Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Chapter Forty-Seven: Willing or Not

That morning, when Inuyasha and Kagome went separate ways, the young priestess and her sons followed Kimi through a path that led to the eastern gardens, where she hoped they could find some peace of mind. She had been a nervous wreck from the moment she had let Inuyasha and Rin go their separate ways. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Kimi, who had sent Chie to alert Asuka and her sisters to join them at the gardens, to distract the girl a bit.

The forest youkai who had been instructed to fix this side of the valley had indeed done a marvellous job. The gardens seemed even more lively and colourful than before, the many trees that had been planted there offered enough shelter from the first rays of the sun and they found a fairly isolated spot next to a stream where they could rest. From there, they had a pretty good view of the entire valley and, certainly, if someone had told her that fires had been set on that land not long ago, Kagome would not have believed it.

The gentle breeze carried with it the scent of cherry blossoms, though Kagome was almost sure it was already past season, and she laughed as she watched her sons gather piles of petals only to compete to see who could throw the most at the other. After all those years in the feudal era, she still kept track of the years according to the calendar in her notes, but of course, now and then she struggled to distinguish between days and months. It wasn't an easy job, but she had to if she wanted to remember historical events.

"You shouldn't let anxiety get the best of you, Kagome, dear," Kimi said after a couple of minutes spent in silence. Kagome didn't answer and kept watching her sons playing with the flowers. "You'll see that everything will be fine. This will be neither the first nor the last challenge my son and his mate will endure, and I am sure you are well aware of that. After all, haven't you and Inuyasha dealt with yours even before you were a couple?"

"I know," she answered, still not taking her eyes away from the pups. "I guess then that I can't help but worry about Rin. Watching her grow up probably conditioned me, and now I see her a bit like a little sister." She couldn't tell her why she was so worried, but she was glad that, at least, she could offer some sort of explanation for her anxiety — she wouldn't be able to hide her state of mind from Kimi anyway.

"I'm sure that your affections and comfort will be of great help for little Rin," Kimi offered. "Do you perhaps have a younger sibling? A moment ago, I could have sworn I recognized a bit of nostalgia in your gaze."

Kagome turned to her and chuckled. "I'm that plain, huh? I really can't learn to hide what I am thinking. Yeah, I have a little brother. He should turn eighteen years old this year, almost an adult where I came from. Who knows what that rascal is up to? He has always been a little bit afraid of his own shadow as a child and really sensitive. Sometimes I think Toga takes after him more than Inuyasha. When he tells him to stop crying and be a man, it brings me back to when Inuyasha tried to encourage Sota to have a little more bravery. Encourage here is the keyword because it always seemed more like an order." For a moment, a dark shadow crossed her face, but she refused to let herself go to the memories or even cries in front of Kimi. This was not the moment nor the place to be missing her family.

"Oh, I definitely can see Sesshomaru say the same thing to his son one day, not that I have been different when I raised him. I have to admit I've been quite the stern type as a mother; I guess it's different for humans," Kimi told her. "But Toga is still a little pup. He will change when Inuyasha starts training him for good."

"We have a name for boys like him where I came from Mama's boy. Let's just hope it's like you say," Kagome commented with amusement. "I don't want to even think how Inuyasha could react if Toga ended up being my brother's copy. He used to complain to me about how annoying he was, but I know secretly he was glad for Sota's respect for him. They found each other somehow. Inuyasha had never been shown such awe, while my brother never had a male figure beside my grandfather who could only tell boring stories." She rolled her eyes but smiled inwardly. She had somehow turned into one of his stories.

"I doubt it will come to that," Kimi replied, raising the corners of her lips. "As I said, he's still small now. But growing up surrounded by warriors will be good for him. Besides, how can you even think that someone who has my late mate's blood could grow up to be weak?"

"Gods forbid!" Kagome chuckled. "Maybe it's just my human motherly instinct that wants to protect them as long as I could."

It was strange how she had come from being worried for Rin to missing her little brother and worrying for her sons. She shook her head and then stood up to join her sons in their little play.

Asuka and her sisters arrived while Kagome was busy removing petals from Muteki's ponytail and Toga was napping on Kimi's mokomoko. The two older demonesses had begun coming along with Asuka ever since her second trip to West and since their children had the same age, more or less, it was both her and her sons' pleasure when they all met. Masami and Tomomi were older than Asuka enough to be mated and have some children even older than Kagome; from the look of it, Tomomi was expecting another one. Talk about being busy!

Muteki didn't waste time reaching for his friends and waking up his brother, while Asuka pulled Kagome in a warm embrace as soon as they reached them. Over the years, she had let go of her initial shyness, and they had formed a healthy friendship. Indeed, she was Kagome's truest friend here at the palace, and usually, the hawk demoness spent some time telling her every kind of information she had missed while in the village. Their conversations were surely different from the ones she held with the dai-youkai next to her. "Kagome, I've been missing you. It's been a while since the last time you came here. I've been so worried when Grandfather told us they attacked your village too."

The priestess returned the hug and proceed to make space for the sisters on the blanket she had brought with her. "Yes, lots of things had happened apparently. We sure need some time for our usual chit-chat. But luckily for us, everything's gone for the best. Just the scare remains."

"Grandfather told us we should expect some juicy news from our meeting this afternoon," Tomomi giggled, keeping an eye on her daughter, who could be quite the troublemaker despite her young age.

"Oh, I'm sure Hayato told you so," Kimi interjected. "He likes to tease people and keep them waiting. Don't worry, you'll meet the juicy news this afternoon when you'll reach us for tea if the fledglings don't keep you busy."

"We would never miss it," Masami immediately replied, eyes twinkling. "Can't you give us some hint on who we're going to meet, Kagome-chan?"

Said girl burst out in laughter seeing their faces full of expectation, then shook her head. "Nu-uh, why should I ruin your surprise? Kimi has already told you enough. Haven't you, Kimi?"

"Indeed," the dog demoness smirked.

When they entered the room, the elders were already seated. Everyone showed several different emotions: while some were clear, others left the brothers wondering what they should expect from this encounter.

Inuyasha remembered Sesshomaru telling him years ago that Goro and Kosuke had fought hard against his parents' union, even if their bond spoke for itself. Indeed they were the only ones with a clear and fierce scowl, their aura radiating anger and their eyes gleaming with fury. While Goro was no news, it angered him a bit that he could also see the disappointment in Kosuke's glare. Over the years, he had shown the dog-demon what he was able to do, and he was proud to say that Kosuke had praised him more than once and recognized his strength. He had been a tough nut to crack, but Inuyasha had been able to show him his value. But his anger now spoke volumes; it showed the half-demon how, no matter how strong he had proved to be, Kosuke had always hoped for a full-fledged demon heir.

It was like with Sesshomaru: he could win a thousand battles, defeat as many enemies, in the end, he always remained only a half-demon. What could he expect from them, if not even his brother could accept him as his equal after all these years and all the sacrifices he had made to meet him halfway?

His gaze and posture hardened. He would fight for his right to be there, once again, and pave the way for Nibori because it didn't matter if he would be born in four or five centuries. Anything he could achieve now would help his nephew when he would finally take over. If that meant fighting prejudice and preconceptions for years, he would do so. But this time with the knowledge that he was where he belonged and that no one could deny him his legacy as a son of the late Inu-no-Taisho.

Shifting his gaze to the other members, he could see the joyous face of Hayato. Inuyasha figured he was happy with this development; maybe the hawk-demon saw this as a sign of fate or some God playing with Sesshomaru. Whatever it was, Hayato had been the first to support his family since his father's time, and he wouldn't stop now either. Next to him, Minato was clearly amused, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She, as Hayato, had clearly shown interest in Rin and expressed how she found everything ironic and perfect. Inuyasha was sure she wouldn't represent a hindrance either.

Sayaka and the two wolf demons were a mystery. They were curious about the whole affair, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what their feelings about Sesshomaru mating with a human were. Sure, they had always supported him, even as a half-demon, and emphasized his right to be there. But the fact remained that now no other full demon would be born from Sesshomaru, and willing or not, the heir would be a half-demon. How did they feel knowing that no other full-fledged demon would be born from the silver bloodline?

Peering at his brother, Inuyasha could see his cold and impeccable mask in place, determination filling his hard golden eyes. Rin was trying to school her facial features as much as she could, but the effect what somehow ruined by the tension her body radiated. The effort she was putting in was remarkable, though, and maybe he noticed it because he was next to her. However, as soon as they stopped in front of the dais that housed the seven elders, Inuyasha could see each of them sniff and their eyes widening. Even Hayato was surprised; it's not like Sesshomaru had warned him, after all.

Both brothers took a step ahead to shield the girl as soon as Goro started his shrieking.

"PREGNANT!" He shouted, outraged. He looked like he wanted to say more, probably some offending cute words he usually reserved for Inuyasha. But a dirty look from Kosuke and Sayaka, who were sitting on either side of him, stopped him. The cat demon had probably remembered that his seat on the council was currently at stake, and a mistake like that, in this precarious situation, could cost him a lot. He wasn't the eldest between them for nothing, and he wasn't going to renounce his place so easily. Goro gritted his teeth, almost baring the fangs, and felt the anger bubbling up in his stomach, even more, with the awareness that he couldn't express his displeasure the way he would have liked.

Sesshomaru smiled, a wide toothy grin like he had never done that held so much wickedness. Had Jaken been present, he would have probably fainted. "Isn't what you had always wanted? An heir born of me? After all, I did say that Inuyasha was going to be it until the time came for me to sire one on my mate. Didn't I, little brother?" he slightly turned to Inuyasha so that the half-demon could see the hint of amusement in his eyes and held Rin's hand in his proudly.

"You did, brother," Inuyasha answered, barely holding his laughter. He locked eyes with Hayato and almost cracked up, seeing that the hawk demon was having as many problems as he.

"I surely didn't mean a-" Goro tried to say again, but Kosuke interrupted him.

"So this is your mate, Sesshomaru. She's certainly more petite than the princess your father introduced us to back then. What is your name, child?" he inquired.

"My name is Rin, and I would like to point out that I already reached maturity a while ago. Thus, I cannot be considered a child anymore," Rin replied amiably, smile still in place.

"I forgot you humans tend to marry and have children so soon because your life is so fleeting. Even if that is not your case anymore, young girl, since you are now bonded to a dai-youkai such as Sesshomaru. I must say that, when he told us he had taken a human as a mate, I expected someone more..." His index finger moved up and down towards her figure, clearly referring to her stature.

Sesshomaru growled and was about to speak again, but Inuyasha was faster. "Come on, Kosuke!" he started with a playful tone, trying to avoid any fight five minutes from the start. "You saw my mate plenty of times, and I don't think that her being little had ever been a hindrance unless she's trying to reach the highest shelves in the kitchen, of course. So many years that we've been mated, and I still don't understand why she had me place them so high." He laughed, willing the tension in the air to diminish. "That has never stopped her from turning anyone to ashes."

Hayato followed suit and immediately added. "Oh, Kagome is certainly someone you don't want to trifle with. Such a fire inside a petite body like hers." He winked at Inuyasha. "If young Rin is combative like her, I think we're going to have fun."

"We aren't organizing a celebration, Hayato," Kosuke's tone was sharp, trying to voice his displeasure. "I don't care about the fun, I want to be sure the girl is up to the task. Being the Inu-no-Taisho's mate is not easy, young girl, and you'll be the first human to actually rule next to the General," he informed her.

"That's not true, Kosuke, and you know it," Minato interjected. "While Izayoi-hime never had the chance, Kagome-chan had proved to be quite the Lady those last years. I'm sure she can teach Rin everything she needs to know. Not to mention, she will also have Kimi's support. What do you say, Rin? Are you up to the task? You can call me Minato, by the way. I realized none has introduced himself. The dog demon you just finished talking with is Kosuke; the funny one is Hayato and the grumpy cat Goro."

"Of course, Minato-sama, I will be of my best behaviour. I will support my Lord no matter what. I already had the pleasure to meet Kimi-sama too," Rin offered with a bow to the water demoness.

"See? The girl has certainly spirit," Minato chuckled.

"How do you expect to deal with demons who will oppose your union with Sesshomaru? I'm sure you realized by now that many won't be pleased, and they could be really harsh," Ryota asked, dark eyes observing everything.

"This is Ryota-sama, Rin; he's originally from Ayame's tribe. The same goes for his packmate Toru-sama," Inuyasha hastily explained, hoping she won't be scared of them because of their nature. Partially, Rin had never overcome her fear for wolves, and she refused to even be in the same room with Koga. Nonetheless, through the years, she had exceptionally warmed to the red-haired demoness. Inuyasha hoped the connection could be at least of comfort.

Rin smiled gratefully at him, then proceeded to reply. "I'm well aware of that, Ryota-sama," Rin started, offering another small bow. "However, I have no intention of being discouraged by rumours against our union. My mate has explained to me very well how a true bond works, and I know that if our feelings were not sincere, it would never have formed. That alone should be enough as an explanation. Even so, since I am also aware of the malice of some demons or how many are against interracial relationships, bond or not, I will hold my head high and try to answer any doubts or protests that will be raised," she concluded.

"Your intentions are honourable, young Rin. But I am sure that what my packmate was implying is, will you be able to stand up against those voices?" Toru inquired.

"I fear no one, Toru-sama," her smile never faltered, and Inuyasha realized it was her way to show the elders she wouldn't succumb to their sneaky questions or implications; it was her mask. "As long as I have Sesshomaru-sama and my family next to me I will be able to stand up against everyone," she declared, reaching for Inuyasha's hand too.

"And what's your relationship with the half-demon there, Ningen?" Goro sneered. "It seems you are already well acquainted. Is it normal for you to be so comfortable with your new brother?"

Minato and Sayako gasped at the sly sentence, and everyone noticed the shift in Sesshomaru's aura. A shudder racked their bodies looking into those eyes blazing with fury. Inuyasha held himself composed, even if on the inside his rage was boiling too for the dirty implication. Rin's eyes hardened too, but both of them left it to Sesshomaru to answer. "I find it very despicable for you to imply such a thing, Goro. But at the same time, your question simply shows your ignorance, despite your older age. No one can betray the bond, and my brother has been happily mated for years; everyone can see how much in love my brother and his miko are. Moreover, as my mate just some minutes ago graciously said, we couldn't have mated if our intentions weren't pure. That you would go so far as to imply such things shows how foolish and ignorant you are; your biased opinions makes you worse than I remember."

Kosuke interrupted Goro before he could continue and make a fool of himself, again. "However, it's easy to see that they must know each other for quite some time or she wouldn't have reached for his hand so easily... and you didn't bat an eye. For a newly mated dog demon, you'll agree, is peculiar."

"Keh!" Inuyasha couldn't avoid voicing his displeasure now. "You too, Kosuke? We've known each other for some years now. Really? I thought you clever than this, despite your beliefs. Rin has been living in my village since the day my pack and I settled there. She was an orphan and has lived with the head priestess, who you know was my mate's mentor. It seems obvious to me that we know each other; I saw her grow up, and I protected her as I protected the whole village. There's no need to make such remarks when she has been practically part of my family since day one," he retorted, tone harsh and curt. "Is it a crime to care for an orphaned child now? What are you all willing to do to oppose this union? There's nothing you can do; just get it through that thick skull of yours! You won't have the same luck you had with my mother and me; you won't be able to wash your hands off the inconvenience this time." The last words stung, and the finality in his tone made it clear he didn't expect anyone to oppose the last statement.

It wasn't hard for Inuyasha to imagine that same situation so many years before and what his mother had had to endure. The difference was that back then his parents had been alone in that room and with almost zero support. There was no one to defend them or silence the opposition other than his father, and he could see how it had ended. Like hell, he was going to let history repeat itself! No, this time would be different. There wasn't going to be a dishonoured princess or a stray pup fending for himself.

The way his amber eyes hardened and rested on each of them made clear his displeasure, but more importantly, the rage the half-demon felt at that moment. Above all, his gaze exuded determination and the will to defend not only the girl who stood beside him but also his mother's memory, the mother who had stood in that same place more than two hundred years before.

Silence followed his speech for quite some time until Sesshomaru took the floor again. "Crude he may have been, but I think my brother hit our main problem here. Our bond is official and valid. From now on, Rin will be the Lady of the West next to Inuyasha's mate, and I will deal with everyone who may oppose her. Our meeting is simply an occasion for you to get to know her before she is introduced at court, certainly not an opportunity for you to belittle her," he stated cooly. "You have no power over it." He had regained his posture and got his anger in check the moment Inuyasha started to speak. He, like everyone else in the room, had noticed the change in him.

If at the beginning Inuyasha had tried to keep the tone of the discussion calm, if not playful, now his flaring aura had gone haywire, menacing and out of control. His body trembled with rage, and he clenched his fists and teeth to try to calm down his inner demon who was clawing at him, demanding he let him out. He had it enough. Everyone that had happened in those last weeks was making him crazy, and the memories of his mother the council had brought back had been the last straw. Like hell, he was going to stay in this room while they kept taunting and mocking.

For the first time in his life, Sesshomaru really felt sorry for the woman who had been his father's true love, and especially, he was racked by guilt over betraying his father. He, who should have been the first to support him as his son, had condemned Toga. And in doing so, he had condemned his mate and son as well. Maybe it was time for him to have an earnest conversation with Inuyasha.

One imperceptible glance was enough to make Sesshomaru realize what needed to be done. "This session is concluded. We will meet again during the introduction. I will let you know the day as soon as possible."

Once they returned to the royal wing, Kagome and Kimi still hadn't come back. Rin went to her room to rest a little, and Sesshomaru decided to stay next to his brother, who still hadn't calmed down.

He dared to come closer and put a hand on his shoulder; Inuyasha stilled and took a deep breath, ready for whatever the older demon was going to say.

"Brother, do you need time for yourself?" he asked.

"No, say what you want to say, get on with it," the half-demon gruffly replied, shaking his hand off and giving him the back. "Are you going to lecture me for the way I raised my voice there as your usual?"

"I have nothing to say but thank you for the way you supported us today in front of the elders," Sesshomaru murmured, shocking his brother, who turned to look at him.

His gaze held him for a few seconds, and Inuyasha swore he saw more in his eyes than the 'thank you' he had uttered with his controlled, calm tone. It seemed like he wanted to tell him much more, but he was holding back, and the half-demon didn't understand why.

"It's what I'm here for, am I not?" he shot back.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Hn." He gave Inuyasha another meaningful look and then turned his back, leaving his brother behind, wondering what the hell had just happened.

A/N: Sesshomaru is starting to understand things, a bigger confrontation between the two will come soon! I also wanted to highlight Inuyasha-Rin's relationship in these two chapters because Inuyasha really loves her as a sister and the whole point of letting his brother drag him into this was her safety. So, of course, I had to stress this point.

The chapter was shorter, but I thought it was better if I stopped at this point. Until next time!