Chapter Fifteen

Siblings Conversation

Inuyasha landed on the ground, running a hand through his hair to brush away the leaves that were tangled in his strands.

The massive gates of the Taisho palace stood a few metres away, always open and with six yōkai guarding them at all hours.

Ever since his fight with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha had feared he would not be allowed through again. But the guards greeted him with a nod, saying nothing to him.

It seemed no yōkai knew he had a human mate. His brother hadn't told that secret to anybody.

And now it was a secret they both shared.

Inuyasha walked through the gates, heading first towards the backyard where the soldiers trained.

Shippo was there, like every day, and his green eyes soon settled on him.

"Inuyasha!"

He couldn't help but smile as he watched the little fox run over to him. Shippo was the first yōkai that was happy to see him and loved spending time with him.

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around him as he leapt at him and Shippo dug his head into his shoulder, clutching his red kimono with both hands.

"You came to see me?"

"Of course, runt. I've also come to speak with my brother," Inuyasha murmured, scanning the palace garden with his gaze.

Shippo raised his head, staring up at him.

"Lord Sesshomaru is inside the palace. I haven't seen him leave today."

Inuyasha arched an eyebrow.

"You already call him by his title?"

"The last time he heard me say his name, he stared down at me from high in the sky and I saw his eyes darken... I don't want him to hurt me," Shippo confessed, shivering in his arms.

"You're safe here. No one will attack you, I promise."

"Not even your brother?"

"Not even him," Inuyasha confirmed with a nod.

He smiled as he saw Shippo relax.

"He scares me," the demon whispered as if it was a great secret.

Inuyasha held back a laugh, looking around.

"I know, brat. I'm going to go talk to him, I'll see you later."

He ruffled Shippo's reddish hair with one hand, giving him a smirk. The fox hopped back to the ground.

"Shall we eat together before you leave?"

Inuyasha nodded, his gaze fixed on the white palace. He retraced his steps and slowly ascended the giant staircase, sniffing until he detected where his idiot half-brother was.

They had fought many times over the years that Inuyasha had lived in the Taisho palace, but they had never ended badly wounded. The day Kagome entered the forest was the first time Sesshomaru had used his powerful poison against him.

Inuyasha walked through the oak doors and down the hallway filled with drawings of the Taisho clan, adorned with a long scarlet carpet.

As he passed the main room, the doors were open. Inuyasha knew who would be there but he couldn't help but look.

Inukimi was sitting on one of the thrones, her long hair tied back as always on either side of her head and her purple kimono surrounded by the furry stole she wore over her shoulders and was part of her body.

Her golden eyes narrowed at the sight of him and her red lips curved downward into a sneer.

She waved a hand and the doors slammed shut.

Inuyasha snorted.

"As charming as ever," he snarled under his breath, continuing on his way to his brother's study.

The smell of yōkai increased with each step. Inuyasha stopped at the dark door, absolutely certain that Sesshomaru was inside.

"What are you waiting for?"

And his brother had sensed his presence as well. Inuyasha clicked his tongue, crossing the doorway and closing it once he was inside.

Sesshomaru was standing by one of the windows, looking out over the palace gardens. He didn't even turn to look at him.

"What do you want, Inuyasha?"

He clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger. Inuyasha could still remember the horrible pain he had felt for more than a day because of him.

"We need to talk."

"No."

A growl sounded deep in his throat at his brother's refusal.

"Sesshomaru..." Inuyasha snarled, gritting his teeth.

Finally, the yōkai turned his body and looked him in the eye. Sesshomaru pursed his lips and pointed to his desk with a hand.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, but complied and sat down in a chair. He remained silent as his brother rounded the table and sat across from him.

Sesshomaru lifted his eyebrows.

"Speak."

'You nearly finished me off, you bastard.'

'Our mates are human, no matter how much you want to deny it.'

'Why didn't you kill her?'

'What are we going to do?'

'I'm feeling things I've never felt before, and that scares me.'

'I've been going to Kagome's house every night, and my presence keeps her from having nightmares.'

'She has priestess powers and, if she learns to use them, she could kill me.'

'The two humans know too much. Well, actually there are now three of them who know the secret of our forest.'

Inuyasha shook his head, trying to organise his thoughts. First things first.

"You could have killed me!"

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed.

"If I had wanted to kill you, you would be dead."

That was true. Had that been his intention, Inuyasha would not have made it out of there alive.

But that didn't mean he could forget what his brother had done to him.

Inuyasha pointed at him with one of his long fingernails, showing his fangs.

"You poisoned me! I nearly lost my sight, and any yōkai could have taken that opportunity to destroy me."

Sesshomaru scowled at him.

"Don't defy me and it won't happen again."

"Defy you?" Inuyasha repeated, snorting in contempt. "I couldn't let her die, and I know you understand that now. You protected that human, too."

The demon narrowed his eyes.

"Careful, brother. I would choose my words wisely if I were you," he hissed harshly.

Inuyasha ignored his threat.

"Keh, you can't scare me. Tell me the truth, Sesshomaru. Did you defend the human when you saw her in danger?"

The powerful Lord of the West gave him a cold stare and said nothing, which was answer enough for Inuyasha.

"The same thing happened to me with Kagome. I intended to kill her, but... I couldn't do it. I didn't want to see her die."

Sesshomaru pondered his words silently, not looking away.

Inuyasha sighed, shaking his head. He was about to stand up when his brother's voice stopped him.

"What are you going to do now?"

"What about you?" Inuyasha asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

He was sure his brother didn't want to hear another word about his human mate.

"We're both going to forget what happened yesterday, and we're not going to talk about it again."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Just as he'd imagined.

"I can't forget Kagome," he admitted in a whisper, crossing his arms.

Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair, watching him with mocking eyes.

"I remember you said her name yesterday as well. Are you growing fond of her, Inuyasha?"

"She is nice and kind, Sesshomaru. I read our father's book and I think... I think... I have feelings for Kagome."

It was the first time he had ever admitted it out loud. Inuyasha averted his gaze, waiting for his brother's taunts.

"Explain yourself."

He looked back at him, his eyes widening in surprise. Sesshomaru had rested both hands on his desk and was watching him with a serious look on his face.

Inuyasha swallowed, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. He had never talked about his feelings with anyone before.

"I was in denial at first, but I liked spending time with her. Kagome makes me feel good, I feel accepted by her. She's sweet and trusts me. When she kissed me, I..." He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he clenched his fists. "The truth is, I want her to do it again. I want to be able to be close to her without having to hide. I want to tell her the truth."

Sesshomaru chuckled.

"You want to be honest with the human? And what do you think she will do when she finds out that you are the monster that attacked her that day? Do you think she will forgive you?"

Inuyasha nodded, unconvinced.

"Kagome is understanding. I think she will see it my way and she will forgive me."

"You are deluded, brother. That human will hate you and tell our secret to the world, putting our existence in jeopardy."

"She cannot. Her leaders condemn entering the forest and neither she nor her friend can admit to seeing us or they risk imprisonment," Inuyasha replied, lifting his chin.

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow, showing his surprise.

"Besides, no one would believe them. Humans think we don't exist, that everything they tell about us is just legends," Inuyasha added, shaking a leg nervously.

"Did you discover that during your visits to the human city on the dark nights?"

Inuyasha nodded, drumming his fingers on one knee impatiently. His brother ran a hand down his white stole, which curled tighter around his body.

"I don't understand your fascination with humans."

"They don't fascinate me," Inuyasha protested, snorting softly. "But they're not all as repulsive as I thought, and Kagome... She's special."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"You're making the same mistakes our father did. He too became obsessed with a human, and you know the end of that story."

Sesshomaru's attitude was making him more and more furious.

"It wasn't an obsession, brother. He simply found his mate, just like what happened to the two of us."

The yōkai's eyes narrowed.

"I told you I don't want to talk about that again."

Inuyasha pounded his fist on the table.

"But the same thing happened to both of us, Sesshomaru! That has to mean something!"

"It means we are cursed, just like our father," Sesshomaru murmured under his breath.

His eyes were darkening, so Inuyasha sighed and decided it was best not to insist.

"What do you think I should do?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. When he opened them again they were as golden as ever.

"Do you want to be with that human?"

"I don't want to be away from her," Inuyasha replied, resting both elbows on his knees.

"You can't bring her here, you'd both be dead within days. And living in her world is not an option because you can only visit for one night. I don't see any solution, Inuyasha," the yōkai shrugged.

A large smirk curved Inuyasha's lips.

"I can leave the forest any day, brother. In fact, I've been visiting Kagome's house every night and going into her room. She is always asleep when I arrive and I leave before she wakes up."

Sesshomaru's brow furrowed. He had surprised him again.

"Can you get through the magical barrier?"

"It's painful, but I can do it," Inuyasha admitted with a nod.

And it was getting more painful, though his brother didn't need to know that.

Sesshomaru pondered all this new information for a few minutes. Inuyasha waited in silence, still impatient.

"You shouldn't tell the human the truth until more time has passed since the attack. Wait a couple of months, and in the meantime try to spend as much time with her as you can so that the bond will strengthen and the human will feel closer to you. When the time is right, you can tell her the truth. Then we will find out if Kagome is as understanding as you say," Sesshomaru mumbled, giving him a small smirk after his last words.

Inuyasha ran his tongue over his teeth in thought. That seemed like a good idea.

"Alright, that's what I'll do," he said, standing up.

Sesshomaru nodded, doing the same and returning to stand in front of the window.

Before leaving the study Inuyasha turned to look at him one last time.

"If you care about my opinion, I think you should reconsider Sara."

"Who is Sara?" Sesshomaru asked, his eyes fixed on the demons training in the backyard.

"Your mate."

The yōkai gave him such a look of hatred that Inuyasha took a step back without realising it.

"Just a thought," he added quietly, leaving at a brisk pace.

He walked back down the central hallway of the palace absentmindedly, thinking about where he could go to find some food to share with Shippo.

Inuyasha looked up as he descended the stairs and watched the sunset over the mountains. Every evening the demon forest was tinged with reddish hues and the warm light illuminated the treetops, making everything seem much less sinister.

It was Inuyasha's favourite time of day.

Stepping back onto the ground, he sighed and walked to where he knew Shippo would be.

It was only two days until the dark night. Two more days and he could see Kagome again.

Kagome let out a sigh, shaking her head in frustration.

She felt like she was thirteen again and she hated it.

During the day or when her family was home, she hardly thought about it. But if she was left alone and it started to get dark, all the memories of the Forbidden Forest would come back to haunt her.

Her family had gone to the south of Tokyo. They would be spending the weekend at one of her aunts' houses, and Kagome stayed behind because she had to prepare her graduation speech.

She had been one of the three chosen to represent her class, and she had to live up to it.

She wrinkled her nose, crossing out the last paragraph she had written.

At this rate, she was never going to finish. The damn speech was giving her a headache.

Kagome heard the crack of a branch in the distance and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Every muscle in her back contracted and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

She looked out the window, feeling her heartbeat quicken.

Ever since the incident, as Sara and Sango had decided to call her encounter with the two yōkai, any noise made her very nervous.

Kagome stood up and walked to the window of her room, opening it all the way so she could peek out.

The temple courtyard was as quiet as ever. To the right was the sacred tree, her favourite, and the wind swayed its branches, rustling its leaves.

The sound of the breeze whipping through the branches came from every corner of the shrine, which was surrounded by trees.

Kagome sighed, resting both arms on the windowsill. Any of the branches had rustled from the wind and that foolishness had frightened her.

She felt completely helpless and it was becoming increasingly unbearable. She hated being so afraid.

Every time she felt anxious, Kagome reminded herself that the demons could not get out of the forest. There was something containing them in there, and they had no way of getting to her.

She was safe. No one would attack her again if she stayed away from that place.

Kagome watched the sunset until the sun hid behind the mountains. The clouds were tinged red and she sighed again, closing the window and leaving the room for a hot bath to help her relax.

Red, like those eyes that watched her from the darkness.

Red, like the eyes of the monster that lunged at her and dug its fangs into her skin.

Kagome clenched her jaw, making fists under the water.

She couldn't let the darkness scare her. She was home and safe.

It had only been a few hours since she had spoken to Inuyasha and he had promised that they would see each other that night, but she still hadn't heard from him.

She left her clothes in the sink and sat in the square tub, resting her head on the rim as the warm water surrounded her.

Those red eyes with blue irises came back to her mind but Kagome forced herself to stop thinking about it.

She was safe. They couldn't catch her, everything was fine.

She repeated her mantra until she felt her body relax.

She was about to fall asleep when the sound of her phone startled her. Kagome came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and went back to her room, unlocking the screen to see who had texted her.

Are you home?

It was Inuyasha. Kagome gasped, running to her wardrobe to get dressed.

Yes. Where are you?

She fastened the buttons of her blouse, running her comb through her long hair as she waited for his reply.

She heard the front doorbell and frowned.

Could it be him?

Kagome sprinted down the stairs, rushing to the door. As she opened it, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Inuyasha," she murmured, bringing a trembling hand to her lips.

There he stood, as imposing as ever. The wind brought his manly scent to her, and it wasn't until that moment that she realised how much she had missed him.

A whole month without seeing him, without being able to talk to him face to face about what had happened. They had talked almost daily on the phone but it just wasn't the same.

Kagome needed to see him in person, to tell him in detail what had happened inside the forest and see his reaction. Besides, she still wasn't sure if she had forgiven him for not waiting for her to go in there.

As soon as she looked up into his eyes, she knew she no longer held a grudge.

He was finally there, just as he had promised. Inuyasha was wearing a blue shirt, like the day they had met, and a black jacket to match his ripped trousers.

His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his dark eyes were fixed on hers.

Kagome blinked several times, trying not to cry. She was feeling too many emotions at once.

Inuyasha smiled and she felt a tear fall down her cheek.

"Hello, Kagome."

His deep voice calling her name was the most comforting thing she had heard in weeks. Unable to hold back any longer Kagome threw herself on him, burying her head in his chest as more tears escaped her eyes.

"I'm afraid, Inuyasha. I'm so scared every day."

His arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in his warmth.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Kagome."

She clutched his jacket tightly, sobbing harder. Inuyasha sighed, resting his chin on her head and pulling her tighter into his arms.

"It's okay. I'm here now."