Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Chapter Forty-Six: History repeats itself
"Do you have everything you need for the trip, Kagome-chan? Snacks, water, first-aid kit, enough blankets for the night, spare clothes?" Sango asked when the group was about to leave for the West. The slayer had been fretting over the two girls since she had arrived.
"Yes, Sango-chan; there's no need to worry. We have everything ready for the trip and men will hunt for food when we set up the camp," Kagome giggled just before she kneeled down to hug the children goodbye. "You, rather, see to be careful; do not tire yourself too much and force that husband of yours to help you," she recommended, sending Miroku a stern glare. "You'll help her more, won't you, Miroku? Avoid too much meditation and make yourself useful with chores. Your wife is pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time; she needs to rest more than you."
"Of course, Kagome, of course," he nodded sheepishly. "Pups, won't you come here and say goodbye to us properly?"
Muteki and Toga proceed to hug them after they finished saying goodbye to Kaede and the children.
"Well, then, it seems we can leave now," Inuyasha spoke up. He had just finished loading their things onto Ah-Un and handed the trusty yellow backpack to Kagome. "Better not lose too much time in goodbyes now since we'll have to do a lot of breaks along the way."
They had decided it was better if Rin and the pups rode Ah-Un and Kagome would travel on Inuyasha's back, while the guards would follow. They were equally fast, and in this way, they would all maintain the same pace, stopping whenever Rin or the children needed to rest or take a break. The journey would take longer, but they couldn't afford to carry Ah-Un to exhaustion and Shippo wasn't able to carry a person for very long, even though his transformation definitely lasted longer than before. They had prepared properly for the possibility of sleeping the night in the open; it would be just like going back to the beginning, even if the travelling companions were a little different this time.
After helping the children onto Ah-Un alongside Rin, and after the appropriate recommendations, Inuyasha positioned himself in front of his mate and crouched down, waiting for Kagome to get on his back. She leaned on his shoulders, her face nuzzling his neck, and Inuyasha gripped her thighs with clawed hands. Shortly after, they headed towards West as Miroku, Sango and Kaede waved them goodbye one last time from afar.
"I dare say I missed your skimpy skirt, koi. The bare skin under my fingers is a whole other thing," Inuyasha commented. The smirk on his face was clear in his tone, even if Kagome couldn't exactly see him now.
She thumped him playfully on his shoulder and burst out laughing. "Pervert! I should have known that back then your shyness was only an act. In reality, you were even worst than Miroku. Isn't true, Shippo?" She asked the fox demon.
"Definitely. After all, he peeked once or twice while you were bathing," Shippo snickered.
"Oi! Take it back now, Shippo! I never did something like that. If anything I protected her from Miroku's wandering eyes," Inuyasha harrumphed.
"It's ok, Inuyasha, no one will tell you anything if you confess. After all, now we are mated and you can drop the act," Kagome teased him.
"Here they are starting to gang up on me again. I thought we were past this stage a lifetime ago."
"Who said that? It's even funnier now, right, Kagome? Also, I would never get tired of teasing you."
"Shut up, Shippo! You're not a kit anymore; you cannot hide behind Kagome, and I have even more reason to thump you 'til the end of the world," Inuyasha grinned, eyes gleaming with mischief.
Kagome smiled at that exchange. Sometimes it really seemed like not much had changed, and she appreciated that. Inuyasha and Shippo's relationship continued to be playful, and she knew well that no matter how much they "fought", they were never actually serious. Theirs was more like a siblings relationship, but who was the eldest was sometimes hard to tell.
She snuggled up against her mate, arms tightening on him; she planted a kiss on the crook of his neck affectionately, and Inuyasha responded squeezing her tighs. Yes, she had really missed this means of transport.
"So, you've always done this?" Naoki, one of Rin's guards, asked when they were around the fire that night. They had set camp shortly after dusk and while Kagome and Rin went visiting a hot spring with the pups, the others had prepared the fire and hunted some food. Now, the youngest girl had fallen asleep along with the children, and the others were amiable chit-chatting before going to bed.
Despite having taken many breaks because Rin was starting to feel more tired and nauseous, they had managed to cover enough distance. Inuyasha was confident they would arrive at the palace by the next night. It would also suit them since they would attract less attention that way. During the day, four guards in the company of Inuyasha and Kagome would not go unnoticed, and attention would inevitably fall on Rin as well.
If Sesshomaru still hadn't mentioned his new mating, it was best not to inadvertently reveal it then.
"Yes!" Shippo eagerly replied. "We've travelled for circa more than a year hunting the jewel shards and Naraku. In the beginning, it was only me with Kagome and Inuyasha; they found me after my father had been murdered. When Miroku came along, we started staying in villages too. Maybe some villagers would offer us a room in their hut or an inn."
Kagome, who was snuggled in Inuyasha's embrace, started giggling and the half-demon scoffed. "The bouzu would pretend he saw a dark aura on the most luxurious house of the village, got rid of the threat, and miraculously the owner would offer us a place for the night plus enough food to dine."
"You mean he conned villagers?" Osamu inquired shocked. Miroku was a holy man, after all.
"Yeah, and I see where you're going. Miroku has always been a corrupted monk."
"Oh, come on, Inuyasha! Other times we earned their hospitality," Kagome reasoned, "and Miroku is a good monk, after all!"
"Keh!" the half-demon scoffed again. "You didn't think so when we first met him."
"First impressions aren't always worth much, lucky for you," she told him with a meaningful look.
Inuyasha grinned sheepishly in response, then seemed to remember something and addressed the guards. "How was it back then? When my father mated my mother?" He figured it was better to know the details now, before entering the lion's den since Sesshomaru had never told him exactly what had happened back then.
"There's not much to say, except that it was total chaos. As soon as the General announced he had taken a new mate, that she would soon be arriving at the palace and that she was human many began to object, especially since it was soon discovered that your Lady Mother was his bonded and that any child born of the union would have more right than Sesshomaru to become the next Inu-no-Taisho. I remember well both the months leading up to and following its announcement. Before, you could see him more relaxed and joyful, although he had always been a playful person and quite different from your brother. He only let his enemies see the worst side of him. Everyone had noticed his change those months, but no one was aware of the cause. You can imagine when it was later discovered that he had found his true mate. Toga-sama wasn't pleased with their reactions in the slightest. His character hardened quite a bit, and he became a copy of his son," Osamu explained.
"He didn't expect everyone to accept it without issue, did he? Really, from the way everyone talked about him, he seemed like a very intelligent person. Surely he must have known that not everyone appreciated interracial relationships," Kagome reasoned.
"Oh, he knew well, Kagome-sama," Naoki offered, "but since Toga-sama had done a lot for his lands and never let anyone down, he expected most of them to be reasonable, not everyone of course. Instead, even the ones who had sworn fealty under every circumstance betrayed him."
"Keh. Figures! They are all like that, tied only to their gain; they don't think twice about turning their backs on you if things start to change."
"That's not quite right, Inuyasha-sama. Even by opposing it, no one could do much because of the bond, just like now, and others still remained loyal to him. In fact, it was some among us who discovered the plans of his opponents towards your Lady Mother when word spread that she was expecting an heir. They did not hesitate to warn your Lord Father. It had been decided that you would arrive at the castle once the General had defeated some of the enemies threatening the borders. I'm sure that even though living together would have been difficult at first, no one would have dared try anything, especially after the way he had eliminated those who had dared to even think of attacking your mother. He showed no mercy, and I think not even Sesshomaru had ever been so enraged," Kichiro continued the tale.
"And we all know how scary Sesshomaru can be," Shippo piped up. "It seems like he was a good guy... I mean for a dai-youkai like him and with a son like Sesshomaru. Nothing like the half-demon here who is quite the dummy instead."
"OI!" Inuyasha didn't hesitate to thump him hardly. "Who is the dummy? Come over here if you dare!"
"Kagome!" Shippo wailed.
The miko laughed but shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shippo, but this time you asked for it. I'd stay away from him this night if I were you." Inuyasha grinned like the Chesire cat when Shippo found a place on the other side of the fire.
"Back at the topic, we should expect chaos again then," Kagome spoke again. "I mean it was bad when we were introduced at court, but many knew that since Sesshomaru was still unmated Inuyasha wouldn't be the heir for long. I'm sure no one would expect him to mate a human even now. In short, many had accepted us not because they really wanted to, but because they thought it wouldn't last long."
"Maybe," Ryuunosuke, the second of Rin's guards who had been silent until now, agreed, "but at the same time, no one can deny how strong Toga-sama's blood is even when diluted. They had seen what Inuyasha-sama can do, sword or no sword."
"Notwithstanding, we should expect another big mess as soon as the news comes out, and our main goal here is to keep out of the troubles the ladies and pups," Osamu interjected.
"Listen well, Kagome, because you're usually quite the magnet for trouble," Inuyasha said playfully just before he planted a sweet kiss on her lips.
The following day the journey began to get more complicated. In the morning they lost time because Rin was quite ill and in no condition to travel on Ah-Un. Finally, after she had gotten over her nausea a bit, she and Kagome switched places. The younger girl travelled on Inuyasha's back because the heights seemed to increase her discomfort, and Kagome accompanied her children riding the dragon demon, partly because after a day of travelling they had begun to complain, and at least this way she could keep an eye on them.
At sunset, they took only a small break to give the women and the pups time to eat, but they didn't set camp. They were only a couple of hours away from the valley, and this way they could arrive at night just as Inuyasha had originally planned. When they got the ok from Rin, they were able to keep the pace for the last part of the journey. In the end, she fell asleep on Inuyasha's back and he was grateful for that.
He had noticed that, as much as they had tried not to burden her with the pace of their journey, she still got more tired than usual. He couldn't wait to get to the castle so she could finally rest in a decent bed and not out in the open.
When they finally caught sight of the castle, Inuyasha instructed Naoki and Ryuunosuke to leave them and go announce their presence to Sesshomaru. They should also try not to be seen.
It was better not to show up together in front of a gate. As much as it wasn't broad daylight, the fact that Inuyasha and family were travelling with two extra guards would have made people talk anyway, whereas without the two of them it would have seemed like any other time they had arrived at the palace. Besides, it wasn't news that Kichiro and Osamu had spent the last few weeks at the village; their presence wouldn't seem suspicious. The half-demon would try not to draw attention to the girl he carried on his shoulders, but they had to go warn his brother and avoid being seen. No protests. It was an order.
The group approached the eastern gate, the one nearer to the royal wing, and Inuyasha immediately noticed the surprise in the eyes of the guards on duty. Clearly, they weren't expecting his family to arrive at night. Didn't Sesshomaru warn them they were arriving sometime during those days? He only tilted his head in acknowledgement when they bowed and waited for them to open the gates. The less time they spent out there, the better. He saw one of them trying to peek at Rin, but luckily her face was hidden in his long hair. He refrained from glaring at the guard, realizing that it would only seem suspicious, and schooled his face to appear nonchalant. As far as they knew, he could bring anyone to the palace.
Ah-Un was brought to the stable by Kichiro, and once they entered the castle, they immediately headed towards the royal wing, avoiding any demon who could still be up this time of night. They were greeted by Sesshomaru and his mother, who had last seen the little girl when Sesshomaru had long ago visited her temple and Rin had been resurrected with the meido-stone.
Sesshomaru, whose aura seemed a little bit unstable, growled as soon as he saw his mate snuggled up against Inuyasha. The half-demon rolled his eyes when he immediately took her from his back.
"Really Sesshomaru?" he kept his tone low to avoid waking her up. "I am happily mated and besides, I was only ascertaining myself she could get some sleep since we didn't stop those last hours if not for a small break. We wanted to arrive at night and, clearly, I had the best idea. Already the guards at the eastern gates seemed surprised to see us."
"You thought well, Inuyasha," Kimi praised him. "In broad daylight, she wouldn't have passed unnoticed. This way we can let her rest for a couple of days before we introduce her at court. How was the trip? Did you meet some obstacles?"
"Not at all, we simply took longer to allow Rin and the kids to take more breaks so they wouldn't get too tired," the hanyou looked down at his sons who were next to their mother. Their eyes were full of sleep and seemed like they were about to collapse at any moment. Maybe it was better if they postponed the talk for the following morning.
Kimi noticed his gaze. "You can leave; I can see they're practically dead on their feet. Chie has already prepared your rooms; we'll talk more tomorrow. Goodnight." They nodded and said their goodbye, before leaving Kimi, Sesshomaru and Rin alone in the main room.
The dog demoness gazed at her son, who had been focused on his mate the whole time with a gleam in his eyes that she had never seen, or at least not in his. It brought her back to the day Toga had revealed to her he had found his true mate; never in all her existence, she would have imagined seeing this look on her cold and detached son. It seemed that, after all, Sesshomaru had taken after his father more than they had always thought.
"Sesshomaru," He finally raised his head and looked at his mother straight in the eyes, Rin still sleeping soundly in his arms, "you should take her to your chambers. We will speak tomorrow morning." He tilted his head the bare minimum and headed for his room without saying a single word.
Once there, he put Rin on their bed slowly, trying not to wake her, but when his hand tenderly brushed against her cheek, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.
Finally able to be with her again, Sesshomaru couldn't avoid the smile that graced his lips, one that only Rin had ever seen, and he suddenly lost all of his aloofness.
Despite constantly criticizing her brother for the way he behaved with his mate, for how unbearable, and sometimes unstable, he became if he was away from her for too long, he had to admit that,t for the first time, he understood him.
Maybe he hadn't inherited the passion that had warmed his father so much and that he could see in Inuyasha every day, in every gesture. But, finally, he could fully understand what it felt like to have a mate, and what really meant to be lucky enough to find your true mate. If he could have said one more thing to his father, it would have been an apology. Yet, he knew the only way to make amends was to start seeing his brother as his equal. Because Inuyasha was right: no matter how their relationship had improved those last years, or how much he admired him now, Sesshomaru had never deemed him his equal. Maybe, this girl who was looking at him with eyes full of love would help him see what he had always pretended not to notice.
"Sesshomaru, it's so good to see you again."
"Rin," he leaned down and kissed her fully on her lips to taste her once again, letting that sweetness stay on his lips even after he broke the contact. "You should go back to sleep," he said. His hand trailed down her body and stopped at her stomach in a meaningful gesture. Their eyes locked together.
"Will you sleep next to me, my Lord?" she asked, the smile never leaving her lips, and Sesshomaru couldn't avoid one himself. But Rin knew well he wouldn't show that much of his feelings if they weren't alone. It made her feel even more loved knowing she was the only object of his affections or that she was the only one able to interpret every slight movement or flick in his eyes.
"From now on, this room will be yours too, Rin. And I will be sleeping next to you every night. Do not fear," he replied, kissing her one last time before she closed her eyes once again and her breathing evened out.
Yes, from now on they wouldn't have to separate each other ever again. Here, next to him, was where Rin belonged to.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the same castle's wing, Kagome and Inuyasha had just gone to bed after they had tucked in their children.
"We should still be in peace these first days, shouldn't we?" Kagome asked while Inuyasha pulled her in his embrace and trailed his clawed fingers through her hair.
He shrugged. "I dunno for sure. Probably Sesshomaru should bring Rin to meet the council elders before she is introduced at court. But for the rest, he will likely keep her in this wing to avoid prying eyes."
"Wouldn't be better if she actually saw the keep before everyone knows who she is? It worked with us."
"Yeah, but Sesshomaru wouldn't risk anything. Especially because if anyone comes in sniffing range it would be easy to detect a demon pregnancy. Even in a human," Inuyasha explained, "A human woman that has been brought in the castle and is carrying a hanyou pup? Very suspicious. Not to mention that there are still Noboru's underlings in the loose who probably know the reason why Sesshomaru was missing."
"She won't be able to walk in peace after the introduction. They won't leave her alone and she won't be able to refuse anyone. I mean, she is the Inu-no-Taisho's mate. If I caused that ruckus, think about her!" Kagome reasoned, "I don't like it."
"I can't wait to see Keiko's face," Inuyasha chuckled, eyes gleaming with mischief. "I definitely don't want to lose that opportunity."
"I don't know, Inuyasha, it worries me a bit. I'm afraid she will be under a lot of pressure and I was thinking..."
"What were you thinking, koi?" he pried gently.
"What if this the reason she..." she looked around cautiously as if someone might be spying and then continued whispering. "What if the reason why she loses the baby is this?" Kagome looked up at her mate, eyes welling up.
"Oh, Kagome, koishii, it's not good for you to feel this way, you can't do anything about it." Inuyasha tightened his grip on her and planted a kiss on the top of her head, rubbing her back in a soothing way. "I also worry about you. It seems like from the moment I told you she was pregnant, the whole weight of the world fell on your shoulders. If I had known sooner I would have made Sesshomaru shut his damned trap."
"No," she shook her head while leaving tear stains on his under kosode. "He needed to, I will save her life and in order to do that, I need everything I can. But I would have never imagined it could hurt me so much. I mean, looking at her joyous face, I wish she could remain the joyous girl she has always been."
"Kagome, Rin is not stupid and even if she may seem a little naive and too innocent, she already had her share. She will get over the fact that not everyone here at the castle will appreciate her, and you will stand by her when she loses her pup. Everyone needs a wake-up call sooner or later. I am not saying I want her to change, no, I like the way she is and the way she always smiles at life even if her parents and brother were murdered in front of her eyes as a baby or that she was literally chewed up by wolves. I am-"
"Oh, my God! Did you need to bring that up?"
"What? It's no secret, Sesshomaru told you as she died back then." Inuyasha shrugged.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't want to remember it when my heart is already breaking for her."
"Oh, um, sorry?" he smiled sheepishly at her. "My point is that she will overcome everything life throws at her because she already proved she has a damn strong character and these wolves here in the castle will have to be careful. I'm sure she will show us what she can do soon enough, it doesn't matter if she is only a human. Just do not let her know something is off. Kaede already sensed something, and Sesshomaru is better. School your face every time you think about it, we both became pretty good at that after some many years spent with the asshole."
"You're right, Rin can be pretty fierce too," Kagome giggled wiping her cheeks. "I saw once or twice the way she scolded some village children. Oh god, I wish I could have her sternness."
"But you do, koishi," Inuyasha laughed, "you always did. Your voice takes on that same intonation that you use every time you are about to sit me, that is your mama voice too now. Before it was just your 'Inuyasha, sit boy!' voice, but since we had Muteki it had been upgraded" he nodded sagely trying to mimic her voice to no avail and only managing to make her laugh - which had been his true intention.
"Stop it, dog boy!" she tried not to laugh, but to no avail. In a couple of seconds they were both laughing their heads off and Inuyasha smiled seeing that his efforts had worked.
Soon Kagome was yawning and snuggling more against his chest, the warmth of his body lulling her to sleep. Her half-demon mate whispered sweet nothings in her ears and placed one last kiss on her head just before she closed her eyes and fell completely asleep.
The following morning the day began with a panic attack for Kagome, who didn't find her sons in their room, but they soon found out they already were in the main room having breakfast with Kimi. After having scolded both the pups and the guards for leaving without a warning, Kagome and Inuyasha took a seat at the table too and Chie immediately put in front of them several different dishes.
"Sesshomaru still hasn't left his room?" Inuyasha asked with his mouth full of rice. His question came out as gibberish, but inexplicably the dog demoness seemed to understand him.
She answered after having shot him a death glare that mimicked Kagome's one. "You shouldn't give your pups this kind of example, son," Kimi said while patting Toga on the head, who was currently eating next to her and making a mess much like his father. "Do not talk with your mouth full, and yes, Sesshomaru and the girl are still sleeping," she provided.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at having been admonished, nonetheless, he swallowed before speaking again. "What are the plans for today? How has the situation been while I was away?"
"Quiet. In the valley everyone has resumed their old rhythm of life, only the families of the fallen are still struggling," Kimi offered. "Maybe later we could go for a walk. What do you say pups? Would you like to make some company to Obaa-chan?"
"Can Mommy come?" the youngest asked.
"Of course, Toga." She raised her head towards Kagome and said, "The forest youkai had done a great job fixing the valley. I think you'll like the new gardens east of the castle. We could go there while Sesshomaru, Rin and Inuyasha go to the meeting."
"Seems like a plan," the priestess agreed.
"So I have to be with Sesshomaru and Rin at the meeting? Uh, I don't wanna listen to Goro's shrieking this morning," Inuyasha groaned.
"I'm afraid so, but for lunchtime, you should be free. You should return here then; I'm organizing for Rin to be introduced to Asuka and her sisters. Besides, I already have appointed a personal maid for her; Chie can't do everything, your pups are already quite demanding. In these first days before the introduction, the girl will have to learn how life at court works."
"Make sure you and Kagome are always with her, mother," Sesshomaru's voice reached them from the doorway.
There he was, a hand around her waist, Rin leaning against him with a bright smile on her face and completely rested. He was his usual composed self, but his eyes revealed how more relaxed he was now that this mate was with him. Sesshomaru wasn't really different from any mated male, after all; certain instincts were universal.
Kagome immediately started fretting over her and, grabbing her arm, she dragged her to the table, ignoring the death glare Sesshomaru sent her. He was shocked the priestess had dared to remove Rin from his side. She sat her down and put several dishes in front of her that would help her build up some energy for the long morning ahead.
"How are you feeling, Rin-chan? I've already asked Chie to prepare this special tea for you; it's perfect for morning sickness and should also relieve your nerves for this morning. You should eat those," she added pointing at some fish plates, "they are rich in omega 3; you should have plenty while expecting. You should also bring some snacks with you, maybe some seeds to munch on. They are perfect to relieve hunger and are rich in vitamins too," she rambled on, placing other food in front of her and making sure Rin had everything she needed.
"Kagome, relax, she's good. You don't need to turn into a mama bear," Inuyasha chuckled.
"Shush, you. You're not the healer here, nor have you ever been pregnant. You cannot know how it feels. I'm making sure she is going to be fine," Kagome glared at him.
"I'm sure you will have a hard time between my son and Kagome, dear," Kimi chuckled, moving a hand to her mouth. Rin raised her head, seeing the gracious dog demoness for the first time and her cheeks reddened. She hastily stood up and bowed to her. "Oh, there's no need for that, either, my dear. After all, you are my daughter now, aren't you? You can call me mother by the way."
Sesshomaru couldn't avoid rolling his eyes at this display, then hastily took Kagome's place next to his mate. "Miko, do not ever remove my mate from my side ever," he cooly said.
"Uh, how annoying," she huffed in response, reclaiming her place next to Inuyasha. "I am the only one here who is aware of how the human body works. So, shush you too."
Inuyasha cracked up while Sesshomaru assumed a deadpanned expression; he would never get used to this strange human. "Hn, Inuyasha be ready; we have to meet the council in less than an hour," he informed his brother.
"How in the hell, I mean heck, have you already called a meeting if we arrived yesterday night?"
"Not everyone is slow like you, little brother. I spoke with Hayato yesterday as soon as the guards informed me of your arrival. Your mate's presence is not required," the dai-youkai offered.
"Don't worry; it's not like I wasn't dying to keep you company," Kagome retorted while wiping out every residual food from her sons' faces. "We are gonna go prepare for the day, now. Let's just hope it doesn't end with a few murders in the council hall."
Half an hour later Rin found herself for the first time in front of the two huge doors that represented the entrance of the council room. Before she left, Kagome had given her a pep talk, telling her she didn't have to fear any of them. Even if some appeared sceptical or reluctant, she was Sesshomaru's bonded and as such, she was now their Lady per right; they couldn't change that. Rin had to show them she was a strong-willed woman and that she was not going to be put down easily, much less by two little words spoken against her.
And she would do that, Rin would show them she wasn't to trifle with. Maybe she didn't have Kagome's spiritual powers, but she was able to stand for herself too. She loved Sesshomaru greatly and she would prove her point; for him, she would stand there with her back straight and head held high. No more villagers to tease her, no more demons to belittle her. She wasn't that child anymore, she was a strong woman and soon-to-be mother.
Inuyasha peered at her, sensing her change in demeanour and smiled. Yes, just like he had told Kagome yesterday, Rin would show these fuckers who she really was.
He locked eyes with his brother and tilted his head, exchanging a silent promise. The time had come for him to stand in defence of little Rin. It was the real reason why he had accepted this role years ago, being her protector as a brother, as much as he was of Kagome, and in his mother's memory who he couldn't protect as a pup.
And Sesshomaru, looking at his brother at that moment, reading the commitment in his eyes, realized all of this for the first time. Never would he have imagined that his brother would act this way just for his mate, in defence of Rin. He would never have imagined the depth of the bond that united him to her, the role of protector Inuyasha had assumed from the moment Sesshomaru left her in the village.
During all the years he had visited the village and inquired about Inuyasha's role as her guardian, he had always naively thought he had taken on this responsibility out of fear of the consequences, for how Sesshomaru would act if anything happened to Rin. But the truth was that Inuyasha had never really given a damn about his half-brother. Why would he if the dog demon himself in all these years had never completely changed his ideas about him?
No, Inuyasha, and with him, his pack, really cared about Rin, and everything he had done from the moment he had accepted the role of the heir had not only been for the protection of his own family but also Rin's. Had Inuyasha foreseen from the first moment how things would turn out? Had he realized even before him how deep his feelings for this little girl really were?
Sesshomaru had always believed him to be an immature pup, one who still needed to grow up, despite the many strides he had made and the personal growth during the year he had fought Naraku. But this discovery completely changed the idea he had of his brother and finding out that he had actually always misjudged him, even when everyone around him here at the castle had learned to see him as their equal and superior, was like a cold shower.
His mating with Rin was still new, but he had already discovered how big the impact on his life would be. Sesshomaru had learnt more of his brother during this last week than those last years.
"Are you ready, Rin?" he asked then, he could already feel all of the seven elders inside the room.
She smiled, then nodded, "More ready than ever."