Chapter 6

First Day of the Festival: Kamiko Arrives

The first day of the festival started with a flurry of activity. Rin and Shippo, being the energetic, lively children that they are, woke up at the crack of dawn. They then proceeded to wake up all the ningen adults, since all those of youkai blood were already awake for the day, by slamming open doors and yelling excitedly that the festival was starting and they had to get up. Though the awakening was sudden and rather rude, the members of Inuyasha's pack were more amused than irritated at the children's antics. Kagome sent the children to gather their clothes for the day and told them to meet her at the hot spring and they could bathe together. A few minutes later Sango and Kagome joined Rin and Shippo and after lighting the privacy lantern the four bathed, which took longer than normal since the children started a water fight. Their laughter was heard by all the others in the wing and everyone had amused smiles on their faces, even Sesshomaru who allowed himself to express his emotions when alone or with those he considered family.

After everyone was bathed, even Inuyasha took one, and ready for the day they all headed down to the dining hall for breakfast. The only ones in the dining hall who were not part of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's pack were Yoake and Kouga. While they were waiting for breakfast to be served Sesshomaru explained to Yoake how Takehiko had come back and informed her that her mother's soul could finally rest in peace. Yoake was very grateful to everyone who had helped set her mother free. As thanks she offered them all pack status, which they gratefully accepted. As honorary members of Kouga and Yoake's wolf pack they would be able to receive help from any of the other wolf packs in Japan should they need it. The servants had just arrived with breakfast when Jaken opened the door.

"Milord, the sentries have just reported that your mother, Lady Kamiko, will be arriving at the gates in fifteen minutes. Shall this lowly servant escort her here, or will Milord be meeting her at the gates?" Jaken asked.

"Escort her here and have another place set at the table. Then have a pot of chamomile tea prepared and brought to Mother as soon as she is seated. While we are eating send her personal servant, Chou, to Mother's rooms to unpack," Sesshomaru replied.

"Yes, Milord," Jaken said as he bowed low. He then turned with his head held high and left feeling important for proving his usefulness once again to his Lord.

"Son, will you like me to adjourn to my room until you have had the chance to inform Kamiko of my return?" Takehiko inquired.

"That will not be necessary, Father. I am sure mother has already heard of your return. She still has her mirror and likes to spy, I mean checkup, on Jovan and I often," Sesshomaru informed him.

"Did your mother ever find a mate, or is she still sore that I refused to let our parents force us to mate?" Takehiko asked as they waited for Kamiko's arrival.

"She hasn't mated yet, but I believe that she has finally come to understand why you refused a mating and only agreed to a breeding contract. I believe her problem with your mating with Izayoi was due to her vanity more than her dislike of ningens. Perhaps now that Jovan has grown up and moved in here she will be more willing to find a mate." Sesshomaru answered.

"Last time I spoke with Lady Mother," Jovan said, "She told me that she missed having children around. I wouldn't be surprised if she tries her hand at matchmaking just so you and I give her some grandchildren she can spoil. I just hope that she is as accepting of Inuyasha as she is of me."

"Imōto, I don't think that will be too much of a problem. Mother will take one look at Inuyasha's ears and that will be that. Otōto you might want to watch out, Mother has a habit of rubbing Jovan's ears whenever she can. Mother grew rather fond of puppy ears," Sesshomaru warned.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, his face taking a faint pink tint, "what is it with women always wanting to mess with my ears?"

"We'll Inuyasha," Sango replied, "your ears look so soft and cute that we can't help wanting to pet them. It's not our fault that we want to touch soft and cute things."

"Yep, that's one of the reasons I just love grooming Shippo's tail," Kagome added. "His tail is just too cute to resist. Heck if I wasn't sure that Sesshomaru would kill me for it, I would have pet his tail as soon as I saw him, like I did with your ears when I first saw you sleeping and pinned to the Sacred Tree."

"It is a good thing you didn't, Miko. Touching a youkai's tail is a very intimate act and is only acceptable for member of the youkai's pack and the youkai's mate. This Sesshomaru would not have been pleased had you touched my tail when we first meet." Sesshomaru informed her.

"Well, since you are part of Inuyasha's pack, that makes you and your other friends part of our pack now that my dear cousins are starting to get along," Chūjitsuna said. "Sesshomaru has final say on who is included as pack now because he is the Alpha of the pack. Each male can start their own pack, but all their packs fall under the rule of the Alpha of the pack."

"So because Inuyasha adopted us as his pack, and Sesshomaru has accepted Inuyasha as well as us that makes us part of the whole pack then?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, Miko, that is correct. However, this Sesshomaru's tail is still off limits. Not even Mother is allowed to touch this Sesshomaru's tail anymore," Sesshomaru said, Yoake giggled quietly, knowing how uncomfortable Sesshomaru was with the conversation.

"I'll let you pet my tail if you want to, Kagome," Chūjitsuna whispered in Kagome's ear. Of course this made Kagome blush which caused a few people to raise their eyebrows.

"Ok, enough with all the talk about tails and petting, the hentai over there," Inuyasha said pointing at Miroku, "is grinning like a baka. Sesshomaru, did you warn all your female servants about him?"

"Indeed, Inuyasha, I warned them. They agreed to refrain from killing the monk if he acted up, but I will not stop them from maiming him if his 'Cursed' hand should act up. Perhaps if one of them should remove said hand it would cure the monk of his affliction," he replied.

"Gentlemen, I am but a humble monk with the purest of intentions," Miroku stated in an innocent tone that no one believed. Those in the room who knew him best just rolled their eyes and laughed, while Takehiko, Yoake, and Chūjitsuna gave them a baffled look and Miroku gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Yeah right you hentai. I'm surprised you haven't asked Lady Yoake to bear your child yet," Inuyasha said with a smirk.

"Indeed, during the few months I traveled with your group he propositioned so many women that I lost count, and that was before the taijiya broke off their engagement. Though while they were engaged she was the only one who he groped," Sesshomaru added. "I am surprised that the monk has survived all the beatings he received."

They bantered back and forth good naturedly until Jaken reentered the dining hall and announced Lady Kamiko's arrival. Kamiko had long silver white hair partly pulled up into two buns at the back of her head that fell into ponytails held in place by coral pink combs, amber colored eyes, one magenta stripe on each cheek, a magenta streak on both eyelids, and the same crescent moon as Sesshomaru. She was wearing a three layered kimono, the outer kimono was magenta with yellowish orange flowers, the middle layer was turquois in color and appeared to have a wave like pattern to it, and the inner layer was pure white. Her tail was draped around her shoulders like a shawl and she wore a black pearl necklace with a gold pendant with what looked like a large black opal in the center of it. She looked a lot like a daintier, female version of Sesshomaru. She also showed more emotion than her son did. As she entered she gave Sesshomaru a small bow and went to sit in the empty seat.

"Sesshomaru, Jovan, it is nice to see you both. Takehiko, it has been a long time. This one wonders how you have managed to return to life," Kamiko inquired. Her voice was as beautiful as her appearance, though when she addressed Takehiko it was a little cooler than when she had addressed her children.

"Kamiko, you have not changed a bit, still as lovely as a rose. I came back due to the Shikon Jewel. The young miko, Kagome," he explained as he nodded his head towards Kagome, "made a wish without thinking. It was her heartfelt wish that I was alive again that brought me back. I do hope that we will be able to be friends this time."

"Perhaps, I would not like to upset my pups by arguing with their father," she replied before turning back to Sesshomaru. "So, pup, when are you going to find a mate and give me grand pups to play with? I know that Jovan is already being courted by Lord Kouga, so hopefully I'll get some from her soon, but you should have taken a mate and produced an heir centuries ago."

"Mother, this Sesshomaru will take a mate when this one is ready to. This Sesshomaru would appreciate if you would not try to 'help' this one find a mate again," he answered sternly.

"What happened last time she tried to help," Kouga asked.

"Last time she trapped this Sesshomaru in a room with six females in heat. Mother was fortunate that this Sesshomaru was able to break through her barrier before this one was forced to kill the women to keep them from attacking this Sesshomaru," he said with a small, barely noticeable shudder.

"If I remember correctly that was about two hundred and fifty years ago," Yoake added with a giggle. "Sesshomaru had just reached maturity and Takehiko had left him in charge of the palace while he attended a meeting of the other lords. I think I was the only female he would allow near him for about twenty years or so after that incident."

"This Sesshomaru did not find it funny. Those females were insane and were only interested in this one's wealth and title. This Sesshomaru refuses to mate a weak female who only wants power she could not achieve on her own. The female this one will mate is strong enough to stand with this Sesshomaru and protect the Western Lands at this Sesshomaru's side," he stated.

"Yeah, I can't see Sesshomaru mating anyone who won't accept his ward either," Inuyasha said. "Even I can tell that he cares about the kid and there aren't a lot of youkai females out there that would tolerate a hanyou, let alone a human in their family."

"I'm sure that Sesshomaru will find who he's looking for," Kagome said, she seemed to be the only one who caught the slip Sesshomaru made when he was taking about his future mate. She believed that he knew who he was going to mate. "Now that Naraku and the Jewel are gone we will all have more time to figure out what we want to do with our lives."

"If this one leaves it to you to find a mate, this one will die of old age before getting any grand pups," Kamiko sighed as she cast Sesshomaru a sad look.

"Mother, do not exaggerate. You still have several centuries before you even reach old age. This Sesshomaru does not intend to wait that long before claiming a mate," Sesshomaru said. Even though his expression didn't change, everyone could tell that Sesshomaru was starting to get irritated.

"Oi, Lady Kamiko," Inuyasha said to draw her attention off Sesshomaru before he exploded. "What was Jovan like when she was growing up?"

Kamiko looked over at Inuyasha for the first time. The second her eye landed on his twitching puppy ears her eyes widened and in a flash she was out of her seat. Before anyone could blink she was standing behind Inuyasha rubbing and playing with his ears. She was like a cat on catnip.

"Kawaii! Puppy ears, soft and furry puppy ears. Oh how this one has missed petting puppy ears," Kamiko squealed in excitement as she rubbed her cheek against one of Inuyasha's ears. Poor Inuyasha turned about as red as his fire rat clothes and after a brief struggle managed to pull away from the puppy ear crazed female. Since he couldn't very well hurt her, and yelling at her would only get him sat by Kagome, he did the only thing a self-respecting hanyou could do in this situation. He hid behind the youkai slayer for protection.

"Mother, you will refrain from assaulting this Sesshomaru's siblings," Sesshomaru ordered. While it was funny to see his otōto hiding behind a ningen woman for protection, he was also grateful to Inuyasha for trying to redirect her attention.

"Oh, Sesshomaru, you never let this one have fun anymore. This one misses having a pup to play with. Jovan was always dragging the most interesting things home. I remember one time when she caught that baby poisonous snake youkai and brought it home. Luckily it didn't bite her, but she gave her nanny quiet a fright when she showed it to her. I had no idea that a mongoose youkai would be afraid of a little snake youkai. After all it was only six feet long, since it was still a baby," Kamiko reminisced.

"I remember that. When Lady Mother found out she made me take it back to where I found it. I wanted to keep it, but she said I couldn't," Jovan added with a little pout on her face. "She would not allow me to keep any of the pets I brought home."

"That, dear imōto, is because the "pets" you would bring back were too dangerous to keep. Mother did not want to wake up one morning and find that you had been eaten by the "pet" harpy you wanted to raise," Sesshomaru said.

"I'm sure if I had been given the opportunity to train her, she would have made an excellent attack pet," she stated while pretending to be offended. "Besides, if anything had happened I was perfectly capable to deal with the situation. I was trained to be able to defend myself."

"If you say so, imōto," Sesshomaru said as he stood up. "The festival will begin soon, so this Sesshomaru must tend to some last minute details. Mother, when you are finished Chou will be here to show you to your room."

"That pup can never sit still for more than thirty minutes," Kamiko sighed after Sesshomaru left. "It's no wonder he hasn't settled down yet."

"Kamiko, perhaps it would be best to let the matter of Sesshomaru mating and giving us grand pups rest for a while," Takehiko suggested. "I too, would like grand pups, but Sesshomaru has enough to deal with right now without people trying to "help" him find a mate."

"I suppose you could be right. He has always been a stubborn pup, too," she replied with a sigh. "I suppose I could always help Inuyasha find a mate, since Jovan is already being courted by Kouga. Or maybe I should help my dear nephew."

Chūjitsuna and Inuyasha both paled when she said this, while the rest just tried not to laugh. Kamiko had a look in her eyes that, quite frankly, scared the heck out of the two males.

"No need, dear aunt," Chūjitsuna quickly stated as he came up with an idea to get out of the spotlight. "I'm quite sure that I will be able to find a mate on my own. Besides, I think that perhaps you should help the monk. From what I've heard he has been looking for a mate for a while, but has been unable to find one."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "Miroku has had very little luck finding a mate. I'm sure that an expert such as yourself would have no problem finding a match for our dear friend an pack mate."

Kamiko looked over at Miroku and studied him for a few seconds. At this time Miroku was too stunned by this turn of events to say anything. Kamiko stood up and walked over to get a better look at him.

'He's not a bad look ningen,' she thought. 'His black hair is common for ningens, but those violet eyes are quite arresting. I cannot tell with the robes he wears, but he seems to be fit.'

'He also smells nice. Like juniper after a rainstorm," her beast stated. 'We always liked that scent.'

'We've never had much to do with ningens, but since this one is pack we can make an exception. Besides, it could be fun finding a mate for him. Maybe if we find him an inu youkai mate he'll let us play with his puppy-eared pup,' she responded.

'Kawaii, little violet eyed, black haired pups, so kawaii. We need pups to play with, I miss them,' Kamiko's beast said in agreement.

While Kamiko was looking over Miroku and discussing the idea with her inner beast, Miroku was trying to figure out how he managed to get volunteered. He thought about trying to get out of it, but then thought, why not. It's true that he hasn't had much luck on his own, and now that Naraku and his curse were gone he knew that he had a future to look forward to. Besides, he might get lucky enough to get trapped in a room with six beautiful women, like Sesshomaru was.

"Alright, monk Miroku," Kamiko said, pulling Miroku from his thoughts. "This one will help you find a mate. Meet me in my room in an hour and we will get started."

Kamiko then turned and left the room. Chou met her at the door to the dining hall and escorted her to her room.

"Chou, in an hour my latest project will arrive. Make sure that you have everything ready before he arrives. He is a ningen monk, so you will have to pull out a change of clothes for him as well. Something in blue or violet to bring out his eyes would be good," Kamiko instructed her servant.

"Will we be needing the restraints for this one, Milady?" Chou asked.

"I don't think they will be necessary, but have them on had just in case. Miroku doesn't seem to be as unwilling as Sesshomaru was when I was trying to help him," Kamiko replied as she stripped out of her kimono and slide between the silk sheets on the futon. "Wake me when everything is prepared, all that traveling has made me weary."

"Yes, Milady," Chou answered as she went to do Kamiko's bidding.