Lessons Learned
Author - Shortey 83
Chapter 29 - Revelations
Disclaimer - I do NOT own InuYasha or Skyrim
Story Start -
InuYasha was less than thrilled that he was the one who was going to have to be the one to open the bag with Takara's scent. They found him lying in an open field, transformed and starring off into the night.
"Place yourself upwind of him and if he attacks, I'll intercept him." Toga had instructed.
It was a sound strategy in his opinion, but that didn't mean that InuYasha was fond of being the bait... At least when he couldn't kill the big bastard.
"Let's hope this works." InuYasha mumbled as he waited for a good breeze to come from behind him, and once one came along, he opened the bag and took out the cloth with Takara's scent on it. He waved it around, hoping that Sesshomaru would transform back to investigate. After a minute with no reaction from Sesshomaru, InuYasha considered moving closer but before he could take another step forward, Sesshomaru's head snapped in his direction.
Even though he was sure that Sesshomaru couldn't see him, his eyes immediately went to his location and he stood, facing his body in his direction.
"Oh Shit..." InuYasha cursed, quickly stuffing the cloth back into the bag and sealing it shut, but that didn't stop Sesshomaru from launching into a run straight for him. InuYasha quickly evacuated his location, but thankfully their father had been ready as promised, launching his own attack to put himself between his sons.
However, Sesshomaru wasn't stopping without a fight. He barreled into his father and it was a dog fight unlike any that InuYasha had ever seen. Both father and son hit each other blow for blow and InuYasha began to wonder if he should step in to help. Then it occurred to him. He opened the bag once again and took it out, waving it around as the wind blew. It only distracted Sesshomaru for a brief second, but it was enough for his father to pin him before they could damage each other again.
A hint of jealousy hit him as they were able to communicate in their transformed state, but after seeing how controlled Sesshomaru had been with Takara's scent, he was able to let it go. He may not have been full demon, but his human half was mostly able to keep his demon instincts in check.
Whatever was said, Sesshomaru and his father eventually shifted back to their human forms and InuYasha hurried over to them. There was no greeting from Sesshomaru as he immediately turned to face InuYasha. "Where is she?" he growled, the question sounding more like a threat.
"I ain't telling you when you're like this, Sesshomaru. Pull yourself together and I'll help you get her back."
InuYasha heard the crack of his brother's claws and gripped the hilt of his sword to prepare for battle, but once again Toga stepped between his sons. "Enough, Sesshomaru. Calm yourself and listen to what he has to say."
Sesshomaru's eyes began to glow red around the rim while his growl increased in volume.
"InuYasha did not have to go and find your mate, but he chose to do so. Now collect yourself.
Sesshomaru snarled and spun away from the two of them and took a few steps away from them before he did as his father instructed and tried to calm himself. It was difficult to do so once her scent had drifted over to him, like an electric current over his senses. Desperate to find her, his demon had charged in the direction to find her, but his father preventing him from doing so had done nothing short of infuriate his inner demon.
As he stood there, InuYasha approached and handed him the piece of cloth that smelled so strongly of his mate and returned back to their father's side. He lifted it to his face and immediately the flames of rage that had been burning his mind, lingering there while his demon side clawed relentlessly to escape, subsided as his mate's scent rushed over him like a cooling breeze.
That one hint of her scent told him so many things; her fear, loneliness, and sadness all mixed together with another scent. He inhaled a second time just to be sure, but there, under the salty remnants of her tears, was the unique union of her scent and his own.
"She is with child?" He questioned his half demon brother.
"Yeah. If it wasn't for that, I would've tried to just bring her back, but I didn't want to over stress her."
Sesshomaru may have been used to the brush of Takara's emotions in his mind but experiencing his own was still rather new. Of course, there was the familiar feeling of anger. Why hadn't he brought her back regardless? Then there was the feeling of concern. Would her sadness and loneliness cause her enough stress to lose the child? Finally, there were the feelings of relief and (dare he admit it) gratitude. InuYasha had found Takara and she was safe even though his brother had nothing to lose should she never have been found.
"Is she well?"
InuYasha hesitated. "I'll tell you everything, Sesshomaru, but you have listen to everything and stay in control otherwise you may not be able to get her back."
Sesshomaru wanted to growl at the half demon for that, but he maintained his composure and nodded.
"I'm not sure what happened to her after father saved her from that other dragon, but when she was sent back to her world, something happened to her and she seems to have lost parts of her memory. She doesn't remember the days leading up to her crossing into this world, but she knows... feels that she's missing someone."
That explained a lot. He had felt her confusion as if she had been lost in a fog and her confusion had been amplified when she had been struck with feelings of loneliness. It had upset him for a moment that she couldn't remember him, but he was beyond relieved that she had bonded with his demon as she could still feel him and knew she was his despite her lapse in memory.
"I don't know if you'll be able to cross into their world, but I asked her to meet Kagome in the morning so that she could explain everything. If I can get you there, maybe she'll remember something. If not, maybe you can convince her to come back."
" 'Convince her'?" Sesshomaru growled.
"Sesshomaru..." his father warned.
"If she doesn't remember you, do you really want to risk ripping her away from her life and her family to bring her back? Stress isn't good for pregnant humans." InuYasha argued, stepping forward.
Sesshomaru wasn't sure if the move was brave or foolish for the half demon, but either way, he calmed and did his best to compose himself. Finally, he turned to face them both. "Take me to her."
"You're in control?" His father asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
Sesshomaru gave him a brief nod and together the three of them traveled to the well that connected the two worlds.
Takara paced her room, trying her best to think of an excuse to go to the Higurashi Shrine as the boy, InuYasha, had instructed her to. She had only dozed off for a few hours the previous night, but her nerves had her too anxious to sleep decently.
Maybe I could tell him I want to try and remember something... you know, because of the baby. She thought. Even though that will probably be too obvious. Maybe I'll just tell him that I want to go out for a walk to try and jog my memory...
After taking a shower, she towel dried her hair and went to her closet to dig for something that wasn't too fitted. With the door locked, she dropped the towel she had wrapped around her body and looked herself over in the mirror. She knew it was all in her head and that she didn't look pregnant; if it hadn't been for a little bit of nausea and a missed period she would've never known.
She laughed to herself. Putting on loose clothing... she thought, rolling her eyes at her own silliness. Even as she scolded herself while putting on her bra and panties, she reached in her closet and pulled out a simple, white sundress that had a light blue ribbon around the waist. It wasn't nice enough to suggest she was going to meet up with someone, but it wasn't something she would just wear around the house. She slipped on a comfortable pair of sandals, grabbed her purse and headed downstairs.
"Dad?" she questioned, as she reached the bottom of the staircase.
"In the kitchen," came his response. "You feel up to eating this morning?"
Before she could answer, she heard a snicker come from the family room and looked over to see Hachiro sitting on the couch with his girlfriend, Yuri. Takara glared at them both. She had never been able to get along with Yuri, and she felt that was part of the reason she and her brother had got together in the first place; to make her miserable.
"Don't want to upset the accident." Hachiro sneered, loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough for it to carry to their father in the kitchen.
Takara felt her temper rising as she snapped back, "Don't you dare talk about my baby, you jackass."
"He was talking about you." Yuri laughed, doing her best to egg Takara on, but Takara knew how to outmaneuver her.
"If he was talking about me, the correct term is 'divine intervention'. I was the only certainty out of all of us, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you; being a certainty?"
Takara watched her adversary's brows pull together in confusion as she tried to follow along. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your dad thought he was certain he pulled out in time, but I guess he didn't and here you are instead of the stain on the sheets that he had intended."
She shot up off the couch and stormed over to Takara, her face red with anger but luckily (for Yuri), Takara's dad got between them. "Knock it off!" He yelled, pointing his finger between Yuri and Hachiro. "I've already told both of you to leave her alone. She doesn't need any more stress."
Hachiro stood up off the couch, grabbed Yuri's hand and pulled her to the door. "Yeah," he laughed sarcastically as they stepped outside. "Heaven forbid she lose her bastard child." Takara didn't get a chance to curse him out as he slammed the door, and her dad held onto her arm to prevent her from going after him.
"Let them go, Takara. It isn't worth it."
Was it too early for her hormones to be affecting her mood? Well it was either that or the stress of the past few weeks because she went to crying again. "I don't get it, Dad." She sobbed as she sat down at their table and put her head in her hands. "What the hell did I ever do to him? Why has he always..." she searched for the words. "Why has he always hated me?"
Her dad didn't have much for her in the way of answers, but after a hug that she felt she desperately needed, she eventually pulled herself together, despite the hurt she still felt. She tried to choke down a few bites of breakfast, but it wasn't agreeing with her. This time she didn't think it was the baby so much as it was her emotions playing havoc on her stomach.
"What are you planning on doing today?" Her dad asked as he cleaned up the kitchen.
"Just getting out of the house," she explained, pulling up a map of the local area to find out where she needed to go. "I feel like I've been cooped up for an eternity. I just want to get some fresh air and maybe see if anything jogs my memory."
She was concerned she had said too much as she watched a glimpse of worry drift across her dad's face for a moment, but it seemed that he thought her request was reasonable enough and nodded his approval. "Do you want me to go with you?" He offered.
She thought about turning him down but felt that would be a little too obvious. Better find a middle ground... She thought, as she tilted her head to the side as if she was considering his offer. Finally, she declined his offer but asked that they meet for lunch to see if anything she saw while she was out seemed familiar.
Her suggestion seemed to work, and she felt as if she could see the worry lift off of his shoulders. It made her feel bad that she had been the one to cause it, but the entire situation wasn't an easy one for anyone, least of all a parent, to handle. "Any places in particular you plan to visit?"
Takara just shrugged as she stood up from the table and placed her purse over her shoulder. "I'm not sure," she said. "I feel like one of the last things I remember was a shrine of some sort..." she trailed off as she seemed to think out loud. "Or maybe just some sort of staircase. Maybe I was at a mall or something." She waved her hand as if clearing her thoughts from the air. "Anyways, I'll meet you for lunch, or sooner if I remember anything."
Satisfied that she was being genuine, her dad nodded and bid her goodbye as she headed out the door.
Takara walked along at a casual pace as not to draw any attention to herself. She wandered around a few streets on her way and visited a few small shrines as a hole began to burn in the back of her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the storefront glass and saw her dad doing his best not to be noticed following her.
She wasn't sure if she should consider his actions to be sweet that he cared, or creepy that he was so good at not being directly spotted. Gotta loose him, she thought. Sorry, Dad.
She paused outside of a little dress shop and admired a few pieces in the window. Deciding a little shopping would do the trick to help her avoid suspicion, she wandered inside and asked to try a few pieces on. As she exited the dressing room to admire herself in the mirror, she would peek outside and saw her dad sitting across the street, sitting at a table drinking a cup of coffee as inconspicuously as he possibly could.
Even though she hadn't intended to buy anything when she stepped inside the little boutique, she bought a few dresses. Two of them were lose fitting enough she would be able to wear them well into her pregnancy and the other two were specifically maternity dresses that were loose and flowy that would eventually emphasize her swollen belly.
Spotting an alternate exit to the side of the building she asked the attendant if she would be allowed to use it to avoid going all the way up the street to get to her next stop. The attendant was more than accommodating and escorted her out the side down and thanked her for her purchases. Shopping bag in hand, she continued along at a nice even pace in case her dad had spotted her smooth getaway.
It was about an hour or so later that she finally managed to wander her way to the Higurashi Shrine as she had been instructed. She stood at the base of the long staircase and looked up, as her stomach began to twist and turn in anticipation.
Deep breaths, Takara. You've got this. She coached herself before placing her foot on the first step, followed by the second and so on until she was simply climbing the stairs.
While nothing was coming back to her in terms of her memories, she had the strangest sensation of Deja Vu as she climbed the long staircase to the top. She definitely had the feeling she had been up this staircase before, but the feeling didn't seem significant. For all she knew, she could've visited this particular shrine at festival or something in the past, but who knew?
As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw the same girl from the day before, still dressed in her priestess' attire sitting beneath a massive oak tree. As soon as their eyes met, she stood, and a warm smile lit her face, a face that was so familiar and yet one she didn't recognize.
"Hello, Takara. Nice to see you again."
Takara returned her smile as she approached and took the seat beside the girl, Kagome, under the oak tree. Praying that something, anything she planned on saying would strike a familiar chord, Takara asked her for everything.
"Are you sure, you want me to tell you everything?" Kagome hesitated.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Kagome seemed to think about her words before she finally decided on some. "Well, it's not that I don't want to tell you everything, because I do. However, what I am going to tell you is going to seem so... unbelievable that you may think I'm making it up."
"After the past few weeks I've had, please just tell me and let me be the judge of what is and isn't believable."
Kagome sighed and looked up as if asking the heavens for guidance, but she eventually began to tell the tale.
Takara would question a few things along the way for clarification, and she gave Kagome the credit she deserved. After an hour of conversation and left field storytelling, Takara couldn't have agreed with Kagome more. The story that she told really was unbelievable.
"So, let me get this straight." Takara said as she tried to organize her thoughts. "You're telling me that I am... Married?"
"Yes," Kagome nodded, her face beginning to tell a tale of defeat.
"And not only am I married, but my husband is...?"
"A demon." Kagome finished for her.
Part of Takara was so mad. She felt like she had been played for a fool by some crazy shrine attendants who didn't get out often to be the butt of their jokes, and yet...
She paused and allowed the anger to calm as she processed a few more questions for clarification. Kagome gave her what she felt were the best possible answers, and Takara had to give the girl credit. Even her eyes seemed to plead with Takara to believe her.
Confused, Takara stood up to leave without another word, but Kagome stopped her. "Wait, Takara. Your shoulder."
Takara paused in her tracks and looked back at the girl under the tree. "What about it?"
"You have scars on your left shoulder, they look like puncture marks with some healed scratches around them." Takara spun around to face Kagome completely. Her dress may have been a halter top, but the little jacket she wore over it prevented anyone from seeing it.
"How did you...?" She began, but Kagome continued.
"Please, Takara. Don't leave. He misses you so much."
Before she could even respond, the sound of footsteps echoed up from the staircase behind her. She had expected her dad to show up, but instead, it was Hachiro and Yuri who came slinking into view.
"Well, well," Hachiro sighed as they reached the top. "Fancy meeting you here, sis."
Takara could hear her eyes as they rolled in annoyance. "What are you two doing here?"
"Oh, you know. Just come to check up on you. Hoping you had disappeared again, but you live to be a disappointment, don't you?"
The rage that had been building that morning in their house began to grow once more. She clenched her fist, wanting to punch her brother right between the eyes. She had had enough of his mouth.
"What is with you?" She finally screamed at him. "What they hell have I EVER done to you? You have done nothing but belittle me and try your damnedest to get me into trouble ever since I can remember-"
"Which isn't much apparently." Yuri laughed, causing her brother to snicker.
"Oh, shut up, Yuri. Your mom is still probably wishing she had swallowed just as much today as the day you were born. You are the physical manifestation of unprotected sex regret."
Yuri's face turned red with anger, but Takara didn't miss a beat as she went back to her brother. "What did I do to you, Hachiro? Why is it only you who, out of all of our brothers, hates me? You let me wander off in the park when we were kids. You've pushed me into oncoming traffic before. You've tripped me onto the train tracks, WHILE the train was coming." Angry tears finally began to fall from her eyes. "Every time we had a fight, I would always let you blame me for the problem, so you wouldn't get in trouble with dad. I never told him it was YOU that broke my arm in fifth grade, YOU who gave me that black eye the day before school pictures, or YOU that cut off my hair at the beginning of high school. So, WHY? What did I ever do to you?"
"You were born!" Hachiro finally bellowed back, storming over to her, his face inches from her own. "It was your fault mom died! 'I've got to have my girl' she used to say, even when she found out she was sick. You just had to come along, didn't you?"
Ice settled in the pit of her stomach at his words followed by devastating regret. He blamed her for killing their mom? But he just had to keep twisting the knife.
"I made sure to put my skates where she couldn't see them on the steps. You should've died when she fell down the stairs. YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE!"
Takara watched in a numb stupor as he raised his hand to hit her as he had so many times before, but she made no move to defend herself.
A roar echoed from behind her, and her brother's hand stopped mid strike as he looked behind her in the direction of the sound, his face turning sheet white. Before she could even turn to see what had caused the sound, a massive white blur swooped in and lifted Hachiro away from her by the throat.
"No, Sesshomaru! Don't kill him!" Kagome yelled from behind her.
Finally, Takara's brain began to process what was happening. In front of her stood a man, tall, with the most beautiful silvery white hair she had ever seen, dressed in a traditional kimono that was just as white as his hair with the exception of a few hints of red at the shoulders and the base of his sleeves and some strange looking armor. Over one shoulder was a massive furry pelt of some sort and there were two swords tucked into his obi.
She couldn't see his face, but from her brother's terrified expression and Yuri's screaming, she figured that it wasn't too pleasant at the moment, especially with the malicious growls echoing from him.
Sesshomaru? She thought as she began to process what Kagome had said. That's the same name as the...demon... she said was my husband.
Takara wanted to beg this... Sesshomaru person... to put her brother down and not kill him, but the surprises kept coming as she looked behind the dangling body of her brother to her dad standing in shocked disbelief at the scene before him. How much had he overheard?
She looked up to see Sesshomaru's large hand tightening on her brother's throat and took notice that his struggling was becoming more and more frantic as his lips began to turn blue. Still in a shocked daze, Takara stepped forward and placed a hand Sesshomaru's arm. He didn't turn to look at her, but his growls began to quiet.
"I don't like him very much either," she told him softly. "But he's still my brother. Please don't kill him."
Sesshomaru's growls quieted into a low rumble as he lowered his arm and loosened his grip, allowing Hachiro to gasp for air once more. But it seemed Sesshomaru wasn't satisfied as he tossed her brother like a rag doll down the long staircase. Takara watched as her father turned to watch Hachiro tumble down the stairs and then turned back to her and then stepped in her direction.
"I wouldn't do that, right now." Takara heard InuYasha's voice instruct him from behind her. "He's still not calm."
At his instruction, her dad stopped and starred at the demon in front of her while Yuri rushed down the stairs after Hachiro.
"Sesshomaru," InuYasha called out to her supposed demon husband. "Calm down before you scare Takara. I know you're angry. I would be too after that, but you got to get it together."
Takara still hadn't removed her hand from his arm and she could feel an... energy crackling against her skin that began to fade as his growls finally quieted. After another moment, he finally turned to face Takara and she felt her heart skip a beat and barely kept her mouth from falling open. He was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.
He's MY husband? She thought, completely entranced by the most beautiful amber eyes she had ever seen. When he took a small step forward until there was barely an inch between them and she had to look up to keep her gaze locked with his. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, so many things she wanted to ask, but as she stood there, transfixed by how beautiful he was she felt her mouth go dry.
"Takara?" she heard her dad's voice from off to her left, breaking the spell that had her transfixed on the beautiful creature in front of her. She looked over to see him making his way closer to her as he gave Sesshomaru a wide berth. She didn't blame him after watching Hachiro being tossed around like a rag doll. Her brother wasn't a large man by any means, but to so effortlessly be picked up and thrown was a testament to his strength.
However, as the surprise wore off, her earlier feelings of shock and upset at her brother's admissions. He truly did blame her for their mother dying, but even more upsetting was that he had been the one to make her fall down the stairs and put her in the hospital before she was born. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the realization hit her and for the umpteenth time in two days and an overwhelming amount of emotional toil began to take it's toll.
Not knowing what else to do, Takara stepped around Sesshomaru and headed down the stairs and away from all the insanity she had just witnessed.
"Takara! Please wait!" Kagome called after her, but she didn't stop. Her vision blinded with tears she made her way to the bottom where Hachiro lay panting trying to catch his breath while Yuri fussed over him.
"I hope you're happy, you bitch!" Yuri yelled at her, but Takara didn't stop. She kept walking away. She didn't stop as her father yelled after her, nor did she stop for anything else. She didn't stop until she made it home, stormed up to her room, slammed the door and slid against it, her tears not stopping.
Sesshomaru hadn't been sure he would be able to cross through the well. Previously only InuYasha and his female had been able to do so, and even Takara, once through hadn't been able to return. He had stood at the well a moment after InuYasha had crossed through, hesitating. Somewhere, deep down, apart of him was...concerned? No.
Part of him was afraid that he would never be able to get his mate back, but he resolved himself to try. He thought about how much he missed her smile, her scent, her laughter and how empty things felt. It was an odd sensation to say the least. He wasn't used to having these...feelings. It wasn't so bad when his demon was feeling Takara's emotions because he was able to figure out what was causing each emotion. It was a little more difficult when it was personal.
He hadn't expected any sort of encouragement from his father, but he felt his hand on his shoulder. "You'll get her back." That was all he said, but that was the push Sesshomaru needed. Determined, he leapt into the well, preparing for an impact, but it never came as a purple light flashed around him and he gently touched down.
An assault of scents hit him, and most weren't pleasant, but above the smells rose Takara's voice. InuYasha stood at the top of the well, waiting for him, but his face was twisted into a look of concern. "Come on up but wait here. It looks like she's having a disagreement with her brother."
Sesshomaru could feel Takara was upset even without hearing her raised voice. He watched from the door as the two of them bickered back and forth and with each transgression that her brother had committed against her, but at his admission that he had tried to kill Takara while her mother was still pregnant with her, Sesshomaru felt his rage start to boil over. What the male didn't know was that he had succeeded, and her dragon soul was a result of her being still-born. The final straw was her brother raising his hand to strike her and Takara's automatic flinch, a tell-tale sign that it wasn't the first time he had struck her.
Sesshomaru saw red.
He had only just heard InuYasha's voice, but the sensation of holding the boy up by his throat, knowing he could crush it with a simple flex of his hand felt good. His demon roared at him, urging him to annihilate the threat as the scent of his terror poured from him. it was Takara's hand on his arm that brought him back to his senses and with only the slightest touch, his demon side crumbled to give its mate what she wanted. That didn't mean Sesshomaru was going to let him off easy as another flick of his wrist sent him tumbling down the long staircase. Watching Takara leave in tears without following her was more difficult. He could sense her confusion, her upset, her distress, her guilt. Her father, by the scent of him, said nothing more as he hurried to follow after his daughter.
Sesshomaru longed to follow after her as well. Her scent and her touch had been like a refreshing breeze to his tormented mind, but the sight of her had been even more enthralling. He knew from past experience with the Kagome girl that the humans on this side of the well wore different clothing than he was used to, but he hadn't expected her to look so beautiful in the garment she wore.
"We'll get her back, Sesshomaru." Kagome said, gently touching his arm. "And we'll have to get her tonight."
"Kagome?" InuYasha questioned. Sesshomaru had to admit, he hadn't expected her to be so forward.
"I would rather her come back on her own, but after hearing that exchange it isn't safe for her to be here, InuYasha." Kagome explained. "You heard what her brother's done to her, and after what Sesshomaru just did, I wouldn't put it past him to try and get back at her. He could kill her or the baby."
"Yeah," InuYasha agreed. "but we have to be careful not to stress her out. She isn't very far along, and it could be too much."
InuYasha turned to Sesshomaru next. "Alright, we'll get her tonight. I know where she lives. It'd probably be easiest to get her while she's asleep. For now, let's just wait here."
Sesshomaru growled his annoyance, but it was mostly due to their correct assessment of the situation... and his impatience. He hadn't wanted to bring Takara back unwillingly, but he didn't want to risk his pup either. If he ever got his claws on that damned dragon who had started this mess, he would ensure he was close enough to Takara when he killed him, so he would never be reborn.
It was hard to wait until dark, but he managed. He sat beneath the old oak tree as the Kagome girl caught up with her family. It was odd how the sounds of this human world never seemed to quiet. There may have been less noise from humans, but it seemed that their machines came to life more at night.
As the sun had set, he stood and tried to get a sense of which direction Takara had gone, but the assault on his sense of smell still remained. He could faintly pick up her scent but following it to find her on her own would prove difficult.
"Sesshomaru?" Came the Kagome girl's voice from behind him. He turned his head enough so that she would know he had heard her, and she continued. "Can you feel when Takara is asleep or calm?"
He could, which had been the reason the waiting around had been almost unbearable. Her emotions were in so much turmoil and even though he wasn't close to her, he could smell the tears she had been shedding ever since her departure. He had felt exhaustion creeping into her and knew it wouldn't be long until she slept. If he had to bet, she wouldn't easily wake from her sleep; a lucky break for them.
"She will be asleep soon," he acknowledged.
With that indication, Kagome hugged her family goodbye and climbed up on InuYasha's back, the half-demon ready to lead him to his mate. "Let's go." He instructed as he leapt down the staircase. "I know this is difficult, Sesshomaru, but I need you to be patient. If we alert her or her father, getting her back may not be easy. If she's reluctant to go through the well, it probably won't let her through."
Sesshomaru said nothing, nor did he give any indication that he had heard InuYasha's instructions, but he silently agreed with him. He needed to ensure she still slept when they passed through the well because it was then that he had felt the strongest sense of longing from her. Even though she didn't realize it, she had been calling out for her mate. Hopefully that would be enough to allow her to pass back through the well.
The trip hadn't been long, but InuYasha stopped on a rooftop overlooking a series of human homes. He could smell she was close, and he could feel that she had finally fallen asleep.
"Kagome, you wait here." InuYasha told his wife as he set her down.
"I really think I should be there, just in case she wakes up." Kagome urged.
Before Sesshomaru could interrupt, InuYasha spoke up. "I don't. This is between Takara and Sesshomaru. She had an audience today when they met again, and it wasn't such a good situation. They need to be alone, so she can feel their bond."
Sesshomaru was impressed with the half-demon's assessment of the situation because he was correct. Takara had been overwhelmed and if he could only get her alone, then maybe he could remind her of their bond.
"But you're going, InuYasha." Kagome argued.
"To show him which house and how to get inside without making a bunch of noise. Now wait here. Come on, Sesshomaru."
InuYasha didn't wait for an argument from his wife, nor did Sesshomaru as he followed his half-brother to the back of Takara's home.
They hopped over a tall fence into a small garden and immediately Sesshomaru felt eyes on them. Sitting in the shadow of the house was Takara's father.
"I knew you would show up," he said, standing from his sitting position and taking a few steps towards them. "Now I want to know, who the hell are you?"
"Maybe I should've brought Kagome." InuYasha grumbled where her father couldn't hear him.
"Sesshomaru, and I've come to take Takara back." Sesshomaru said and he watched the human male bristle at his words.
"You're not taking my daughter anywhere. She's been through enough and the last thing she needs is a couple of thugs in Kimonos showing up and bothering her."
Sesshomaru couldn't contain the growl that escaped him. Even as his rational side reasoned that Takara's father was simply doing as he should and protecting his daughter, his demon side saw only a male preventing him from reaching his female. He watched as the male's eyes widened slightly and he took the tiniest step back but did not retreat back any further.
A small part of Sesshomaru was impressed.
"Hey, calm down, Sesshomaru. I doubt Takara would be happy if you hurt her father."
Before anyone else could say anything, there was a clicking sound off to the side of the house as the Kagome girl opened a gate and rushed in panting. She skidded to a halt as she eyed Sesshomaru and he could see the glow of his eyes reflected in the glass of a nearby window.
"What the hell are you?" Her father demanded.
Before Sesshomaru could answer, Kagome spoke up. "He's Takara's husband." She panted, and Takara's father snapped his head in her direction.
"What do you mean, 'her husband'? She's been missing over a year. How do I know he didn't kidnap her and force her to marry him? I mean, look at him!" He turned his attention back to Sesshomaru. "What are you, some kind of demon?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru responded before Kagome could speak, but it hadn't been an answer she had been planning on giving as she slapped her face into her hand. "I did not take her against her will and I courted her according to human custom until she agreed to marriage."
"Look," Kagome began before Takara's father could interrupt. "I know this sounds crazy but tell me this. You know that Takara hasn't been herself. She's been distant, you catch her starring off into space and you just get the general feeling that she's lonely, don't you?"
Her father nodded.
"She can't remember him, but I'm telling you that she's been missing Sesshomaru as much as he's been missing her."
"Then why did he abandon her?" Her father demanded, and Sesshomaru's eyes widened at such an accusation. "She was found battered, bruised, and unconscious and for almost two months, I have watched her wandering around lost and confused and lonely, trying to piece together what had happened to her and now you show up? What kind of a husband is that?"
"Will you just hear me out?" Kagome argued as Sesshomaru let a deadly growl escape him at such an accusation.
Without waiting for a response, Kagome began recounting the tale of what happened to Takara, admitting out loud to her father that the who story seemed crazy but insisted it was true. Sesshomaru watched as his mate's father slowly processed what was being said to him and the anger on his face slowly began to dissipate.
"You know what I'm saying is true," Kagome finished. "That's why you sent her to look for the well and make that bow disappear. You knew she was able to pick it up when no one else in your family was able to."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened ever so slightly at that connection. He had forgotten that was the original reason she had been seeking the Bone Eaters Well.
Takara's father didn't argue that point, and he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while avoiding their gazes. "Yeah, she could, and I didn't understand it myself." He shook his head as if trying to shake out the story he had just been told. "But traveling back in time, demons, dragons? That's a lot for anyone to take in."
"Trust me," Kagome acknowledged. "If anyone understands, it's me."
Takara's father seemed as if he wrestled with a decision, his face twisted with his unsure thoughts. He paced the small portion of stone in front of the door as he considered. Finally, he stopped, his hands dropping to his sides. "I understand what you're saying, but I don't think I can just let her go. She's..." he hesitated.
"She's you're baby." Kagome finished and Sesshomaru watched as Takara's father's head dropped in defeat. "I heard everything that went on between her and her brother, and I know that your wife died soon after Takara was born, but even though she ended up in a world she wasn't born into, Takara has a life on the other side of that well. She has a husband who loves her, a village of people (and dragons) who care about her, and she's going to be a mother soon. She was born for this, now you need to let her go."
"Did she tell you that?"
"Tell me what?"
"That she's pregnant? Did she tell you?"
Kagome shook her head and pointed at InuYasha. "InuYasha is Sesshomaru's half-brother and he's also a half-demon. He could smell it on her." Takara's father seemed to process that information. "He came over here to speak with her last night and she gave him her pillowcase to bring back to Sesshomaru. That scent is part of what has him so worked up right now, that and he has been able to feel her distress the entire time they've been separated. Add that in with not being able to find her and well... that's why he's so on edge."
Her father seemed to still be torn with indecision. "But she's not safe over there. A dragon still got to her-"
"Something that will not happen again." Sesshomaru interrupted. "Even still, she is safer with me than she is here with her sibling that continuously tries to harm her. Neither she or the child is safe with him around."
"Well thanks to you, he's going to be in the hospital for some time. You nearly crushed his windpipe."
"I showed more restrain than I should have." Sesshomaru growled.
Surprisingly, her father agreed. "Yeah, you're right. I've kicked him out with the instruction that I don't want to see him again. The thing is, Takara's mom may still be here if he hadn't made her fall down those stairs. She didn't die from her illness. She died because she got an infection when she broke her leg that wouldn't go away. Had she not had that broken leg, there's a good chance she may still have been here."
That struck Sesshomaru as shocking. He could feel the guilt earlier when Takara's sibling had accused her of being the cause of their mother's death. He filed that information away for later when he would need it. "That doesn't make her any safer here." Sesshomaru objected. "I can still smell her brother's female in the area."
"Nope," her father denied. "She's gone with Hachiro. Neither of them is allowed near Takara. Please, just give me a little time to think this over."
Sesshomaru considered for a moment. Perhaps he could convince her to come willingly, but another scent wafting to him made him abandon that idea. He lifted his head to discern the direction of the scent but when a red glow began to emit from the other side of the house. Fire!
"She is not safe here and she is coming with me." Sesshomaru said as the other three turned to stare at the house in horror. Sesshomaru turned to InuYasha. "Where is she?" he growled, anger and somewhere deep down, fear, of losing his mate in a fire again sent his demon into a frenzy.
"No..." her father whispered as he stumbled back from the home. It seemed that the female of Takara's brother was out to finish the job he had started.
"Here," InuYasha said as he sprung up to the second level and pushed open a window, Takara's scent rushing out at him like a refreshing breeze. The half demon moved aside for Sesshomaru to enter the room, the sight of his little mate lying in bed, curled up with tear stains running down her cheeks nearly brought him to his knees.
Outside, he heard other humans begin to scream and a loud, blaring sound in the distance becoming louder and louder. Gently and quickly, he wrapped her in the blanket she was covered in, spotting the two bags she had earlier on the floor beside her bed and decided to wrap them up as well in the blanket. She barely stirred as Sesshomaru lifted her into his arms, resting her head against his fur and the slightest dreamy sigh leaving her lips.
He could feel the heat and the scent of smoke grew stronger with each passing moment, so he quickly exited the building, landing in the garden beside her father. "Wait!" her father yelled, as he prepared to take to the sky and return to the well.
"I have already said she is not safe here. You will not stop be from taking her back." Sesshomaru growled. The blaring noise growing even louder in the distance.
"I want your word, demon." He father interrupted. "I want your word that she will be safe and happy."
Sesshomaru didn't say anything, but he nodded his acknowledgement. He could see her father's eyes begin to water with emotion as he stroked his daughter's silky black hair for a final time. Finally, with a nod, he dismissed Sesshomaru and rushed back to his burning home.
He needed no more encouragement. With his mate in his arms, Sesshomaru took off and headed back to the Bone Eaters Well, determined to bring her back to where she belonged.