Chapter 11- Now You Know
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story expect Tristis, Astoria, Maaya, Masako, Ikue, & Mitsuki. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, I just borrowed them. (Please read the author's note at the bottom!)
"How come me and Uncle Shippo have to sleep with you and Mommy? Why couldn't we sleep in my room? I don't mind sharing a room with them, especially the new baby! Mitsuki is so cute!
Inuyasha frowned as he picked up his son and laid him next to his grinning wife, while Shippo, who lay on the floor next to Myouga, gave a similar grin. For the past few hours, Tristis couldn't stop gushing over the pretty baby girl their friends had just had. Moreover, it seemed that little Mitsuki had taken a strong liking to the half-breed couple's son.
The girl from the future laughed and hugged her son before commenting to her annoyed husband, "Looks like Tristis has a little girlfriend."
"Eww, that's gross Mommy! She's only a baby!"
"If she's anything like her father then it won't matter."
The male half-breed rolled his eyes at Shippo's comment and blew out the remaining light in his bedroom. After wrapping an arm around his mate and pup he mumbled, "That's all we need. A baby only a few hours old and already acts like a female version of her father."
"Hey Inuyasha?"
He growled, "What do you want wench?"
Kagome sat up and half-heartedly glared at him. "Didn't Rin and Sesshoumaru seem odd to you tonight?"
"He looks like a woman and he actually found someone that wants him, they're both kind of odd."
"That's not what I meant. They're back together again but they acted liked they don't care about each other. All your brother did was sniff at her a couple of times and she just stood there. I mean she looked happier to see Jaken and that dragon thing they ride."
"It's not really surprising Lady Kagome," said Myouga. "Lord Sesshoumaru stopped showing emotions when his mother died. I suspect Lady Rin was excited to see the servants more because they raised her."
Shippo sat up and peered down at the little flea. "I thought that was Sesshoumaru's job?"
"According to Jaken and some of Lord Sesshoumaru's vassals, Rin was treated more like a protégé than a daughter. She was instructed in the same manner he was as a pup. I have feeling that there's more to the young woman than any of us know. Lady Kagome, do you sense anything odd from her?"
Kagome blinked before answering, "You mean from Rin? Nothing really, she kind of smells like Sesshoumaru but that could come from them mating."
"I sense something but can't quite pinpoint what it is. It's grown stronger since she started to mature."
Inuyasha let out a soft growl, "Myouga... Rin said something about Sesshoumaru's mother dying for mine. What the hell is she talking about?"
The old demon felt his insides twist as he muttered, "Perhaps it would be better if your brother told you that...."
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You've done this already! Several times in fact!"
A deep growl was given to Rin, thus she stopped her complaints. The lord of the western lands continued his inspection of her while she merely stood still. After killing of the demons that attacked her, the young exterminator was not given the kind of greeting the women in the household would have expected.
Instead of hugs and kisses, Rin was given angry growls and stern orders to hold still as her lover inspected her for injuries. Inuyasha wasn't too surprised at his older brother's reaction and Myouga wasn't either. Sesshoumaru's mate's life had been endangered as well as his unborn pup's, so being a full-blooded demon male, he was expected to make several inspections.
Once he was done, for the moment, the pregnant woman carefully sat down on her bed and looked at her mate before he sat beside her. While hugs and kisses would have been nice, Rin would have attacked the demon lord if he even attempted to do so. It was not like him and she would have never accepted such affection. As a child she quickly learned that affection would not be given, at least not the type humans were accustomed to.
This wasn't really a problem, considering the life she led in the village before Sesshoumaru. The only memories she had of affection came from her mother and those were a bit fuzzy. However, Rin didn't need hugs, kisses, even small smiles from the tall demon. Just knowing he was there had been enough for her; it still was enough for her.
That was not to say that a tender word or action was never passed between the two. Those things happened, just never in public. Nor were they ever made a fuss over. When Sesshoumaru slowly reached over and placed his much larger hand on top of hers, the exterminator merely put her other hand over it.
He cleared his throat before speaking. "The pups are fine."
She didn't even raise an eyebrow at the discovery that this time she was carrying more than one pup. Instead, she asked him the only question that really mattered, "For how long?"
He gave her a low warning growl, "My brother's wench is ignorant as well."
She gave a small smile at the question that was spoken as if it were a fact. "Yes, I suppose I laid too much faith in Kagome. I believe it would be a waste of time questioning the older priestess."
They sat there for a moment, enjoying each other's silence. However, oddly enough, the usually quiet Sesshoumaru broke their peace. "We have other matters to attend to but I fear your condition will make it difficult for us to even approach them."
Her brown eyes narrowed, "I am fine! You keep treating me as if I'm some annoying mortal princess that must be guarded at all times. You've taught me better than that and I'm rather insulted that you ignore my skills."
"I am not displaying ignorance. You don't seem to realize that you can't continue your normal activities because of the pups you're carrying."
With a small cry escaping her, Rin looked angrily as him and pointed an accusing finger. "This wasn't supposed to happen! That mountain witch even said so! I'm not supposed to bear children... my body can't handle it..."
"This is why we're searching for a way to turn you into a demon. Has this stay made you as idiotic as my brother?"
"That's another thing! You need to tell Inuyasha the truth about his mother. I'm sick of his insulting remarks toward the family."
A frown appeared on Sesshoumaru's face before he gave a soft sigh. "I'll talk to him in the morning, if you go to sleep and stop acting like an immature bitch."
Rin gave a frown of her own and quietly laid herself on her bed. She wanted to fight more with him, but her upbringing had taught her better. As his mate, she knew he would only tolerate her fits of anger and frustration for only so long. Sesshoumaru expected her to be obedient and respect his wishes just as he had done the same for her.
As said before, the demon lord had refused to even entertain the idea of turning Rin into a demon or even a half-breed. She dropped hints of wanting to find a way after losing the second child, but he had quickly squashed those ideas. It wasn't until looking at her stiff body as she watched Jaken bury her third child in the garden that he began their search.
Truly that wasn't the only reason he had given into her wishes. The proud Sesshoumaru felt he owned it to his third pup, a little girl, to at least try to find a way to stop Rin's unwanted rejection of her offspring. He couldn't help but wonder if he had done as his mate asked, he would have had a little girl that resembled Rin running around his home instead of keeping her brothers company in the garden.
He shook the thoughts away and laid himself next to Rin. Careful of not hurting her and the pups he rested his head on her stomach and listened to the pups in her. With a hidden smile, he nuzzled her and placed a hand on her face.
She looked down at him and stared into those usually cold amber eyes. Rin would have preferred the cold look than to see the love mixed with guilt that now took residence in his gaze. Never in his life did Sesshoumaru ever feel guilt for anything he had done, until he denied her. Rin herself never blamed him but she knew they had to find an answer soon, or the guilt very well could overpower the love in his eyes each time he looked at her.
Feeling a little bit of fear run through her she placed a small hand on his cheek and urged him to sit up with her. Not waiting for him to take the first move, she placed her lips directly on his as she let her hands get lost in his hair. He in turn let her do what she wanted, enjoying having his mate in his arms again.
The silent demon allowed her to slip off his robes as he pushed the flimsy cloth, that shielded her from him, a little past her shoulders so he could gaze at the mark that branded her his. After studying it for a moment, and almost ignoring the small kiss Rin was placing on his chest, he leaned down and gently let his tongue trace the scar he gave her as a child.
As expected, the exterminator gave a small cry. She buried her face into his chest and moaned when he continued to run his tongue over the scared flesh and letting his fangs do the same. Sesshoumaru stopped his actions to force her clinging body to look up at him, though this produced a whine from Rin.
He almost laughed at her protest but silenced the laugh when his gaze caught sight of her full lips. With the claw on his right thumb, he traced her lips before leaning down to kiss them. After he broke the kiss, he laid himself back down and positioned his mate so that she could lie on top of him. He looked at the few candles that Rin kept in the room for light before he crushed their flames in his palm, leaving the two lovers in a welcoming darkness
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With the birth of Mitsuki and all the craziness that had happened the day before, Kagome did not plan on being woken up before dawn by Inuyasha. Nor did she plan to try to drag him away from the door he was trying to break down, causing everyone including the newborn to wake up quite cranky.
"What is Inuyasha doing now?"
Kagome looked quite embarrassed as she tried to stop her husband's fists from connecting with the door again and talking to the ticked off Shippo. "I think he just wants to talk to his brother."
A very annoyed Miroku stumbled out of a room and smacked the half-breed with his staff. Inuyasha yelped, but as he turned to swing at the monk, he only saw his backside as he returned to his room.
"You deserved that, you know. Can't you wait to talk to Sesshoumaru later? The sun's not even out and you're already making everyone mad."
"I waited long enough! Now that he's here I want to know what Rin was running her mouth about."
"I do hope your lack of consideration for others comes from your mother. I couldn't bare it if my offspring inherited those traits"
Inuyasha looked behind him to see his older brother running a hand through his hair. Sesshoumaru gave the younger male a bored look before turning to the half-awake woman he left behind in the bed. "Rin, stay in bed until I return. And you're to eat whatever they feed you."
She pulled the sheet closer to her before nodding. Satisfied with that he walked outside with his younger brother following him, quite annoyed
"Where are you going?! I know you heard me earlier! What did Rin mean when she said that your mother died for mine?
Without looking at him Sesshoumaru replied, "Control your childish anger. I'll explain all that after I take care of something."
"You're going to explain to me right now!"
Inuyasha's tantrum proved to be useless as the older of the brothers walked to a tree where Jaken seemed to be arguing with something. Upon closer inspection, the two dog brothers saw him yelling at Maaya who was stuck in a little wooden box with vertical wooden bars.
"I'm not telling you anything you stinking toad! I have a good mind to turn you into an even more disgusting creature than you already are!"
"Still won't talk will she?"
Jaken fell to his knees, causing the small cage to hit the ground, and bowed to his expressionless master. "Forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru. This Jaken has been unsuccessful in making this wretch give me any near information."
The dog demon took that cage from the toad and gave a small glance to the now whimpering fairy. "Jaken, go to Rin and make sure she's staying in bed."
"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru."
After the toad left, Inuyasha cast a curious look towards his brother. The eldest looked at the fairy again before speaking in a low tone. "Do you remember when I had Mu Onna impersonate your mother?
A violent growl was given before the smaller dog demon replied. "Of course I do you bastard! That's when you tried to steal Tetsusaiga and I hacked off your arm."
"I took some satisfaction in killing that worthless demon. She still wore the clothes your mother once did; I only wish she still had her face when I killed her."
"You fucking son of a bitch!"
Sesshoumaru caught his little brother with his free hand and gave him a bored look. "I planned on giving you a history lesson of our family, at Rin's request. If you want to fight, then I'll fight you again but only after, I keep my promise. I thought after all these years you'd want to hear some truth so I began with the truth. Now sit down and listen to me for once in your life."
Still growling, Inuyasha "fehed" and sat next to his tree. He watched with mistrust in his eyes as his older brother sat across from him. A look of distaste showed its presence on the noble face but he pushed it away and cleared his throat.
"My mother was a kind, intelligent, and beautiful woman. She was her father's most precious treasure and he gave into her every desire. Since she was a pup she had loved our father, so my grandfather arranged their marriage."
"So what, the old man wasn't crazy about your mom?"
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at Inuyasha's malicious tone. "Watch your mouth you dim-witted bastard. My mother is one to be spoken about in nothing but respectful terms."
"You never show my mother respect!"
"She doesn't deserve it! Your mother never had to endure what our father put my mother through."
The dog-eared demon snarled at his brother, "It couldn't compare to what the villagers did to mine!"
"Um, excuse me… Lord Sesshoumaru?"
Both brothers looked down at the small cage in Sesshoumaru's hand. Maaya looked at the two and cleared her throat. "I don't know what your mother went through Lord Inuyasha but Lady Ikue's shame was common knowledge. Your brother has gone through great pains to restore the family honor. He's also had to fight long hard battles against the other families that tried to take over the land when your father died."
"Enough fairy, he'll learn of all that in time. Now will you shut your mouth and listen to me?"
Inuyasha snorted but the older one decided this was as close as a "yes" he was going to get from his little brother. "Father gave your mother constant affection but that wasn't the case with mine. She saw no harm in this because she loved him and respected him. It wasn't until he began to take long trips without the both of us. That's when the rumors began to circulate.
"At social events we heard whispers of Father's affairs but no one would dare say any of it to Mother. They wanted to spare her the shame of not being able to keep her chosen life mate. Everyone loved her, and they knew she was aware of Father's actions, so they pretended that we were a happy family. Just like my mother fooled herself to believe every single day."
"Was my mother one of his mistresses," asked the now forlorn looking Inuyasha.
The Western lord clenched his fists before going on. "She was his last. Once he found her he saw it was a great dishonor to be with another female, including his mate. He stayed away for a very long time, and then came with news that his human bitch was expecting."
"So your mother was alive when I was born."
"No, she died the day you were born. Right before you were born actually."
Inuyasha gave a slight frown, upon seeing this Sesshoumaru sighed. "Let me finish. When he told us this, my mother agreed to spare him public shame by returning to her father's lands quietly, if my birthright to the Western Lands was kept intact. Had Father disowned me and made you the heir, my mother and her followers would have waged war against him.
"I was supposed to stay with him, along with you and your mother. I refused, of course, denied my inheritance, and denied him. I lived with my mother and Jaken in her father's home. My grandfather wanted to kill our father but relented at the site of my mother's tears."
"How did your mother die?" The question was spoken very low, because the younger brother knew the answer wasn't going to be easy for Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha knew what it was like to lose a mother and to this day, he wouldn't talk about it, not even to Kagome.
"My grandfather wouldn't attack Father, but that didn't mean others wouldn't. No one in our circles wanted to see you born. The castle was under constant threats, so my mother decided to go back and protect you and your mother."
"Why would she do that? Why would she want to help a half breed live, especially when it was my mother who Father left her for?"
Once again, an annoyed look was given to the smaller dog demon. "I told you, my mother was a woman to be respected. She died protecting your mother from an attack. As I vainly tried to stop her bleeding, you were born and she made me take a vow. I was to protect both of you as long as I lived."
"Then why did you spend years trying to kill me you bastard," yelled Inuyasha.
Sesshoumaru ignored the comment, as he was used to doing when dealing with his brother. "After that I tried to avoid going there, however Jaken would constantly ask if he may visit Mother's grave. I would go with him, visit you and Father; but was you know I never liked staying there for long."
To his dismay, Inuyasha recalled memories of him being excited when he realized his older brother had come home. Remembering taking walks with him in the surrounding forest, playing a game of tag with him, listening to Sesshoumaru's tales of fighting other demons, and falling asleep in his arms.
The two stayed quiet for the next several moments; neither really wanting to break the nostalgia that surrounded them. However, the demon lord knew he would have to answer his little brother's question. "You betrayed me."
Inuyasha broke away from his blocked out memories and stared at the taller demon. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before snarling and standing up. "I betrayed you? After Dad died, you tried to kill my Mother and me! And if that wasn't enough, you tried to kill me again because of my sword!"
"When news reached the castle that Father had died from his battle, I rushed home. I knew things would be in chaos and I knew…." He broke off for a second and stared at the sky. "I knew you and your mother would be in danger. However when I got there, you two were gone. It was Myouga that informed me that she had snatched you and ran back to her village.
"I was not troubled by this at the time. I thought once I made it clear who controlled the Western lands, I could bring the two of you back home, where you belonged. But when I got there…."
In horror, and a bit of guilt, Inuyasha watched his always emotionless, strong older brother's eyes turn red as bitter liquid gathered in them. "Sesshoumaru…."
"When I went to that human village to bring back my little brother, I did not find the Inuyasha I had known. The Inuyasha that followed me around and always told our father that he wanted to be like me when he grew older… he was dead. The Inuyasha I met at that village treated me as an enemy, a despicable stranger; he would never consider calling me brother. I knew this was your mother's doing.
"Once I realized you would never go back I tried to forget you, however my mother's promise wouldn't let me. Therefore, I began patrolling my lands. It was an excuse to see you, to watch you grow up; making sure no other demons dared attack you. I thought maybe you'd finally wake up and stop seeing me as your foe when your mother died, but the great Sesshoumaru was wrong again.
"You lived alone from everyone, not even bothering to think that you had a brother waiting for you to come home. A brother that worried that some stupid demon might get the better of you or having stupid humans ridicule you for things you can't control. I had seen you do stupid things but having to watch you fall for that priestess, I nearly killed her the first time I saw her."
"I don't want to talk about her."
The red eyes narrowed, not caring that a few tears had indeed escaped. "You were the cause of my hatred, and now you'll not deny me the pleasure of finally telling you why I loathed the site of you. That priestess was trouble and I marveled at how you couldn't see that. She was lonely and bitter and with the harsh life you had, I knew you two would cling to one another.
"I was going to kill her; I had made up my mind to do so when she asked you to become human. I didn't hate your decision because you'd be human. I hated it because that would have been your ultimate betrayal to Father and me. You would have denied me once again but this time you would have denied our father."
Not knowing how to respond, Inuyasha relied on anger. "Well I didn't do it now did I? Fucking Naraku stopped our plans, remember?"
"No but you would have, and you considered it again for your mate. I'm glad she has some sense and loved you for the half-breed that you are. She never even acknowledges, as I didn't."
"You liar! You're always calling me a worthless half-breed or a pathetic half-breed! You take every chance you get to remind me that inferior to you!"
By now, Sesshoumaru's eyes had returned to normal but they still glared at Inuyasha. "How is it that you didn't know what a half-breed was until you lived in that village? I remember you going to your mother asking what a half-breed was, and her crying because she couldn't answer you."
At that, he sat back down again and looked down at the ground. He picked a few of the blades and muttered, "What did you do when Kikyo pinned me to that tree?"
A soft sigh left the lord. "My hatred for humans and you began. I hated that horrid woman for killing you and then dying before I could lay a finger on her. Moreover, I hated you for letting yourself become a human's victim. I tried to free you, but it was beyond my power. So I though of you as dead and hated you even more for that. I became a hater of humans and considered you nothing more than one of them."
He stood and began to walk away. "Now you know little brother."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok let me start by saying I'm *SO* *SO* sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Reason being, health problems, nursing a wounded heart, dealing with college, dealing with friends that are pissing me off, and so on. Actually this chapter was meant to be longer but it's seven pages long and I gave tons of info on why Fluffy hated Inuyasha and humans for so long, a little fluff between Rin and Sesshoumaru and I am exhausted.
GreaterBeast-Xellas: I tried writing a lemon but it was much harder with this couple than I thought. I'm sorry and I hope the lime action was good enough. Also, I'm sorry for making you wait for so long!
Lady Sable: Well I'm glad someone didn't think that part was somewhat silly. After a few months after I wrote that chapter I couldn't help think that, I overdid it with that scene.
Onna OOji: Lol, originally the baby was going to be a boy because I could see Miroku giving advice to his son about women. Of course I would have to have Sango smack him every time he gave some of that good advice, that's a given. I hope the lime scene is tasteful and I'm sorry I couldn't fit Kouga (I love him to death ^_^) into this story and even though Kikyo doesn't make an appearance, she does make an impact in this chapter so I hope that's good enough.
Flor: Thank you very much! I know everyone sees Sesshoumaru as this cold person but I think he's much more than that. I hope the third Inuyasha movie proves that because I've heard that there's suppose to be flashback scenes of Inuyasha and Sessy as children. ^_^, I can't wait!
Yuen2: While I loved everyone's suggestion on what to name Miroku and Sango's baby the name Mitsuki really stuck out for me, so thank you for suggesting it. I'm not sure why but the name finally made me decide to make the baby a girl.
Okibi Chan: *keeps glancing at the evil-green-psycho-ducks (with mohawks)* I finally updated and I'll really try to get chapter 12 out pretty soon…. As long as those ducks don't bite me… *one quacks and I end up shrieking* Anyway, I hope you can tell that Mitsuki will grow up to be like her daddy and it seems that Tristis will be her favorite victim!
Ameve: Lol, yes Kikyo wouldn't last long around Tristis. I'm sure Kagome has mentioned incidents along with his Uncles Miroku and Shippo and his Aunt Sango. Also, I'm afraid if he finds out that his beloved Uncle Sesshoumaru doesn't like her, well…. Another reason why I decided to keep her out of the story.
Eirivan: I'm sorry I was typing at fast as I could! I hope you'll forgive me once you read this chapter.
Silver Magiccraft: Sorry the baby wasn't a boy and not to worry Kouga won't be showing up in this story anytime soon, he might be mentioned but that's about it.
Gohansfav1: In the very beginning, I had thought about using the jewel but that's more of Inuyasha and Kagome. I'm not even sure what chapter it's in but Sesshoumaru mentions that they used the jewel to make Kagome like Inuyasha, meaning she's half demon too but she still looks like human Kagome. Sorry if there was any confusion about that.
Also thank you to the following people who took the time to review. I felt so much better reading these reviews. ^_^ until next time!
DemonLady1, ElectricRain, Demoness Saki. Koori, Humor Queen Merc, eirivan, ShellBabe, & Trina3