Chapter Three
The screen door snapped to the side in front of Inuyasha. The Lord of the East stared at a face he had yearned and feared to see for over two hundred and fifty years. A rather expressionless gaze marring the otherwise perfect visage of his elder brother stared back.
"Sesshomaru..."
"Ah, good, I was wondering how long it would take you to get here, Sesshomaru," came the Inu no Taishou's baritone. He stood up to greet his eldest child with a firm arm hold, Sesshomaru bowing in respectful turn as Inuyasha gazed on from the sidelines.
The Lord of the West was clad in soft white hakama and haori silk, splashed with printed sakura blossoms on his left shoulder and on both sleeves. He wore intricate bone armor over his shoulders that seemed to have doubled in size from the time he had left the North Palace all those decades ago, his mokomoko-sama still present and fuller than ever. His face, once young and carefree, was older, colder now; somewhere in Inuyasha's heart that small fact saddened him terribly.
However, at his father's voice, Inuyasha's mind caught up with what was happening; he'd been staring mindlessly into his sibling's visage for far too long. Clearing his throat, and giving a less than respectful bow to the new occupant of the room, Inuyasha's usual curt demeanor when around associates and cohorts came to him in the blink of an eye. He turned sharply to the side and walked back in the room, seating himself behind his desk.
"Well don't clutter the doorway, step in and have a seat, Lord Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said, voice devoid of any emotion, refusing to be familiar with his bastard of a brother.
The lord in question raised an eyebrow but walked into the room regardless, the screen door being closed from the outside by an elderly, inept servant who held no writing skills and possessed no tongue so as to keep from repeating what went on in Lord Inuyasha's personal war room.
The Inu no Taishou hid his distress well, looking discreetly between both of his children, searching for some kind of sign that they had somehow fallen into step once more within the last two and a half centuries without his knowing. Thankfully, by the frigidness of his youngest and the impersonal nature of his eldest he was fairly certain that they hadn't seen each other since they had been separated so many decades ago.
The Inu no Taishou let out a chuckle of relief that caught the attention of his sons almost instantly. The great dog demon sobered immediately.
"Come now, boys. You haven't seen each other in over two centuries, surely you can put aside whatever small scrap you've made up in your minds and embrace each other like the great demon lord kin that you are and have descended from."
What the hell is he saying, Inuyasha wondered to himself. Embrace Sesshomaru? That... cold fish? No way in hell was he touching Sesshomaru, let alone with his six foot sword!
"Father's right," were the next words to spill from Inuyasha's mouth. It was obvious now that he had indeed been passed his father's genes, he realized agonizingly, if his way of putting his foot in his mouth was anything to go by. Though Inuyasha's put-off look turned more devious as he realized Sesshomaru looked somewhat aghast at the idea of them 'embracing'.
"Aniki, I welcome you to my home. Personal servants of my own will be set outside your door to use at your convenience, you have but to tell them what to do and they will abide."
The Inu no Taishou looked at his youngest in wonder, truly proud at what a strong, diplomatic young lord he had indeed become.
"However, should you mistreat any of them, you will be personally dealt with by me."
The Inu no Taishou could have cursed. He had spoken too soon.
Sesshomaru snorted, his regal physique intimidating that of Inuyasha's own.
The Inu no Taishou regarded the situation carefully before his eyebrows lifted in relief. Ah, so this was how it was to be during the stay here. It seemed the brothers had just acknowledged war with each other; one wrong move, or an instigation from either of them, and battle would break out freely and the two would settle it the way he and his brother had so many centuries ago; needless to say, the Inu no Taishou had won. This bold, silent declaration couldn't have made the great dog lord happier; the impenetrable wedge was still holding strong and indeed intact; his efforts not having been in vain all those years ago, and to this day as well.
Yes, even now he sought to drive them apart.
His sons were indeed intimidating beings separately, but when they were put together, it was wise not to cross them; separately they were strong, together they were invincible. Maybe that was part of the reason the Inu no Taishou had decided it the best course of action to drive a wedge between the two in the first place; so as to not overthrow his control over the country one day.
"I'm sure he knows his boundaries, Inuyasha. He is after all the Lord of the West, in equal ranking with yourself," the Inu no Taishou began. "Now then, why don't we go over the festivities and what is to happen when. I'd like to know the exact schedule we'll be going by, personally."
Inuyasha nodded in affirmation, filing through a few parchments off to the side of his desk, when suddenly a very surprising question was asked.
"What exactly requires all lords and ladies of great Japan to assemble in one place? Particularly here, in the Great East Kingdom, which my little brother commands."
Had the Lord of the East been drinking anything he would have spewed it all over his father and elder brother's faces in shock.
"W-What?" Inuyasha said, thinking he may have heard his brother wrong. Alas he had not if the true suspicion behind those molten eyes said anything about his emotions within. In lieu of staring at those heated orbs Inuyasha opted to, instead, turn his attention solely on his father as things started clicking into place.
"You-... You mean he doesn't know!" the Lord of the East demanded, somewhat relieved, yet somewhat disappointed that his elder brother had no idea why he was asked to visit his little brother's palace. And if that was the case, why had he come at his very own request?
"I may have forgotten to mention that little detail..." the Inu no Taishou said without remorse, giving a growl, signaling the servants outside that they were in need of sake, and some strong sake at that.
"Forgot to mention what to me, Chichi-ue," the Lord of the West inquired easily, though there was a fierce demand behind the cordial inquiry.
Inuyasha shook his head in disapproval at his father's actions as he gratefully accepted a choko cup from a servant who had just filled them with some of the country's finest sake. Curiously enough, it was from the West. The servant turned to the Inu no Taishou, inclining the tokkuri in his hands in offering. He was waved off, but set the flask down upon the table and left quickly.
"I cannot believe you opted to withhold such vital information from your own kin, Father. You're worse than a pup, you know that? Mother will be outraged to hear this, you realize," Inuyasha added tersely, sipping at his drink.
"I really didn't think he'd come if he knew-" The Inu no Taishou stopped dead in his tracks. How he could have let slip such imminent information, let alone observation, he would never know. Damn his loose tongue! As far as his children were concerned, he, the Inu no Taishou knew nothing of their deep seeded hatred for the other and what the cause of that was. He feared his minor faults would one day come back to haunt him tenfold in the malevolent forms of his only two children.
"Why wouldn't he? He is required by law! Even he isn't as dense as not to abide by law."
Meanwhile Sesshomaru merely rubbed the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Chichi-ue, Otouto. Even now, you neglect to specify any details as to what this momentous occasion calls forth."
Inuyasha's demon ears dropped a bit at not being called by his name. However, he quickly suffocated the unneeded and complicated feeling, stood up and walked over to the wide balcony overlooking his lands from the East's highest point and contemplated how we was going to go about telling his brother the impending news he had obviously been left out of with purpose by the man they called father.
"Brother, you, as well as all of the ladies and lords in attendance are here for a celebration," Inuyasha began, taking a deep breath.
The Inu no Taishou stood as well, walking to the other side of the room, fakely inspecting the intricate momiji wall hangings. His chances for survival after this next announcement were far better on the other side of the room, away from his eldest son.
Sesshomaru waited, the Inu no Taishou held his breath, and Inuyasha turned around, a smug expression aligning his fine, mature features.
"The celebration being that of my mate's and my joining, that is."
Chapter end.
Choko=small cup (specifically for sake)
Tokkuri=ceramic flasks the sake is served from
