Chapter Twenty Two

The Past, The Present and The Truth

Disclaimer: You so don't want to make me mad right now –glares at the lawyers- because then I'll have to hurt you and hurt you badly. I am having a very difficult time with my Internet connection and it's really not making me in a very pleasant mood. To make everything all better … I STILL don't own InuYasha. GET. OVER. IT!

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InuTashio woke up, feeling quite rested to tell the truth. He looked about the spare room that he was in and smiled a little. His son had done something that his father hadn't had the courage to do: have his human mate live with him at the castle. Not only that but he actually had all his children living under one roof, including the unborn child that Kagome was carrying. He silently wondered if Sesshomaru could smell and recognize the scent of her carrying the pup. With a shrug, he lifted his large frame from the bed and strode out of the room and down the hall, catching sight of a human boy playing with a small two-tailed cat.

What was his name again? Oh yes, Haku, after the mountain that had supposedly collapsed during his time in the underworld. He didn't smell any blood relation to the boy so why was he here, it was certainly strange but, then again, he knew of another human, a girl this time by the name of Rin and a fox kit by the name of Shippo, both of whom resided within the castle walls.

He caught the feel of something vaguely familiar and he walked over to the boy, crouching down by him. The boy looked up at him and gave him a smile.

"Hello." InuTashio couldn't help but allow himself to smile back at the boy.

"Hello there, child. Might I ask what you're doing?" Haku turned back to the cat that was dark black with yellow streaks on its tail and surrounding its paws.

"Playing." He replied simply. InuTashio nodded a little.

"You seem to attract a lot of attention." Haku looked up at him, a slightly confused look on his face.

"I suppose so …"

"Mind telling me why?" Haku looked around and then decided he could be trusted and he pulled a small pink jewel from it's protection and InuTashio had to work hard to refrain from showing shock. The Shikon no Tama … he had heard faint rumors of it before his demise and had heard it to be a powerful jewel, sought out by many with good and bad intentions and only the strongest and pure of the strong and pure were able to handle it's awesome power and keep it pure and from falling into the wrong hands.

"Where did you get it?" He asked slowly. Just when he was about to get an answer from the boy, Takara stepped into the hallway and called him to her.

The boy instantly went to her side, the two-tailed following happily. He watched as she placed a caring hand on his head, directing him to the dining hall for the morning meal. He also noticed the long, studying look she gave him.

She was Katsu's sister, he recalled and studied her in return, straightening his legs. She seemed much different from her brother, though they were twins and he sensed an amazing amount of love and power emitting from the girl in question. So much that it made him want to step forward and begin his interrogation of her though he refrained himself, remembering his son's words.

"I realize you have been gone for many years, father but I wish that you refrain from interrogating my children and my grandchild. I will tell you everything you need and want to know in due time."

InuTashio nodded a little and settled just for studying the pair. The boy was obviously not her birth child, for he had no demon traces and clearly smelt human and the same went for the infant in her arm. She seemed to be giving him a silent warning and he only smiled at her, silently chuckling, feeling amusement bubbling up in him. Though they were not her birth children, she had taken them in regardless and cared for them as her own. His eyes shifted as another hanyou came up, his hair and dog-ears looking exactly like Sesshomaru's and his eyes golden, his little fangs slightly overgrown but it didn't seem to bother him much.

He watched as the girl's attention was taken away from him and put on the two boys and he was surprised to see a soft and caring smile reach her lips. It reminded him much of his son's rare smiles that he would give to things when he was much younger. He then watched the two boys race off, surprisingly matched in speed and the girl slowly walk after them but not before he caught the girl's warning look which made him chuckle again. Any kind of mother was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Making his way to the dining hall, he watched as many different things scurried around and a familiar scent wafted to his nose and he stepped up to see a certain hanyou with silver hair and ears, wearing a red fire rat hiori. This time, a woman was with him and he hand an infant in his arms and he was feeling in the child's mouth and he gave a little nod. He said something to the woman that he couldn't pick up through the shrill cries and happy laughter that he had never heard so much in his entire time of living in this very castle.

A soft mewing sound caught his hearing, though and he looked to see the exact opposite image of the two-tailed he'd seen with the boy just minutes before. This was also perched on a human shoulder of a woman who wore a pink and green kimono and held her hair with a white ribbon. By the looks of her, she was probably a demon slayer, he thought and his eyes shifted over the figure that was standing beside her, seeming to be holding a sleeping child. His hair was short and tied into a tiny ponytail behind his head and he wore black and purple ceremonial monk robes, he was also human but there was a certain power emitting from the couple and he smiled a little.

Kagome's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he brought his golden eyes to look at her beautiful, smiling face. She reminded him much of his wives and though she was human, she seemed to also represent both human and demon worlds and both her and his son, correction, both her and his sons were making a much more peaceful world for hanyous. He recognized that his youngest son's mate was full youkai. The thought made him laugh a little. How ironic! His eldest son who, for years, sought after nothing but ultimate power, had mated to a human woman. She was strong, there was no doubt about that but she was human and for years the very youkai that stood next to her that despised humans for a good portion of his young life was now mated to one and had a few hanyou children. And, his youngest son, whom he knew nearly nothing about, who was sure to be jealous of his older brother was mated to a full youkai.

"Are you just going to stand there all day and think or are you going to eat with us?" Kagome asked in her usual cheerful voice. InuTashio looked at them and smiled, taking a seat.

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About mid afternoon, Haku was sitting outside with his new adopted mother and sister, just enjoying the sunshine and how combined with the rain, made the grass lush, soft and very green.

"Haku." Takara began softly, watching as the boy turned his attention to her.

"Yeah?"

"How much do you know about the Shikon jewel?" Haku blinked, confused by her sudden interest.

"Not much. Only that after everyone in the village died, I was the only one left to take care of it and that it's my job to make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands." Takara nodded a little.

"Do you know how your village came to possess it?" Haku thought for a minute.

"Well, my father said that long ago, there was a demon named Naraku and he was after the jewel but a strong priestess and her friends defeated him and she entrusted the jewel to another named Kaede." Takara though for a moment, she knew what he was talking about so far but the question was, why didn't her mother have it now and why did she give it to someone else?

"Did he say why she did this?" Haku thought again.

"I think he said that she gave it away because it really belonged to the village and not her." Takara nodded a little.

"Do you want to see it?" He asked innocently, causing her to give him a curious look.

"The jewel. Do you want to see it?" He held it out in his palms with a smile and she slowly took it, holding it in her own palm, watching as it caught the suns rays and it sparkled beautifully. It was hard to imagine that something so small would have been the cause for such pain and suffering …

"Haku, if your father said that the holder of the jewel gave it to another priestess, how did it come to your village?" Haku smiled at her.

"Oh, that's easy! A real nice priestess offered to take the jewel from the village, to … lighten its burdens, I think she said. Anyway, the village gave her the jewel and then she came and lived at our village and we helped her protect the jewel. She was really nice and she kind of looked like grandma but not really." Takara looked at him, frowning lightly.

"Do you remember her name?" He nodded.

"It was Kikyo … or something like that. Pretty, too."

A little ways away, InuYasha's ears twitched when they picked up Kikyo's name and he turned his attention to the small group that sat by the stream. Even though he wasn't in love with her anymore, he occasionally wondered what it would be like if Naraku hadn't come and deceived them.

Kagome noticed this and walked over. "InuYasha?"

Her soft tone made him jump and glared at her, growling a little.

"Damn it, Kagome! Don't sneak up on people like that!" Kagome's answer was to just roll her eyes.

"Well, forget that I was going to ask if you were alright." She snapped. InuYasha winced at her harsh tone and sighed a little.

"I think they're talking about Kikyo." Kagome was more than just a little shocked to hear that name after all these years …

"You heard them?" InuYasha nodded a little.

"I think they're talking about the jewel, too." Kagome nodded this time and gave a little sigh.

"The kid has it." InuYasha said, growling and stalking over to them, picking Haku up by the back of his kimono shirt.

"Hand over the sacred jewel, kid!" Before Kagome could even react, Takara had him pinned underneath her, her claws glowing a deadly green as she held them to his neck, snarling viciously.

"One more move and I'll kill you. Right here, right now." InuYasha remained perfectly still, having no doubt in his mind that the daughter of his brother wouldn't give it a second's hesitation.

Everyone that watched this held their breath and relief washed over the spectators as the green vanished and she stood up, keeping Haku who was holding the infant behind her with a hand resting on his head. That's when he heard Kagome's deadly tone and he paled, knowing what was coming.

"InuYasha! Sit boy!" With an impressive thump, he landed face down in the dirt and Takara glared at him before a small voice reached her ears.

"Mother? Are you hurt?" Haku asked quietly and Takara looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile.

"I'm fine, Haku. What about you?" The boy shook his head.

"I'm fine, too."

"Good. Now, InuYasha, is it?" InuYasha slowly got up.

"Depends on who's asking." Takara narrowed her eyes at him, a move that he had seen so many times before.

"What do you want with the shikon jewel?" InuYasha dusted himself off before crossing his arms and turning his back on her.

"What's it to you?" Takara glared at him, a growl working up in her throat. To her complete surprise, InuTashio stepped up and knelt down to the boy.

"Haku, are you aware that this jewel brings a great deal of danger to it's keeper?" The boy nodded a little.

"I'm not afraid." He said, puffing his chest out proudly. The demon nodded with a smile.

"But, there are people that are afraid for you." This threw the boy off a little and he had to think for a minute before he nodded.

"I don't want them to worry." He looked up to Takara who smiled and picked him up and gave him a little hug, feeling his little arms go around her neck to return it.

"Would you like a priestess to hang onto it for you?" A voice asked. Everyone turned and was surprised to see Sesshomaru asking the question. Haku was a little unsure at first but he pursed his lips and thought. It would be a good idea if a priestess hung onto the jewel because she had purifying and spiritual powers and most were very strong also he didn't think that his father would mind.

Slowly he nodded a little bit and Sesshomaru walked over and Haku put the jewel in the demon lords palm and he shocked everyone again by reaching over and giving Haku's hair a playful ruffle, making him giggle.

InuYasha stood with his jaw dropped and Yuri rolled her eyes a little, nudging him lightly before reaching over and closing his mouth for him. Anyone who was watching the scene laughed a little though InuYasha never even noticed it, especially when he walked over to Kagome.

Taking his mate's hand, Sesshomaru gently pressed the jewel into her palm and gave her a smile. "I know you'll take care of it." Kagome looked at it for a minute and nodded, before finding a pretty necklace and attaching it to the necklace.

She went over to Haku and gave him a smile. "Your parents would be very proud of you, Haku." The boy smiled a little, knowing that she was right. Not only was she a priestess but she was pretty, too! That's what he always thought, anyways.

"YOU'RE GIVING THE JEWEL TO HER! SHE BROKE IT LAST TIME SHE HAD IT!" InuYasha very loudly stated. InuTashio was standing next to him and he winced lightly and glared at the boy, whacking him over the head lightly.

Before a fight could break out, Kagome interrupted quickly with a smile. "So, who's up for lunch?" InuTashio got her hint and gave her a heart-warming smile.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me, dear."

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A/N: I don't know what it is with me and updating so far but it just hasn't been working. Anyways, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated but I've really been trying hard to get a job and my mom is getting married this Saturday so we've been having practices and stuff and then I had a minor freak out with a really good friend of mine but, I am back and I am updating xD

Replies:

ESKKTTRAN: No, he didn't come back because of Kagome and yeah, he actually did come back because of Kasei. Sorry that this chapter didn't focus much on him but … you did get answers about how Haku's family and village came across the Shikon no Tama! He will be around for the wedding –wink wink-

And when InuTashio says "The boy certainly had his work cut out for him if she was anything like the infuriated the woman that he had just seen" he's talking about Sesshomaru and Kagome. He was pretty much saying that if Kagome normally acted the way she does when she's super mad then Sesshomaru had his hands full. I hope that clears things up for you –smile-

MysticTenshi: Well, I am glad you're back now –smile- I also don't get weirded out very easily.

k4g0me: I'm excited to get the 4th movie, too! I don't like Sounga! And, we own all three movies so yay! Lol.

Thank You To:

InuLover53

Kagome Assassinator

teiboi

Thanks everyone! I may be making a new fanfics but, it'll be focused on when Sesshomaru and InuYasha are kids and what it would be like if they grew up together.