A/N: Well, there is no chapter 20 somce imder the 20th chap I posted the tree list, but let's just follow the numbers
Sorry that I didn't update in ags.
Also, this story won 3rd place for Best Drama for 1st quarter of 2021 for Feudal Connection. Thank you so very much, guys!
Beta; Cstorm86


21


The morning of the day Kagome and Souta met the kitsune living in the forest around their shrine, Inuyasha woke up well-rested. Yes, for long decades his life was almost all but being awake, but there was a difference between a forced magical seal slumber and real sleep.

In his dreams Kagome danced with him in the great hall of his ancestral den. She wore a flowing blue and green robe that highlighted how pretty she was. Or she rode on his back as he ran, scaring and chasing cattle around the town she called her home. He could hear her ringing laughter over the cries of silly cows running from under his paws as he jumped fences. Or she stood on his path, dressed as a miko, wagging her finger at him and he came to her and nuzzled her shoulder while her hands ran up his furry cheeks. Or they sat on one of the branches of his tree, him handing her cherries to eat and laughing at her spitting the seeds on the ground far under their feet. His dreams were full of Kagome and promises of their future - would it be just friendship or something more.

His ears twitched when he heard a bird chirp overhead and when he opened his eyes, hen saw a robin sitting on the top of the screen separating the bed from the rest of the room. The bird cocked its head to peer at him through one beady eye.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting up," he grumbled and sat up. At some point during the night he'd pulled the blanket over himself and now he pushed it aside. He sighed when he heard a tapping noise, it took him a second to realize what it was. A part of him was surprised he recognized the sound.

He jumped out of the bed and hurried to a mirror hanging from one of the walls - an oval-shaped silver disc with kanji carved into its frame, covered by a thick plush veil. He yanked the veil aside and saw not his own face, but his brother's, looking at him with that bored expression he wanted to punch so much.

"Little brother, you're finally awake," Sesshomaru stated the obvious. He looked as pristine and perfect as usual. Inuyasha reflexively ran his hands through his hair to make it less messy.

"I sorta dozed off. Are parents back?" he decided to act civil for as long as he could; annoying Sesshomaru might be amusing, but it was better to do it sparsely, so he didn't get used to it.

"They are to be back around midday. This one's wife is back. If you have some sense of decency, you should bring her gift "

Inuyasha snorted at the monotone, rather rude remark. It was just like Sesshomaru to remind him about stuff like that.

"Oh, don't worry, prim princess, I will have a gift." he teased and smirked when his brother glared at him for a moment. Then, without a word, Sesshomaru turned from the mirror and just like that Inuyasha was treated to the reflection of his own face.

To be honest, it was quite reassuring to see that some people haven't changed over the time.

Inuyasha snuck to the kitchen to grab some food and then returned to his room to look for the best gift to the poor banshee that was his sister-in-law. He didn't know her well, since he had left the den when she and Sesshomaru had been only starting courting, but he was pretty sure she'd not like a figurine carved by his claws decades ago. For a wedding gift one of magic should be given and Inuyasha had only a few he would even consider parting with.

.

It was an hour later when Inuyasha, dressed in his fire colored robe, made his way to where Sesshomaru's part of the den was. The delicate scent of incense perfumed the air in the main chamber, as big as Inuyasha's own room. Wood and paper screens divided the room for private working spaces and the common area. In one corner Inuyasha saw a handful of toys and books neatly arranged on a shelf carved in the stone wall like in his room. Other shelves were usually obscured by screens painted in flower designs. There were more doors leading deeper to the private quarters of the three living there.

On one wall, in a proud display, hung Tenseiga, Sesshomaru's heirloom sword, which their father often called 'a lesson in patience and compassion' To Inuyasha's surprise, there was another sword accompanying the gift from their father, a blade that radiated energy so attuned to Sesshomaru's that there was no doubt in the younger yasha that the sword was his brother's as well. A small noise made Inuyasha realize he'd been staring at the sword for a while now, and he quickly looked to the inhabitants of the dwelling.

All three of them sat around a small, elegant low table, enjoying a light meal of fruit and tea. Inuyasha smiled at little Rin, sitting next to Sesshomaru, her cheeks stained a bit with juice from the fruit she held in her hand. She wore a yellow robe with green and orange swirls today, and she looked really adorable.

Sesshomaru, wearing his usual white, golden and red, didn't look cute at all. He held a slice of apple in his long fingers, looking over it at Inuyasha with his usual passive expression.

The one who had made the noise was the woman at Sesshomaru's other side. Unlike most of her kind, she wore her hair in a messy bun and had a refined air around her. Red eyes looked at Inuyasha from behind thick, long lashes, her face fair and pale, her lips red. She wore a robe similar in design to Rin's, but with more muted colors - she struck the younger man as an elegant lady of the den. But there was fire blazing in her eyes and unpredictability in her energy. She put her cup of tea down.

"Who might you be, stepping here so boldly and without announcing yourself?" she asked.

"Keh, I live here," he shrugged. "And the door was open. And you know who I am, so cut that, okay?"

"Master Jaken had probably left them open when he ran off," Rin said with a smile, her voice soft.

"Manners seem to not be hereditary in this family," she commented while her spouse just watched on.

"You want me to give you my gift and condolences or not?" his ears laid back at her words and she covered her mouth with a hand when she chuckled.

"Of course I do, my wayward prince," she said and motioned to the table. "Do you wish to share a meal with us?

"Kagura..." Sesshomaru started, but she shook her head at him, causing him to shake his head, but offer no further objection to his younger brother approaching the table.

"No need to worry your pretty head about this, brother," Inuyasha said, put in a good mood by how his sister-in-law seemed to have his brother wrapped around one of her fingers. Who would have thought that great icicle Sesshomaru would be so docile? "I ate just minutes ago."

Inuyasha stopped near Kagura's pillow and sank to one knee, offering an item wrapped in colorful paper and tied with a straw cord. It was flat, long and as broad as a hand, but otherwise no one could guess what it was. The dog-eared man smirked inwardly when he saw the three of them watching them with more or less concealed curiosity, the latter being expressed by Rin's sparking eyes

"Accept this one's most sincere, even if belated, well wishes and congratulations, Lady Kagura. This one welcomes you and recognizes you as his elder sister and shall uphold the duties of the younger brother to you. Please, accept this as a token of this one's good will."

"Oh, my!" Kagura clapped her hands. "So you can string words in longer sentences!" Then she bowed her head and picked the gift with both her hands, just as he was offering it to her.

"Keh, you said it yourself, I'm a prince," Inuyasha smirked and winked at her, his hands resting on his raised knee now as he straightened his back. "And even if I'm not blessed with a stick up my ass like Sesshomaru, I know my manners!"

"Then you should rein in your foul mouth when children are present," Sesshomaru scolded when Rin giggled and tried to hide her smile behind juice stained fingers.

Kagura carefully undid the bow on the cord and unwrapped the paper. Then she picked up a single leaf, with five ribbons tied to the stern, each in one of the lucky colors. The leaf was tear-shaped, dark green and thick, stiff in her grasp and as long as her two palms. The crane woman looked at it with wide eyes, not uttering a word.

"So pretty," Rin said softly. Inuyasha wondered how the spirited girl saw it - some spirited people were blessed with sight that allowed them to see auras and energies surrounding people and things.

"A leaf?" Sesshomaru raised a brow "What type of artifact is this?"

"This, my beloved," Inuyasha blanched when Kagura spoke to her husband. "This is a tengu fan. It can create powerful wind, so I think we will have to test it outside, at some later time."

"Is my honorable consort pleased with this gift?" Sesshomaru ignored his brother, who was now staring at him. Neither of the spouses spoke in that terrible tone some idiots in love used while uttering mushy nonsense, but there was a layer of fondness that couldn't be denied.

Inuyasha wasn't sure he could handle his brother in a love struck mode.

"Yes, I am," Kagura laid the leaf back on the paper and looked at Inuyasha, who barely managed to keep his face politely blank. "This lady finds your gift most pleasing. This one recognizes your gift and accepts you as her younger brother, with all the duties that come with this."

Inuyasha smiled. He had been sure that the old thing would get the crane to warm up to him instantly. Banshee like her often preferred wind as their chosen element, being all birds, and their energy was naturally attuned to wind spells. So a wind artifact was perfect. Besides, Sesshomaru's surprised expression (well, alright, it wasn't a real expression, but his eyes had widened marginally for a while there, so Inuyasha counted it as one) was worth it.

One could argue he didn't have to go out of his way to get Kagura to like him, but Inuyasha was not in a mood for quarreling with his family. Having Kagura like his gift and accept him would work to his advantage in many ways. For example, they could tease the fluffy, perfect lord heir. She seemed to be the type that wouldn't be too terrible to deal with.

Besides, if Kagome ever came to visit (or stay) it would be good to have a friendly female pack member she could befriend.

"Yay! Does it mean I can play with Lord Inuyasha sometimes?" RIn asked, her eyes glittering.

"Until he can exercise proper linguistic choices, you may not," Sesshomaru stated, and the girl sighed, before looking up at Inuyasha again.

"Please, do that soon, so we can play!" she pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her. Being around this child could be entertaining too, even if Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru and Kagura would be wary at first. That was understandable, Rin was a very spirited girl and their official ward. Being wary of other yasha at first was instinctual. After all if you got a rare gem you would worry others would steal it. Inuyasha was certain in time they were bound to see he didn't have that intention. The kid was fine where she was in their care.

"No promises, kid. This is kinda my thing," Inuyasha smirked and looked to his brother.

"Your offering and behavior were acceptable," his elder brother said, which was the closest he could get to real praise. "It seems like, albeit just a little, you have matured a bit during your travels."

The younger man, who was about to stand up and say something, froze, staring at his brother.

"Travels?" he breathed out.

"Were you not traveling for past eleven decades or so?" Sesshomaru inquired, tilting his head a little. "Rumor had it that you crossed the Narrow Sea and went to explore the continent, thus getting out of the territories shiro inu roam."

"Travels!" Inuyasha barked, his voice rising in pitch at the memory of the shadowy room, with the sunlight traveling across only a part of the wall for a couple minutes before it faded away - along with his consciousness. He shuddered at the years that had blended together, spent in slumber, in short whiles of wakefulness,. He remembered the tedious task of adorning the room with the help of animals - so he didn't have to look at the hideous wall of his prison, but also to occupy himself?

"You seem distressed, Inuyasha," Kagura said softly. "What is wrong?"

"I wasn't traveling anywhere!" Inuyasha leaped to his feet and glared at his brother. "I wasn't off on another island! I was sealed!" he put a hand to where an arrow had been once pinning him to a bed.

That made Sesshomaru's cool eyes look at him with sudden interest and a spark of something dangerous.

"Sealed? What creature dared to seal one of our pack? I know you are significantly weaker, but it shouldn't be an easy task. Were you ambushed?" he asked, his voice emotionless, but the mere fact he asked so many questions and threw just one insult to Inuyasha's weaker energy level, spoke loudly enough.

Loudly enough to make Inuyasha pause. His ears twitched as he took in the two yasha sitting in front of him. Kagura looked worried and angry, probably taking her new role seriously as his elder sister. Sesshomaru looked his usual self, but his energy was tightly drawn in, the perfect control he had over it tightened.

Even if they fought and annoyed the living crap out of each other, Sesshomaru was Inuyasha's older brother. Even if they had their differences, the mere fact that a shiro inu had been targeted by someone was a reason for any of their kind - pack or no pack - to get angry and want revenge.

The shiro inu were one of the less numerous breeds. Unlike ookami, they had only a few pups during their long life. And, as the hunting dogs of the Emperor, his warriors and reinforcers of his will over other clans, the shiro inu were revered and feared by many, for they often had to lay their lives in the servitude of the Sacred Tree. It was only natural they got defensive and offended if one of them was assaulted, especially one not yet considered an adult. Shiro inu were known to be quick to bite off a hand that had wronged them.

Inuyasha stood there, his limbs frozen, his mouth open, not daring to twitch his ear when the realization of what he had almost said fell upon him like a mountain.

If he had told Sesshomaru that Kagome's ancestor had sealed him... Would he have been willing to listen to the rest of the tale? Would he just up and go to 'punish' the descendants of that priest for insulting the shiro inu by sealing one of them? Sesshomaru was an asshole, he was certainly not going to listen to what Inuyasha had to say, he'd just drawn his own half-assed conclusions after the third sentence. And then ignore Inuyasha when he tried to explain stuff.

"Forget it," Inuyasha said tensely. "That's the matter I gotta tell parents first."

He all but ran out of the room, almost trampling the poor kappa returning with a plate of sweet buns. He didn't even try to steal one of them, as he'd used to.

He had to really think about what he was going to tell his parents. He had to make sure everyone understood what had happened to him and that the current Higurashi family members were blameless, that they actually were worth a prize for fixing their ancestor's actions.

.

He peeled an apple. He peeled it so well, that he took off not only the skin, but also the flesh of it, all now laying in a sad pile on the tabletop. All he had left in his hand was the core of the apple, grasped in his juice-stained fingers.

He blinked at it and sighed, picking one of the short stripes of apple flesh to put it in his mouth. Listlessly he chewed on it, his gaze lifting from the table up to where the banners hung from the ceiling and walls of the main chamber of the den.

He'd been gone for over a century and his family had been thinking he had been running around and not letting them know what he had been up to. They'd thought he'd left the island and had ventured into the continent where different yasha lived, where there were different customs and creatures roaming the land.

He touched his cheek where a purple stripe marked his skin. How could they think he wouldn't come back for his coming of age ceremony? He'd been nagging his father about what his heirloom weapon would be ever since his tree had bore fruit for the first time.

A few of the servants who worked for the family came up to him sitting at the main table, welcoming the youngest lord and asking about his travels, but after seeing him not exactly in a talkative mood, they all left him alone to think. Back before his imprisonment Inuyasha had been known to be more approachable than his brother, but also prone to mischief and fits of temper that came and went like summer storms. He guessed seeing him sitting there and peeling the apple like he'd done had weirded some of them out quite a bit.

So, he was utterly alone in the big room when a cry filled the air.

"My pup!"

That was all the forewarning he got. It allowed him to leap up from his seat and almost turn to face the doorway. But when he was halfway turned, a yasha pounced at him, changing her form in mid-air.

Inuyasha managed to open his mouth, trying to say something, but he was tackled to the floor and pinned down by a terrible black hound easily bigger than a horse and probably as heavy as one. He used one hand that wasn't pinned down to push the thick fur away from his face, wiggling to get free.

Triangular black ears quivered in excitement, blood-red eyes glowed as they peered down at him. Gray and black mist coiled around the hellish hound as it lowered that terrible head, with jaws full of sharp teeth, towards him. A tongue sneaked out of that mouth and licked the side of Inuyasha's neck and head. He barked and tried to push the head away, but all he got was a nip on his ear.

"Mother, let me up!" he cried out and sighed in relief when she stood up from him, her form shifting again. When he gathered himself to his feet, a petite woman with ankle-long black hair and dressed in pink and violet robe stood in front of him. She had ears just like his, but hers were black and had a few silver ring earrings each. Her eyes were more brown than red in this form, her face round and welcoming, kind and full of life.

The kuro inu Lady Izayoi, that many called the New Moon and who had given the shiro inu leader a half-breed son. The woman, who had once been a human, long time ago, but after being murdered and denied justice nor proper burial by an obsessed man, had become a hellhound to exact her revenge on the human who had killed her for not loving him. His mother.

Inuyasha stood there, looking at her, watching the aura that could drive a human insane, swirling about her and picking stray tendrils of her hair. He almost forgot how the scent of elm tree and smoke soothed him, how he missed the sound of her voice and the sight of her smile.

"Well, boy, quit staring and tell your mother why you haven't come home for so long!" she said, tilting her head when he didn't speak immediately.

"Mom, I wasn't on a trip to kami knows where," he finally said. His ears twitched and cocked towards the sound of footsteps. A man approached his mother and Inuyasha felt a new wave of something he didn't have a name for wash over him

The man was tall, taller than even Sesshomaru. Dressed in white, in armor and with two swords in his belt, he looked impressive. His silver hair was pulled in a high ponytail, joining two fur tails that adorned his shoulders and down his back. Eyes shining like polished gold looked at Inuyasha from above two strpies of blue, similar to Iniuasha's markings. He raised a brow at Inuyasha, who felt his chest ache when he looked at the pair now standing in front of him. His father's scent of ash tree and autumn wind made the young man feel as if no time had passed between his leave and return.

"Was it a female?" Shiro Inu no Taisho asked and grinned when his youngest son sputtered, his cheeks turning hot at the look at his father's face

"What? No! It wasn't a girl!" Inuyasha yelled, maybe a bit too loud. "What made you think I'd leave you all for so long for a girl?"

"You could, I wouldn't fault you if you lost track of time in the arms of a feisty female. When I met your mother, I left the pack for a whole decade,"

"Touga!" Lady Izayou patted his shoulder while Inuyasha tried to gather his wits. He'd have forgotten how to deal with his family, it seemed. He took a deep breath.

"But... I met a girl..." he said, his gaze drifting to the side. Lady Izayoi's ears twitched and her spouse grinned. "But it ain't anything like you're thinking! I mean... Maybe we will be friends... Or maybe, if we feel like it, we will be courting..."

"Oh, my pup," Lady Izayoi stepped closer to touch his cheek.

"There's one thing though," Inuyasha glanced at them before he took a deep breath. "She's human."

"I forbid this."

The voice that uttered these words was neither Touga's nor Izayoi's. It was cool and stern, devoid of emotion, but conveying strength of will and authority.

Inuyasha spun on his heel towards the main door to the chamber to see the third one who had arrived home this afternoon.

Clad in purple and blue, her mokomoko hanging elegantly about her elbows, silver hair tied in twin tails, stood the Full Moon, the other wife of the leader of the shiro inu, Lady Kimoko, mother to his eldest son. With the moon upon her forehead marking her as a sanin, with the scent of oak tree and cinnamon, Inuyasha's other mother looked at him with a small frown on her face. Her words hung in the air like a promise of winter.