Chapter 17

After arriving she had not been given the chance to start with the problems that she had started to tend to. Instead she had been lead to the meeting room, the room where her son, the lord, was to meet with his generals, and kept there. She was not told why, she was not told a thing, and all she was sure of was that the guard would no longer listen to her. She was not as high as she had taught her son had placed her. Thinking that her son that turned at her Lilith turned to storm out of the room only to stop and quickly take a seat when she heard footsteps getting closer to the doors. 'I'll see what who it is and what they have to say to me…and then I will return to my son and demand why he has done this to me.'

As the doors were opened, she heard the generals voice say, "Here enters our Lord, Lord Inuyasha, second son of our past great lord…the son of Lord Inutaisho."

"What?!" Lilith yelled in rage as she stood up and turned to watch as a now demon Inuyasha walked into the room with the generals and two guards to protect him. 'I don't trust the bitch to keep herself in line.'

"What your tone Lady Lilith, mother of Lord Sesshomaru and nothing else." The general growled.

"Have a seat; we have to talk about something." Inuyasha growled as he took a step toward her. "Or would you rather speak with the generals that have seen me as my father's son?"

"I will speak with the Lord; Lord Inuyasha is whom I will speak with and no one else." Lilith growled back as she slowly took her seat once more.

With a grin on his face, Inuyasha turned to face the eldest general that stayed by his side and said, "Go and tend to the other things that I have asked for, make sure to report to me tomorrow morning as well. I will be alright."

"My lord." He stated before taking his leave.

"Get rid of your guards as well." Lilith ordered.

"Feh you have no power to be ordering me around." Inuyasha pointed out.

"Are you really going to allow these guards, guards that may not have your full loyalty, hear about what we have to speak of?" Lilith asked in a mocking tone with a grin on her face.

Annoyed by her true statement, Inuyasha turned to the guards and maids that remained in the room and growled out, "Leave us."

Once they were gone, Lilith took in a deep breath and closed her eyes as she relaxed her muscles in case she would need to use them to fight the hanyou before her. Once she was sure that he was waiting for her to make the first statement, Lilith opened her eyes and locked them with that of Inuyasha and said, "I will not start this, ask what you want but that does not mean that I will answer."

"If you do not answer me I will have you locked up and punished." Inuyasha growled as his eyes began to bleed red with fury.

"I know a mere hanyou does not think he will have me obey." Lilith growled in rage, "I am a pure blooded demon, filled with the knowledge of demon poisons and you believe I will answer to you? You have got to be joking pup, I do not answer to you."

Ignoring her statement, Inuyasha took in a deep breath and asked, "What are the herbs you gave to Kagome before she transformed? What herbs did you use to poison her?"

Just as she was about to laugh at home for thinking that she would answer his question, Lilith opened her moth and answered, "They were well mixed in, in small portions so that she would not be killed in her human form. They are plants taken from the oldest of demon trees."

"Did you get that Kikiyo?" Inuyasha asked as he looked back the inu demon with a grin on his face.

"Yes, yes I did and now I will be able to go and gather the herbs that I need to put an end to this." Kikiyo's cold voice was heard as she appeared from behind the demon that

"You worthless hanyou! I'll kill you before my son returns!" Lilith yelled as she stood up to attack Inuyasha.

"Attack him and you will only release my reincarnation's memories. Have a close look at his aura and what surrounds him and you will know what I am talking about." Kikiyo hissed as she took a step forward to defend him.

Lilith looked at the hanyou before her and saw what Kikiyo had spoken of. She did not want her plan to fail she would not harm him. If she did, if she even wounded him seriously, Kagome's memories would be released from him and go back to her so that she would be able to come to him and help him. After taking a calming breath she glared at the hanyou before her and said, "I demand that you give me a room to stay in. I will not leave until my son returns."

"As Lord of these lands, I demand that you leave at once, unless you would like to be kicked out of my lands and banded from them." Inuyasha growled back in anger. "Do not think you can order me around…I am Lord until my brother returns."

"Do you really expect me to follow your order? How are you to think that you can order me…mother of the Great Lord Sesshomaru, once loved by Inutaisho his self." Lilith growled in rage as her eyes began to bleed red.

"You will follow my orders, I am Lord, second son of Lord Inutaisho…should you not you will lonely find yourself in danger." Inuyasha growled as the room was filled with his brothers general's and some guards.

With a grin on her face, Lilith took a step back and allowed her demon blood to calm as she said, "I understand then Lord Inuyasha, I will take my leave and I will not return until I have heard word that my son has returned. I wish you well, and I hope you do find happiness with the choices you have chosen."

"Feh, you won't return until you are called for by me…that is what I have ordered and that is what I will have done…General." Inuyasha growled as he began to make his way out of the room with Kikiyo at his side.

"Yes my lord?" he answered.

"Make sure that she leaves these lands. I want you to follow her and make sure that she returns to her home before night down." Inuyasha ordered.

"As you wish my Lord." The general answered as two of his guards joined his side.

"You think you have won, but let me tell you this Lord Inuyasha." Lilith growled as she was led out of the room the other way. "Should my son mate with that girl, your dead miko will come back to life…tell me…do you truly wish her back now?"

"Get her out of here!" Kikiyo yelled in fury as her miko powers slightly pushed them all out.

'What? Kikiyo…Kagome…Kagome I don't care about Kikiyo…I love you…you and only you.' Inuyasha thought as he stayed where he was for a while longer.

Thinking that he had stopped to think about what the inu demon had said, Kikiyo slapped Inuyasha across the face and said, "Our time ended the day Naraku killed me, the day I sealed you to the god tree. If I am brought back Kagome's soul would be taken for that to happen…she would be a walking shell with no soul. Think about that." before she stormed out of the room.

Once he found himself alone, Inuyasha took in a deep breath and mumbled, "Even if Kikiyo were brought back, I'd just keep looking for the Kagome, my Kagome, and the one I truly love."

After making sure that everyone was out of the room, he had the room closed as he made his way to go and speak with Kikiyo, Miroku, and Sango about what was going to happen. He knew that he would have to convince them, he knew that Sango would not want to leave without making sure that Kagome was alright but there was nothing he could do. He needed them out of there so that they could not confuse her, so that he would be able to speak with her as if they were just meeting for the first time. Once he had found them at the garden with the two kids, Inuyasha took in a deep breath and said, "We need to talk."

"Indeed we do, did you remember what I have reminded you of?" Kikiyo's cold and angered voice was heard.

"I have, and I was not thinking of leaving Kagome, I was shocked and was slowly trying to figure out if it would have been as easy at that bitch had made it seem." Inuyasha growled.

"Why do you need us to leave? Why can't we wait for Kagome?" Sango asked in an enraged voice.

"If she is not herself she cannot be confused by us being here…is that right?" Miroku answered before Inuyasha could say a word.

"Therefore we will be going to go collect the rest of the jewel shards and then we will be coming back once we have collected almost all of the shards…" Kikiyo was heard.

"That would be the plan, but I need you guys to trust me. I'll take her back to the village as soon as she remembers who she is and who we are." Inuyasha stated.

After taking a calming breath and relaxing, Sango locked eyes with her and said, "You better take her back so that we can talk to her the moment she remembers who she really is…Kikiyo if you don't mind I suggest we leave now…while I am open to this idea." Sango stated as she stood up to leave.

"Take care my friend; we hope to see the both of you soon." Miroku added before following after Sango to get the children.

"You will inform your brother that Rin was taken with us." Kikiyo stated.

"Feh, I will, just make sure nothing happens to her." Inuyasha answered.

She had just finished her bath and was about to get ready when she heard a knock on her door. Not wanting to be seen she took in a deep breath and held the door closed as she asked, "Who is it and what is it you want?"

"My lady the lord calls for you. He says that it is time for you to leave back to the west…he has matters to attend to." A maid was heard.

"Tell him that I will meet him at the court yard." Kagome answered as she moved to get dressed.

"My lady, he does not want to be kept waiting." The maid pressed on.

"I will get dressed first, tell him that." Kagome growled out in anger as her aura flared to life.

"As you wish my lady." The maid stated before taking her leave.

"And make sure that he knows that if I am to be his mate he best starts to treat me as his equal." Kagome growled to make sure that the maid and Sesshomaru realized what it meant to have her as his intended.

"I will pass on the message…is there anything else my lady?" the maid asked.

"No, that will be all." Kagome stated before dismissing the maid to go and report to her lord.

Once she was alone, Kagome quickly got dressed and may her way to the mirror that was in her room. After looking herself over and lifting the sleeves up so that it was more like a muscle shirt then a long sleeved shirt that protected her, she took in a calming breath. She had grown a liking to the lord and had made her choice. 'He will mark me as his countered or I will not go with him to the west…that will be my answer.' Kagome thought as she made sure that she had everything she needed, which were just the cloth that she wore before walking out of the room.

Just as she had reached the court yard she was not surprised when she was faced with a very upset Sesshomaru. It had been three days since they had been left alone and she had enjoyed it. While they each did have some time to themselves, she had grown to like him. She knew that she did not love him but at the very least she wanted to be seen as his equal when they reached his castle. Once she reached his side, she locked eyes with him and said, "I have made my choice and I would like to tell you before we depart."

"Then I will hear it from you once we have arrived at my castle." Sesshomaru growled. "I have some matters that I must attend to and that cannot wait for me any longer." 'I will not mark her until she has seen my brother. Maybe he will be able to knock some sense into this wench.'

"If you will not listen to my request then I will leave from here alone and make my way back to my own time." Kagome growled out in anger and hurt. "I will be listened to before we depart."

Finally noticing the way she had said it, Sesshomaru let out a low growl of his own and said, "Very well then, speak and say what you must."

"If you truly wish for me to go with you to your castle, to your lands then I request that you mark me as your equal. Mark me as you're countered." Kagome stated as she lifted up her hand to stop him from speaking to add, "If you do not do this I will not be returning with you to the west, I will be going my own way from here….make your choice."

Sesshomaru locked eyes with the hanyou before and realized that she spoke the truth. If did not mark her for all to see that she was his and no one else's, she would not go with him to the western lands. She would wonder on her own without a car in the world, she would go back to her time without knowing that the man she loved, but could not remember, was waiting for her in his lands. After taking a calming breath, Sesshomaru looked away and growled out, "Do you know what this means? What you will be seen as and what will be expected from you?"

"I will try to learn my demon attacks until then I will be able to proof my worth by showing them my miko powers. I understand that I have much to learn but I am willing to learn so long as you are willing to teach me." Kagome answered in a calm and cold voice of her own.

As she waited for his answer, Kagome could feel a part of her wanting to run away, wanting to leave and not allow Sesshomaru to mark her as his claimed. To mark her so that she would be unable to be seen or approached by any other male that was not approved of by her intended. Although it was something she herself had just asked for, a part of her was already starting to regret it.