Seven Days 15 : Reunion

"Ooh, have you heard?" Ayumi quipped as she held a magazine as she walked, reading at the same time.

"What is it?" Eri asked excitedly.

Yuka peered over Ayumi's shoulder, "Do tell!"

Ayumi laughed, "Here it say that the Taisho is holding a Reunion banquet!" She flipped the magazine open to reveal a full double page about the wealthy family of Japan planning to hold the banquet, at their palace outside of the quiet town of Kyoto. The silver haired man, a regal looking had his face across half of a page, standing poised and his face was set in slight scowl while his wife were next to him, looking quiet and demure beside him, with beauty that many teenage girls were jealous of. They were quiet famous in the last decade, donating hefty sum to charity, the Lord Taisho were also owner of nearly half of Japan's business, sharing with his brother, Inu Taisho.

"Hey, isn't this the first picture ever documented of the two?" Eri asked, shocked as she stared at the pictures. Ayumi nodded and pointed to bold headline, which stated 'First Documented Photos!' "Yeesh! He's so cute! I'm jealous of her!"

Yuka frowned as she tilted her head sideway, studying the image. "Doesn't he look like that guy… Kagome was with last year? Her husband from Kyoto?"

Ayumi stopped and the two other did as well. She held the magazine up, "You're right! But it says here that he has been married to her for a long time…"

As usual, the girls got the wrong conclusion and said at the same time, "He's two timing Kagome!"

Yuka paused and pointed to the girl in the picture, "Isn't that Kagome?"

Eri grabbed the magazine and frowned, "She's too pretty to be Kagome!"

Ayumi rolled her eyes and grabbed her magazine back. "Whatever, at least they're holding a banquet reunion party. It should be grand, I wish I could go!' She sighed dreamily as the girls continued on to the train to go to school.

Elsewhere, at the Higuashi Shrine, Ariko made her way back up the stairs of the shrine after checking the mail box on the bottom. She flipped through the mail, separating the junks with the letters. She paused midway up the stairs as she came across an ivory envelope. There were a golden seal on the back with image of a great dog. She flipped it over to find no return address and the family address written in elegant scrawl, it was addressed to the Higurashi, which she assumed it was for the entire family.

Sighing, minus one as she thought, continuing her way up the stairs. Kagome had been gone for nearly a year since she disappeared down the well the last time, with InuYasha and her mate, Lord SesshoMaru. She remembered Kagome was pregnant at the time and wondered how she was faring in the past. She hoped everything was going good for her daughter, the man who she had introduced as her mate seemed a bit cold but she could remember how he had looked at Kagome, his eyes were full of caring and love for her daughter. She supposed, he is a good man for her, or rather, a good youkai.

Her father greeted her in the kitchen, "Any letter for me?"

She shook her head. "Not today. But rather, we all got a letter." She held up the ivory envelope. She opened it and pulled out an elegant card, the seal were stamped on the front of the card, but bigger than the one on the envelope. She could see the fine details and gasped, recognizing the seal. "Why, it's from the wealthy family of the Taisho!"

Grandpa frowned, "Really, what would they want with us?"

Souta came into the kitchen, bouncing soccer ball on his knees and saw his mother's warning glare and stopped. "What's up?"

"We got invitation." She replied as she opened the card and scanned the elegant scrip. "You are cordially invited to the Taisho Reunion Banquet." She gasped. "Oh my! It's this Saturday and there's extra note, they're sending transportation for us."

"So, we are all going?" Souta asked, not really caring for the banquet, he was coming up with plan to get out of it.

Like all mothers, they knew their sons' mind. "You're going as well. It's for the entire Higuashi family."

"But Kagome's not here." Souta started to whine.

"No buts. Kagome's an exception. I suppose I will have to pick up you both formal wear." Ariko said with finality and Souta grumbled, making his way to the back door and disappeared into the yard. Grandpa nodded, sighing as he turned away to the shrine to do some cleaning.

Two days later, the Higurashi family was dressed in their finest. Ariko looked beautiful in a chocolate gown that hung off her shoulder slightly. Souta and Grandpa were dressed in tuxedo, looking very handsomely. To their surprise, the limo was waiting down at the bottom of the steps for them to take them to the Taisho palace. It was early afternoon and they knew it would be a long ride.

They've gotten themselves into the limo, settled back and enjoyed the ride. The driver had said nothing to them but greeted them formally, helping them into the limo and then driving in silence.

The ride was peaceful and comfortable and by sundown, they finally reached their destination, they saw were a large private land outside Kyoto, deep in the lush forest. The mansion loomed before them, large and beautiful. There were several other limo and fancy cars driving up and away from the mansion. Ariko gasped as she stared out of the window, "Oh my, it's so beautiful…"
Grandfather snorted in agreement as he watched out of the window as well. There were lights lighting up the path and in the twilight, the mansion glowed like it came out of feudal fairy tale book.

Finally the limo came to stop at the entrance and the driver came out, opening the door for them to step out. Grandfather exited the car then helped Ariko out. Souta followed, they all stared around in awe as they were being led by a servant. None of them noticed they were among youkai as well. They recognized no one and were too much in awe to realize they were among youkai.

"Oh my," Ariko repeated as they entered a large hall that was set into a ball room. People mingled, danced and talked, it was one grand party. The servant left them alone, leaving them in the ball room, a bit lost among the sea of people.

A lady shrieked some way on their left and they looked to find a pretty woman with short black hair shouting indignantly toward identical silver haired men who were laughing at her. It turned out that one of the twins had slipped ice down her dress. She started chasing them and the other people around them laughed returning to whatever they were doing, as if it were normal every day occurrence.

Souta stared at them and asked, "They just didn't care what the twins did?" His mother nodded, also surprised. "And wasn't those twins youkai?" He then asked, realizing something.

Grandfather's eyes went wide as he glanced around, "There's youkai everywhere here. Among humans, I can sense them… monks and mikos! What is this world coming to?" He muttered in surprise.

Suddenly, the twin men crashed into Souta and then apologized, laughing and taking off once again. Souta turned to them, staring after them as several women were starting to chase after them, calling them names. Then he saw another silver haired man grabbing hold of the twins' collar and the women cheering him on and leaving them to return to their friends.

Souta strayed away from his family, inclining closer to the silver haired men, the older one holding the twins, scolding them and telling them off. He then let them go, shoving them and calling after them to not cause any more troubles. The twins gave promsises, their voices full of mischievousness that promised something else.

Souta then was pretty close to the man who had caught the twins. He studied the man and saw he was a youkai, a full inuyoukai, his ears pointed and his eyes gold, almost hardened.

"Lord Inu'Daichi." The man bowed to another silver haired man and Souta then looked around and saw several silver heads in the sea of people in the room and assumed it was their family reunion but he couldn't figure why he and his family were invited.

"Takehiko." The other man bowed, smiling and it hit Souta that Lord Inu'Daichi looked too familiar, just like SesshoMaru, his sister's husband. His eyes went wide as he reached out and tugged Takehiko's sleeve, bringing attention to him.

"Sir, do you know SesshoMaru and Kagome?" Souta asked, curious.

Takehiko turned and saw Souta, looking down. He then smiled, "Yes. I am glad to see you have arrived safely, Uncle Souta." He then bowed, baffling the poor boy.

"Uncle?"

"Don't torture the poor boy." Inu'Daichi laughed and bowed to Souta, "Forgive my brother. Yes, SesshoMaru and Kagome is here, they're waiting for your family's arrival. Where is your mother and grandfather." Souta's eyes went wide and he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, unable to get out of shock.

"Come on, let's get your family and go see your sister." Inu'Daichi took Souta's shoulder and led him through the crowd, the guests moving out of the way, watching them pass by. Takehiko trailed behind them, smirking.

"Mom…" Souta said as they reached his mother and grandfather. Ariko turned to him and smiled.

"Souta, who did you meet?" Ariko asked.

"This is… Lord Inu'Daichi, right?" Souta looked up to the handsome man who nodded, smiling and bowing to Ariko and Grandfather.

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last. Come with me." He gestured toward the other end of the room and the five of them made their way across the grand hall.

Ariko glanced around and asked, "Why were we invited to the Taisho Reunion, I don't see our family being related to anyone here."

Inu'Daichi smiled at her, "You're considered immediate family relation to the Taisho more than you think. In fact, you three are the guests of honor." He stopped and gestured to the small room that was adjoined to the grand hall. "Please, they are waiting in there for you."

Ariko nodded, confused as she pushed aside the screen and entered the room. She saw a woman with long black hair talking with a handsome silver haired man. Her eyes went wide as she gasped, recognizing them. "Kagome! Lord SesshoMaru!" She quickly bowed to SesshoMaru and rushed to Kagome's side, hugging her.

"Mother!" Kagome smiled, holding her mother, happy to see her after five hundred of years.

"Oh! It's been a while… but…" Arkio stopped and realized, "You lived through five hundred years… didn't you?" She saw that her daughter didn't look a day older than sixteen, but beautiful with longer hair and dressed finely in beautiful kimono that accented her figure. Her blue eyes looked different, for it was aged with time and wisdom.

"Yes mother. It has been a long time." Kagome smiled and turned to hug her grandfather who were crying and Souta who was beaming widely. "I'm so glad to see you all again, and to be with you again."

SesshoMaru smiled softly, "Love, shouldn't we introduce them to their extended family?"

Ariko's eyes went wide, "Family?"

Souta nodded, "Yeah Mom… this guy here called me Uncle… Kagome, explain that!" He turned to his older sister while gesturing to Takehiko.

Kagome's eyebrow rose, imitating SesshoMaru's as she glanced to her second son. "Takehiko, I never thought you'd be a teaser, that's usually reserved for the twins."

"You mean that twins we saw earlier, putting ice down the woman's dress?" Souta asked.

Kagome gasped. "What? Oh those two!"

"Don't worry, Mom, I caught them and told them to behave." Takehiko rolled his eyes.

The poor three humans' eyes bugged as they said together, "Mom?"

Kagome chuckled weakly. "All right. Mom, this is Inu'Daichi, he is our eldest son… his twin sister…" She looked up to see a beautiful inuyoukai woman enter the room, "Ah, Chiyo. My daughter." She took her daughter's hand and drew the eldest twins together, "This is my mother, your grandmother Ariko. My grandfather, my brother, Souta." She introduced them. Inu'Daichi and Chiyo bowed and then hugged Ariko and grandfather while Inu'Daichi ruffled Souta's head.

"Oh my, they're the twins you were pregnant with the last time we saw you?" Ariko asked.

"Yes. And this is Takehiko, my second born son." Kagome pulled Takehiko to her side. Soon, the rest of her children started to fill the room and Kagome was introducing them to her family. For the rest of the night, Ariko, Grandfather and Souta were overwhelmed by the extension of the entire Taisho Family, InuYasha's and Miroku and Sango's descendants.

Five hundreds years later, Kagome was reunited with her family, bringing both sides together once again and she felt happy, never regretting one bit of her adventure and the long waiting.

Kagome looked to her husband, remembering how she came to be here in the first place. "You know," She said to him as he held her, her head resting on his chest while they watched the guests mingle in the grand hall. "The moment I was left at your feet, I've never thought it would come to this, but I am glad it has."

SesshoMaru looked down to her, "are you happy now?"

She touched his face, "Why do you ask that? I've always been happy in the last five hundred years. I have my family and I have you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

AN:

Here it is; the end.

Oy, it was hard for me to write this. I had to push myself to write this chapter while I have huge writer's block on me. I won't be able to write Water and Fire for a while. I'm struggling right now, going through a bit of difficult time with my life right now.

I'm trying to rewrite Rin's Waiting; I've gotten two chapters up. I'm also considering rewriting Road to Damascus, the first saga to fix it up and put in the Last Order between Saga One and Saga Two.

A Night with Daiyoukai will be appearing in Feb. Look forward to it. And please do read my other stories. Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews, you guys had been really supportive and wonderful, I love you all.