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

Chapter Sixty-Eight: An unexpected Request

As soon as Sesshomaru left the room, Kagome began to stir, and shortly thereafter, when she opened her eyes, Inuyasha was once again standing beside her, fixing her hair.

"How are you feeling, koishii?" he asked her before she could even open her mouth. He hoped he hadn't woken her up, but he also realized that he had raised his voice a bit towards the end of the discussion. He also made a terrible effort to keep his facial expression controlled; inwardly, he was still reeling from what he had discovered — and remembered.

The tired expression Kagome sent back to him made him feel even more guilty. "Did I wake you up?" he whispered before handing her some water.

She took it and drank it eagerly, then said. "Oh, I thought I heard someone else talking, but I would have woken up anyway; don't worry."

Inuyasha ignored her. "I do, instead. You need to rest and get your energy back; they said you were practically drained, and you know better than I how dangerous it is for a priestess to reach that point."

Kagome rolled her eyes; she had recognized her mate's behaviour immediately and knew full well he wouldn't relax for days, if not weeks. Well, better that than a lecture because she hadn't let him accompany her.

She tried to sit up, not wanting to lay down in that position another second, but a stabbing pain shot through her abdomen, and she grimaced. "Will you help me sit up?" she asked Inuyasha, ignoring his comment.

As soon as he heard her hiss, he hurried to bring her back to her original position; Kagome looked at him open-mouthed. "Inuyasha! I asked you to help me, not lay me back down."

The half-demon shot her a look full of disapproval. "Shun said it would be best to avoid it and wait for the wounds on your abdomen to be almost healed."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Inuyasha. Can I ever lie like this for days to come? And how do you expect me to drink and eat?" She held up a finger, seeing that he was already about to answer. "No, I won't let you spoon-feed me. I can't even look at you properly!" How she longed for the adjustable beds and soft pillows of her old era. At least, the ones Sesshomaru commissioned were definitely better than the other common in this one.

He huffed. "Well, alone you can't even. And for at least the first seven days, you'll be eating soups and plain rice; your healers think it's best to avoid overly complicated meals."

"Alright, now can I ask you to help me sit down so I can at least greet you decently?" asked Kagome, already annoyed with that arrangement.

Inuyasha grinned and then leaned in to kiss her. "See, you don't have to get up, I can kiss you whenever I feel like it. I missed kissing you... for a moment, I-" A sudden lump in his throat prevented him from ending the sentence, and shifting his gaze to her wounds, his bad mood returned with a vengeance. The happiness he had felt seeing her awake and more lucid was already gone, as was the smile on his face.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome gulped, recognizing the emotions on his face and the fear he hadn't expressed, the same fear she had felt when Noboru had approached her, the fear of never seeing him again. She raised her hand and brushed his cheek; Inuyasha covered it with his and then locked their gazes together. "Oh, Inuyasha, I'm here now," she murmured.

"Yes, but... Kagome, you didn't see what I saw... you can't know what a horrifying sight was before my eyes as soon as I arrived. The boys and I had barely made it through the inner gates when we heard your screams. Do you have any idea how I felt? The whole time since I let you leave with Kimi until I got to the castle, I had this bad feeling weighing on my chest and...and then my worst fears came true." He leaned in once more to steal another kiss from her, longer and tenderer as if he was making sure she was real, that this wasn't a cruel dream. "I thought I'd lost you, that I hadn't made it in time, that-"

Kagome interrupted him with a finger to his lips. "No, please," she begged him as tears threatened to mar her face. "I've been so afraid of not seeing you again, too, of not seeing the boys again. I wish everything would just go away."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth at hearing those words. "Go away?" he hissed, pulling away. "How does it disappear if you're stuck in bed and can't even sit up without hurting yourself or there's that bastard locked up in the dungeons, or again..." He ran his hands through his hair at the thought of his brother. "Kagome! Sesshomaru almost choked you; Noboru almost completed what he started." He made to reach for a mirror. "Do you want me to show your neck?"

She gasped. "Is it so hard to understand that I don't want to relive those emotions? You said you felt fear, but don't you think it was the same for me? I don't want to even contemplate leaving you alone anymore; I don't want to think that I didn't even get to say goodbye properly. I want to heal and never think about what happened again; I want to forget and pretend that it was just a nightmare!"

"How can you pretend when every movement costs you effort?" Her mate shot back. "Knowing that the one you had come to help not only failed to protect you but was also partly responsible for what happened to you?"

"I did not come to the castle to help Sesshomaru, but Rin — whose health you have not even inquired about since I woke up — and I do not blame her mate for what happened to me. Nor Kimi, if you're wondering," she answered with a straight face.

Inuyasha froze open-mouthed, not believing what he had just heard and, on the other hand, thinking that such an answer was exactly what he should have expected from Kagome; too bad he wouldn't change his mind this time. He stood up, pulled at his hair, and began pacing back and forth in frustration, trying to compose himself and not argue with his mate, who needed to rest and not hear him screaming. Without knowing it, he was also replicating the gestures his brother had performed more than a day earlier.

Finally, only somewhat more controlled, he returned to her. "Kagome, koishii, Sesshomaru attacked you after you came running here to save his mate; he attacked you because you rescued her and couldn't do the same with their pup. Kagome." He looked at her as if he was begging her not to ask him to forgive his brother for something so big.

By this time, she was crying silently. "A little girl," she finally said since Inuyasha still hadn't asked her, "it was a little girl, and I couldn't save her."

He looked at her with wide eyes and then began wiping away the tears falling one by one before settling down next to her and hugging her as best he could. He let her cry for a while longer. "It's not your fault; we knew it would happen," he whispered.

Kagome sniffled. "I know," she finally conceded, "but it was so bad, Inuyasha. I held her in my arms, and she never started crying. I saw Rin despair and Sesshomaru freak out; he even tried to resurrect her with Tessaiga — he couldn't, of course. I-I," she blew her nose with the handkerchief he'd handed her, "I can't blame your brother because I understand part of what he's feeling now. You didn't see him, Inuyasha; you didn't see how he was. He may have regained his usual facade now, put on his mask, but Sesshomaru is not the same. How can you ask me to blame him when I know that if something like this had happened to us, you too would have lost your mind?"

Inuyasha was struck by the truth of those words, musing that Sesshomaru hadn't been the only one to go insane in those last few hours. Although losing a daughter and losing a mate were two different things, Inuyasha had felt for a moment that tremendous feeling of not having done enough and losing the person he loved most in the world. And he didn't even want to imagine what would mean to lose either Muteki or Toga.

"You understand me, don't you, koi?" she asked him with her still glossy eyes. Inuyasha nodded. "I had forgotten this was going to happen, but I can't blame him for it, and I don't want to add anything else to the burden on his shoulders. Inuyasha, I'm convinced he already feels guilty for what he did; I'm afraid he already feels bad and doesn't know how to cope with it. He's so changed and... and I feel so sorry for him, for Rin."

The half-demon held her even tighter, then brushed her hair with his lips, but before he could talk the door opened again, so hard and fast that it couldn't quite withstand the impact.

Toga rushed into the room, his eyes as glossy as his mother's and a desperate expression on his face. He noticed Kagome awake and rushed to her, hiding his face between her legs since he couldn't place it on her lap as he always did as a child when he needed comfort. Turning their faces, Inuyasha and Kagome saw Sesshomaru standing there, looking at them and then walking away without a word.

Inuyasha immediately realized that Toga must have heard something that was better left hidden from him and that while he and Kagome had their little argument, he had another one with his uncle.

As the quarter demon kept crying, his mother stroked his hair to comfort him and tried, at the same time, to hide her own tears. "Honey, what happened?"

Toga raised his tear-streaked face to look at his parents; his quivering lower lip and sad eyes accentuated his childish features even more. Kagome wiped his face with another handkerchief before he could even answer, then moved some silver wisps that had fallen across his face and waited for him to speak.

"I heard what Uncle and Dad were discussing," he murmured in a hushed voice. "Mom, is it true?" Although he had heard Sesshomaru's explanation, it was as if he was looking for his mother's confirmation to believe it.

Kagome sighed, already imagining the sense of betrayal that Toga was experiencing, especially from the uncle he had always seen as his hero along with his father. After all, both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had never made excessive displays of their ancient hatred in front of the boys. She only hoped that now Toga wouldn't start hating him, but she was also aware of how much he resembled Inuyasha.

He turned to the latter and then back to her son after taking a deep breath. "Yes."

He looked at her with wide eyes and peered at the different colours that smeared her neck. "Did he attack you because you couldn't save his little girl?" he asked again with every bit of innocence he still possessed. "Why would he do that, Mom?"

"Of course not, Toga; what made you think that?"

"I heard Dad asking Uncle Sesshomaru the same thing." Kagome glared at her husband, who had now taken on a guilty expression and realized that, surely, asking that question had been a low blow.

"Forget whatever you heard between the two of them; you shouldn't be eavesdropping on adult conversations, you know that," Kagome scolded him.

"But-"

"No buts, Toga. As for what happened between your uncle and me, yes, he did attack me, but you should know that he wasn't in his right mind. Mostly, he's going through a very bad experience, and I don't think it would help him knowing that his nephew is mad at him, would it?" she asked softly.

"No, though... mom, look what he did to you!" he exclaimed, still in tears, repeating almost the same words his father had uttered minutes before.

"It will pass, and your uncle will apologize to me, don't worry. But I don't think it's fair to hold it against him for the feelings that currently harbour inside him, do you? Do you hate him for something he did without thinking about it? How many mistakes have you made unintentionally? In life, we need to learn to accept apologies from those who are sincere and ready to pay for their sins. I think your uncle is doing that even too much for the moment, Toga, and I don't want you to hold a grudge against him because of me."

The boy lowered his head guiltily as if he had just been reprimanded, partly disappointed because his mother was not comforting him as he would have liked. "All right," he finally conceded, not entirely convinced that he wanted to excuse his uncle. His mother, in fact, read in his voice that this was not the end of the story.

"And I know you won't forgive him right away, honey, but rest assured you'll get over it. Now, get up and give me a nice kiss; I'm afraid I can't bend down to do it for you." She smiled at him and spread her arms wide, invitingly.

Toga snapped to his feet. "Mom!" He wrapped his arms around her as gently as he could and then blew a loud kiss on her cheek, blushing when Kagome reciprocated. Inuyasha burst out laughing at the scene. Then, he decided to take advantage of his son's presence in the room.

"Well, Toga, I have some things to take care of; do you promise to take care of your mom? And don't let her sit down even if she sends her puppy eyes at you!"

"I'll be stricter than a prison guard," his son stated with conviction.

"Hey!" replied Kagome, feigning offence. "What's with the coalition?"

"We're doing this for your own good, koishii," Inuyasha told her, leaning in to kiss her, ignoring Toga's fake retching, who quickly looked away. "I'll be back soon, and I'll bring you something to eat. Be good."

"I had brought food, but..."

"Don't worry, Toga," Inuyasha reassured him, ruffling the hair on his head.

As he walked out, he heard them starting to talk again. Toga was mostly asking ten questions per minute and Kagome was trying to answer at her best.

In the meantime, he had some thinking to do, and he would rather be alone.

After checking where his eldest son had gone, Inuyasha locked himself in his private study, the one where his mother's painting still hung. Nowadays, no one used it but himself and had become the only place where he could find some peace and quiet when he was at the castle. By now, even his mate and children had learned that, when he was there, he preferred not to be disturbed.

The events of the last few hours had created such confusion in him that as soon as he had the chance — heartened that Kagome looked better — he had preferred to disappear and take some time to reorganize his ideas.

At that moment, he felt guilty, betrayed, angry, disappointed, still a little scared, and above all, sad about what had happened, what they knew would happen and what they couldn't avoid.

A big part of him was glad that, from that day on, he would no longer have to hide anything, fear an event he had been made aware of or wait anxiously for a certain date. Of course, in the years to come, they would have to take into account historical events that, according to Kagome, were very important and not at all peaceful; at some point, they would have to start hiding from mankind. Now, though, it was like a great weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

Although he was glad they had averted a tragedy and that Kagome had managed to save Rin, these past 15 years had been particularly hard emotionally and he would not want to live with such a burden anymore. Knowing the future certainly wasn't for him, and he was glad the interlude was now behind, especially considering what else had happened.

And speaking of that, Inuyasha mused that even if he had to wait 400 years, he would punch Sesshomaru once in the modern era again. With everything that Kagome and he had suffered to help him, the least he could have done was warn him about Noboru's attack as well.

He looked up and then closed his eyes as his brother from the future appeared before him, fully dressed and perfectly integrated into the modern world.

"But if I had, we wouldn't have been able to catch Noboru red-handed," he told him in his usual authoritative voice.

Inuyasha huffed and then rested his forehead on the desk.

What the hell, yes, they finally had Noboru in their grasp, but why did it have to be someone he loved that got hurt once again? He shuddered at the thought of what one second more could have caused.

As he thought about Kagome's words again, he remembered he wasn't the only one hurting; at least, he realized, he would be okay soon. He would also have memories of that night and feel anger at the damned circumstances, but he would be back to kiss, grateful, his mate and embrace, relieved, his own children.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, had a long battle to fight and he couldn't even stay at his mate's bedside to comfort her as much as he would have liked. How would Inuyasha react if he was forced to take care of other businesses while Kagome healed? He would have told everyone to go to hell. And there, he realized, lay the reason why he was not the Inu-no-Taisho; why Sesshomaru was a whole different demon.

Yet, different didn't mean insensitive. Sure, he still kept a cool façade and hid his emotions well, but Sesshomaru had gone through many changes. Inuyasha was certain that when he had accused his brother, he was probably already suffering behind his mask for what had happened to Rin and their pup.

He hadn't shown it openly, but Inuyasha had no doubt; plus, it must have been awful not to be able to stop even to mourn his loss.

Why had he come to him? Did he want to confess what had happened? Would he have confessed if Inuyasha hadn't remembered what his future version had said? Or had he sought him out to externalize the guilt he had seen flash through his eyes?

He ran a hand through his hair one more time and sighed. Damn it! After nearly seventeen years of going back and forth between the village and the western lands and he still found himself disoriented and clueless at times.

Kagome was right: Sesshomaru was definitely experiencing his own share of pain and guilt; after all, his affection for Rin rivalled his own for Kagome. Yet, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel partly betrayed and disappointed for what he had done to his mate, whatever the reason may have been.

And Rin... Inuyasha felt sorry for her and had his part of the guilt. She was the one suffering the most, and he hadn't even asked his brother how she was doing, not to mention that with Kagome out of the picture, Sesshomaru didn't even have any form of help.

What would happen now? What was happening outside this wing of the castle? Even taking refuge there wasn't helping him sort out his thoughts. He only hoped that, before the situation escalated, he could let go of negative feelings that would only waste his precious time.

That very afternoon, Inuyasha had another chance to reflect on what had happened and received a life lesson from none other than his eldest son.

Kagome had recently fallen asleep following a check-up and Toga had announced that he planned to go work out to relieve some tension when Muteki made a request.

"Dad, I wanted to ask you something about tonight's meeting."

"Tonight's meeting?" repeated Inuyasha, snapping at his son and perking up his ears.

Muteki looked at him questioningly. "Yes, the one Uncle Sesshomaru has arranged to inform the court of what has taken place and put to rest the rumours."

Inuyasha was left open-mouthed. Was that the reason Sesshomaru had reached him? As the heir, Inuyasha was required to stand next to him during such events. It said a lot that he hadn't even informed him — not that he would have even thought about participating and leaving Kagome alone.

"Ah... yeah, right." He pretended to know everything about it.

"Dad, I'm aware you weren't informed. I only came to know about it through Jaken," Muteki continued, impassive. His father blushed to the tips of his ears.

"Yes, yes, let's not dwell on such small matters; go on. What did you want to ask me?" Inuyasha encouraged him to avoid further embarrassment.

"Here... you see..." Muteki scratched the back of his head nervously and looked away, suddenly speechless.

"Kid, what's up with you suddenly? Say what you need to say and don't chicken out." What could be so difficult to ask?

"Um... I-I'd like to ask your permission to take your role tonight, next to Uncle, while you stay and keep Mom company." The half-demon gaped, but his jaw finally dropped when his son even bowed before he kept saying, "I believe that, as the firstborn, it is my duty to fill in for you." He cleared his throat and when he had raised his face again, his cheeks were decidedly red. "I would not like to leave uncle alone," he concluded with a whisper.

Inuyasha stood up and walked over to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to look into his eyes. "Muteki, please know that I am very impressed with your gesture and sense of responsibility — besides, well, your manners, but you have to thank your mother for those." Muteki chuckled. "You've really made me proud, and although you're very young, you've shown a maturity that I could only dream of when I was at your age."

"I don't think it's fair to compare my case to yours, Dad," he quickly contradicted him, not wanting his father to belittle himself in any way. But even though his children considered him a legend, Inuyasha knew what a lost cause he had been at his age.

"What I really want to tell you is that you didn't need to ask my permission, but it means a lot to me that you did. It goes without saying that you can go as my official replacement." He smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder.

Muteki returned the smile. "It's t-that I was in doubt because of the, well, argument."

"Ah, Toga filled you in, huh?" The boy nodded. Inuyasha ran a hand through his bangs and then over his face. "That's right, he did; it was only fair, and it's a credit to you that you want to stand by Sesshomaru in spite of everything. In this, you resemble your mother in every way. But know one thing, Muteki, what happens between your uncle and me should in no way affect the relationship you have with him. My brother and I have always had a somewhat complicated and decidedly different relationship than the one you and Toga have — and I'm proud of the way you both have grown up, despite having inherited our competitiveness. By now, you are old enough to recognize that Sesshomaru has not always been who you knew him to be, but that does not matter to you. You only need to see him for the person he is with you: a composed one but capable of showing his affection for you in so many ways."

Muteki nodded. "I'm not happy with what he did, but I understand what mom said; it's something you adults have to work out and-"

Inuyasha shook his head and laughed, interrupting him. "Exactly, exactly. But for tonight, have fun being an adult, okay?" he winked. He would have loved to see the faces of those idiots at court at seeing Muteki in the heir's place. Then he got serious. "But be careful and don't let them speak ill of you otherwise if anything happens to you, your uncle will really hear me."

His son joined in the laughter. "I don't think Uncle will give them much time to talk, Dad, seeing how angry he is. But when in doubt, I will report your threats."

"Very well, son," he patted him on the back. "Now go and tell your uncle what you have decided. I know you haven't asked him yet because you wanted my consent first. But come see us before you go tonight; your mother would never forgive you if you don't let her see you fully dressed. Did I ever tell you how much she cried the first time you were dressed for a meeting at court?"

Muteki laughed even louder. "Yeah, when we were introduced at court and I wasn't even a year old, right?"

"Yeah, just in case, I'll have a few extra handkerchiefs brought over tonight." He watched his son as he walked away and left his parents alone, increasingly impressed by what had just happened. He turned to Kagome, who was still sleeping. "Who said demon blood slows maturity? Have you seen him, Kagome? He's anything but a child. Damn it! When did he grow up?" He gently tucked a lock behind her ear and then sighed.

Finally, he shook her head and leaned against the wall, legs and arms crossed, sword over his shoulder, and closed his eyes in that old as well as familiar pose.

Muteki had shown great maturity for his age, and it was true that growing up in a family like theirs had helped him be who he was now. Yet, what Inuyasha didn't realise was that he had grown up a lot, too; he had also made a great show of maturity that afternoon.

The half-demon of yesteryear would have given up on Tessaiga, but he would have never told his son not to hold a grudge against Sesshomaru over a conflict of their own. But yesterday was yesterday and today was today. Life had a whole other flavour in those days, and despite the last bitterest notes, no one would ever really change it.

Immediately after speaking with his father and before joining his brother, Muteki decided to go to his uncle and inform him of his decision, hoping he would not object.

He found him in his office, and after announcing himself, he entered, greeting him. Sesshomaru seemed very surprised to see him: not only did he think he was at his mother's bedside, but at that point, he also imagined that he too knew of his part of the blame in what had happened to Kagome. Toga had never really kept anything secret from his brother.

"To what do I owe this unexpected visit, pup? I thought you were busy elsewhere," he said, seemingly impassive.

Muteki fidgeted a bit on the spot before meeting his uncle's gaze, which was a little scary sometimes. "Well, I wanted to ask you something that can't wait, Uncle."

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow and then motioned for him to continue.

"I spoke with my father, and he agreed. I'm aware that for events such as tonight's, he, as the heir, should always guarantee his presence. I am grateful that you have decided to allow him time to be with my mother — and I know that you could have forced him to attend as per your right. For that reason, I thought it appropriate to offer myself as his replacement as his firstborn." As he had done for Inuyasha, he bowed again. He avoided adding, however, that one of the reasons he had asked to participate was so as not to leave his uncle alone — he didn't think it was the right move considering the dog demon's character. "I'm here to ask for your official consent since my father has already given me his."

To say that Sesshomaru was shocked would be an understatement, but he didn't give it away. "Don't you want to stay by your mother's side?"

Muteki met his gaze. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet, but I think I am right in stating that this decision of mine would only please her. Besides, with my father and brother by her side, I'm sure she'll be in very good company."

"Very well, then I see no reason to refuse this request of yours. I trust in your good manners and your propriety of language. For this evening, your place will be that usually reserved for your father. Do not delay," he concluded before he dismissed him.

The young quarter-demon gave him a bright smile, and after a final bow showing both gratefulness and respect, he left the room and his uncle, whose head was now full of doubts and questions.

Muteki was not his son, but he could not help but be proud. He had once felt contempt for those who had both human and demonic blood in their veins, and today he could only feel pride and respect for that boy and his brother. Inuyasha and Kagome had certainly done a great job raising both of their children, as different as they were.

When he was already expecting a drastic change from the two towards him, especially considering the way Toga had reacted, here they were shattering every belief he had always had. That partly increased his guilt because, even though Inuyasha and his family had every right to abandon official functions — and that's why Sesshomaru had failed to inform his brother in the end — one of them had still offered his presence.

He also knew what Muteki had avoided saying, namely that he didn't want to leave him alone in such a difficult situation — even though it wouldn't have been the first time Sesshomaru had to speak to the court alone. He was most grateful for that.

He would never say those words, and he was sure his nephew was already aware of it but that great little gesture had definitely helped him through what had been another difficult day so far. And he would face what still lay ahead with a decidedly relieved spirit.

A/N: What do you think about this development? Do you think Kagome said the right thing? Next chapter we deal with the court and go back to Rin.

I hope you liked everything and look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Easter to whoever celebrates it and I see you next week.