Izumi fussed over Hisashi as Rin kissed Hotaru goodbye from her fathers arms.
"Everything will be fine." Kohaku assured. "Lord Sesshomaru and I are perfectly capable of minding our own pups."
"This is the first time we'll be apart from them." Rin said frowning. "Even if it is just for an afternoon."
"Iku and Emi are both here to assist us if need be mate." Sesshomaru soothed. "The quicker you leave the faster the both of you will be back."
"I don't want to play this game." Izumi whispered nuzzling against Hisashis head before straightening herself out and squaring her shoulders.
Sighing Rin followed suit standing as straight and tall as she could with her head held high.
"After you, Lady Izumi." Rin said with a playful smirk.
"Why thank you Lady Rin." She replied bowing slightly leading the way outside leaving their husbands to watch the children on their own, more or less, for the first time.
Going to the palace made Rin nervous. Both times she had gone were not happy times. She convinced herself that all his mother wanted was to speak to them since they were both settled with their pack.
Keeping her eyes straight as they were brought first to the throne room that overlooked the heavens before being led to the tea room by a female Rin couldn't help but smirk.
Placing her hand fan in front of her face to speak with Izumi, as Izu had instructed her to do, she giggled.
"When I met you here, I thought you were one of her servants." Smirking back Izumi glanced at Rin.
"That was the intent." Settled at the table they both sat side by side awaiting his mothers arrival.
"Lady Nishi will be along shortly." The female bowed respectfully before exiting.
"I had expected her to be here." Rin commented glancing around. Izumi brought her own fan up waving it slightly.
"We are being observed." She whispered appearing nonchalant, bored even.
"Why?" Edging closer to her Rin watched her friend closely.
"I don't know, just that we are." Folding the fan and placing it down she sat staring at the settings on the table.
The door behind them slammed open loudly to announce the lady of the wests entry making Rin jump. Sauntering over she took her seat kneeling across from them.
The same female that had shown them in poured their tea as silence overtook the room. Both Rin and Izumi kept their eyes trained on Sesshomarus mother, Nishi, not uttering a word.
For Rin her tongue burned with a million questions but knew to keep them to herself.
"You may go." Nishi waved off the servant waiting until she shut the door behind her. "Now tell me the nature of the relationship between the two of you."
"We are pack." Izumi replied curtly. "My lady."
"That is such a broad term. Funny how the last time we were all together you agreed to go simply to produce an heir Izumi. Now you have a human male as your mate and seem just as protective of Rin as Sesshomaru is." She said.
Scoffing slightly Izumi only shook her head. Rin was at a loss not following where the conversation was going.
"Lady Nishi suspects you and I to be lovers." Izumi explained turning her gaze to Rin. Blushing Rin balked.
"Oh no, no. We are very close, yes, but not in a sexual manner." Rin replied quickly. Smirking at the two she sighed.
"I did." Nishi said softly. "I had a human woman once. A princess."
"A…human princess." Rin repeated. Glancing at Rin Izumi saw the gears in her head turning.
"Toga and I went to the northern lands to meet with different lords, one of them was Lord Kaneda of Setsuna. His daughter was Princess Izayoi of Setsuna." She said.
Rins eyes went wide. She knew that name, she had heard it before. "Wait, Inuyashas mother was your…lover?"
"For a time, yes. When the lady Izayoi suggested my mate join us this one thought nothing of it until some weeks later when it was found out that Toga had bred her through our correspondence." Sipping at her tea she smirked slightly at the rapt audience sitting across from her.
"Naturally it was decided to be kept a secret until such a time where she would be brought here, to me. The arrangements were made however my letter to her was intercepted and it was found out that she was carrying a half-breed."
Sitting back Izumi took a deep breath remembering her sudden shift of emotion when she had laid eyes on Inuyasha.
"Lady Izayoi and Inuyasha never came to join you." Izumi said.
"No. Ryokotsei challenged my mate to a fight to the death. Toga was grievously injured. He was able to save Izayoi and Inuyasha from their own deaths but he succumbed to his own by the hand of a human samurai that had pledged his fidelity to the house of Setsuna."
"Forgive me my lady but why didn't you bring them here? Or have Lord Sesshomaru bring them here?" Rin asked.
"Sesshomaru felt cheated by his fathers death at the hands of another, his inheritance became shallow and he came to despise humans."
"Without my mate to protect us both I was afraid of what the repercussions would be. The choice I made was not easy but I felt if I left them alone maybe it would be best." Staring through them she took a breath. "
"You abandoned them." Izu said softly.
"Yes." Nishi replied. "I am not proud of it and I have never spoken of this to anyone."
"Why now? Why tell us?" Rin questioned.
Receiving silence Rin steadied herself setting her jaw.
"Inuyasha isn't the only one of your children that you abandoned." Rin stated. "Lord Sesshomaru told me how you were not a part of his life due to the fact that he was born a male and not a female."
"Do not speak of things that you do not understand." Nishi narrowed her eyes at Rin.
"Lord Sesshomaru and I have a daughter, her name is Hotaru. Kohaku named her. You haven't asked me about her and you barely even saw Hisashi when you visited from what Izu said." Rin continued clenching her hands into fists in her lap. "However which way your life turned out, your pups were affected and made to feel as if they weren't deserving of love. Ours will never feel that way."
Standing suddenly Izumi followed suit in support. "Thank you for the tea. Lady Izumi and I will be taking our leave now. Our pack needs us."
Both bowed respectfully to the lady of the west before exiting the room. The female from earlier took them to the guards to escort them back to their own land.
"Sesshomaru will be proud of you." Izumi said once they were back on the ground and walking towards their home. Rin shook her head.
"How could she do that? Call Izayoi her lover and then abandon her with a newborn?"
"I don't know Rin." Shaking her own head Izumi sighed. "This is something we should keep between ourselves. I do not see any gain in telling anyone of this."
"Agreed." Coming upon the steps they slid open the door and found the sitting room covered in soot. Small paw prints went from the dirty hearth to Hotarus basket. "What in the..?"
Neither husband nor baby was to be seen. "Lord Sesshomaru? Kohaku?" Both women hurrying into the back of the house came to the first bedroom and peered into the open doorway.
Kohaku and Sesshomaru had Hisashi in the tub of water rinsing ash from him . "What did you do to our pups?" Izumi stomped over addressing neither in particular.
Taking a wet Hisashi from Sesshomaru she stared at him. He was covered in black soot that clung to his fur staining it. Happily he yelped as he recognized his mother as she stared at him with her mouth agape.
"Good news love. Hisashi is walking." Kohaku offered meekly.
"Where is Hotaru?" Rin asked suddenly worried about the state of her daughter. Sesshomaru pointed to the futon. Walking to the platform Rin took in the sight of her daughter and stared. "Izu."
Quickly walking over she saw that the small infant had her cloth diaper fastened to the outside of the pullover outfit she had been put it. Covering her mouth and snorting Izumi couldn't control her laughter.
Rin held her daughter up and only shook her head. "We told you both to ask Iku and Emi for help. Why didn't either of you think to ask for help?"
"I fail to see what is so funny or what is wrong with Hotaru. She is clean and dressed." Sesshomaru countered defensively.
"Yes. Yes she is." Rin said slowly unable to contain her own laughter as well.