Chapter Seven

Promises

Sesshomaru's eyes darkened to red and his irises changed colour, turning blue. The magenta stripes on his cheeks widened, his face began to lengthen and he flashed them a smile full of sharp teeth.

Shippo started to shiver violently.

"When our father transformed, he was as big as a mountain... but I am the size of this palace. Do you want to check?" Sesshomaru asked with a threatening tone in his throaty voice.

Shippo shook his head and looked down, terrified.

"Don't intimidate him. He's just a cub," Inuyasha muttered, crossing his arms.

Sesshomaru's face returned to normal and he stared at his brother, narrowing his golden eyes. He held out a hand, pointing to the chair in front of him. Inuyasha sat in it with Shippo clinging to his neck and still trembling.

"Explain to me why you have a fox yōkai with you," the demon demanded, leaning against the back of his chair.

"He found me a couple of weeks ago. Some yōkai from the storm clan killed his parents and he's been left alone."

Sesshomaru rested both arms on the table and swept his gaze between the two of them.

"So you are his father now?" he asked mockingly.

A growl escaped Inuyasha's throat and he bared his fangs.

"Keh! Shut up, you took care of me when I was just a newborn too," he reminded him, clenching his fists.

"And it wasn't pretty. But at least I got you to learn to fight and fend for yourself in only fifty years."

Inuyasha nodded, unwilling to argue further. Sesshomaru had saved his life and he would always be grateful for that.

"You went off to live on your own at fifty years old?" Shippo asked, very surprised.

"I like being independent. I was a little younger than you, but I could see I was capable of fending for myself and making my own way," Inuyasha replied with a shrug.

Shippo was silent for a moment, deep in thought.

"You must think I'm a coward," he muttered, sighing through his nose.

That made Inuyasha smile and he gave him a small pat on one of his shoulders.

"I was much stronger than you, remember that the blood of one of the most powerful yōkai that ever lived runs through my veins. You can't compare to me."

"I suppose not," Shippo agreed with a nod.

Sesshomaru listened to the conversation in silence, deep in his thoughts.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like what you want to ask of me," he said suddenly, clasping his hands together on the table.

The sleeves of his white kimono were rolled up slightly, revealing the other two magenta stripes around his wrists. Shippo shifted his gaze to those markings and blinked a few times, nervously clutching Inuyasha's kimono again.

"I need you to let him stay here until he is old enough to leave and live on his own," Inuyasha replied, looking Sesshomaru in the eye.

Shippo held his breath and looked at him as if I had gone mad.

"You're going to leave me here? They'll kill me!" he shouted, frightened.

Inuyasha ignored him, waiting for his brother's answer.

"And why would I give shelter to a fox cub? Let him continue to live with you," Sesshomaru said, furrowing his brow.

"I must go to places where he cannot accompany me and you know it," Inuyasha growled, raising his eyebrows and glaring at him.

Sesshomaru nodded, realising he was talking about the dark nights.

"Besides, there are more cubs his age in this palace. If Shippo lives here he will learn faster and become stronger. He already knows how to hunt his food and he won't be a bother," Inuyasha added, picking Shippo up and setting him on his lap.

"All right. He can stay in your old room and his training starts tomorrow," his brother agreed with a bored look on his face.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," he replied, bowing his head slightly.

The yōkai responded by doing the same and pierced Shippo with his cold gaze.

"You better don't tell the other yōkai that you and Inuyasha know each other. Few accept hybrids like him," Sesshomaru warned him quietly.

Shippo nodded, his hands still trembling. Sesshomaru stood up and moved towards the oak doors, opening one of them.

Inuyasha stepped through and looked over his shoulder, watching his brother walk away down another hallway.

"I'll see you in the forest," he muttered in his direction.

Sesshomaru turned for a moment to look at him and, after nodding, continued on his way, up some stairs and out of sight.

Inuyasha walked towards the room he had lived in for forty-nine years, Shippo following him.

Nostalgia washed over him as he entered. Everything was still the same as he had left it. His history books lined the shelves and the two swords he had trained with hung on the wall, just above the cotton mattress where he had slept for so many years.

Inuyasha pursed his lips, thinking about how uncomfortable it was to sleep leaning against the wall of a cave or on a tree branch and, without a second thought, plopped down on his old bed.

He sighed and stretched out his arms, closing his eyes and enjoying the softness of the sheets. Shippo jumped up and sat down next to him, taking in everything around him.

"This was your room, Inuyasha?"

"Yes, and I expect you to take care of it," he replied, opening his eyes and staring at the small yōkai.

"Don't look at me like that. Your eyes look just like his and it scares me," Shippo complained, starting to shiver again.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sat up, ruffling the fox's red hair with one hand.

"You'll be safe here and I promise to visit you from time to time. You can't come where I'm going, it's dangerous."

"And where are you going? I want to go with you."

He folded his arms and glared down at Shippo. The fox let out a yelp and covered his head with his hands, expecting to receive one of his blows. His reaction amused him and Inuyasha snorted.

"All right, I'll tell you. On new moon nights, I leave the forest and go to the human city on the other side of the fence."

"What? That's impossible. No yōkai can leave the forest," Shippo said, stepping closer to him with his green eyes glinting.

"You know I'm not a full demon," Inuyasha added, wiggling his eyebrows several times.

Shippo smiled.

"Have you really been to the human world? What's it like?"

"I'll tell you next time I come to see you."

"And what are you going out for?"

"Don't think I'm going to tell you all my secrets, brat. You know enough for now," Inuyasha warned him with a frown.

Shippo sighed, lying down on his back on the bed.

"All right... I'll stay here and learn to be strong and fight to make you proud of me."

"That's the way I like it. You have to be brave, life in this forest is hard and only the best survive," Inuyasha said, standing up.

"I hope someday I'll be as brave as you," Shippo whispered, sighing again.

"You're wrong. Sometimes I'm afraid too," Inuyasha admitted, thinking of all the dark nights he'd had to hide from the other demons.

"Really? Why?"

Inuyasha turned, glancing at the little fox yōkai and twisting his lips. He snorted and made a face.

"You're not going to tell me your secrets, alright," Shippo added with a grunt.

The half-demon gave him a crooked smile and opened the door to his room.

"Be a good boy and learn to be a great yōkai. I'll come to see how you're doing in a week."

Just as he was about to leave, he felt Shippo jump up and grab his collar again.

"Don't forget about me, Inuyasha," he asked in a trembling voice, hugging him.

Inuyasha sighed and wrapped one of his arms around his body, patting his back.

"I won't. You can wander the forest with me in search of adventure when you're older and know how to fight if that's what you want."

Shippo pulled away a little and nodded, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

He hopped back to the floor and, after smiling at him one last time, Inuyasha stepped out of his old room and left the Taisho palace.

He was sure that, when Shippo grew up and understood how their world worked, he too would reject him for being a hybrid and never want to hear from him again. But, in the meantime, Inuyasha would enjoy having the closest thing to a friend he had ever had in his more than two centuries of life.

As soon as Inuyasha crossed the palace wall, he climbed the first tree he could find and took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the forest. Its wild smell reminded him of freedom.

He had to be always alert, true, but he couldn't feel freer. Inuyasha went wherever he wanted, traversed the vast forest from end to end without anyone stopping him... and, as far as he knew, he was the only hybrid left and therefore no one else had ever gone out of the forest or visited the city.

Before the blood pact, the yōkai were spread out across the island, fighting each other and the humans for territory. But since the pact was signed all the demons had come to live in the forest and no one had managed to leave.

Some had tried, tempted by the smell of human flesh, and had been destroyed by the invisible barrier separating the two worlds.

Luckily, dog yōkai did not feed on humans. Inuyasha felt a sense of disgust every time he came across the half-eaten corpse of one that had dared to venture into the forest.

The moment a human set foot in their territory, any yōkai had the right to end their life and do with their bodies as they pleased. The snake yōkai were the worst, gobbling them up without even chewing them and not even their bones were left after that.

Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru had killed quite a few humans, though he never ate them. He simply tore them apart with his light whip until there was no trace of them left. Sesshomaru was so powerful that he hardly ever had to use his sword, which was also magical and inherited from their father. His poisonous claws were enough to destroy any yōkai who dared to challenge him.

Inuyasha opened one of the folds of his kimono and pulled out a small black pouch with his remaining gold. That would be more than enough for the dinner he had promised Kagome and, after he was done with her, he could go back to enjoying his forays into the human city without having to worry about anything.

He made sure his sword and phone were securely fastened to his belt and hurried back to his cave. After four days without sleep, Inuyasha deserved a rest.

"You? A date with a man? Really?"

Kagome looked up at her two best friends from school.

They had come to visit her at the shrine and the three of them were lying under the shade of the largest tree of all. It was over five centuries old, according to her family's writings. It was getting warm and it was nice to hide from the sun's rays under its leaves.

She took another sip of the lemonade she had prepared, nodding.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I'm having dinner with him next week and I'm a little nervous. It's the first time I've ever fancied a guy this much."

Sango rolled her eyes and Sara giggled. They were a couple of years older than Kagome and had a lot more experience with the opposite sex.

"It's about time. It's crazy that at twenty-two you still haven't dated anyone," Sango protested, letting out a snort.

"Let her be. I'm sure there's a good reason why no one's caught her eye so far," Sara defended her, elbowing Sango.

Kagome smiled and dropped her head into Sara's lap, who dug her fingers into her hair and began to stroke it. She loved having her hair touched and it always made her a little sleepy, so Kagome closed her eyes and just enjoyed being surrounded by her childhood friends.

"What did you say his name was?" Sara asked suddenly.

"Inuyasha," Kagome replied, opening her eyes and meeting her gaze.

Sango watched her with her brown eyes narrowed.

"That's a weirdo name. Who knows where he comes from."

"I guess your dear Miroku has a very normal name," Kagome muttered, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, he does," Sango snarled, crossing her arms and provoking their laughter.

She soon smiled as they did and laid down on the grass, sighing.

"I have to go soon. I'm meeting him across the street," she added, setting her empty glass on the ground.

"I'm going to be so lonely if you also get a boyfriend," Sara complained, tugging Kagome's hair a little.

"Never. Family comes before guys," Kagome assured her, lifting one of her hands.

They did the same and grabbed hers, squeezing her fingers until she groaned and the three of them laughed again.

"How are you doing with your last few weeks of school? I miss university," Sara mumbled, resting both hands on the floor and dropping her head back.

"I'm sick of studying, but I've already been accepted for a speciality at Kyorin University Hospital so I'm very happy," Kagome commented with a smile.

"You're going to be the best oncologist in town," Sara said.

"I doubt it, but I'll try my best."

Sango sat up and gathered her things before standing.

"As soon as you have some free time, give us a call and we'll go out for the night," Sango added, kicking her friend's foot gently.

Kagome turned her face to look at her and stuck her tongue out. Her head was still resting on Sara's lap.

"See you, girls," Sango said, waving as she walked away towards the shrine steps.

As soon as her silhouette disappeared down the stairs, Kagome's phone started to vibrate and she pulled it out of the pocket of her trousers.

"Hojo?" Sara asked with an arched eyebrow.

Kagome shook her head and held the phone up to her friend so she could read the message.

She blinked a few times and gave her a smirk.

"Wow... Looks like Inuyasha's looking forward to seeing you, huh?"

Though she didn't want to, Kagome blushed and looked back at the screen.

I'll be in Tokyo Friday night.
I can come to pick you up at your shrine if you want.

She set the mobile phone down on her belly and sighed.

"Since he called me he's been checking up on me more. He texts me almost every day, and yesterday he called me again," she admitted, dragging her lip into her mouth nervously.

"You seem pretty taken with him for how little you know each other."

"I know, I don't understand what's happening to me... I think it's a crush. I can't wait to see him again."

Sara stroked her hair again, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Be careful, Kagome. You're too innocent and I don't want you to get hurt."

Kagome rose to sit beside her and watched her. The two looked very much alike physically and Kagome had always thought of her as her older sister.

"There's something I haven't told anyone... but I need to tell you," she whispered, glancing around to confirm that her family wasn't in the courtyard.

"You know you can trust me," Sara said, looking at her curiously.

The wind ruffled their dark hair as Kagome decided whether or not it was a good idea.

"You see... Inuyasha says he's been inside the Yōkai Forest and he's offered me to go with him."

Sara's eyes widened as never before and she covered her mouth with a hand. She also had been drawn to the mystery of the forest since she was very little, but it scared her much more than it did Kagome.

"Are you going? For Gods' sake, Kagome... I'll die if anything happens to you. There's an evil aura in that forest that I don't like at all."

"I know, but he's been there many times and he says it's not dangerous... and you know I'm dying to know if the legends are true. I've been thinking about those trees and all their secrets for years."

"I understand why you haven't told a soul. Everyone else would think that you're out of your mind," Sara snorted.

"But I'm not... Am I?" Kagome asked, twisting a lock of her hair between her fingers.

Sara grinned.

"No. I want to know too, that forest is like a magnet... if you go, you'll have to tell me all the details."

Kagome sighed, leaning against her shoulder.

"I'll call you as soon as I'm back, I promise," she said softly.

Sara nodded and Kagome looked at the time on her wristwatch. Her Sunday afternoon break was over.

"I have to go back inside and continue studying for a while. I love you, Sara. You can stay here as long as you want," Kagome said, hugging her friend before getting up.

"You know I love this tree. I'll stay and watch the sunset," she replied with a smile.

Kagome nodded and waved goodbye, walking into the house and up to her room.

In five days she would be having dinner with Inuyasha. Her heart pounded with excitement.