"Who the fuck are they, Kagome?" Inuyasha finally said.
She was prepared to answer him with her formal answer (because this was all she could muster at this moment) but Ahmya beat her to it. Within a blink of an eye, the Inukimi passed her and latched herself on to Inuyasha.
"Chūrippu, my son! It's been 63 years since I last saw you when you were 15. You look so much like your father." Her voice went soft and airy in the last sentence. Absentmindedly she stroked his ears before quickly grabbing it in a savage pinch. "Why have you not visited before now? Have you forgotten how to get to the Sky Palace or where it's located"
Then the strangest thing happened. The white-haired hanyou took on a sheepish expression complete with a red blush, dropping ears and a ducked head. His eyes sheepishly met with Inukimi's and he stammered out "Sorry, Lady- " he cut himself off at whatever look he was thrown and corrected himself "Mom. I've been busy."
She sniffed lightly, "Sure," (she didn't believe him and was probably going to grill him at a later point). "Anyway, it seems your absence and your 50-year nap has addled your brain if you can not recognise the people around you."
"I remember them," he pointed to the mated pair, "it's the runt and the mutt I don't know"
"I would be offended that you forgot me Yasha, but seeing that you abandoned me without a word I am not surprised," Yasuhiro said with a glower levelled at him.
At the sound of his voice, Inuyasha tensed. His wild eyes searched the canine's physique. He seemed (to Kagome's eyes at least) to both pale and redeem further.
"Yasu... Yasuhiro. It's been a while. How have you been?" His voice held an unsure quality.
"I've been fine. No thanks to you." Was Yasuhiro's terse reply. There was an uptick of an eyebrow that dared the hanyou to say more (Kagome wasn't sure what was going on, but it seemed that she was witnessing some shared history she wasn't privy to).
His accusation caused Inuyasha to falter for a moment (he looked like he wanted to say something but not in front of the interloper or Kagome)
"Mother, 'Gome, who is that? He looks like father" Ichiro asked turning towards the females behind him.
"Wait, that's Sesshomaru's child? Tryna tell me some chit fell in love with the Ice Prick long enough to carry his seed for 5 months?"
Finding her voice, she finally spoke "I think introductions and explanations can wait until morning. The journey must have been long and tiring. If you can continue inside the servants will take you to your rooms."
Her tone booked for no argument. Inuyasha had considered speaking up (if his body language was any indicator) but one hand on his shoulder from the unknown woman had him reconsidering. With a slight bow of deference to Ahmya, he led the group inside the Palace.
The next half an hour was spent greeting the ruling cardinal lords and lady and who they arrived with. Luckily these were the only ones she had to greet (the other lords and ladies either already lived at court or would enter after the cardinals which is when she would be allowed to leave). Koga, Ayame and the wolves that usually travelled with them were the first cardinal province to arrive. Even though he was happily mated, old habits died hard. He ignored all formalities and rushed to pick her up and spin her.
"How's my woman? Are you still pining after the dog turd?" His first sentence was met with a growl from one of the males with her.
"I'd rather not talk about it, just know I am a free woman. And no Ayame, that does not mean you can start looking for a nice noble demon for me," Kagome added as she saw the look that crept on the wolf's face.
Next was the Lady of the North. The cat was dressed in heavy furs that truly did not fit the spring weather (but who could blame the cats who lived deep in the cold North) but was otherwise beautiful to behold. Dark purple hair that stopped right above her shoulders with the sides that framed her face curling into to a spiral, piercing mercuric eyes with its cat slit and a slightly pink button nose (not from the cold). She hadn't said much but did say she looked forward to no longer being the only cardinal that did not have some relationship with her.
Finally, Takashi arrived. Kagome hadn't even begun her greetings when he charged ahead.
"The hidden flower in the West has finally come to bloom. I wonder who would be first and hopefully last to bask in your sweet scent? Am I too presumptuous to hope that it shall be me when you make your yearly visit to my Palace?" The southern lord said with a coy smirk on his thin lips.
Takashi was the spitting image of his sister in a male form and slightly taller. Technically, the two were twins (conceived at the same time) but seeing that their births were exactly a month apart the siblings didn't see it like that (Ichika was a whole month late; it was said that after birthing Takashi all her labour pains disappeared and had to wait until it returned to give birth to Ichika).
"Only if you have what I want, Lord Takashi" Kagome replied, with honey dripping from her words.
The green-eyed blond floundered for a beat too long and was then frightened inside by the incensed Miko.
"Takashi is a little thick sometimes. He'll eventually realise he has to apologize for his horrendous behaviour with you and the smoke lilies last year" Ichika said consolingly while rubbing Kagome's arm (although Kagome swore she heard a laugh around the corners of her mouth)
"There was an incident with Kagome and smoke lilies?" Kenta asked with a dog-like tilt of the head.
"I'd rather not talk about that." Kagome cringed.
It didn't escape her notice how Yasuhiro eyes widened in panic and locked on hers. He said nothing, but she knew what he was thinking. The smoke lilies excuse he gave that day never held up like he thought it did. She raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to explain what happened that day.
As if recognizing the mounting tension, Sesshomaru dismissed everyone inside, stating that Jaken could greet the other guests.
"Mother, take Ichiro to bed," he said as he guided Kagome away into the gardens by her delicate wrist.
They did not speak for the entire walk to the gazebo. He also kept his hand wrapped around her wrist. The hold was not punishing and unbreakable, rather, it was soft enough that she could pull away from him with no real effort on her part. She was loathed to admit it but even in anger she still revelled in his touch. The icy warmth was like her own personal drug (perhaps it was more proper to say placebo or placeholder for the affection she wanted and could never receive). No, she couldn't dwell on something that was not for her right now (maybe sometime later in her immortal life).
The moment they crossed the gazebo doors she pounced on him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew"
"Thought I knew? You and Shippo are the ones that educated me on demon customs. Who else would tell me something as important as any relationship I had with Inuyasha was moot? That he could not even start the courting process until after tomorrow?"
"I assumed he would have told you."
"You assumed. Isn't that quite the gamble you placed on your fly-by-night brother? I don't understand your logic, Lord Sesshomaru. You couldn't trust him to even have knowledge of your seven-year-old son, far more how he was conceived, and you trusted him to tell me that I had to wait until I was 25 for him. I wasted almost ten years -"
"He was supposed to tell you. I told him to. When I recognised his possessive actions towards you along with your age when I travelled with you. I told him to give you a choice in waiting for him. I thought he had when he pulled you away that night before the final battle."
His interjection was unexpected and shattering. It sucked all the anger out of her. Inuyasha was supposed to tell her. Hell, he was told to tell her and give her a choice. And he chose not to. He can't even claim ignorance to the norm, Sesshomaru informed him.
The weight of this information caused her knees to buckle.
"Regardless, I should have still gone over the topic. I have caused you undue stress and for that this Sesshomaru apologises."
He had rushed forward to catch her and now cradled her to his chest. It was as firm as ever and helped in stabilising her.
"It doesn't matter Sesshomaru. He already has someone, didn't you see her?"
Because Kagome did. It was hard not to notice the tall, tanned with long brown hair that was done into a simple braid down her back with side-swept bangs and chocolate brown eyes. In essence, she was neither looked like her nor Kikyo.
"Miroku believes that they have been together for a few years now. There was no way he could have wanted me" she said forlornly.
"He may have still wanted you," the regal voice of Ahmya said.
She was stood outside the gazebo with a sad nostalgic look to her. Almost as if she was remembering an old wound. Kagome wasn't too sure how much she heard, but it was enough to have her reminiscing.
"Leave us, Sesshomaru. I need to speak to our Miko, alone."
Tentatively she stepped inside and sat on the other side of them and reached out to take Kagome from Sesshomaru. She could feel the great reluctance in him as he passed her. She could feel it as he walked out the door and shut it behind him.
"Now, let me tell you how I got my second tail and what it has to do with your situation with Inuyasha," Ahmya said with a bittersweet smile.
Hi guys. New chapter.
So Inuyasha cheated and chose not to tell Kagome such an important thing. We also understand why Sesshomaru never said anything. Now these two things have deeper reasoning I chose not to address now in the story but will be addressed.
So what do you think on what happened in this chapter now that Inuyasha has arrived?
Next chapter will be a bit short but it will focus on the story Ahmya is going to tell about getting her second tail. Until Thursday.