Chapter Thirty-Four – The Reunited and The Separated
Her feet shuffled against the dry path, her gaze casted downwards. Hours had passed since they departed from Ryou's home. The longing yet anxiousness to see Sesshomaru grew with each second. Glancing at Inuyasha, she noted his guard was lowered and more relaxed. They must be nearing the Western Castle. Her mouth widened and paused in hesitance. Looking back down at the ground, she hushed, "Do you think he misunderstood me like Ryou?"
Frowning, Inuyasha didn't know how to respond to her question. He, too, was worried about how his brother would react to her return. Suddenly, his footsteps halted as his body stiffened. Kagome slowly followed. Inuyasha lifted his nose and took a silent sniff.
"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" she asked in confusion.
A smirk widened on his face and said, "About your earlier question, you can ask him yourself."
Kagome tilted her head to the side in confusion. Then, blue eyes caught a distant figure approaching.
He had come to meet her.
Sesshomaru paused at the edge of clearing, choosing to stay hidden in the shadows of the trees.
"I'll head to the Castle first," Inuyasha said, hurrying to give the two some space. But before passing by Sesshomaru, Inuyasha glimpsed at him in the corner of his eye. Shock shook him to the core the moment he saw Sesshomaru's expression.
The shadows of the forest hid his brother's expression from afar.
He doubted Kagome saw, but he saw it.
He shouldn't have looked.
Inuyasha's widened eyes tore away from the sight and quickly walked away. Then, only two remained in the empty clearing.
"Sesshomaru," Kagome called out ghostly.
Sesshomaru remained still in position. His gaze fixed on her, not daring to look away. He watched the surprise in her eyes slowly mold into affection. A quivering breath of relief slipped out.
He knew from reports that she stayed with Ryou and it was easy to tell why she stayed with him for so long. Still knowing this…his heart expected the worst.
But here she was still smiling at him. Covering his eyes with a hand, he tried to control his deteriorating mask.
Reaching his side, her arms carefully embraced him as she slowly rested her head against his chest. Urgently, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and hid his face from her.
'I'm sorry,' she thought desperately. She could tell by his embrace just how much he worried. Clenching her eyes shut, she repeated her silent apology.
An embrace without words.
A silent communication of just emotions.
"I understand," he said into her ear. His words told her he knew why she needed to see Ryou and why she stayed with him for so long. He did not misunderstand her like Ryou did.
Hiding behind a calm expression, he pulled away. Golden eyes caught the bright smile on her face.
He understood, she thought with relief. Her gaze lingered on his calm expression, yet she felt something was still off. About to ask him what was wrong, she felt his hand tug her towards the Castle.
"Sessho-"
"Later, Kagome," he interrupted softly.
Deciding to ask him next time, a soft smile remained on her lips as she stared at his back with affection. She was finally home.
While the silence deepened between the two, one looked forward with excitement as the other frowned.
He knew she stayed with Ryou because the 'Sho' leader welcomed death. But did she return to the West fully knowing and accepting the consequences she would face in the future? Did she consider how his role of a Lord will continue to hurt her and others?
He doubted it.
Golden eyes spotted the Western gates in the distance and darkened.
Once she passed those gates, he would not let her go.
He'd blind her from noticing the cruel Lord he must be.
An inch away from passing through the Western gates, he paused.
A sudden sense of doubt made him hesitate.
"Did you cry?" The words escaped his lips.
He waited a few seconds before she answered, "No."
Catching a whiff of her scent, his eyes dimmed.
Her words were false.
Warmth encircled both his hands causing him to look up. She stood in front of him with adoration in her eyes.
"Let's go home, Sesshomaru," she said. Her hands tugged his as she led the way. From the corner of his eye, he watched her foot pass through the Western gates.
Golden eyes flickered red with possessiveness.
'Mine.'
-A Few Hours Later-
Clawed hands turned the door knob to a room. Pushing the wooden door open, he drank in the lingering scent she left behind. Inuyasha paused in front of the wide open room that was now empty. He knew Inari was unable to reside in the Western Castle long enough for his returned. She held duties to the South, he knew this.
Leaning against the door post, amber eyes dazed. Every time he barged into her room she would always glow with joy and then quickly cover up with a nonchalant expression. Inuyasha let out a light chuckle at the memory.
"Prince Inuyasha," a voice shook him out of his thoughts, "Lord Sesshomaru calls for you." Inuyasha glanced behind to see the maid bow before vanishing. Grumbling under his breath, he pushed himself off of the door post and marched towards the study.
What did his brother want?
Did he want a report on their stay with Ryou?
"Come in," a voice commanded. Inuyasha entered the study and spotted his brother sitting at his desk. What slightly shook him was Sesshomaru's intense gaze looking straight at him. In an instant Inuyasha knew something was up.
Golden eyes finally shifted to look down causing Inuyasha to notice one scroll on the empty desk. Sesshomaru eyed the scroll before gazing back at Inuyasha.
"Read it."
Inuyasha felt bad vibes pulsing through his blood as he unrolled it.
Lord Sesshomaru,
I have received information that Prince Inuyasha intends to mate my daughter. Should you allow this uniting, I, Lord of the South, wage war against the Western Lands. I shall never accept a hanyou as the next Lord of the South, no matter his ties to Lord Inu no Taisho.
I await your response.
The Lord of the Southern Lands.
Terror.
Inuyasha felt his hands tremble.
Rage.
Crumpling the scroll, he threw it against the wall.
Pain seethed into his heart.
His past came to haunt him once again. He knew this would be the result, so why did he open his heart towards Inari again!?
Red rimmed around his outer eye. Unshed tears strained back.
"The Eastern Lord plans to aid the South if we had accepted to go to war. And knowing the chaos in the Northern Lands, they would not be able to help us."
His breath hitched for a second before slowly meeting his brother's gaze. Inuyasha watched in horror at the sight of Sesshomaru's unfeeling expression.
Dull eyes bore into teary ones.
Inuyasha breathed out in bewilderment, "You sent your answer already…"
"The Western Land would suffer greatly in a war against the East and South. And all for what?"
Sesshomaru's usual hollow tone never sounded crueler than now.
A sudden sense of abandonment dug into his chest, creating a hole. The sinking feeling lurched in his stomach. Hating his brother's stoic attitude, he wanted to break it. A snarl escaped his lips as Inuyasha said acidly, "What will you do when Kagome hears about this?"
Suddenly, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and snapped, "You will not speak a word."
"What!?" Inuyasha growled.
"To ensure her happiness, you will not speak a word, Inuyasha." Each word was coated with threat. Realizing his brother has chosen to hide the cruelty of a Lord from Kagome, Inuyasha remained silent… unable to retort back or refuse.
Amber eyes broke down in helplessness.
"I got it," Inuyasha whispered before rushing out of the study. He couldn't stay within the Western walls. The suffocating feeling this Castle gave returned once again. He would have to stay away until he could conceal the pain of living without Inari.
It had been foolish of him to begin to hope for happiness.
-With Kagome-
A soft hum sounded from Emiko. Kagome watched her carefully lay out the kimono she would be wearing tonight. Emiko had informed her that tonight the Hime Tradition would end. The new Hime would be adorned with an outer pink haori in front of all the ranks.
Noticing Emiko move to leave the room, Kagome asked, "You are not going to help me dress?"
A sly smile appeared across Emiko's lips as she informed, "Lord Sesshomaru will assist you."
Instantly, bright red flushed against Kagome's cheeks. She had almost forgotten that intended mates were to assist in grooming. Her blush darkened at the memory of Sesshomaru's touch the last time he helped her dress. Deep in thought, she did not notice Emiko's absence and Sesshomaru's nearing figure.
Suddenly sensing a kimono draped on her shoulders, Kagome looked up into the mirror. Sesshomaru stood behind her with his gaze focused on her kimono. He held out the sleeve for her to wear, but noticed she was not moving. Golden eyes looked into the mirror to see her cheeks tinted red and her lips slightly hanging open. Raising his brow, he held back a smirk at her adorable expression.
Kagome snapped out of her shock the instant she noticed his smug look. If possible, her cheeks flushed a shade darker. She clumsily moved her arms through the sleeve and hoped he had not noticed the sound of her racing heart.
Again, she felt every touch of his hand as he smoothed out the wrinkles. She felt warmth against her back from his closeness. His heated gazes making her fidget at the intensity.
Not a single sound interrupted the moment.
Sesshomaru held back the urge to meet eyes with her, not trusting his control. Another gaze was enough to make him undone. Finished tying the obi, he slid his arms around her waist and held her close. Her warmth seemed to soothe his heavy heart.
"What will you do when Kagome hears about this?"
Inuyasha's words tore through his mind. His jaw tightened. If she knew that he was responsible for tearing Inuyasha and Inari apart…
Golden eyes caught another glimpse of her blushing cheeks and pure love shining through blue eyes. A wrenching pain stabbed at his chest.
'Stay this way,' he pleaded silently.
'Please remain by my side this way.'
Kagome noted an emotion cross Sesshomaru's before turning to nuzzle against her neck. Pushing her embarrassment aside, she felt weariness.
"Sessho-" she began to voice hesitantly.
Knock Knock.
"Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Kagome, the guests have begun to arrive," Emiko's voice muffled.
Feeling Sesshomaru pull away from her, the words she wished to say remained unsaid. He held out one hand, silently telling her it was time. Immediately she reached out to hold his. But before he turned away to lead her out, she spotted a small smile that looked…almost…sad.
Wanting to ask him what was wrong, her footsteps missed a beat. Sesshomaru noticed her hesitance and turned to face her.
Once again, her lips fell open to speak-
"Lady Kagome!"
Her lips fell closed as she saw Chika running towards her for an embrace. She felt Sesshomaru's hand loosen to let her go. Just as she was about to grasp for his hand telling him not to let go, Chika collided into her with a tight hug.
"It's been too long! Far too long! It was SO boring without you!"
"Ah-" Kagome blurted out.
"How have you been? I was so scared when I heard what Kura did to you!"
Kagome wanted to speak with Sesshomaru before the ceremony. Glancing at him in hopes he would pull her away, instead he said tonelessly, "It seems you have much to catch up on."
Without another word, he left.
"The Northern Lands are a mess right now! They say that Prince Ryuu is not fit to become the new Northern Lord after what the Father and Kura did!" Chika gossiped.
Kagome couldn't hear anything. Instead, her eyes remained in the spot Sesshomaru had vanished from. Turning to face Chika she blurted out, "I'm sorry, Chika! I'll be right back!"
The stumped demoness finally stopped her chatter while Kagome pulled away from the tight grasp. She ran in the direction Sesshomaru had disappeared from.
There was something wrong; very wrong.
"Lord Sesshomaru perhaps holds the most guilt, Lady Kagome."
Reminded of what Ryou told her, she had a feeling this was the cause of her worry for Sesshomaru.
She ran and ran, but only found the hallways empty. She wished Sesshomaru didn't have the habit of hiding his presence most of the time. It was times like these that prevented her from finding him.
She searched the Western Gates and didn't see him greeting the guests. Soon, Kagome found herself wandering towards the ancient tree in the gardens.
"I rushed back here the moment I heard you'd be present," Kagome heard a distant voice whisper. Recognizing Inuyasha's voice, she moved closer towards the sound. Within seconds, the trees made way for her to see Inuyasha and Inari in a tight embrace.
"Is it true, Inuyasha? Is it true that Lord Sesshomaru objected our mating?"
Instantly, Kagome felt her blood freeze. She held her breath in hopes that she had heard incorrectly.
"Inari, you knew your Father would never accept me."
Kagome staggered to make sense of the situation. No, the back of her mind knew exactly what was happening, but she just couldn't accept it.
"Then go to war against the South! My Father was probably bluffing about the war! How could Lord Sesshomaru just deny our mating because of a mere threat!? He didn't even care about how you or I felt!"
Pained blue eyes closed, feeling the weight of their sorrows. As a Lord…he had no other choice, she told herself; convincing herself.
"It's not that simple. The East has decided to ally with the South."
Quickly clamping two hands over her mouth, Kagome chocked back a sob.
Unable to control her sanity any longer, Inari clang onto Inuyasha as tears flowed down her cheeks. Whimpering bitterly, she cried, "He's your brother! How can he do this!?"
Her eyes tightened shut, no longer strong enough to watch the painful scene before her. Kagome's entire body trembled as she struggled to keep her presence unknown. Finally losing the strength to stand, she slouched onto the cold ground.
"Please, Inuyasha, let's ask for Lady Kagome's help. Please!"
"He told me not to tell her about this."
Unconscious tears fell from her widened eyes.
Not a sound willing to escape her lips.
Numbed by the shock, Kagome sat in the empty garden long after the couple left.
Replaying their conversation over and over again, a paralyzing feeling began to sink in.
The only sensation that was left was her heart's cry…
'He told me nothing.'
Author's Note: I apologize for taking so long to write and post this chapter! I was going through writer's block for the first time. I will try to post the next chapter MUCH quicker than this one. What did you think of this chapter though?
Thank you for reading,
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