Disclaimer: Ok yeah, I don't own Inuyasha and I never will so let's get on with the story.
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CHAPTER NINE: Reunited Family"Sesshomaru…" InuYasha growled
"I've missed you as well, little brother." Sesshomaru said, as he walked further into the sunlight.
"Listen, Sesshomaru," InuYasha started, "I don't want to fight you, just give those three back and we'll leave your land."
"Now, now, InuYasha, we haven't seen each other in twelve years… You've come onto my land so the least you could do is stay for a little while."
"Right, like you'd really want me here!"
"Dad, what's this moron talkin' about?" Shirrow said, bored.
"It isn't wise to call me names, young one."
"Stuff it, old man!" Shirrow yelled back.
"Why you…! No one talks to my father like that!" the boy yelled.
"Yeah? Well I just did, you jackass!"
"Shut up, you inferior half breed!"
"Half breed? Who're you callin' a half breed? You're one too! I can smell the human in you!"
InuYasha's ears perked up at this. No way… Sesshomaru's kid IS a half breed! … Wonder who the mother is…
"So what if I'm a half breed, you half breed!"
"Both of you shut up!" InuYasha yelled.
The two boys stopped yelling and looked over at him. The boy looked over at Sesshomaru, who said to stay back.
"Alright look… I dunno what the hell's goin' on here but I don't really care either. Come on you three. We're leaving."
"InuYasha, I told you before… You aren't leaving…"
InuYasha turned around and glared at his brother. "I'm leaving. Follow me if you want to talk 'cause I'm not stayin' here anymore."
"You always have been a stubborn one…"
So the slightly larger party started to walk back towards InuYasha's home. They walked in silence for a long time. Noriko decided to break the silence.
"Daddy?" she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Who is that man?"
"My brother."
Everyone except InuYasha and Sesshomaru paused in mid-step.
"Brother?" Noriko, Mushin, Shirrow, and the boy yelled in unison.
"When did this happen? Why didn't you tell us you had a brother?" Shirrow yelled.
"I agree father! Why didn't you say you had a brother? Even if he IS a half breed…"
"You know… now that you mention it… there is somewhat of a family resemblance..." Mushin said.
"Yeah, I guess there is… What am I saying? Dad! You shoulda' told us!" Shirrow yelled.
"Daddy? What's his name?" Noriko asked.
InuYasha bent down and picked up Noriko. "Well it's good to know that at least one of you doesn't really care that I never mentioned it…"
"Well?" Noriko persisted "What's his name?"
"Sesshomaru."
"Sess... ho... ma... ru? That's a long name to remember!"
"Well father? What's your half breed brother's name?"
"Hey, shut up you little-" InuYasha started to yell.
"Don't say that about your uncle, Taromaru… Your mother would be angry with you…"
"Yes father…"
This is getting weird… InuYasha thought. Why hasn't Sesshomaru tried to kill me or one of the kids?
"So?" Taromaru continued, "What's his name?"
"His name is InuYasha."
"Why do I get the feeling that you two don't get along very well?" Mushin asked.
"Because we don't." InuYasha muttered and said nothing more.
As they arrived at InuYasha's little home, Miroku got up to greet them. Then he saw Sesshomaru with them and stayed at the house. He still looked like the same Sesshomaru. Except his eyes didn't have that same coldness that they usually had.
"Dad!" Mushin yelled as he ran up to Miroku. "Uncle InuYasha has a brother, Dad!"
"Yes… I know."
"You did? Why didn't you say someth-"
"Go inside and help your mother and Aunt Kagome."
Mushin did as he was told and went inside. InuYasha glanced at Noriko and Shirrow as if telling them to follow Mushin. And so they left the men alone.
"Well Sesshomaru… We haven't seen you in quite some time…" Miroku stated cautiously.
"Leave us, monk." Sesshomaru said coldly.
Miroku started to back away. "Yes, well... I'll go tell the ladies that everything is fine then..." Miroku said as he walked into the house.
"Taromaru, go back home and tell your mother where I am."
"But Father-"
"Leave."
Taromaru sighed and started to run back home.
"Well, Sesshomaru? Why haven't you tried to kill me yet?" InuYasha asked.
"Hmph… You've noticed I see. You aren't so idiotic after all…"
"As you can tell, I have a family of my own now. I see now why you love your family as much as you do. I-"
"Who's the mother?"
":sigh: ….InuYasha, must you interrupt?"
"Sorry"
"I-"
"So who IS the mother?"
Sesshomaru glared at his younger brother. "Rin. May I continue now?"
"RIN?" InuYasha yelled. "How the hell does THAT work? You have a son that's at LEAST 13 and she can't be any older than 20 by now!"
"I used a spell that made her age more quickly. She's more or less the same age as your woman."
"She has a name you know…!"
"Does it really matter at the moment?"
"……"
"That's what I thought. Now as I was saying, I-"
"Wait… If Rin's the mother, then… That's why your kid's a half demon! I get it! You hate half demons until you have one of your own and you realize they ain't so bad! Is that it?"
"………" Sesshomaru looked away, slightly ((A/N: VERY SLIGHTLY)) embarrassed at being found out.
"I see…"
"Sesshomapoo!"
InuYasha and Sesshomaru both looked behind them to see Kotaro walking out of the house chanting 'Sesshomapoo' over and over. InuYasha sweat-dropped.
"Hey, little guy." InuYasha said picking up Kotaro.
"Sesshomapoo!"
"His name's Sesshomaru, not sesshomapoo."
"Who?"
"This guy over here."
"His shoulder's 'piky." Kotaro said pointing to Sesshomaru's armor.
"Heh... that's armor, kid. Now, how 'bout you go back inside by Mommy, alright? We're talking."
":sigh: Don't bother… I forgot what I was saying anyway…"
"Never mind then... :sniff, sniff: smells like food's ready… come on in, we can talk later."
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Hours had passed and it was now late in the night. The two brothers were reunited and everyone was having a great time. ((A/N: Well, as great a time that they can have while Sesshomaru still pulls off looking all bad-ass… Yeah, Sesshomaru!)) Shirrow, Noriko, and Mushin were playing one of the board games that Kagome had brought back from her time earlier during the day. Little Sakura was sound asleep again, sitting in the baby chair Kagome had. InuYasha, Miroku, Sesshomaru, Kagome, and Sango were all talking and Kotaro was on the verge of falling asleep as he lay curled up in InuYasha's lap.
"So, your kid's name is Taromaru then?"
"Yes, for the fifth time his name is Taromaru…"
"So… you aren't going to try to kill InuYasha anymore are you?" Kagome asked.
"Well, I never said that…" Sesshomaru answered with a slight ((A/N: very slight)) smirk. "But I suppose that I will let him live… It wouldn't be right to kill InuYasha because he was a half breed and then not kill my son…"
"He sure acts like a full-fledged demon though…" Shirrow commented. "He would've killed us if dad hadn't come along."
"Uh huh... Daddy always protects us!" Noriko exclaimed happily before looking back at the game board. "Heeey! Shirrow! You cheated!"
"Keh... no I didn't"
"Yes, you did!"
"No, I didn't!"
"DADDDDYY! Shirrow cheated!" Noriko wailed.
"How'd he cheat? You're playing Candy Land!" InuYasha stated, slightly annoyed. Can't they ever get along?
"He's moving extra spaces!"
"It's true. He is…" Mushin commented.
"Mushin!" Shirrow yelled "Some best friend you are!"
"Oh, look at the time!" Kagome cut in. "Noriko, it's way past your bedtime. How about you go to bed, ok sweety?"
":sigh: Ok…" Noriko said as she walked off to her room.
"Do I hafta go to sleep, mom?" Shirrow asked.
"You can stay up a little bit longer since Mushin's here." ((A/N: When you were little, didn't you hate it when you had to go to bed and everyone older than you got to stay up? That sucked, didn't it?))
InuYasha got up to go tuck in Noriko. As he got up, he picked Kotaro up with him and walked over to Noriko's room.
"Hey, Uncle Sesshomaru…" Shirrow said.
"Yes?"
"So how come you never visited us?"
InuYasha came back into the room as this question was asked still carrying Kotaro.
"Don't worry about it, kiddo." InuYasha answered.
"Aww! Come on I wanna know!"
"Your father and Uncle Sesshomaru didn't get along very well, honey." Kagome said
"Why not?"
InuYasha stayed silent and looked away. Shirrow looked at him and then his eyes widened as he realized why.
"You don't mean you didn't get along with each other because you're only a half demon do you, Dad?"
"That… and he was kindda jealous…"
"Jealous?" Mushin said. "Of what?"
InuYasha smirked. "Because I got Tetsusaiga and he got Tenseiga."
"Tenseiga?"
InuYasha sighed. Great… now I have to explain this whole sword thing to him… he thought.
However, he didn't have to explain it after all.
"Well, you know how your Dad's sword can kill 100 demons with one swing?" Sango asked.
"Yeah…"
"Well, your uncle's sword, Tenseiga, can heal 100 demons with one swing." Miroku finished.
"Huh… That's interesting…" Mushin said.
"Uh huh, so why were you jealous? I mean you're probably unstoppable with that sword, right? You can't die 'cause it's a healing sword so that's good, right?"
"I suppose…"
They were silent for a while then Sesshomaru asked, "Tell me, InuYasha, where is the young fox that followed you around?"
"You mean Shippo? He went to live with a group of other fox demons for a while so he could learn about all the fox demon things he needs to know."
"I see."
"I miss him though…" Shirrow commented. "When's he comin' back, Dad?"
"I dunno… He'll come back when he feels like it… don't worry 'bout it so much. He probably misses you too."
"Of course he misses him, InuYasha." Miroku said. "You saw that he didn't want to leave."
"Yeah, well he had to. If he expected me to teach him how to be a fox, he could forget it."
Kagome laughed. "I don't see why you couldn't. Dogs and foxes are in the same family after all."
Everyone stared at Kagome blankly with raised eyebrows.
"Same family? What're you talking about, Kagome?"
":sweatdrop: Just forget I said anything…"
"I'm way ahead of you…"
"InuYasha…"
"Yeah?"
Kotaro knew what was coming and jumped out of InuYasha's arms and curled up on Sesshomaru's lap. ((A/N: awwwww))
"SIT!"
InuYasha collided with the ground face first. "Owww… What was that for?"
":sigh: He'll never learn…" Sango said.
They sat and talked some more about different things for another hour or two. It was now starting to become very late in the evening.
"Well everyone, I think it's time we left. It's getting late and Mushin should probably get to sleep." Sango said starting to stand up.
"Aww, Mom…"
Sango walked over to Sakura and picked her up. She didn't wake up since she's such a sound sleeper. They all said their good-byes and Sango, Miroku, Mushin, and Sakura walked back to their home.
Sesshomaru also got up to leave and handed Kotaro back to InuYasha. He left soon after saying his good-byes, wanting to get back to his own home and family. ((A/N: awwww… Sesshomaru has a soft side… And he's still bad-ass! Woo!))
Shirrow was sent to bed along with Kotaro who had already fallen asleep. InuYasha and Kagome also went to bed and everyone slept soundly.
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Meanwhile… BUM, BUM, BUM!
A dark figure stood in the woods next to the little house. It seemed to be waiting for them to fall asleep so it could make its move. It waited for a while then snuck into the house, unheard by anyone. It snuck into three of the rooms and took something from each. There would be a surprise in the morning for a certain half demon…