can do nothing," Sesshoumaru said dangerously. "The Eastern Lands belonged to me and I give them to Inuyasha."

"You're outta your mind," Inuyasha said; he was still stunned by his brother's announcement.

"Listen to your advisers!" Hiroshin said. "You cannot let a mere hanyou rule over those lands!"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at him. "You object? Strange, the elders do not."

Hiroshin looked at the elders, they were not protesting. "You do not object?" he asked with disbelief. "You do not feel disturbed that a hanyou will rule…?"

One of the elders shook his head. "Hanyou though he may be, his is the son of the late Lord Touga. I propose that we give the young man a chance."

Inuyasha shook his head. He was dreaming. This had to be a dream.

The other two lords were silent.

"So it is decided," the Elder said as he stood up. "Lord Inuyasha is the new ruler of the Eastern lands."

Inuyasha's eye twitched but he said nothing much to Sesshoumaru's amusement.

SoSoSoSoSoSo

"They made you what?!" Takara and Kagome asked Inuyasha when he had told them all about it. They were in his father's study. Sesshoumaru was leaning against a corner and Mizuki was sitting next to Kagome.

"Lord of the Eastern Lands!" Kagome said with disbelief.

Takara looked at Sesshoumaru. "Why?" his mother asked. There was no protest in her voice, only curiosity.

"Because I have my hands full," Sesshoumaru said indifferently.

"You're crazy!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "I can't…!"

"Then you are a coward," Sesshoumaru taunted. "Father would have wanted us to be of the same rank. I am only fulfilling his wish."

Mizuki gave him a small smile. She knew that he was lying. He made Inuyasha lord of the eastern lands because he wanted to make sure that his brother was respected. She knew that Sesshoumaru would never admit to himself that he actually cared about his brother.

"I also do not wish to see a son of my father groveling on the ground," Sesshoumaru said.

"What was that?!" Inuyasha roared at him.

"Now, now, Lord Inuyasha," Mizuki said teasingly. "Don't loose your temper!"

Kagome giggled but Inuyasha grew serious. "I can't. Naraku is my main priority," the hanyou said firmly.

"You can always let your mate manage the affairs of the land," Takara said as she looked at Kagome who blushed violently.

"Inuyasha and I aren't…" Kagome's voice trailed off and she knew that Inuyasha, too, felt embarrassed, but in a good way.

"No? You're not?" Takara asked, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "I assumed you were. No matter, I will look after both lands while you and Sesshoumaru hunt down Naraku."

Kagome looked at Takara and remembered something. "Lady Takara," she began hesitantly. "You once told me that I wasn't the first half-demon priestess that you met…"

Takara raised her eyebrow, an unspoken signal for Kagome to go on. "Well…that means you're acquainted with someone else like me, right? Could you…could you tell me who?"

"Why?"

"Because…I have to train under that person…I haven't been training and Kikyou said that I should…" Kagome said.

Takara gave her a small, mystified smile. "Ah. I should have known…you wish to train. It will be difficult. The priestess you are seeking is very hard to find. You have to look for her on your own…meaning, no companions…no…Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "Whaddya mean?" the hanyou asked.

"What I mean is," Takara went on. "Kagome must seek the priestess on her own."

"How?" Kagome asked.

"Listen," Takara went on. "A hundred miles from here, there is a forest that lies near the border of the Eastern lands and the Northern lands. It is known as the Forest of No Return. It is named thus because people who endeavor to brave it never come out. And so it is feared. But this forest surrounds a hill hidden in the mist. You must brave the forest and reach the hill. There you will find the priestess whom you seek."

"You're not going!" Inuyasha immediately said. "It's too dangerous. And if I'm not coming with you…you're not going!"

"I have to, Inuyasha," Kagome said. She felt horrified at what she had to do but she knew that she had to do it. "Remember, Kikyou told me that I have to train…That I have to make it my top priority…so I'm going without you."

"You won't!" Inuyasha thundered. "What if something happens to ya?"

Kagome suddenly gave him an insulted look. Mizuki had a sinking feeling that they were going to start a full blown shouting match.

"You think I can't defend myself?!" Kagome snapped. "I'm not weak, Inuyasha!"

"I didn't say you were!" Sesshoumaru and Takara were highly amused.

"But you act as if I were!" the miko hanyou snapped. "I know I'm not as good as Kikyou…but there's no need for you to rub it in my face!"

"I DIDN'T SAY THAT YOU'RE NOT AS GOOD AS KIKYOU!"

"You act like it!"

"I DO NOT! TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID, WOMAN!"

"SIT!"

There was an amused twinkle in Takara's eyes as Inuyasha plummeted to the highly polished floor. "If I could have done that to Touga, Inuyasha might not have been born," she remarked.

Kagome glared at the hanyou on the floor and said, "I want to train, Inuyasha. I don't want to be the one who's usually defenseless!"

"The damsel in distress?" Mizuki whispered to Sesshoumaru, whose eyes twinkled with faint amusement.

"It's dangerous!" Inuyasha tried yet again to dissuade Kagome from going on a perilous journey.

"So?" the miko asked.

"I don't want you to go! I don't want ya to get killed! Don't you understand that I need you here with me?!" the hanyou asked. Kagome's eyes widened at his words so did everyone else's.

"You have Kikyou…" Kagome whispered softly. Inuyasha wanted to tell her otherwise but they knew that what he would say would be a total lie…

Inuyasha was silent.

Kagome waited to see if he would stop her.

He didn't.

"But," Inuyasha said yet again.

Kagome sighed. "You have a lot to do, Inuyasha," the priestess said softly. "You're the lord of the eastern lands now…you shouldn't waste your time on me." She turned to Takara. "How do I get to this forest?"

A small smile crept across Takara's lips. "Brave girl," she said. "I shall order one of my servants to accompany you."

"Kagome…are you sure you want to go?" Mizuki asked worry laced her voice. "From what I hear…it is quite dangerous. Do you want me to come with you?"

Kagome shook her head. "Do you want me to go instead of you? You know, drag out that priestess hanyou?" Mizuki volunteered a twinkle in her eyes.

Sesshoumaru placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't let you," he said.

Mizuki raised an eyebrow at his over protectiveness. "Kagome can't go alone," she argued.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm going on my own this time, Mizuki," Kagome said with determination. "I don't want to be…the one who usually has to be rescued anymore…"

"That's the spirit!" Takara said with a hint of amusement. "Now go…One of my servants will accompany you to the forest."

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha watched helplessly as the miko hanyou left the room.

SoSoSoSoSoSo

Sorry if it's so short!

Inuyasha: miss me?

A1969: Inuyasha! You're back! I could hug you!

Kagome: don't you dare!

A1969: sorry.

Sesshoumaru: since you wouldn't need me anymore…

A1969: oh no you don't. You're staying right here. You've kinda grown on me, fluffykins.

Sesshoumaru: don't-call-me-fluffykins.

Inuyasha, Kagome, A1969: -laughs-