Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Chapter Seventy-Five: Together
As was to be expected, the little one's arrival caused quite a stir in the West, but Sesshomaru had changed his disposition since the last council meeting and paid no attention whatsoever to what was said in the gardens or in the corridors, ignoring the questions and those who ventured to stop him as he walked. Some of them — many in fact — were left speechless as they became the recipients of the dai-youkai's famous icy stares, and soon — much sooner than he had imagined — every complaint disappeared.
On the other hand, Rin didn't even seem to realise what was happening around her, too caught up in being a mother and the joys she had been denied and now couldn't contain. She seemed to be on cloud nine and radiated such a clean and happy aura that even those who had been sceptical understood how much good this new arrival would bring, influenced by her positivity. The Lady appeared better looking than the first time they saw her, and as a result, Sesshomaru was more tractable — unless it was some ignorant courtier. These circumstances confirmed to the well-thinking that the human had indeed been the right choice for the Inu-no-Taisho, the only one able to melt his icy heart and form an unbreakable bond with him.
The child was soon given a name, too, one that her mother thought would always remind them of the joy and good fortune her entry into the family had brought: Sachiko. And while Inuyasha raised his hands to the sky, happy that he no longer had to call her "baby" or "oi, you" when he was bored, Kagome congratulated them on the beautiful name.
The Lady of the West would also remember as one of the best of her life the day Sachiko was introduced at court and confirmed for all intents and purposes as her and Sesshomaru's daughter. It did not matter if she had not given birth to her or carried her, if the baby did not resemble her parents, no one could ever tell Rin otherwise.
Sachiko would become the most pampered, lucky and loved child in the valley and Sesshomaru would learn before his brother what it meant to have a daughter and not be able to say no to her.
The half-demon had found her place in the world and, with her, her parents did too. Despite the hardships, they had finally managed to have a family, growing and learning through the pain.
Some might have said that the serene and joyful atmosphere of the last few weeks in the West was due to developments that had removed all threats altogether. But Rin disagreed.
For the young woman who spent her days showing little Sachiko around her new home and meeting friends who had never seen her so happy, it was all thanks to the newcomer. The world no longer looked grey to her and she was sure everyone who crossed her path shared the same effect. There was no longer any reason to feel sorry for herself or continue to fade into mourning; she had done that enough. Now she had the opportunity to look to the future with more serenity. Of course, this didn't mean she had forgotten Kazuko, but she knew that the latter had reached that happy place they had wished for her and that it would be of no use to wallow in her grief.
She and Sesshomaru had come a long way before and after Sachiko's arrival, and she was proud of what their relationship had become as well as of the things they had learned about themselves and each other. And sure, it helped that Sesshomaru was no longer kept late because of the usual troublemakers or that there was no need to be afraid of certain individuals, but that wasn't why the valley shone brightly.
That was the truth: Sachiko was the cause of it all.
Meanwhile, Sesshomaru had decided that he preferred his daughter's nightly cries waking them because of a dirty nappy or hunger to Goro's croaking complaints. Since he no longer lived in the castle, he felt his ears were finally relieved.
When he had returned and learned from the elders that the cat had been sent to take care of distant lands, he had worn a grin so big that Jaken, out of fear, had fallen to the ground dead, causing Sachiko to giggle. Afterwards, the dai-youkai had understood the little one was particularly amused when something happened to the toad-like demon and had not missed an opportunity to mistreat him ever since. It was more or less the same conclusion Inuyasha had come to when his children had been younger.
There would never really be any respite for poor Jaken.
But Sesshomaru would have done anything to hear that laugh that, in turn, caused the wonderful smile he had fallen in love with.
It hadn't taken him long to realise that what Kagome had told him in the village was true — the time it took him to get to the castle to be precise — and he no longer even cared that everyone around him knew how enchanted he was by a half-demon who wasn't the product of his loins. At last, that sense of loneliness and restlessness that had always accompanied him was gone and he understood in every sense what his father had tried to tell him before he died. Rin had been the first step in doing so, but Sachiko's arrival had confirmed everything.
Of course, he lost no opportunity to prove that he had by no means become a 'softie' as some had dared to say, but that was another matter and not even worth thinking about.
He tried to remember life as it had been before and after Inuyasha and his family, when he had thought of himself as more mature and no longer the demon he had once been, but now he understood how wrong he had been. He had come a long way since then, travelled miles that for centuries he had refused even to see, and in the end, life had decided for him; the choices he had made as a result — though mistakes had never been lacking — had changed him until that day.
Noboru was dead and his lover gone along with the few remaining followers.
Goro was no longer his business.
And the pride he had once considered an essential part of his being was no longer so important. Although he continued to be in some ways a very proud demon, he now knew when it was time to leave it aside; there were things worth more.
"Ouch, ouch, not so hard!" shouted Inuyasha that evening in the castle as he held Sachiko in his arms. "Why does everyone always aim for the ears?" The entire group burst out laughing in response, and even Sesshomaru had a sly half-smile on his lips.
"Give her to me," Toga blurted out, approaching his father and releasing him from the torture by taking the child. "You want to spend more time with your favourite cousin, don't you?" he asked her, making silly faces and an awkward little voice that had become the norm whenever he was with her — and he really did spend a lot of time with Sachiko. Apparently, even though they now lived far apart, Toga didn't want to waste a single second and was very close to the half-demon, as his brother who, however, avoided certain attitudes, being of a more serious nature. Probably the fact that they had been the ones to find and save her played another important factor in their bond. And although Rin and Sesshomaru were equally in love with their daughter, they let their nephews fight over her every time they met. A few months had passed and they had seen each other as many times as possible; Sachiko had taken advantage of that serene atmosphere, different from the one in which she had been born, and seemed to have blossomed as a result: her cheeks were fuller, her complexion no longer pale and her red hair thicker, not to mention her inability to sit still even for a moment. Muteki said she had been still and silent enough now she deserved to make her voice heard and move as much as possible.
When Inuyasha, Kagome and the rest of the family had come to see them for her introduction, they had been shocked at the changes that had taken place in such a short time but happy nonetheless.
Now, Inuyasha saw in Sesshomaru the reflection of the person he had met in the future and Kagome that of the confident woman Rin would become, the same one who had comforted her in her time of need. Faced with those discoveries, the two had been unable not to look into each other's eyes and congratulate each other on their success.
"Don't you think you're a little big for that voice, son?" rebutted Kimi, smiling.
"Keh!" was his only reply as Kagome occupied herself, instead, with caressing the tortured ears of her mate, who now exhibited his characteristic pout and was repeating the same sound his son had made.
The others shook their heads and burst out laughing again before turning back to look at Sachiko, who was vocalising her displeasure at no longer having her favourite game at hand. Toga tried to calm her down but finally laid her down on the ground, on some blankets, where she began to roll over and try to grab her feet to put them in her mouth; she still couldn't do it. Eventually, she gave up and started biting her clenched fists, laughing at the attention they gave to her.
Those were such quiet days that it was no longer rare to see Sesshomaru and Inuyasha spending time there with them rather than cooped up in the office arguing. Of course, duties had not disappeared along with the threats, but now they could complete them sooner and spend more time with their mates and children.
And Kimi, observing who Sesshomaru had become and what consequences her suggestion, almost eighteen years ago, had had — one born only out of a desire to lessen the pressure on him and which, instead, had increased it — couldn't help but wonder what her late mate would have thought if he had been able to see him.
This was what Toga had always wanted for both his sons and at the time, she had always considered it a utopia, one useless and unprofitable. Besides, she had seen the effects the dream of a united and loving family had had on him. Yet, today, she was forced to admit that, even centuries later, Toga had succeeded and the result was far more than he could have wished for.
Touching the Meido stone she wore around her neck, she thought that, after all, through her, he and his Izayoi would also have the pleasure of watching their descendants and those genuine smiles on their faces. And she no longer held a grudge towards them or a reason to deny that happiness.
"It doesn't seem real to me," Kagome murmured one night in bed after returning home. "Everything that has plagued us since we've been together is settled and it seems impossible that we can finally have a peaceful life."
Next to her, Inuyasha burst out laughing. "Peaceful you say? In this village?"
"Well, yes, you know what I mean," she agreed. "No more court intrigue, demons trying to kill us, or future missions. Not knowing what will happen is strangely soothing. The shadow of what Sesshomaru told us, what we were warned about, has haunted us for so long and now... now it feels so good to know nothing. I mean, nothing apart from common history — which isn't even that good — but, for now, I'd rather not think about it."
"Are we finally going to have a life as normal as possible around here?" he questioned her. She nodded. "So how about we celebrate?" he asked again with a sly smile and moving her hair to leave a trail of kisses on her neck; he received a couple of moans in response and interpreted them as a yes.
A moment later, he captured her lips in a kiss and she immediately reciprocated as she grabbed his head with her hands and then massaged his soft white ears. She had long since learned that those were one of the points that most elicited a reaction in Inuyasha and this time was no different; the half-demon immediately covered her with his own body and began thrusting his hips, seeking relief and letting her know how much he wanted her.
Before long, they got rid of the clothes that were only in the way and Inuyasha's lips and teeth had moved, kissing her collarbones, nibbling her nipples as his hands searched her body and teased her womanhood, noting how wet and ready she already was for him. Kagome increased the intensity of her moans more and more, but he did not care to silence her or cover her mouth; by now, there was no need to hide from the children and the embarrassment about it was completely gone.
His long fingers caressed her first slowly and then quickly without stopping, kissing and sucking; they entered her and soon he felt her trembling beneath him, murmuring his name like a prayer. Looking up, he saw her close her eyes and clutch the sheets in ecstasy.
"Koishii, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on, but seeing you come is even more wonderful; you can't understand how much you turn me on," he whispered in her ear before biting her earlobe and thrusting into her but without penetrating her yet. Kagome looked up at him, her eyes a little misty, and he read love and excitement in them, the same desire that now filled him completely and threatened to make him burst.
Finally, without hesitation, he entered her, making her first arch and then cling more tightly to him; he grasped her waist and increased the speed of his thrusts as she lifted her thighs and enveloped his hips, making him go deeper. Their breaths became erratic as did their loud moans and incoherent words.
The sound of their bodies colliding and interlacing turned them on more and more and what had started as something sweet and slow became wild and fast. Soon Kagome found herself on the verge of coming again; her legs tightened even more around Inuyasha as did her warm, wet walls to his cock. Inuyasha looked at her spellbound, breathless, and slid a hand between them to stimulate her and speed her pleasure.
"Come with me," Kagome gasped before opening her mouth in a cry this time silent and taking him with her. Inuyasha trembled before thrusting one last time and finally hiding his face in the hollow in her neck, biting and licking her to keep from screaming as much as he wanted to. He felt drained of all strength given the intensity of his orgasm, and for a moment, he collapsed on top of her before quickly pulling out and falling to the side so as not to burden her.
"Every time your idea of a celebration takes my breath away — literally." Her wide eyes were on the ceiling and her breath came out in little puffs as she tried to get her pulse back to the usual rate.
Inuyasha laughed heartily, then turned to her and kissed her again, but avoiding repeating the gestures that had brought them to that position. "I think I told you once that it would always be my main idea and I don't change it that easily."
"No, don't; don't you dare," she also laughed, ecstatic. When they parted, they reached their hands and intertwined their fingers. Then they looked at each other and smiled, and with their eyes, they said everything they had no breath to say yet.
Before them, they saw many more evenings like that, years full of love and warmth, family and friends, and for once no drama or worry. They saw again the scared kids they had been before and after they had mated, the steps they had taken and the achievements they had made. It had not been easy, and at times, the tears had been more than the smiles, but not for a moment had they thought they would not make it because being together had given them the certainty they needed to face another day. Now, however, they felt like they deserved the peace they were coming to and it did not matter how long it would last or when the next problem would arise.
In the meantime, they would enjoy life.
A/N: I know I'm a week late - again - and this chapter is really short, but I couldn't update earlier; I really had some difficult days. I should be able to post the next one - the last one before the Epilogue - in two weeks if the RL doesn't hinder me.
And before I forget, Happy Father's Day to every Dad worldwide and whoever celebrates today.
I hope you liked this one anyway and look forward to hearing from you.