They shared a picnic lunch on the grassy hill overlooking the estate. Inuyasha's wife, Nene, set out tray after tray filled with all kinds of delicacies, enough to feed an army. But, the four grown quarter-yōkai sons and Inuyasha demolished each dish with speed and efficiency. In the end, they were left only with a few rice balls stuffed with dried salmon flakes and some pickled vegetables.
After lunch, the conversation naturally drifted to Daichi's wedding, which was to take place in two weeks. Some time was spent teasing the groom-to-be, who blushed and blundered but took the jest and the banter bravely on the chin.
Then, invariably, the talk moved on to the party and the celebration in Kyoto.
"You can bring a date," Inuyasha told Sesshōmaru. "We got you a plus one."
"I saw it on the invitation," Sesshōmaru said before he sipped his tea. "Though I do not understand. Why do I need a 'plus one'?"
"Oh, you've mailed out the invitations?" Kagome asked, looking up at Inuyasha with surprise. "Because I haven't received mine."
"Oh, I haven't told you?" Inuyasha asked back. "We're at full capacity, so I didn't send you one."
Silence descended upon the group. As Kagome placed her plate and chopsticks on the blanket, she could feel the tension in the air. Everyone's eyes were on her, and their reactions varied between embarrassment and mortification.
Very slowly, Kagome folded her hands on her lap. "Ah, I see." She levelled a bland look at Inuyasha. "So— I am not invited."
Inuyasha shrugged noncommittally. "Sorry, Kag." Funny that he said so, because he did not appear the least bit remorseful. "We have too many guests as it is. When our second son gets married, we'll make sure to send an invitation, okay?"
"… Uh-huh."
It was quite apparent that Inuyasha omitted her invitation and instead awarded the 'plus one' to Sesshōmaru so that the brother would bring her as a date to the wedding. Kagome glared at Inuyasha, wondering if her hanyō friend truly believed he was being discreet with his sloppy matchmaking attempts.
Inuyasha averted his eyes to look at Sesshōmaru. "So— who are you bringing?"
He could not be more wrong if he thought he was transitioning smoothly.
"I do not need a plus one," Sesshōmaru said stiffly. "But, thank you for your consideration, Inuyasha. Since you have been so generous, I will ask my assistant to come along."
Inuyasha sat up, his face reddening with panic. "Your assistant? You can't bring your assistant! The 'plus one' is supposed to be for someone you really care about!"
"Oh. Is that so?" Sesshōmaru asked back, deadpan. "Wonderful. I'll have you know I care about my assistant. In fact, I care about him a great deal. He's been working for me for nearly a hundred years. So, yes, I believe I made the right decision."
Inuyasha bristled, grumbling, "What kind of a guy brings his assistant to his nephew's wedding?"
"A guy who refuses to do anything for himself, I reckon," Sesshōmaru replied calmly.
Kagome would have relished Inuyasha's astonished face had the situation not already been awkward and embarrassing enough for her.
The red burned even more on Inuyasha's cheeks. "But— this is not how it's supposed to go—"
"Alright, that's enough," Nene cut in, placing her hand on top of Inuyasha's before he had the chance to mouth off. She turned to Kagome and smiled apologetically.
"Higurashi-Sensei, of course, you are invited," the woman said. "You will be at the wedding. Our family will not have it any other way. Truly, I apologize for the confusion. An invitation will be sent to your address straightaway." Then, she turned to Sesshōmaru. "Onii-sama, you may still bring a guest if you wish," she told her brother-in-law. "Your assistant will be welcomed if you choose to invite him."
Neither Kagome nor Sesshōmaru responded, aside from a strained smile to acknowledge Nene's attempt to control the damages Inuyasha had done with his botched attempt to be Cupid.
After lunch, Kagome left the picnic site to take a solitary stroll to explore the land surrounding the estate when Sesshōmaru chased after her.
"Higurashi-Sensei," the daiyōkai called out, his voice reaching her ears without having to shout. "May I have a word?"
Kagome turned around and waited for Sesshōmaru to reach her. He looked grim and vaguely guilty.
"I am sorry for what happened back there," he said. "I did not mean to embarrass you. It's just—"He paused to shake his head. "I cannot stand being manipulated, even by Inuyasha."
Her lips instinctively curled into a wry smile. After what Sesshōmaru had gone through with his former wife and ex-in-laws, was it any wonder that Sesshōmaru found any sort of manipulation distasteful? Even in the feudal era, he was not someone who tolerated trickery. He had hunted Naraku down and ultimately became their ally in defeating the spider hanyō because Naraku had tried to manipulate him into surrendering his body.
"I was annoyed," Kagome admitted. "But not at you, Inukai-san."
The corners of his lips twitched. "At Inuyasha, then?"
Kagome's smile widened. "His matchmaking attempts leave much to be desired. In the discretion and subtlety departments, especially."
He surprised her when he flashed a quick grin. "Since you are going to the wedding, may I ask how you'd travel to Kyoto?"
"Hmm? The bullet train, I suppose." She might have feigned nonchalance, but inside, her heart was beating faster and faster. Was he planning to suggest that they go together?
"Then, shall we travel together?" he asked.
Kagome could not resist a grin. "So- you're not bringing your assistant, then?"
He seemed to be holding back a smile as he raked his fingers through his bangs. "That was said only to provoke Inuyasha," he admitted.
She laughed. After her mirth subsided, after a few beats of silence, he added solemnly: "Haine will be thrilled to have you with us."
Kagome felt her heart riding a roller-coaster, soaring high before it tumbled down to the bottom of her stomach, where it tingled pleasurably. "And I will be thrilled to have him with me," she said, her voice soft.
With a faint smile, the daiyōkai nodded and turned to return to his son. Kagome remained on the spot, watching him as he approached Haine, Inuyasha, and the boys.
And you too, Sesshōmaru, she whispered silently.
Kagome returned to the picnic site while Sesshōmaru went to take Haine to play with his nephews. She sat on the picnic blanket with Nene, who was enjoying the view from underneath the shade of her parasol. They both watched Sesshōmaru and Haine playing ball together, passing it back and forth, looking like they were having a good time.
Inuyasha's wife chuckled when Haine actually scored against Sesshōmaru. A mean feat, no doubt.
"Haine is such a lovely boy, isn't he?" Nene said.
Kagome smiled. "I enjoy having him in my class very much."
The other woman exhaled a heavy sigh as though recalling unpleasant memories. "Sometimes, I do wonder about his mother, Honoka-san."
Kagome looked up sharply. "Nene-san knows Honoka-san well?"
"I have… met her," Nene clarified. "However, it does not mean I know her. She is a very private person. And she… well, she never welcomed the opportunity to get to know our family properly."
From how Nene's lips were pursed into a thin line, Kagome could tell there was no relationship between Honoka and the people in Sesshōmaru's life — Inuyasha and family included.
"How unfortunate," Kagome said as she poured a cup of tea and handed it over to the other woman. "She could have been a part of this family. But instead, she distanced herself from it."
"I am not certain if she understands the concept of a family," Nene said, not unkindly. "As far as I know, her mother passed away when she was very young, and she has had only her father since. And, well…"
They watched the boys playing with Haine in the field for a while.
"I think… she might have undiagnosed post-partum depression," Nene confided.
Kagome's hands stopped on their way to tidy up the remainder of their picnic. Her eyes widened, she looked at the other woman. "Why does Nene-san think so?"
Nene pursed her lips in consternation. "Just a feeling I got when I saw her again after Haine was born. She seemed… perpetually tired. There were dark circles under her eyes as though she lacked sleep. Of course, exhaustion and lack of sleep are normal and common for new parents, but… Honoka-san had numerous full-time help. She also seemed withdrawn and had difficulties bonding with her baby, to the point she appeared to be completely dissociated with him."
Nene paused to sigh. "One time, I tried to ask her if perhaps needed help, but I feared I made matters worse. She was greatly offended. I never saw her again after."
She shook her head ruefully and adjusted her parasol. "Honoka-san's father is not a loving kind. In fact, I believe there is evil inside that man. I very much doubt he taught her the true meaning of a family. And Onii-sama—"Nene glanced at Sesshōmaru and sighed. "As much as we love him, back then, he was not a warm person. He would not have given her the care and attention Honoka-san might have required. And the circumstances surrounding their marriage were not precisely designed to foster a good relationship."
Kagome lowered her eyes to her lap as her conversation with Sesshōmaru at the aquarium returned to her mind. It was a cold-blooded arrangement, the exchange of seed and progeny for a parcel of land.
"Talking about Honoka?" Inuyasha asked as he sauntered over to grab another rice ball and shoved it into his mouth. "Why waste your breath? She belongs in the past. Let her remain there."
"We're just saying what a pity it is that she did not get to know this family very well," Kagome said. She nearly bit her own tongue. Deep down, she knew she was lying. She did not really think it was a pity. Deep down, she was relieved that Honoka was no longer in the picture.
And she felt ashamed because of it.
Because Honoka-san's absence meant she might have a role in Sesshōmaru's and Haine's lives.
"Keh. Good riddance, I'd say," Inuyasha grumbled. "Kags, you didn't see Sesshōmaru back then. How terribly the marriage affected him. He knew he made a mistake, and then Haine was born."
But, looking at them now, chasing each other around the meadow, who would believe it was a mistake?
"It was a long time ago," Nene replied gently. "Both father and son are in a much better place now."
Kagome merely bit her lower lip while Nene smiled ruefully, but they complied with Inuyasha's wish and said not another word about Sesshōmaru's ex-wife.
They spent some time conversing about other subjects, mainly Inuyasha and Nene's martial art school and how one of their students had been accepted to the Olympic training program. That admission had increased dramatically since the news was released. Smiling, Kagome watched Inuyasha speak fondly about their institution, his love for it shining brightly in his golden eyes while Nene looked on with the same fondness on her gentle face. The school was a labour of love for both husband and wife, and Kagome was thrilled that it was getting the attention and notoriety it deserved.
After a while, Kagome looked down at the field below and only saw Inuyasha and Nene's four children.
"Where are Sesshōmaru and Haine?" she asked, eyes scanning their surroundings.
"Knowing Sesshōmaru, he's most likely picking some flowers," Inuyasha replied, reaching for yet another rice ball. "And Haine must have followed him."
"Flowers?" Kagome asked, confused. "For who?"
Inuyasha looked at Nene, and they both smiled sadly.
Yellow buttercups, red and purple anemones, white cosmos, pink primroses, and azure baby-blue-eyes grew profusely in the field behind the estate. Sesshōmaru carefully selected each specimen, assembling a bouquet of all shades and colours.
He sensed Haine's footsteps behind him, crunching the blades of grass underneath a pair of little shoes.
"Papa," his son called. "What are you doing?"
He bent to rummage between the flowering shrubs to pick a few more white cosmos. "I am gathering some wildflowers."
"Why do you need flowers?"
He turned and smiled at his son. The sun was upon them, and the bright light made Haine's hair almost silver, like his. "I want to give them to some special people."
When he rose to his feet, he held a bouquet of wildflowers in his grasp. Haine eyed the profusion of blooms in his hand with confusion. Then, Sesshōmaru's smile widened slightly as he reached for Haine's little hand and gently pulled the pup to walk alongside him.
"Come," Sesshōmaru said. "I will introduce you."
Kagome and Inuyasha found them standing in front of four identical tombstones idyllically situated amidst a bamboo grove. There were bouquets of wildflowers at their feet, colourful and freshly plucked from the meadow.
Inuyasha had told her on the way to the graveyard that Rin's final wish was to be buried beside Jaken and Ah-Un at the estate, and Kohaku had abided by it. And thus, when he passed on as well, all his children entrusted his jar of ashes to Sesshōmaru so that it could be buried beside their mother at the estate too.
Four tombstones: for Jaken and Ah-Un, Rin and Kohaku.
Kagome suddenly realized why this estate, this land was so important to Sesshōmaru. It was more than a legacy passed down from a father to a son. More than a source of pride and honour. More than proof of wealth and privilege.
This was where he buried his family.
Inuyasha fidgeted beside her, clearly upset. "I can't watch this," he said. "He'll need some time. I'll take Haine and stay with him in the car."
Kagome did not move. She nodded, unable to speak. Inuyasha went to take Haine's hand and silently led the pup to the parking lot so he could buckle him into his car seat.
Now, it was just the two of them in front of the graveyard. The wind blew, whistling through the bamboo leaves, whipping their hair and clothing as they stood silently. Sesshōmaru was very still, as though rooted to the spot.
"I wish I could take all of you with me," he said to the tombstones. "But, at this point, you have become one with the land, and there is no way for me to extract you from its soil."
Her vision blurred as tears gathered in her eyes. Nothing had changed: he was still Inukai Sesshōmaru, the parent of her student, her employer. He needed solace, yet she knew touching him in any familiar fashion would be inappropriate.
But, at this moment, she set aside propriety and surrendered to the desire to give comfort.
Kagome ran to him. She wrapped her arms around his torso, pressed her forehead against his back and closed her eyes. He did not touch her in return, but he did not move away either. As her arms tightened around his torso, she felt the tension within his coiled muscles. He grieved in silence, in the stillness of a statue, as if the slightest display of emotion would shatter him.
Tears spiked her lashes; her own shoulders shook and trembled as she buried her face in the black lawn of his knitted sweater and wept.
If he could not shed tears, she would do so for him.