I do not own Inuyasha!
Kagome's improved mood lasted only until she thought of Sesshomaru. The children were curled up around her in the big bed trying to comfort her, because they knew the seriousness of the situation and that she was hurting.
Akiyoshi was hurt and their father had lashed out at their mother for it. And to further compound the issues he had gone ahead deciding to battle to preserve his father's legacy and to safeguard their futures, without adequately discussing the matter with her first. He had unloaded that burden on her head with the force of a ton of bricks leaving her distraught.
The numbness in her brain lifted and she was able to think clearly again, the last few hours that she spent with Sesshomaru before he left was unsatisfying. This wasn't how it should have gone down. In her mind they should have made passionate love, make memories that would last until he returned. But in retrospect she understood the message behind his anger and displeasure.
Her mate could be quite complicated at times. But she felt pleased in an odd sort of way, knowing that it was by his own admissions that she knew she had never displeased him before now. He had always given her space and trusted her judgment. Taking care of the family was her core responsibility, but a maturing Akiyoshi and what it meant had just slipped right passed her.
Could it be that she never fully understood demon biology, even after her mate had gone ahead and explained it to her? The children took so long to reach puberty compared to the short amount of time that it took a human child. They had always been so mature and conscientious for their ages, making it easy to forget that they were still going through their developmental processes. And her being so busy with external matters did not help at all.
The conversation that she had with Sesshomaru concerning Chou after she had been living with them a mere two days came to mind, as her eyes were steadily focused on the lantern straight ahead on the night stand. It was a night quite like this one three months ago that it had occurred.
She recalled him saying that they should find other suitable accommodations for the girl; and she had objected saying that the best place for her was with them. She'd questioned him about his reasons for not wanting Chou living with them, and his answer was simply this; he did not think it was appropriate.
She remembered telling him in no uncertain terms that it was nonsense, and that Chou just needed a place to belong, to be a part of a family. Even with all those brave words she had gone to bed that night still uncertain about the girl. But in all honesty she just wanted to help her.
Tonight was going to be a long one. Sesshomaru had ripped into her but she understood him very clearly. She needed to be more of a mother to their children and less of a mother to everyone else, because that was the only way to avoid such a mishap from ever happening again. The children's gentle breathing alerted her to the fact that they were asleep. She had two more things to do before she could try and rest.
The bed was overly crowded but she managed to untangle herself from all the limbs and torsos without disturbing their sleep. She had to make sure that Akiyoshi's fever had broken, and then off to see if her too quiet and often times withdrawn daughter Yuki was alright.
She sighed at the door precariously holding onto the door knob, taking one more look she pulled it shut quietly and turned right along the passage to her son's room. The door ajar, and the candle burning within was almost half done. Akiyoshis's back was turned to her, he must have moved into that position during the course of the night.
She took a seat on the little stool by his bedside, carefully she felt his back and shoulders for signs of a fever, and he was still warm but not overly so. She sighed relieved because his temperature had gotten no worse and it would seem as if he was sleeping more soundly.
She got up to go but stilled when she heard the words, "Mother," from Akiyoshi's lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems between you and father." He sounded as if he was in great pain, and if she was hearing correctly he had been crying.
She sat back down quickly, almost a bit startled because obviously he wanted to talk. Separate and apart from that she wanted an explanation about all that had happened and about Chou. Sesshomaru's accounts of the events had been vague at best.
Akiyoshi dreaded telling his mother about the circumstances surrounding the events that caused Chou's death and nearly causing his also. But he trusted her and had heard the accusation by his father of her being a less than astute parent, which was unfair and hurtful.
Turning on his back was painful and he groaned. Kagome held him lightly by the shoulder running her palm along the length of his arm. She knew that the pain he was enduring was severe. She closed her eyes and sighed when she remembered how damaged he was when Inuyasha had brought him home earlier in the day. Thankfully she was able to save him.
"Are you alright?" She asked him softly, her tone filled with concern.
Akiyoshi stifled a groan. "Yes mother," he answered and turned his head in her direction where their eyes met.
Kagome held his long slim fingers giving them a gentle squeeze. He closed his eyes for a moment then began to speak. "I loved her," Kagome opened her mouth to say something but he shook his head telling her no. She acquiesced for now. It was hard for him as it was, she knew, so she would let him speak without interrupting.
He was tired; he hadn't slept from the moment that his parents had started arguing. He had to somehow get this out of the way before he was unable to. His eyelids felt weighed down and his eyes were falling asleep.
"Mother she wasn't a bad person; she only wanted a family and a real home. I know that father thinks that she manipulated me and he is not wrong, but regardless of that I still wanted her."
Kagome listened to him carefully and could hear the sadness in his voice as well as the deep emotions of his heart. The only question that she could ask herself was; how had she not noticed? She shook her head lightly and sighed as he opened his mouth again to continue.
"My feelings for her were new, I had never felt such and it was because of those feelings that I allowed her to lead me to that area. She is not the only one that blame should be placed upon. I knew that I should not have gone so far away from home. I deceived you into thinking that I would meet up with you in the mid morning at the center. Chou and I had other plans."
As he'd continued to speak she saw how much he was hurting, and it wasn't simply from his injuries but from his feelings of love for the girl. The room fell silent after that, it seemed unusually quiet. Even with the breeze blowing outside and the noises of the nocturnal insects and animals, it felt empty and abandoned just like their hearts.
The expression that crossed her face at his admission and the sadness in his eyes was one of utter disbelief. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but Akiyoshi founded the strength that he needed to continue and so she refrained from speaking.
"I was fearful of what I felt for her, but she made me comfortable and I gave her my body and heart." The last part of his statement was said so low that she might have missed it if she wasn't listening carefully. "Oh kami!" she gasped out. "I had no idea."
The rest of the story was told in great details by him, even though it hurt him deeply to convey it.
Before he slept Kagome kissed him on the cheeks and said. "I am sorry for your loss; love can be hard no matter how old or young one is."
Leaving Akiyoshi's room she frowned feeling aged, and for the first time like a real mother with rebellious teenagers. She never went through any of this with Shippo. Despite feeling weary she left to find her daughter, the first place that she looked was in her bedroom and she wasn't there.
After checking the rest of the house and she still wasn't able to find her, Kagome could not prevent a snort of frustration.
"Yuki where are you?" she yelled.
Hesitating only a moment she reached for the front door and opened it. The moon shone gloriously up in the heavens, spreading its light onto the land and lighting it thankfully. Kagome made her way around the house and even into the bushes shouting for her daughter repeatedly, but there weren't any responses.
Suddenly she felt an instinctive twinge of anxiety. It couldn't be helped, not after Sesshomaru had been so angry at her about their children's wellbeing. Soon enough she was joined by the other members of the family after they'd heard her shouting for Yuki. Looking at them she knew that something was off. They were too quiet and not meeting her gaze.
"Please, if any of you know something say it now." Kagome arched and enquiring brow after sometime had passed and no one had answered.
"I will not repeat myself again, Yuki has left the safety of our home and she could be in grave danger, and not telling me of her whereabouts could cause her great injury. Have you all forgotten so soon about Akiyoshi?" She made her statement and waited.
Considering deeply on what her mother had said before speaking, Himeko the quieter of the twins responded. "Mother, Yuki went after father, she wanted to help him in battle."
She didn't immediately say anything because she was in shock, she just stood there staring pass her children and into the bleakness of the night. Even the children calling for her sounded so far away; she was in a daze and speechless. It took every ounce of effort and will power that she could summon to pull her mind back to the here and now.
Thirty miles north of the western domain and up into the mountains, Sesshomaru and his troops occupied two cavernous openings into the mountainside, some of the other soldiers who made up lords Hitoshi's and Shun's battalion were strategically placed ten miles outside of the western kingdom.
It was close enough but still far away from the troops that guarded the empire. Western soldiers normally extend outwards to about a five mile radius outside of the lands. Sesshomaru was well aware of the security measures in place and was able to pool his men and resources together very quickly. The plan was simple, it was the same plan that he had discussed with them over twenty six years ago.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm to face everyone because his mind was constantly on his mate and family, and the fact that he had felt something was not right from the moment that he'd left home was proving to be a bother. With skill he pushed the nagging feelings into the recesses of his mind and faced his men. The time for dawdling was at an end.
Yuki drew her coat closer to her form warding off the night chill, she was able to follow her father from afar by cloaking her aura, but several miles away from Edo her father disappeared riding the night sky in a glittering ball of light. She stopped and watched the glow to see which direction it would go. And after the light disappeared completely she continued on her journey.
It would seem as if luck was on her side tonight, because she could see some of her father's soldiers as they made their way up the mountain. She couldn't face them now because she might be killed as an unwanted intruder. She had to find a way to disguise herself and fall into the regiment like a common soldier; and she had a pretty good idea how to do it.
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