FieryIceKitsune here!! I changed my name so don't get confused!!! I would like to apologize for such a long delay. My computer has been broken for (counts on fingers)(runs out of fingers)(starts on toes)
Clovers n Foxes: sigh... There she goes again.... Just read please....
Ashlia: Seirei, Keishou, Irihi, Tenka and the idea with the East Lord are my ideas/creations and mine alone! Do not take or face my wrath and almighty wit. (ah hems coming from behind her)(adds sarcastically) oh... and my wonderful team of almigity lawyers. (midget lawyers.....) (hehe)
Part Four
Another week had passed, which is how long it took for Inuyasha to believe that Kagome was staying. Afterwards, he could be seen muttering to himself, which was usually something like, "Why Sesshomaru of all people?" or "Since when is brother dearest speaking to me like an equal?" But, then again, that's Inuyasha for you... On the other hand, it took a lot less to persuade the other end of the population.
"So Sesshomaru's gonna be my new dad, huh?" Shippuo asked after dinner the first night they had arrived. Kagome nodded and kneeled down to his level.
"Are you okay with this, Shippuo? I don't want you to be forced into respecting someone who you don't want to be around. This is your choice too."
The kitsune had stared at her for a moment, stunned to be asked such a question like he was an adult. A grin spread slowly on his face, his eyes lighting up until they were twin emeralds,
"I think having Sesshomaru as a dad is a lot better than having Inuyasha as a dad. Sesshomaru's way more mature than dog breath."
Puffing out his chest he said,
"Besides, now I can be a warrior like my other dad... Can I?"
Kagome smiled her relief and answered,
"Of course you can. Sesshomaru would be proud to teach you as a warrior with his other battle trainers."
"Kagome-chan, do you really want to stay with Sesshomaru?"
"Hai, I do. Sango, can I ask you a question, or for that matter, two?"
They were sitting out in the gardens, watching Rin and Shippuo run around chasing each other.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"I was wondering... would you and Miroku like to, that is...."
"What?"
"Stay here, at the palace. You both could work if you wanted, like as a trainer or a healer in Miroku's case. You'd have the freedom to go wherever you wanted and leave on your own free will-"
"-Kagome?"
She stopped, looking over at Sango with pleading eyes. Sango smiled, turning away from her for a moment to look at something in the distance.
"What do you think, Houshi?"
Miroku appeared suddenly, a pleased gleam in his ebony eyes. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then chuckled.
"How can I say no?"
Sango laughed and leaped up into his arms, kissing him gleefully on the cheek. He swung her around in a humorous dance, thrilled to finally be able to have the one thing he wanted more than anything.... Sango.
Ashlia listened on to all this, safely secured on a tree branch high above them. Sighing, she tilted back gently, the soft wind blowing her hair about lightly. It seems like everyone was happy, almost, except her....
"Everybody's happy.... I seem to be the only one sad about this..."
"Why's that?"
Shifting, Ashlia thought for a second.
"Because I'm the only one who's never been loved by anyone... The minute that this is over with, I'm stuck back in the future without anyone."
"You really are blind sometimes kitsune no baka."
"Wha?"
Whirling around, Ashlia gasped to find Inuyasha watching her from the other side of the trunk, apparently listening also. He smirked at her and hooked a finger in her direction, gesturing her to join him. Hesitantly, Ashlia leaped over a few branches, landing silently next to him. Their gazes looked, molten fire building in her core from the intensity of his stare.
"What do you want hanyou?"
Rolling his eyes, he leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. His warm breath washed over her, making her dizzy and faint. From this close, Ashlia could feel the heat radiating from his skin, the softness of the hair brushing over her sides.
"You said that everyone was happy... You forgot one person."
"I did.... Who?"
Chuckling, he stroked the side of her cheek, watching her eyes darken into a vibrant jade mixing with hazel specks of longing. Pressing his nose into her hair he inhaled deeply the distinctive aroma that belonged to her. Cinnamon, violets and clovers filled his senses, a blend that stood out from countless.
"Me..."
An instant later his lips covered hers, tasting the sweetness that was sheltered by her usual tough girl attitude. The moment he touched her, Ashlia felt her insides melt, the air turning into liquid honey. Clinging to him, she groaned, inviting more contact. Inuyasha wasted no time, plunging into her wonderful depths. Minutes later they parted, breathing heavily, saturated with desire and content. Ashlia looked at him and smiled.
"You're right, I did forget you."
"Well, I guess you're stuck with me, huh?"
With his strong arms surrounding her, she could only manage,
"Yeah, guess I am."
(In Kagome's time)
Kagome led a rather panicked Sesshomaru out of the well, ignoring that he was tugging against her hold to investigate the unnamed sounds and smells. Finally she reached the house and knocked loudly next to the screen.
"One second!" A moment later the screen door was yanked open and a tall boy of about 13 stood before them.
"Onee-san?" He murmured, his eyes widening with disbelief.
"Souta!"
The pair engulfed each other in a tight hug, Souta half shouting his happiness to her. Releasing her, Souta stood back and cocked his head to the side, his gaze wandering to the person behind her. He took in the swords, armor, markings and claws with part wondering, part admiration. Sesshomaru stood silently as the youth looked him over, related to Kagome from the resemblance.
'Her brother...'
"Konnichiwa, I'm Souta, Kagome's brother. You're Sesshomaru aren't you?"
Somewhat startled the boy knew his name, he replied with a nod.
"Souta, who's at the door?"
A middle aged woman with short brownish black hair stepped out of the house, her chocolate eyes glittering. She stopped short when she saw the assembly before her.
"Kagome!"
"Okaa-san!"
Squealing, the two females embraced also. When they pulled away, Kagome turned to Sesshomaru and nudged him forward a bit.
"Mama, this is Sesshomaru Tashio. Sesshomaru, this is my mother, Akira Higurashi."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tashio." Mrs. Higurashi said brightly, putting out her hand. What happened next was something Kagome had never seen her 'escort' do before. He gently clasped her mother's hand and bowed over it, saying,
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Higurashi."
Slightly speechless, Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly,
"Please, do come inside and tell me how you managed to get my daughter to come home again. I thought for sure she gone forever since it'd been so long."
They were now in the living room, sitting on the pair of couches facing one another. Sesshomaru looked around quietly, marveling at the many items and objects that he had never seen before. He looked back down at Kagome when she started speaking,
"I'm sorry that I was gone so long this time mama, but something.... came up. You see, me and Sesshomaru... uhh... that is, we're...." she glanced up at him helplessly, unsure of how to continue. He sighed inwardly and shifted his eyes to Kagome's mother, who seemed somewhere between confused and understanding.
"What she's trying to say is that we're mates."
Mrs. Higurashi's eyes lit up, the link made as she noticed how Kagome blushed and the strange gentleman looked slightly smug after the announcement.
"Is that so? Kagome, would you please help me get some drinks?"
Kagome nodded meekly and with one last glance at Sesshomaru, walked into the room adjacent to the living room. Kagome sat at one of the stools in front of the island, knowing full well that this wasn't about drinks. With her mother looking on, she took a breath and told her all about the last month or so...
Time went by and Kagome's pups were born. As expected, she had two girls and a boy, the boy the eldest by an hour. It was a joyful day; from Sesshomaru announcing the triplets arrival to the kingdom, to his secret smile as he watched Kagome rest with the three sleeping newborns in their bed.
They named the boy Keishou, which meant strong, fierce and nimble, suiting his personality. He was adventurous, always finding ways to escape punishment when he did something wrong. Keishou grew into his name, finding a great interest in going to where the soldiers were and training with them. He resembled his father greatly, with long silver hair tinged with blue, stoic faced when in the eyes of an enemy, pointed ears, tall stature and unwavering pride. He did have a side to him that came purely from Kagome. He had constant respect for everyone and showed great amusement when something happened that was funny. He had a dark blue tail with long silver hairs and an indigo star set next to his right eye despite having his father's markings. But, if you looked closely enough, you could see specks of azure in his warm gold eyes.
The second child to be born was namedSeirei, or spirit, in Japanese. Sometimes they would call her Sei or Rei-chan for short. By any name, she was still always the same: stunning. Kagome's kindness stood out more than ever in Seirei, her soft voice and gentle way gracing everyone she met. She had the same hair as Kagome, but kept just below shoulder length or in a half ponytail. She was long limbed and fair skinned, with pointed ears of course. Her markings were normal, but her star was in the crescent like Kagome's. She always was kind and forgiving, but passionately spoken when it concerned protecting someone that was close to her. Her eyes were a light crystal color rimmed with gold that seemed to never to dim in brightness. She looked the closest to Kagome of all of them, having similar looks and aspects to her, making her beautiful and lively beyond reason.
Lastly was Irihi, the evening sun. The last born, but the first in everything. Walking, talking, fighting, laughing...... everything happened to her first. They named her this because she was born during the sunset that signaled the beginning of spring. She was smaller than the other two, but twice as spirited. It was almost like having another Rin, but more witty and charming. She took to the world like a bird to the wind, taking everything with stride. Her long unrestrained hair was silver striped with blue, her tail almost identical to Sesshomaru's but there was a spot of blue on the tip that looked like a moon. She was just as slim as her siblings, with the same strong and graceful build of her father, but unlike Keishou's in a way. Her face was rounder, more innocent and carefree, either glowing with happiness or darkening out of anger or embarrassment. Her markings were probably the most unique of all, since the colors, except for the crescent, were reversed for some reason. So she had blue stripes and a red star instead of red stripes and a blue star. But, her eyes were also different: a changing array of blues specked with gold and green.
Shippuo and Rin took to them like they were of their own blood and flesh, cherishing them as well as any natural brother or sister would. Shippuo took particular interest to hanging around with Keishou when he grew older and stronger. They rough housed and trained together to a point where they were inseparable. Shippuo grew older too, but at the age fifteen he was as tall as he ever would be in his life, being a kitsune. Keishou soon caught up in height when he was eleven, and soon became Shippuo's favorite sparing partner. All day long they would talk about anything that came to mind, once or twice planning an ambush on their unaware father.
On the other side of things, Rin couldn't be any happier with her new sisters. Seirei, Irihi and she were closer than anything, spending the day together at every hour. Kagome sometimes joined in on their fun, teaching them different plant/animal species, how to make remedies and care for the wounded, showing them how to fly (except Rin of course; she would float on a cloud Kagome produced for her), taking them to local villages during fairs and roaming the countryside. Sesshomaru was always by Kagome's side, having taken a sudden change in attitude toward the world. Kagome felt his love for her through the small things he did, a touch on her face, a brush of his lips, and all sorts of things he did in affection towards her. Life was grand, seemingly unruffled by an occasional threat.
A year after the triplets were born, Inuyasha and Ashlia announced their engagement, much to the joy of Kagome and Shippuo. (Turned out Ashlia was a third cousin of his). Sesshomaru even congratulated him, a turn in their relationship having happened not too long ago. The Eastern Lord arrived a week before the due wedding, along with the complete entourage of Ashlia's family, friends and nobles connected to them. A new treaty was put instate with the two kingdoms, uniting them together with Ashlia's and Inuyasha's marriage. Shippuo was surprised to find out that the East Lord not only had five other daughters, but also was secretly scheming to have him marry one of them. (Snicker... poor Shippuo...) During that week though, he disappeared often and when Kagome finally asked what he was doing, he came home with one of the East Lords daughters, Tenka, the third youngest.
Tenka was soft spoken and charming, with short dark blue hair, the same light green eyes that Ashlia had but were warmer and less fiery, the same forest green clover on her forehead and instead of the leaf and vine markings she had a dewdrop next to her left eye and a snowflake on each shoulder. She was incredibly athletic despite her small form and delicate frame; she especially enjoyed running and playing with Shippuo. Something that surprised everyone was her amazing singing ability, since she rarely spoke in a tone higher than a laugh. She presented a song in honor of Ashlia's marriage to Inuyasha, her voice ringing out like a crystal bell, soft, passionate and enchanting. In the end, Shippuo ended up courting Tenka (Means: snow), who was more than thrilled when he asked her.
FIK: There ya go, another whole chappie!
Clover: and it only took, what? three months?
FIK: (pouts) computer was broken remember?
Clover: It was?
FIK: (bonks head on wall)(and again)(and again)(and again)............
