I Do Not Own InuYasha


Ichariba Chode

行逢りば兄弟

"Though we meet but once, even by chance, we are friends for life"


IV: 5


Year 839...

Zhēnzhū Gǎng Palace, Spirit World, China...

Chang'e was excited, over a hundred years of planning was about to come to fruition, she was excitedly pressed against her mate who had wrapped an arm around her waist in a rare moment of indulgence. Her children were here as well, her daughters and their husbands and their pups, she was excited. Today was the day, and she was ready for it! Today her grandson would arrive, and they would finally have a proper heir for the Zhēnzhū Gǎng Palace! And with her grandson her son would soon follow, she was most excited about that prospect!

"When did they say they would arrive?" she whispered to her husband.

"They'll be here soon," he promised. She smiled at Tiāngǒu, ignoring his concubines as she looked out at the harbor. Soon, soon her empire's dynasty would be secured with her son and grandson. The autumn was shifting rapidly to winter and she was excited at the prospect of having a winter with her grandson, she would teach him to be a proper member of society and Tiāngǒu would teach the boy to be a proper alpha.

No one would corrupt or taint her grandson, she would ensure it, and if that meant she had to use the pup to censor her own son then so be it. But her grandson would not be some unruly wild mutt! She would not tolerate it! And her son would fall in line or she would punish the pup. That would work, at least as far as she had thought.


Somewhere between Worlds...

Rin came to with a roaring headache which had her peering up at the pup who's mokomoko was currently acting as her pillow. The solemn gold eyes peered curiously at her as she groaned and came to.

"What happened?" she yawned rubbing her hands over her face; she felt as if she had been blasted by Sōten's lightning again or hit by Hiraikotsu again. Kami her head was killing her.

"You're alive!" the pup gasped in wonderment.

"Hai, why?" she asked as her hands fell onto her stomach and she stared at the distraught pup's expression. Sesshōmaru's indifferent façade was something she knew he always had but to see him openly distraught about whatever had happened to her had her wanting to comfort the pup as best she could. Sitting up slowly she pulled him into her lap, which had the pup burying his face in her chest as he wrapped mokomoko around her, Rin carefully ran her fingers through his hair.

"What happened Sesshōmaru?" she asked softly.

"He said a mouse had your breath," the pup whimpered.

"Who said?"

"Baka bird," he answered.

"Sesshōmaru," she sighed.

"I thought you were dead, you wouldn't respond," the pup whimpered, and she felt his nose nudging her jaw, she smiled as she looked down at the pup. Kami, Sesshōmaru was so small and young, she just wanted to protect him from the world, which had her nudging his nose with her own as she had seen Zen do for his own pup or Riki do for the other pups of the pack.

"I'm not going anywhere, my lord," she promised.

"Promise?" he whispered.

"Hai," she nodded. "I'm with you until the end," she said honestly. "Where are we?" she asked finally looking at the ship.

Sesshōmaru shrugged as he hid his face against her neck and his claws fisted into the material of her kimono. She was surprised at his action, but remembered he was a small pup and in a strange situation he likely had never been in yet. Slowly she pulled herself to her feet, slipping Bakusaiga into place and Sesshōmaru stuck his hand in her sleeve to pull the kaiken.

"Greedy little pup," she teased.

"This is mine," he retorted.

"Are you certain of that?" she mused as she cautiously made her way to the door.

"Hai," he nodded as he revealed the pure white fang. "Mine," he nodded.

"Mmm, good eye," she chuckled.

"How'd you get it?" he asked.

"It was a gift," she answered. "Now please keep it safe for me," she murmured.

He nodded as he put it away and hid his clasped hands in her ebony hair as they walked out of the storage area. Sesshōmaru's mokomoko snaked around her waist as she walked, leading him up to the deck where she saw the kitsune and monk looking equally dazed and confused. Sesshōmaru growled lowly and menacingly when a tall man came towards her.

The man was obviously a yōkai of some sort, his hair had brilliant orange and red feathers woven into it, rather elegantly, while keeping the ebony mass pulled up. The eyes were brilliant orange, with vibrant yellow markings on his face.

"What do the markings mean?" she whispered to Sesshōmaru. Rin knew the basics of how most yōkai markings worked; Sesshōmaru's pack for the most part had violet, magenta, and blue markings, Kōga's pack was marked with fur colors, while the hebi clans were color oriented. And with the added knowledge that her lord's markings defined him made her more curious to learn about yōkai markings.

"Phoenix bird," he answered.

"Ah," she nodded.

"Gomen, Rin," the kitsune said which had her turning to him.

"You tricked me!" she seethed.

"No, I didn't," the fox started. Rin was startled when the fox put himself between her and the approaching phoenix then.

"I'm Fǔ Yáng," the fox bowed as he slipped his hands into his sleeves. "This is Sesshōmaru-sama and his claimed, Rin-sama," the fox said standing. "The monk is Wu Min, we are here as emissaries from the Shikoku InuYōkai Pack, led by the Inu no Tashio, Tōga, and his mate, Kimi-sama, daughter of Shikoku-sama," Fǔ Yáng said now standing.

Sesshōmaru was growling threateningly, and Rin knew she would have to keep a tight hold of the pup before he went about tearing the bird's head off.

"I am Captain Dōng." The bird said and she saw the way the bird eyed her. "I'm here to inform you that we will be approaching Zhēnzhū Gǎng Palace docks soon," he said.

"Zhēnzhū Gǎng Palace?" Rin sputtered.

"Yes, the Emperor and Empress heard of the bounty on their grandson's head, we were told to bring him here for his safety." The bird said.

"I see," Rin frowned.

"It will be a great honor to mee the Emperor," the monk said, and Rin wanted to disagree. She had grown up with Sesshōmaru-sama and Kimi-sama long enough to know that meeting Sesshōmaru's western relatives was never a good feeling; for anyone involved. She tensed as she suddenly remembered Kimi saying once that Sesshōmaru had been snatched by his Western grandparents.

Sesshōmaru must have felt her tense because the pup was now loudly snarling, and she carefully ran her fingers over his scalp.

"It's alright," she promised the pup.

"I was unaware the East was so uncivilized as to hire a human wet nurse for the pup," the bird mused.

"I was unaware that it was polite to remark on one's inferior status," Rin said turning to the bird.

"Well, it is known that humans are relatively useless," the bird said.

"I was not speaking to my position, but rather yours," Rin stated turning to him. "For the insult of mentioning my position I should warn you, feathers, that I am my lord's Rin and you cannot even come close to my equal. Challenge my rank again and I will be forced to challenge you, and should you believe yourself superior to me; know I take great pleasure proving arrogant yōkai wrong," she growled lowly.

The bird was tense, and she could feel Sesshōmaru's smug satisfaction about her statement thrumming through their bond.


Zhēnzhū Gǎng Palace, Docks, Spirit World, China...

Tiāngǒu was pleased as his mate was bouncing excitedly. Chang'e was always a favorite of his, the only female he had gifted with the title of Empress, it did not matter she was his youngest concubine. Chang'e was a kind and gentle woman, her silver hair and gentle eyes, it was amazing he had even caught her.

Finally, the sails came into sight and he smiled.

"They're almost here!" she giggled in delight. Tiāngǒu traced her temple with his nose before looking over at his many daughters. He had been blessed over the years, he had had many healthy daughters, but only one son, Chang'e and his own only child, and he was most excited for the day Zhìháo would return and stay for his pup.

He had a name set for the young prince coming, one which would fit; according to his intelligence gathering, Jūn Ān, it seemed fitting. He had been warned the pup was rather quiet and even tempered.

"Soon," he whispered to his mate. Soon their son would come and life would be as it should've been years ago. He smiled, everything was coming together, and no one would stand between him and his grandson!

He wondered what the pup looked like, most his intelligence gathering hadn't shared that information because he hadn't asked.


Somewhere Unknown, Japan...

Tōga frantically hunted through the woods, he couldn't find his pup though! Oh kami, no, he prayed, for the first time in his long life he prayed to the kami, pleaded desperately to find his pup, he knew that if he didn't find Sesshōmaru soon that he would likely vanish entirely. Which was a thought which terrified Tōga.

Tōga, unlike his father, had not had any other heirs or pups; not even with his concubines and courtseans, he had only had Sesshōmaru and that was with his alpha bitch. Kimi had suffered the heart break of losing most of Sesshōmaru's litter, but they had kept their son. And he was aware that Sesshōmaru was a rare and precious gift that they couldn't tame or manage; Sesshōmaru was a brilliant little heir. Tōga would be damned if he lost his only son, he refused to be that incompetent as a father.

He was Inu no Tashio! He was the leader of their people, he was the alpha male with Kimi as his alpha bitch, they would not lose their only pup!

Tōga finally came to a clearing where he scented his pup, there was a stench of human in the air, which had him curling back his lips. There was also a scent of feline here which had him growling, what had the Hyōneko done with the humans? Had they finally teamed up to steal his pup? He wouldn't let this stand, he raced for Shikoku InuYōkai territory then, he would get his son back; no matter what the cost was.


Year 1581...

Somewhere over Izumo Province, Japan...

Miroku was not surprised that Sesshōmaru was silent, but he was surprised to learn Sesshōmaru was royal on both sides his lineage, and that in turn also made InuYasha royal.

"So you're what? A prince or something?" Miroku asked as they flew on A-Un and Kirara. Miroku was also surprised that Sesshōmaru had relinquished his steed, but more surprised that InuYasha's brother could and would fly great distances and A-Un was mostly brought as company. He hadn't expected to hear that from the maids when he had been informed of the journey. Apparently A-Un was Rin's, and from the Western lands, A-Un had been Sesshōmaru's loyal companion for centuries too, which was something he found shocking.

"No idea," InuYasha admitted.

"You can always ask Sesshōmaru," Miroku pointed out. Miroku would never attempted to make a claim at understanding Sesshōmaru, or what Sesshōmaru's motives. The inu daiyōkai never revealed a thought or intention until it was a true surprise which no one could defend against or recover from. Miroku had never actually thought about Sesshōmaru as an actual ruler or warrior, the daiyōkai had; originally, seemed like a perpetual teenager throwing a hissy fit about being bypassed for the second son, which was why Miroku hadn't held Sesshōmaru in high esteem. At least until later, Sesshōmaru had this unusual presence in their battling of Naraku after he had obtained Rin at his side. The transformation in attitude was almost instantaneous, which was startling to Miroku.

Sesshōmaru had gone from furious, entitled teenager to a leader and man; a person people wanted to follow. Miroku remembered that, he remembered the switch of character like it was a flipping a coin. Though Sesshōmaru still revealed nothing of what he intended or thought, or what he was going to do.

Rin had been tied to that change, Miroku remembered that about the young girl, she had been the reason for Sesshōmaru change of behavior; to go from actively attempting to kill them to actually working with them at times.

"No," InuYasha vehemently spat out. Suddenly A-Un and Kirara jolted as they scrambled back to come face to face with a floating Sesshōmaru. Miroku was trying to keep hold of the dragon's reigns.

"Our father was Lord of the West, Inu no Taishō of the Shikoku InuYōkai Clan and alpha male of the pack, here he was no Prince or Emperor, the title of royalty only belonged to my mother, in the West he was the Imperial Prince, yes, InuYasha bastard by birth is technically a prince to the throne because in the West your mother was father's consort. Now be silent or leave!" Sesshōmaru seethed as he flew off.

"He's grumpy," Miroku observed.

"He's got that stupid curse mark, no doubt that hurts a lot," InuYasha admitted.

"Right," Miroku agreed. "I'm not calling you your highness," he teased.

"Nani!?" InuYasha gaped then shuddered in horror at the though which had him laughing. There was a slash of light between them, and he saw an irate Sesshōmaru glaring the warning at both them.


Year 839...

Zhēnzhū Gǎng Palace, Docks, Spirit World, China...

Sesshōmaru let Rin put him down though she had kept her hand holding his, he was surprised at her lack of fear of his claws; everyone else didn't like him because of his venom.

"Rin?" he tugged on her hand as they were nearing the docks and she crouched to his level.

"Hai, Sesshōmaru?" she mused.

"Aren't you scared of me?" he whispered softly. Rin blinked at his question before she smiled.

"Never," she promised happily as she rested her brow on his. "I could never be afraid of you."

"I killed a maid," he murmured.

"With your claws?" she asked because he was gazing at their linked hands, which had him nodding slowly. She tilted his chin up so they were eye to eye again. "Sesshōmaru, it was an accident, forgive yourself. No one has perfect control of many new abilities at once. You're no different, and if you do manage to hurt me with your venom or poison, I'm already an expert at making the cure so I will be fine," she promised.

He nodded then.

"Stay close to me," she whispered as she squeezed his hand. He blinked a few times when she secured the dagger to his obi and she smiled. "Now you're a proper little warrior," she decided and stood.

Sesshōmaru watched as she released his hand, wove her hair into a long braid before she offered him her hand again. He hesitated a minute before he accepted it. Rin smiled at him as she kept him close, this was the first time in his memorable life that someone wanted him close and he wanted to desperately cling to the onna and beg her to never leave him. However she seemed to have this dignity, like his mother's, and it commanded he stand straight and at her side like an equal.

Sesshōmaru liked Rin, he decided, she was his first friend and he never wanted to lose her. He did not want to make her hate him either so he would do everything to make her like him, even standing her tall and brave though he was terrified.

He had missed Rin glaring at the fox and monk, but he kept his eyes on the phoenix who had posed the greatest threat to Rin.

It was a flurry of action before there was suddenly a retainer shouting their arrival and Rin smiled as she clasped his hand tightly and nodded encouragingly as they walked forward. Sesshōmaru blinked when he was faced with a man he had never seen, who looked similar to his own father. The man was tall, his hair was black, his eyes onyx in color too, with two magenta slashes on his cheeks below his eyes, the shape and structure of his face was similar to his father's, which was surprising. The onna beside him had the same shade of silver hair and gentle amber eyes, she was unmarked on her face, with her lips painted red, and her hair decorated in thousands of pearls. He was surprised, they were not what he was expecting.

"You must be Sesshōmaru," the onna spoke as she stepped forward, he tightened his grip on Rin then and resisted the urge to lash out and run off. Rin was assessing who was here carefully, he could see it, and she pulled him behind her a bit as the pair approached.

"He looks like Zhìháo!" the onna whispered delightedly.

"His Imperial Highness," the retainer bellowed.

"Enough! You're scaring the pup!" the onna snapped.

"Chang'e, we mustn't," the male started.

"We are, he's so precious! Hello, I'm your grandmother!" the onna said as she crouched to his level, he growled when she reached for him, and Rin pressed him into her leg as she kept herself between him and the new people. Sesshōmaru's grandmother, his grandfather's mate, his mother's mother had perished in a glorious battle, long before he was born.

"I have no grandmother," he snapped.

"That's not true, it's an Eastern lie!" the male stated. Rin growled like an inuyōkai when the male stepped closer. "Enough of this insult, onna, I would not hurt my grandson!"

"I don't know you, so back up and back off," Rin growled lowly. "Sesshōmaru is under the protection of my lord and I will not permit either of you to harm him, so you will back up and back off or I will remove your heads from your bodies, are we clear!?"

"And who do you think you are, human, to threaten a god!?" the male snapped.

"I'm my lord's Rin, and I will not hesitate to cut down a god who threatens my lord," she stated firmly.

"Tiāngǒu! Manners! I'm certain our guests are tired and in need of refreshing, we will show you to your quarters," the onna decided.