I disclaim.
Peace Offerings
Inuyasha was sprawled on the sofa in his wing of the house reading a book when he heard the sound of raised voices from the other end of the house. Sesshomaru's voice was a low murmur and Inuyasha could tell from the underlying strain in it that his half-brother was seriously holding himself back from yelling. Shortly after Sesshomaru finished speaking Kagome's voice filled the space left by his silence. He could make out her words and knew they were having a discussion with Mai about her actions the previous night. He used the word discussion loosely as the sound of Kagome's shrieks filled his sensative ears. A wry smile crossed his face before he could stop it; he couldn't honestly remember the last time he'd heard Kagome shriek at him and Sesshomaru, but he was certainly glad that her yells were directed at someone other than him. When Kagome paused for breath he heard Mai cut in to try and defend herself and he also heard the way Kagome cut her off. He listened as Kagome instructed her to come to his wing and apologize for him having to go out and find her and rolled his eyes.
He knew she was coming down the hallway before she reached his door, and he wondered if she thought she was being sneaky or going to surprise him in any way. Her knock was quiet and so was his call for her to come in, and she had a sheepish look on her face that he knew from years and years of experience she'd inherited from her mother.
"Um, Uncle Inuyasha?" She was looking everywhere but him and despite the fact that Mai was rounding her 150th year she still somehow managed to appear as just a child to him. He wondered if everyone who had children in their families experienced the same thing.
"Yes Mai?" She fidgeted with the edge of her purple shirt and continued to seriously contemplate the carpet just beneath her slippered feet. He marked his page in the book he'd been reading and set it on the table beside his sofa. As he waited for her to speak again he began counting the tiles on the ceiling just behind her. When he reached into the fifties he opted for starting the conversation instead.
"Did you want something, Mai-Mai?" Despite the fact that Mai had insisted she'd grown out of the nickname long before, Inuyasha had always used it and she'd never corrected him.
"Um, I just wanted to apologize. I mean, well, you shouldn't have had to come find me and I'm sorry." She bowed low before him and gave him a sheepish look from behind the curtain of her hair. Inuyasha sat up and patted the seat beside him, waiting for his neice to join him.
"Look Mai-Mai, in case you hadn't noticed, your mother and father are a bit high strung where you kids are concerned. And I'm not saying that they're wrong for being that way. They've got every right to be protective of all of you, because no matter how old you are or how long you live, you'll always be their little babies." Mai gave her uncle a grudgingly agreeing look and Inuyasha took that as a cue to continue. "But on the other hand, you are also growing up. Breaking the rules is a part of that. So I'll make you a deal. Next time you think you're gonna be out late with a boy, you let me know and I'll see if I can't break it in for you with your mom. How about that?" Mai gave her uncle a smile and nodded her head.
"You'd do that Uncle Inuyasha?" Inuyasha gave Mai a tight hug before he replied.
"It'd save us both a load of grief from you mom." They shared a conspiratorial grin and Mai headed for the door. "But Mai-Mai, this doesn't mean I'm gonna get you out of any trouble. If you land yourself in it, you're just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it." Inuyasha took a great sort of satisfaction at the sour look that crossed his neice's face before she stormed out of the room, slamming doors and muttering things he heard clearly until she was slammed shut into her own room. Inuyasha chuckled before picking his book back up and sprawling back across the couch.
When Kagome walked into the room some thirty minutes later Inuyasha was snoozing on the sofa with the book dangling from his fingertips. She stared at him with a fondness that had never left her before shouting his name.
"INUYASHA!" As he jerked off the couch, tossing his book across the room in a manner that left her ducking for cover, she found herself once again wishing she'd brought a camera with her. He glanced quickly around the room for a threat and settled back against the couch when he realized she was the only person in the room with him. Inuyasha rubbed the sleep from his eyes and muttered something about stupid women and high pitches before giving her a look that clearly stated he was unimpressed with her chosen way to rouse him.
"Yes 'Gome?" His voice was rumbly with sleep and the butterflies that he had always given her did a flirty little dance in her stomach. She'd never really stopped loving him, but after years of fighting together - both physically and vocally - her heart had given up on loving him. And, considering her wonderful, loving husband and five fantastic children, she wouldn't have changed a thing.
"I wanted to thank you for bringing Mai back yesterday." She pushed his legs off the couch and plopped down next to him. Inuyasha offerred her a non-committal sort of grumble as a response and leaned heavily on his arm.
"Yeah, yeah. She is my neice after all." He stretched lazily, curling up in a way that reminded Kagome very strongly of a cat, and let loose a loud yawn. Kagome smiled fondly at him and tugged gently on his sidelock. His ears twitched just the smallest amount and she let out a small laugh.
"I know. But still. I wanted to thank you." Inuyasha blushed a pretty sort of pink color high on his cheeks before turning his head away. He'd never taken compliments or thanks very well and Kagome seemed to exploit that particular quirk of his. He gave her a look just out of the corner of his eyes before getting up and retrieving the book that he'd managed to toss all the way across the room. As he picked it up from where it lay haphazardly against the wall in the corner, he cleared his throat before turning around to face Kagome.
She'd been married to his half-brother for a very long time, and a long time ago he'd come to terms with that, but looking at her and knowing that every single night she slept next to his half-brother left a sort of ache in his chest that he wasn't sure how he was going to fill. As he walked to the bookshelf sitting just behind the sofa Kagome was now semi-sprawled across, he caught sight of the strange look on her face. He'd seen it on her face more and more recently and as he had never gained the ability to read her mind, the sight of it was becoming more and more frustrating.
"All right, Kagome. What's doing?' He set the book back into it's place on the bookshelf and turned to face her. She glanced at him over the back of the sofa, a distant look in her dark eyes.
"We've been alive for a long time." Inuyasha had a nasty feeling that he wouldn't like what she had to say, but he let her speak anyway. The years of living with her had taught he and Sesshomaru both that it was best to let her speak her entire piece before interjecting their opinions, as they were probably going to end up being wrong anyway. "And in that time I've made wonderful, unforgettable friends. I married a man who didn't think he deserved love, and I share a fantastic relationship with him. I've raised five children, each of whom have blessed me in ways I can't begin to tell you." She got up from the couch, walking to Inuyasha showly as though he was out of control and liable to strike. "But in all that time, I have never seen you fall in love." She stopped just short of him, eyeing him through dark lashes and a eyes full of concern. Inuyasha swallowed a sigh.
She'd been hinting around this for the past 500 years, give or take a decade, and he really wasn't in a mood to hash it out with her once again. In his experience, you lost the people you loved and he was very good at keeping everyone at arms length. But he recognized the determination in her eyes and knew that it'd really be no use to put up a fight, but that didn't stop him from trying.
"Look, Kagome, I -"
"I'm not asking you to go out and drag someone back by her hair, I'm just saying . . ." She trailed off, exasperation and inspiration bright in her eyes. "You spend all your time in this room. You read and eat and sleep and it's not enough. You need to get out and see the world. Things have changed since the time you were here last and I mean . . . Youkai are accepted in this world, it's not like you have to be trapped here." Inuyasha wondered if Kagome was finally at a loss for words and he was starting to prepare his escape plan when she took a deep breath and started up again. "Inuyasha if you don't start going out and meeting new people I'll, I'll . . . I'll make Sesshomaru kick you out!"
The threat was empty and they both knew it, but Inuyasha also knew that if she involved Sesshomaru things would become very uncomfortable around the house for a few centuries.
"Ah, damnit Kagome, why do you have to stick your nose in this? Maybe I like sitting around here." As the words left his mouth he knew all at once how big of a lie they were, which would've been alright, save for the fact that Kagome knew it just as well as he did. "Look, I'm just . . . I'm tired okay?" It wasn't that far from the truth, and it hurt to realize just how isolated he had become. "Don't forget, I'm still a Hanyou, okay? And no matter how much things have changed, I still don't belong in either world." Kagome's mouth thinned out and she was starting to argue, but Sesshomaru walked into the room just in time to save him.
"If you are finished yelling at Inuyasha, dearest, I'd like to speak with him." Kagome smiled fondly at her lifemate and gave him a kiss that he eagerly returned. Inuyasha resisted the urge to roll his eyes but did walk around to return to the couch. He exhaled on a great sigh as he took his seat back and found a spot on the wall about four inches off of the smooching to couple to focus on. When they were quite finished Kagome gave Inuyasha one last glare that would've withered a normal person before turning on her heel and leaving the half-brothers to their own disposal.
Inuyasha watched his brother with a careful eye as he settled himself into the easy chair just across from him. He might've traded his silken kimono and hakama for the more century appropriate three-piece business suit, but his brother still cut an impressive figure. His silver hair was still long and flowing, though he kept it bound when he was working. And his golden eyes were as sharp as ever, standing out in stark contrast to the magenta markings and blue cresent on his face. As Inuyashas' eyes met his brothers' eyes he sighed. Apparently Kagome had already dragged Sesshomaru over to her side. He wasn't sure why he'd thought Sesshomaru would side with him. Sesshomaru tended to stay in the neutral ground in each argument that had erupted over the ages, but it appeared that he'd grown tired of Kagome's constant nagging for Inuyasha to find someone special.
"I will, as Kagome did, extend my gratitude that you brought Mai home last night." Inuyasha rolled his eyes and shook his head. Sesshomaru would never, ever lose his formal way of speaking, no matter how long they lived. "And I would like to point out that, while you may find Kagome's constant commentary on your relationships irritating, she does have a point." Sesshomary had crossed his right leg over his left in the fashion of a true gentleman and his fingers were steepled in front of him, giving him the look of some sort of evil mastermind. As far as Inuyasha was concerned, he was.
"Look, I appreciate that you care enough to fight on her side on this, but it's not that simple." Inuyasha wasn't sure he'd be able to convince Sesshomaru of just how not easy it would be to get out there and find someone, and given the fact that Sesshomaru had actually taken a side he was nearly sure that it was a fight he wasn't going to win.
"Yes, your argument about being a hanyou. Kagome and I have been discussing this, and I believe that if you spend a little time travelling you'll see that it's not as much of a problem as you had previously thought. You may, of course, travel under the guise and name of your choice to the destination of your choosing, but you will be travelling." Sesshomaru's face was set into the hard, no-argument lines that Inuyasha had come to know almost as good as his own. He glanced at the ceiling for a brief fifteen seconds before sighing as deeply as he could.
"When do I leave?" Sesshomaru's answering smirk was nearly too much for the half-demon to handle and he was glad that he'd learned how to control his temper over the last few centuries. Sesshomaru smoothly rose from the chair he'd been sitting in and smoothed the front of his shirt.
"You'll leave tomorrow. I would suggest picking somewhere that you haven't been in the last century or so." As Sesshomaru left Inuyasha to his own devices he stared at the ceiling for just a moment longer, wondering when he'd completely lost control of the situation. He shook his head and turned for the door that lead into his bedroom area, a silly smile stuck on his face the whole way.
A/N: I really do love Kagome. I'm not a Kagome basher at all. But it is sort of fun to mess with her. ^_^
