They were coming.
Small gold eyes snapped open and he spread out his yōki—just there, on the very edges of his senses, he could feel his father and Kagome and someone else—someone that didn't scream of power like the latter two, but there was something about her that set his skin on edge. She reminded him of death.
Still, Father was coming. And Kagome.
Grinning, he rolled out of bed and ran about his room to draw on his clothing without bothering to call for a servant to assist him. It was just Father and Kagome, after all. He didn't need to look perfect. If his obi was a little slanted and his cheeks still flushed with sleep, he didn't notice as he padded on bare feet into the hallway and all but ran to the entryway of the citadel.
Scurrying past servants completing the last of their tasks for the night, he ducked under the halting hands of the palace guards and hurried outside. "Leave me," he ordered, eyes turning up to the black night sky and the millions of stars dotting overhead. "Father is coming."
The guards hesitated, but ultimately stepped back—though they dared not let the little Lord out of their sight. They stood several paces behind him and kept careful watch of him as he kept careful watch of the stars.
When Fuiasu stepped out beside him some time later, her massive form towering over his, she leaned down to nuzzle her maw against his tiny form.
"Motheeeeer," he whined, and tried to push away from her so he could keep his eyes on the skies and their inevitable guests.
Her attentions continued though as she nudged him again before he gave in and shifted too. At three hundred years old, and having just broken through the barrier of puberty, his inu form looked less like the puppy Kagome might have been accustomed too and more like an over-grown yearling. His shoulders were just tall enough now to brush against the underside of his mother's belly and he could reach up to chew on her ears without jumping now.
Fuiasu was caught off-guard by the size of him; only that morning he'd barely reached her knees. A ache burned to life inside her throat but she swallowed the swell of emotion and easily pinned him with one paw—and proceeded to groom him with her tongue. "We shall start teaching you to fly soon, I think."
Sesshoumaru had been caught between annoyance at not being able to focus on the skies and eagerness to play with his mother. He loved her, but she rarely spent time with him like this—she was much too elegant to bother with such things—and so he relished having her attention in such a relaxed moment. Especiallywhen she mentioned flying.
Before he could offer an appropriate response though, Toga landed before them with two small children asleep in his arms. He set them down and shifted himself. "I have missed you, mate," he growled, and stalked forward to nuzzle against her fur. It didn't matter that he had only been gone for a week and her scent was still fresh in his mind. Still, he wanted her wrapped around him, wanted her taste in his mouth and her scent all over him—his scent smeared into hers as was only right for two inu mates.
Fuiasu struggled to contain herself at the attention, but relented. A week was too long. She returned his greeting, butting her forehead against his jaw line and sinking into his own soft fur. "You had brought me another stray," she murmured absently, eyes closed and focusing only on him.
"A human hime," Toga corrected, stepping away finally to scent mark his son as the boy hovered over the two sleeping girls. "Her name is Izayoi."
"She smells odd," Sesshoumaru said, staring down at the strange female as he fought the urge to drag Kagome's sleeping form away from the oddity and curl around her protectively.
Sorrow ripped through Fuiasu's nerves like a burn and she forced herself to smother it as her scent teetered between pleasure and grief. This was a future she had hoped having the girl with them might be avoided, or at least put off but it seemed Kagome's presence in their time had not changed this. "She is young," the Lady said finally, studying the sleeping child.
"Only seven human years." Content now to be covered in the scents of his pack, he sat back on his haunches and stared at the newest member. "She will remain with us to learn the customs of youkai courts until she comes of marriageable age—hopefully her father will want her back then to make some alliance or another."
Something about the child disturbed Fuiasu, besides the future she knew Izayoi would bring her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Only seven or eight years then. That is tolerable. She will be an adult before Kagome even reaches puberty." She sighed, then lay down in front of Toga and closed her eyes. "Our son has grown in the week you've been gone. He still learns control and has yet to master the new poison that showed itself during their fight, but he has grown taller. Maybe he will be larger even than you one day."
Toga chuckled and lay down with her, resting his massive head along the soft fur of her neck as they both watched the children. "I await that day with great pride."
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru had contented himself to curl around the sleeping Kagome and managed to do so without touching the human. Her scent still bothered him, not because she was dirty (she smelled like his father right now anyway) but because he couldn't place itand that otherness had started to infect Kagome's scent. She would be dealt with later, he supposed.
Kagome and Father were back, and that was all that mattered. Letting out a small huff of breath, he buried his nose against her small body and drifted off to the lullaby of her scent.
o.O.o
Word Count - 1025
A/N - And this ends the first story arch. It's important to note that the next chapter will start with Sesshoumaru at 650 years old, full on into teenage youkai drama and Kagome at about 475 years old, just going into puberty herself. In humans years, about 14 and 12 respectively. Also, some questions about Izayoi will be cleared up. :D