TITLE: Cursed Twins
AUTHOR: InuYoukaiAki
DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha and Co.
Chapter 25: Unmasked
The Palace of the Moon was again alive with activity as they prepared for the coming of the youkai court. The new heirs of the Western Lands will be presented to the other three ruling taiyoukai and the court. It was such a wonderful and joyous day as the servants happily prepared the decorations under Kimiko's supervision who had volunteered to be in charge of the festivities. Sango, Hitomi and Kikyou had also volunteered to help while Inuyasha and the twins were coerced into the preparation.
Sesshoumaru watched his servants running around. He was almost amused at the fact that Kimiko was more excited and nervous than Kagome. He glanced at his mate who was playing with the twins. The twins were already two weeks old and are now capable of running around.
He watched with amusement as the twins squealed when Kagome finally caught them. They tumbled backwards, Kagome's chest heaving in her exertion. Sometimes he worried about her health. It had been two weeks and still she had not recovered completely. She still tired easily so they had decided not to continue their morning training yet.
The twins giggled as they watched their fallen mother. They both rose unsteadily to their feet and turned to his direction. Sesshoumaru watched in bewilderment as the twins looked at each other with a smirk. With a nod, Touya and Mariko launched themselves at him and tackled him. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. Of course, the tackle was not that effective considering that they were just pups. Nevertheless, he was still surprised at the way the toddlers seemed to have communicated. He held the two giggling pups in his arms. They had begun to play with his hair.
Sesshoumaru's eyes strayed to Kagome who was now bent over laughing. "Surprised you, didn't they?" she finally said when she calmed down. "I don't blame you. I was pretty stunned when they pulled that stunt on me."
"Dada," Mariko cooed.
Sesshoumaru looked at his daughter who was staring up at him adoringly. He then let Touya down since he was wriggling restlessly. He watched him crawl towards Kagome. The little youkai snuggled contentedly against his mother.
"Well," Kagome said brightly. "It's time we prepare for the court. I would bathe with the twins. It's your choice if you would join us or bathe after us." She smirked up at him and scooped Touya up.
"I would help you bathe them," Sesshoumaru answered with a straight face and a glint in his eyes. He followed Kagome to the indoor hot springs with Mariko in his arms. Since Kagome had given birth, he had controlled his base instincts since he knew that she had not recovered completely but he never denied himself these times when he could at least admire her body.
"Good," Kagome said with satisfaction.
Oh, he knew she also liked staring at him. Sesshoumaru could not help but feel male satisfaction at the fact that the sight of him pleases his mate. Soon, when she is fully recovered, they would do more than admire each other's body with their eyes.
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Akitori blended with the shadows as he waited for the appearance of Sesshoumaru and Kagome with their twins. He sipped his sake as he remembered the night when Kagome had given birth. He could almost swear that his heart stopped when Kagome's aura had disappeared. It had taken all of his will power not to barge inside their chambers. He knew of the legendary Tenseiga and was confident that Sesshoumaru would not let his mate die. Despite his coldness, it was evident that he was at least fond of the miko.
He began to worry when time passed by. Then his eyes bled red as he heard Sesshoumaru's howl. It was different from the one they had heard during the mating. That one was full of pride and satisfaction while this one was full of sorrow and grief. It tore at his insides and he felt his inner youkai going out of control. It was a painful experience as he tried to control the raging youkai lest he would be discovered. He knew he was fighting a losing battle then. Once a youkai had chosen its mate, it would stop at nothing to attain the female.
Then, miraculously, he felt Kagome's aura. It instantly calmed the beast in him. He lay panting on the ground as he basked in the pleasant aura of Kagome.
He was jolted out of his thoughts as he felt Kagome's aura nearing with Sesshoumaru and the twins. Akitori could not take his eyes away from the entrance to the chambers as Kagome entered with Sesshoumaru. They were followed by two inuyoukai who were carrying their twins. His eyes scanned Kagome. She was wearing a black kimono that accentuated the luminescence of her skin. The bodice dipped very low, showing an ample amount of cleavage and the mating mark of the Lord of the Western Lands.
The attire clung to her generous curves, enhanced by the pregnancy. She should have looked wasted at the difficulty she had gone through. Others may think that it is not fair that she should still look radiant after the difficult pregnancy and having experienced death. Yet here she was, even more radiant and alluring than before. Her steps were light and graceful as she walked beside her mate. The sparkle in her eyes showed her happiness. It also amazed him that her waist still looked so small as if she had not been pregnant.
Kagome's tinkling laughter reached his ears as she chattered with InuTaisho. He made his decision then. Akitori pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and walked determinedly towards Kagome.
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The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as she felt someone staring intently at her. Kagome looked around her at the pretext of smiling at everyone. She shrugged the foreboding feeling away when she could not find the person that was causing this uneasy feeling in her.
"You are uneasy," Sesshoumaru whispered in her ear.
Kagome shuddered as she felt his breath caress the sensitive skin of her ears. She smiled up at him to reassure him. Sesshoumaru could really read her quite well. "It was nothing," she whispered back and let her lips brush his ear briefly. She smiled coyly at him when she felt him stiffen at the contact.
She turned to InuTaisho who was smiling knowingly at them. "You two seem a little preoccupied," he teased gently. "And I must say, you look absolutely enchanting, my dear Kagome," he said with a gallant bow.
Kagome laughed and bowed back. "You honor me," she said, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
She glanced at Sesshoumaru who was now absorbed in the circle of the other three ruling taiyoukai. She observed him silently. While the three were obviously talking animatedly, Sesshoumaru remained as stoic as ever. She saw how his eyes darted every now and then on her and the twins. She smiled to herself as she saw the twins enjoying the attention they were getting with Inuyasha, Kenji and Yoji watching over the two.
"Congratulations, Lady Kagome," a silky familiar voice said from behind her.
Kagome whirled around, her heart beating fast as an unexplainable nervousness came over her. She clamped down the fear she felt when she saw Akitori smiling charmingly at her. "Oh, it's you, Akitori," she breathed out and smiled back. "I'm glad you could come."
He inclined his head. "You have very beautiful twins," he said and his gaze strayed to Touya and Mariko a few feet away. "Sesshoumaru is lucky."
"Yes, they are beautiful," she amended. "I hope you are enjoying yourself."
Akitori smiled at her. "Well, it would be more enjoyable for me if the very lovely Lady of the Western Lands would honor me with a dance," he said charmingly.
Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru who seemed pre-occupied with a serious discussion with the other ruling taiyoukai. It was just a dance and it was her duty to entertain guests. She turned back to Akitori. "All right," she said smiling and placed her hand on his palm.
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Sesshoumaru watched from the side of his eye as Akitori approached Kagome. His instincts were screaming at him to take Kagome away from the youkai. He resisted the impulse. It would not be proper for him to be rude to his guest. As long as Akitori was not doing anything wrong, he would tolerate the youkai.
Pretending to listen to the other taiyoukai, he trained his acute senses on Kagome and Akitori. When he heard Akitori ask Kagome to dance, he wanted so much to snatch Kagome away especially when he saw Akitori's hand on Kagome's small waist.
"Don't you think so, Sesshoumaru?" Shitare's question broke his line of thinking involving one very dead youkai.
"Hn," he answered noncommittally. That was one of the advantages of being known as a youkai of very few words. Other youkai do not notice when you are at a loss for words. He looked at Shitare and the sparkle in the taiyoukai's eyes indicated that he knew more than he was letting on. It was only to be expected since Shitare was one of the very few that he could trust.
His childhood playmate chuckled. "Sesshoumaru, why don't you go and dance with your mate?" he said knowingly. "You've been neglecting her for a while and it would simply not do for her to fall for Akitori's famed charm."
"Come to think of it," Onoshi mused aloud. "Akitori seemed to have taken a fancy on your beautiful mate," he said jokingly.
He inclined his head and decided to let the other lords' teasing to go past. Sesshoumaru was thankful of the excuse and strode towards Kagome and Akitori. Kagome was the first to see him. He relaxed as he saw how her eyes lit up as he approached.
"Sesshoumaru," she said politely as she stepped away from Akitori who looked his way.
Akitori smiled coolly at him as he looked his way but Sesshoumaru saw the brief narrowing of Akitori's eyes. "Such a lovely lady you have here, Sesshoumaru," he said levelly.
Sesshoumaru merely nodded in response. He placed his hand against Kagome's waist possessively and looked straight at Akitori. "I would like to dance with my mate," he said to Kagome who smiled up at him.
"Certainly, my lord," she said with a small bow. "Thank you for that dance, Akitori. I hope you would enjoy the rest of the night."
He led his mate away from Akitori and immediately wrapped her in his arms as they swayed in time with a slow song. Sesshoumaru felt Kagome lean her head against his chest.
"I didn't think you were the type to dance," Kagome whispered dreamily as she felt Sesshoumaru's strong arms around her.
"I am not," Sesshoumaru replied curtly. He does not really dance in functions, except of course during the pre-mating ceremony since it was part of the tradition. He just didn't want Akitori's arms on Kagome.
She looked up at him, her lips forming a small smile. "I'm glad you decided to dance with me," she said. She rested her head back against his chest. "I wonder if it had anything to do with Akitori dancing with me."
He could hear the teasing note on Kagome's tone. Unconsciously, Sesshoumaru tightened his hold on Kagome.
She looked up back at him. "Just to let you know," she said with a smile. "I really love being in your arms."
"As much as I enjoy watching the two of you, I'm afraid I would have to interrupt this intimate moment," InuTaisho said from behind them. "It is time to introduce the twins."
As if on cue, Touya ran to Kagome and latched himself on his mother's leg as Mariko did the same to her father. The twins were followed by their three grumbling guardians who seemed very harassed.
"These two are a bundle of pure energy," Kenji complained. "They have been zooming around the hall."
"I wish I had that much energy," Yoji said jokingly.
"The little brats just loved making me suffer," Inuyasha said.
Kagome giggled and went down on the level of the twins. Both immediately latched themselves on Kagome's neck. She hugged the twins back before straightening their kimonos. "Touya, Mariko," she said with a soft smile. "Mommy needs you to behave, all right?"
The twins nodded simultaneously and smiled. Kagome stood up and took Touya's hand while Sesshoumaru took Mariko's hand as the new family walked on the raised platform at the end of the room.
InuTaisho walked with them and beamed. "As a proud grandparent," he began cheerfully. "I am very pleased to present to you the latest addition to the Palace of the Moon, my beautiful grandchildren, Touya and Mariko."
The crowd burst into applause as the two children bowed down a little awkwardly as they tried to imitate Kagome. Both looked up to their mother for approval and were awarded by a nod and a fond smile.
"I wish you all an enjoyable evening," Sesshoumaru said when InuTaisho motioned for him to speak. He inclined his head and the music began. It was a signal for the guests to continue their merry-making.
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It was nearly midnight when Akitori saw Kagome leave the audience chamber after talking to Sesshoumaru who had nodded. He waited a few minutes before cloaking his aura and discreetly following Kagome. The many individuals in attendance were his advantage as he pretended to stroll around the room unnoticed. Once in the halls, Akitori let himself be swallowed by the shadows.
He knew there was a very small chance that Sesshoumaru would detect him. It amazed him how the inuyoukai could do it and no other taiyoukai can. He attributed this to Sesshoumaru's well-honed instincts bred by all the hardships he had endured alone. Sesshoumaru was forced to mature earlier than expected after the death of his mother and the disappearance of his father. Having a legendary father could not have been easy for him. In a sense, Akitori admired him. They were of the same age but Sesshoumaru had achieved more than any other youkai their age. He was strong, formidable and well-disciplined and he achieved most of these on his own.
Akitori knew he should be afraid of Sesshoumaru's wrath when the demon finds out his desire to acquire Kagome yet he could not make himself stay away. There was something about Kagome that drew him to her like a moth to the flame. She is the epitome of beauty and perfection. Her natural grace is unnatural for a human and her strength lies sleeping, like a coiled snake waiting for the right time to strike. Akitori wants her and he is not about to let anything get in his way.
After a few minutes of stalking Kagome from a distance, he finally felt her stop. He rounded a corner and saw her; she was looking at him as if waiting for him to come to her. It was as if Kagome knew he was following her. He knew no one could see him when he hides in the shadows but Kagome was looking at him. Akitori stopped a few feet from her and waited.
"I know you're there," Kagome said, her voice ringing with authority. "You better reveal yourself. I can feel you there."
Akitori's admiration grew. "Very good, Lady Kagome," Akitori said with a smirk as he finally revealed himself to her. "It appears that you're instincts are as good as your mate's."
Kagome's eyes widened when he revealed himself. "Akitori?" Kagome asked in disbelief. Her eyes mirrored her confusion as she stared at him. "What is this all about?"
He grinned at her, showing his fangs. "Well, Kagome," he drawled lazily. "Since you asked, this is all about you." He watched with fascination as her eyes widened in surprise at his blunt answer. If possible, she was even more beautiful.
End chapter