Chapter IX

"So, Sesshomaru, is there anything you want to know about me?"

Sesshomaru pondered on her question. For the first time ever, his mind went blank. He repeated her question over and over again. Kagome was trying to be patient with him. She was getting anxious the longer he didn't answer her question.

Sesshomaru's inner beast caught on her anxiety.

"Ask her about Inuyasha!"

"Why? We already know that."

"Just do it."

Sesshomaru inwardly sighed and asked Kagome, "This Sesshomaru would like to know if you and Inuyasha are going to mate."

Kagome sighed in relief that Sesshomaru had answered her question. "Inuyasha and I aren't together. We thought that staying friends would be best."

Sesshomaru nodded in understanding. "How about the wolf? Are you interest in him?" Sesshomaru was now a little nervous. Why? He had no idea.

Kagome was thinking that why would he care about who she were to marry... uh mate. She mentally shrugged.

"Kouga? Well, I don't see myself with him for the rest of my life. He's sweet, but no. I can't. I just can't. However, I am not getting any younger especially in this era, when girls get married at a young age around 14 or so. I am 19 now. So..." She shrugged her shoulders. "He's the only one interested in me. Before you and Rin came to Edo, I mean right before. He came and asked me. I rejected his offer again, though."

Sesshomaru nodded his head. He was grateful to know about her true feelings towards his idiotic half-brother and the wolf prince. He inwardly sneered at the thought.

His Beast said, "See! Now we know who she isn't interested in. We should get to know her more. A lot more."

"Silence, beast! We have other females to tend to. I don't want to lead her on or anything."

"I don't want that either. Since she's our 'confidant', we will spend time together and in the process we could get to know her and the same for her as well."

"Very well, Beast."

Meanwhile, Inuhime was still sitting by Inuyasha. She could sense that he was a little uncomfortable with her; not that she could blame him. He doesn't even know her. It seemed just talking to him wasn't going make them bond easier. Sometimes, she envied Sesshomaru because he had all the time in the world to bond with Inuyasha. However, instead of that, he tried to kill him many times... Or if she dare say it, he was making him stronger when they did fight.

It doesn't matter now. She wanted a sibling relationship with her younger brother. By the Kami, she will get it; one way or another. Then she felt it. She felt Tessaiga pulsing. She smiled. She glanced at him. He must had felt it, too, because he was holding the guard as if he was going to unsheathed the sword.

"May I?"

"May you what," Inuyasha asked in confusion.

"Tessaiga. I felt it pulsing. Did you not felt it?"

Inuyasha tapped his fingers on the guard as if he was contemplating on if he should or should not unsheathed it. "Yeah, I felt it. It wants you to hold it."

"You could hear it?"

"Keh, of course! We'd been through a lot. Why are you so surprised?"

"I wasn't sure if you could or not."

"Wait the fucking minute! You spoke as if you were the one who placed the Tessaiga in father's tomb!"

"I did." She smiled a sad smile. "Before father died; before his final battle, he told me and mother of his final wishes. At first, mother didn't want to; just to spite him, however, she looked at me with those sadden golden eyes of hers. I knew all that was hard for her than it was for me and Sesshomaru. Anyways, she gave me the go-ahead to fulfill father's wishes."

"Wait! I thought that Myoga and Totosai did that." She snorted.

"Yeah and I was born yesterday. Inuyasha, do you actually believe that Myoga and Totosai did all that alone? They were both so scare out of their wits when I told them what they'd need to do. They'd did things that aren't too terrifying like going to get a black pearl, that Hosenki made for you."

"For me?" Inuyasha looked at her incredulously.

She smiled at him. "Yes, for you, Inuyasha. After all, you are the guardian of father's tomb. You see, father knew that after he died that Sesshomaru would want the Tessaiga and So'unga. Saya helped sealed the So'unga once I put the sword back into it's sheathe. The seal was supposed to last for 700 years before Saya's seal would deteriorated."

"Feh, that sword was a pain-in-the-ass. It brought nothing, but hell to us."

"Yes, I heard about that. I wouldn't let Sesshomaru know where it was. I knew how power-hungry he was; not that I doubt him being powerful enough because I was powerful enough to keep it from taking control of me. Also I ignored it when it tried to persuade me to do its bidding."

The Tessaiga pulsed again like it wanted attention. Inuyasha sighed knowing that if he ignored it. It wouldn't leave him alone. So he unsheathed the sword and gave it to Inuhime. It was in it's 'worn out' state. She was surprised. She smiled at him when she grabbed the hilt. It immediately transformed into it's true form. Inuyasha wasn't surprised that it transformed, but was surprised that it didn't burned her like it did Sesshomaru."

"How is it that you could wield it without being burned by the barrier?"

She smiled at him lovingly. "I was the one, who created it. Father knew that one day Sesshomaru would try to get the Tessaiga if he'd figured out where it was, that is. How else would a barrier burned a youkai if the barrier wasn't made of reiki. I also cast a spell that only one who has compassion for and willing to protect humanity could wield the sword."

There was a companionable silence. Inuhime brushed her hand over the blade. She could feel that the sword's aura has changed. She feel Inuyasha's and their father's essence in the aura. She smiled and said, "How did Tessaiga's aura change?"

"Huh?"

"Something is different in Tessaiga's aura. Did something happened to it? Like did it broke or something."

"Oh, yeah. It did, once."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it happened a few years back whenever Naraku was still alive and being a bastard. He incarnated an oni, Goshinki. It broke my Tessaiga in two. Imagine my surprise when that happened. I went to Totosai to have it repaired. He used one of my fangs to repair it. Then I had to train wielding my, then new, Tessaiga."

"I am impressed."

"Huh?"

She chuckled behind her fan at his dumbfounded face expression. "I said that I am impressed."

"Really?" He said that with excitement.

She giggled. "Yes. The reason being... when our father had it, the aura surrounded it was strong. Now, however, it's much more stronger than it was then."

He smiled smugly. "That's because of MY fang."

She nodded her head. Then suddenly Inuhime felt a strong aura coming their way. When she looked over her shoulder she saw...
-

After Hikaru had been informed that he was to be Inuhime's 'confidant' for choosing a mate. He and his beast were practically arguing on what to do next while he was following Inuhime's scent.

His beast said, "We must take her, master!"

"I told you we can't!"

"Why not?!"

"Because we aren't..."

"Aren't what? You see these fools who are trying to woo our Inuki. You don't like it either! Why not confess our feelings to the Lady Mother and our lord?"

"Because we aren't royalty that's why! Her mother will never give us her blessing of our mating. You know this."

"I'd never figure you a coward, master. We are the most powerful... well second powerful to our lord, of course... The point is those fools can't provide and protect her like we could. Not only that, but they won't give her powerful seeds to procreate pups. You know this as well as I."

His aura was flaring due to his aggravation by his beast that nearly very servant that pass by and/or near him. They would flee as they do when their lord or ladies were upset.

"This Hikaru is no coward! This one fears nothing!"

"Then prove it, master. Go to her and confess our feelings."

"I can't."

"Then you are a cowardice fool."

"I am no coward, beast! It's a matter of duty."

They both stopped once they saw their love, Inuhime, sitting near an unknown male. They growled because they didn't know who it was, at first until he got only a few feet from them.

Meanwhile, Inuhime felt a strong aura coming towards her and her little brother. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Hikaru standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. He observed her sitting on the bridge as her legs hanging over the edge in the water as the Koi fish, occasionally, the koi fish-kissed on her long, fair-skinned legs. He noted that her fine kimono was in the water. He quirked a questioning brow at her.

Inuhime, in turn, observed her long-timed friend. He was a Golden Inu Daiyoukai. His aura was flaring powerful, yet not as powerful as her twin. His hair was a silky golden colored as her eyes. His eyes were silver. He had a fine-sculpted nose; jawline was similar to Sesshomaru, fine-lined lips, and high-cheeks. He was a little taller than Sesshomaru. His kimono was red and white; the haori was red; it's undershirt was white and the hakama was also red. The haori had three sakura blossoms on the right shoulder and a blue crescent moon over his heart on the left side, indicating that he was loyal to the Lord of the West and second to the lord of the said lands.

Inuhime blushed under his stare. Hikaru inwardly smirked at her.

"Milady, what are you doing?"

"I... this Inuhime is spending time with her younger brother."

He hated it when she speaks in third person. "I can see that."

"Then why did you asked?"

He shrugged a little, "Lord Sesshomaru has informed me that I will be your 'confidant' for this month."

She nodded in acknowledgement. "You may sit down by me if you wish." Sit he did. Their thighs were right next to each other. He stared into her beautiful golden eyes. He said, "You have such beautiful eyes, milady." She blushed.

Inuyasha stared at both of them. He wasn't stupid. He knew what was happening between them. From the short time he had known his sister, he became strangely protective.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

Inuhime gasped at his rude question. She was about to reprimand him, but Hikaru had spoken up first.

"Pup, you refrain from using such language in front of the lady." Hikaru knew who this male, who he thought was an unknown male earlier, was now. He was her and Lord Sesshomaru's half-brother.

"I can used whatever language I wanted to, bastard!"

Hikaru narrowed his silver eyes at him and thought, "Such disrespect. I will teach him."

Inuhime knew what was coming. She could see it in his eyes. Hikaru quickly moved, that seemed like a blink of an eye, and pulled Inuyasha from the scruff of his shirt. Inuyasha yelled, "Bastard, let go of me!"

Inuhime, being a protective sister, stepped in. "Hikaru! Put him down now!"

Hikaru looked at her and dropped him unceremoniously. "You best learn some manners, pup, or you will learn them from me," Hikaru threatened.

Inuyasha being himself said as he stood up in his full height, "Feh, like hell you will!"

Meanwhile, in the study...

Kagome and Sesshomaru were enjoying the silence until they heard Inuyasha yelling. Sesshomaru sighed, got up, and walked to the balcony. Once he did, he saw his general dropped Inuyasha. He inwardly smirked at the scene.

Kagome's curiosity got the best of her. So she went to stand by Sesshomaru at the balcony. She saw the same person, who was with them not long ago, Inuhime, and Inuyasha standing by each other. She saw Inuhime holding the Tessaiga. She looked up at Sesshomaru.

"Um... Lord Sesshomaru?" She saw him stiffen, so she stepped away from him.

Sesshomaru was so into what he was seeing that he didn't sense Kagome coming. He looked down at her.

"Hn."

"Why Inuhime could hold Tessaiga without getting burned?"

Sesshomaru furrowed his eye brows. "Inuhime is a lot like my father. She has compassion for your species than most of youkai does."

Kagome nodded in understanding.

Back at the gardens...

Hikaru quirked his brow. "Pup, I promise you, that you will submit to your alpha before you leave here."

"Keh, my bastard half-brother can't make me submit! What makes you think that you could?!"

Inuhime got tired of her brother's yelling. "Enough. The both of you. Hikaru, I do love it when you defend my honor. However, this isn't some commoner. He is MY brother. Yes, he's been disrespectful, but he didn't grew up like we did. His late mother died whenever he was younger. Therefore, he wasn't taught on how to act or anything of the like."

"Milady, I understand, but he does need to learn before he could get himself into trouble with the other Cardinal Lords or the minor lords of these lands."

Inuyasha said, "Keh, I won't stay here long enough to learn your stupid shit. I won't change for no one; not for Kagome; not for my bastard half-brother; not for you, either." He turned and started to leap off in the closest tree.

Inuhime's shoulders slumped. It was like back to square one. She noticed that she still holding Tessaiga.

"Hikaru, I know you meant well, but please don't interfere. I am trying to bond with him. I don't need you, my brother, or anyone else to help me with him."

Hikaru sighed. "I will do as you wish, however, if you need me, I..."

Inuhime put her forefinger on his lips to quiet him. It was a bold move on her part because she wasn't suppose to touch a male, except for those who are her related to her (i.e. her two brothers) and vice versa until she would select an intended. She swallowed. "I know."

Hikaru was shocked. He wasn't expecting that from her, but he liked it. He grabbed her finger gently. "As you wish then," he said in a soft and loving way. He kissed the back of her hand and left quickly. She blinked because he was there and then he wasn't. She sighed. She loved that man, but never wanted to tell her mother and/or brother. She wouldn't say anything to them because she knew what they would say. They would say, 'No. Royalty won't be involved with those who are in servitude.' It was so stupid.

Then she felt someone starring from above. She looked up at her brother's balcony. She knew that he saw what had happened. She glanced down at Tessaiga, that she was still holding. She started to follow Inuyasha's scent.

Sesshomaru and Kagome saw the scene unfold.

Kagome observed, "Inuhime is in love with him." Sesshomaru turned to her. She saw the unasked question in his eyes. She chuckled. "Lets just say its woman's intuition."

Sesshomaru nodded, but not really getting it. Although, he didn't let that show through. He thought, "This woman is something."

His beast took that opportunity to voice his opinion. "Yes, she is, master."

"Hn."

Inuyasha (c) Rumiko Takahashi
Fanfiction & OCs (c) ladytari