Chapter 13

Author's note: Sorry it took so long.

"Are they sleeping?" Sesshomaru let his fingers fall from Inuyasha's hair as he got up to inspect their pups, all three deeply asleep on their small beds. Sesshomaru nodded, running his fingers through the black hair of his daughter.

"Hanako," Sesshomaru whispered, the name chosen by him with Inuyasha's permission. It's meaning meant flower child, but even so it suited his beautiful daughter. She was so delicate yet already proved to be so strong with the demon blood in her veins. Even though her hair was as black as night, Sesshomaru did not care much for it. The single streak of white proved her blood enough. Even so, the black suited her well.

His two sons were almost splitting images of him, while his daughter appeared to look more like Inuyasha, though her features were less harsh.

His first was named Mamoru, which meant protector. His second son was named Satoshi which meant wise. Sesshomaru picked these names based off how he perceived them to be as they grew older, while for his darling daughter, he knew she would be all those things. When it came time for him to give his land to his heirs, he planned to split it into three parts, allowing his daughter to rule.

She had yet to prove herself, yet Sesshomaru had faith.

"Is Hitomi gone?" Sesshomaru frowned, turning to face Inuyasha. The hanyou had his eyes averted, his exhausted mind and body still able to show signs of his distress. Sesshomaru went to move towards him, Inuyasha shaking his head. Even though Sesshomaru was just by his side, Inuyasha was no longer numbed mentally by the lingering pain and exhaustion.

All he could think about was that woman and how she had spread the smell of her heat all over his mate. He hated the idea that Sesshomaru just let it happen.

He hated the feeling of being replaceable.

"She's gone."

Inuyasha grit his teeth, shaking his head as he held back tears.

"Please leave."

Sesshomaru moved towards Inuyasha, the hanyou snapping his head to glare at him with rage. Sesshomaru felt a part of him break from the fact that he put that rage there. The idea that he had hurt Inuyasha so badly made him feel like an animal that needed to be put out, rather than Inuyasha's mate and lover.

"Leave."

Inuyasha looked away from Sesshomaru, taking in a shaky breath. Hormones still rampaged his body, his ability to hide his emotions still not so great. He wiped away a stray tear, not wanting Sesshomaru to see him so weak and vulnerable to such an inconvenience.

"Go replace me with that bitch," Inuyasha growled, Sesshomaru parting his lips to speak.

"Shut up. And leave." Sesshomaru looked to his children, Satoshi stirring in his sleep. They would wake if he didn't calm Inuyasha's distress, and he was unsure of how to do so.

"Inuyasha, you are not replaceable." Inuyasha pulled the blankets up higher over his body, in too much pain to turn over and face away from Sesshomaru.

"You would have mated her if I did not go into labor when I did." Inuyasha said this as a fact, and Sesshomaru couldn't say he was wrong. He did not want Hitomi, but the want for more pups quickly was hard for him to quiet in his body. If he could he would have impregnated Inuyasha now, but his mother told him Inuyasha needed to heal. It would take him three weeks to heal fully and for his body to clear itself out.

Sesshomaru held himself at bay so he wouldn't hurt his mate, but he was unsure if Inuyasha would ever let him touch him again.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru sighed softly, walking over to the bed slowly as to not anger him further. Inuyasha ignored his mate as Sesshomaru sat down next to him, his long fingers once again coursing through Inuyasha's hair.

"You are my only mate Inuyasha." Inuyasha slapped his hand away, Sesshomaru wanting to hold him down and demand he stop acting so childish. He controlled his animalistic urges though, touching a hand to Inuyasha's cheek. He caught the hand that tried to slap his away, linking their fingers. Inuyasha looked to him, his eyes brightened with anger and sadness.

"You are mine Inuyasha, and I am yours." Inuyasha scoffed, Sesshomaru leaning in and kissing him. Inuyasha gasped, his want to fight slowly dwindling away as passion burned hot in his cheeks. Sesshomaru swiped his tongue before pulling away, Inuyasha looking away from him. Sesshomaru could feel he had calmed down though, forcing Inuyasha to look at him.

"I am yours Inuyasha. I am your mate, your lover, the father of our pups, and the one who will stay by your side."

The amount of emotion Sesshomaru was expressing was more than he had intended to show, but after seeing the pups Inuyasha had brought into their lives, Sesshomaru felt he lacked control. Inuyasha had accepted him as his mate, even though how it came to be was rather brutal and violent.

Despite all of that, Inuyasha was his.

"And when you get a second mate?" Inuyasha whispered, Sesshomaru wanting to smile at Inuyasha's desperate attempt to start back up the argument.

"There will not be one, unless you agree to it," Sesshomaru replied, Inuyasha frowning in disdain.

"There will not be another one." Sesshomaru nodded, kissing Inuyasha once again less forcefully.

"Only you," Sesshomaru whispered, Inuyasha nodding as he pulled his jaw from Sesshomaru's grasp and yawned. He laid down, shooing Sesshomaru away.

"Let me sleep," Inuyasha yawned, Sesshomaru nodding as he got up and walked to the shoji, looking back to Inuyasha and his pups. He ordered two maids to watch over them, having soldiers stand outside the door to make sure they stay safe.

Sesshomaru went to a separate room where his mother resided. She sat silently next to a window, the wind blowing through her hair. She almost looked angelic, but Sesshomaru knew of the darkness that lurked in her soul.

"Have you chosen their names?" His mother asked, Sesshomaru nodding. Her nose wrinkled when he told her their names, a long sigh leaving her lips.

"Your father was a better name giver. Sit, I wish to speak with you before I leave." Sesshomaru did as he was told, his mother looking to him with calm eyes. They were calculating though, thinking over words carefully.

"You will have to get a second mate Sesshomaru."

"Forgive me mother, but I shall not." Lady Kim smiled softly, her eyes showing a form of weakness he had never seen in her eyes before.

"When your father took a second mate, I was devastated. I felt replaced, and he did not deny it. His love for me was timed." Sesshomaru wasn't sure what she was trying to say, his mother's eyes darkening somewhat.

"Get a second mate now, while the idea is fresh. It will hurt Inuyasha less when you decide on it when your children are grown." Sesshomaru merely tossed her words away, the same words he knew one day might come true.

Right now though, he wanted Inuyasha. His mate.

"Mother, there may be a day where my sight wanders. But I will not abandon my mate now. I will not break him."

"So you will break him later?"
His mother's words carried meaning, and even though Sesshomaru wanted to discard them he knew they were right.

"I am not my father, mother. I will not bow to his footsteps." His mother scoffed, her eyes turning back to the window.

"Because the mutt was angry? You would throw away the possibility of further alliances for his heart?"

Sesshomaru had never thought of it that way. He wasn't aware of how much Inuyasha had influenced his actions, but as he thought further into his own mind, the more he saw. Sesshomaru thought back to his pups, to how Inuyasha's scream made a part of him want to do anything to stop it. He thought of how Inuyasha brought something new into his life, a burning desire he had never once experienced. But also, a happiness he never thought existed.

In the time they had spent together, thought not long, Sesshomaru had started to watch Inuyasha. He watched him as he slept, watched him as he meddled with his duties, watched him as he comforted Sesshomaru through times of hardship.

Inuyasha had become this force in his life that drove Sesshomaru mad, but with something that rivaled insanity. It was so powerful at times, Sesshomaru felt taken aback. Time after time he tried to squash it, but when he ran his fingers through Inuyasha's hair, when he smelled the sweet scent of his skin…

Sesshomaru never wanted to lose that.

He wanted it forever.

"That look…"

Sesshomaru looked to his mother, his eyes glancing at him before returning to the window. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She released it with a pained sigh, looking back to Sesshomaru.

"Was the look he gave her." Sesshomaru was confused, his mother standing and walking over to the window.

"It was the look of loyalty. The look of desire and trust. The look of a man who would give up his duties for the nonsense notion of love." Sesshomaru looked down to his hands, balling them into fists.

"How I envied her," Lady Kim whispered, letting the cold air hit her face.

"How I wished he would look at me the same way." Sesshomaru didn't want to hear anymore, his mother looking to him.

"Would you give up everything, just to make sure he was safe Sesshomaru? Even if it meant killing me?" Sesshomaru pressed his lips together, holding back any response. His mother saw it in his eyes though, a small smile gracing her lips for only a second.

"I thought so."

And like that, she was gone.

Sesshomaru didn't move from his spot though, frozen to it as he mulled over her words. Telling Inuyasha he loved him…

What would that mean at this point?

Would Inuyasha just think he was saying it so he would stop being mad at him?

Would Inuyasha think it was a lie?

Would Inuyasha love him back?

Sesshomaru went to the hotsprings to clean his body, getting Hitomi's scent off of his skin. He bathed with some oils he knew Inuyasha liked, sweetening his scent. He closed his eyes as he bathed, trying to think of what to do in such a situation. He opened his eyes when a maid walked in, kneeling before him before speaking.

"Council Member Hiro would like to speak with you, Lord Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru nodded, the maid allowing the council member to enter before making her absence. The Council Member waited no time to state the reason for his visit.

"We will find you a better suited second mate, My Lord." Sesshomaru kept his eyes averted, thinking back to Inuyasha. He closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"No, I will not." The council member was taken aback, Sesshomaru turning to face him. The man looked down at the ground, Sesshomaru's body too grand for his eyes.

"My Lord, your current mate is merely a mutt. There is no proof that he will go on to birth another litter of successful full blooded pups. And of the disgraceful gir-"

The council member found himself against the wall, the breath drained from his lungs. Sesshomaru was almost steaming, his eyes full of malice and anger.

"Speak ill of my daughter, and your life will be cut short." The council member gasped for breath when he was released, Sesshomaru looking down to him with disgust and rage.

"My daughter may look as a half blood, but when she becomes of age her power will rival my own. Do you wish for such wrath to end your life, Hiro?"

The council member kept his gaze on the ground, realising his mistake. Sesshomaru had already imprinted on his young, and no amount of persuasion could convince him of disowning the girl.

"Forgive me my lord, I spoke disgracefully," Hiro replied, quickly getting up and leaving. Sesshomaru watched him go, looking down to the ground as he realised what he had just done. Never once had he persuaded a council member to succumb so easily to his demands, smiling softly as he dried himself.

For Inuyasha and his pups, he would do whatever was needed to keep them safe.