Chapter 15

Inutaisho is known for his act of diplomacy, his name has already left a deep rooted impact in the histories of epic wars, the lines of his victories would make everyone look at him with a sense of pure awe, he is a brilliant swordsman, a brave warrior and a benevolent ruler. Those were the qualities, the push, the fact, that had made Inukimi to finally give the barest of nod to the marriage alliance all those years back, but now, she just couldn't believe that she had mated with a man who doesn't have a single clue of what was going around right now.

"What?" He had asked when he felt his mate giving him a look which would have scarred any lowlife soldier.

Inukimi had given a huge sigh of mustered irritation, a mutter about how a ruler shouldn't miss even the subtle events and walked away from the throne room. Inutaisho was in a loss, and it took him five more crawling minutes to swallow his dignity and call her back to explain things to him. And this time he had made Miyatsu to stay. (In case, he dozed off in the middle of his wife's lecture, he could always trust Miyatsu to manage the chaos that may erupt)

"Taisho, don't tell me you still don't get it." The lady started the talk again. He totally got the fact that his mate still believed that Sesshomaru was in love with Kagome. But the Lord patiently, for the trillionth time, pointed out that they were just kids and that his son is just being protective and there is absolutely nothing else that is going around.

"Fine, then why don't you arrange for a royal ball, formal gatherings of all lands, of all princes, including human princes for Kagome? Maybe then you will see Sesshomaru's rage." Inukimi stated in her monotonous voice. Any insult to her 'mother's intuition' is a personal insult to her, a call for a definite war and war is what she would give.

"Fine, I will. She may be a full human but I see and love her like my own daughter. She is fourteen and she is of age and I will announce for a formal gathering. A groom will be chosen, two years of courtship and then there will be a grand wedding." Inutaisho ordered and Inukimi had a wave of victory swimming in her eyes. Her lips twitched and her palms itched. There was a ball to plan and a hell lot of a practice to master the smug look - to give her husband, when it all comes crashing down on his head.

"Um, Sire, I don't think that is a good-" Miyatsu tried to talk sense to his Lord, but a hard stare from the Lady shut him up.

"No, Miyatsu, trust me, it's a brilliant plan. I will send an invitation to your son too. He may not be a prince by blood, but he does carry the value of one." The Lord said, his voice had a boom, a sign of final authority.

'Oh!'

"Uh-NO! Sire! I mean, I know Miroku sees Kagome as his own sister. It would be an insult to their relationship if there is an invite involved" Miyatsu swallowed the lump in his throat to get the message clear. He clearly has only one son to continue his legacy and he definitely didn't want to witness him getting fired up in Sesshomaru's fury.

"UH-huh" The lady mocked at him, gave a smirk and all, and walked away with her chin held high, her pristine silk cape fluttering with a start, her fur trailing behind her with a sense of bravado. She had to dress her Kagome in a way that would break every young male's heart when Sesshomaru man up and claims her.

~.~.~.~

"What?" Inuyasha had asked for the second time when the words robbed him of his thinking ability. He was in the midst of planning a brilliant sketch with Miroku to finally give the mangy wolf a hell, but then he was called for by his Lady. His best friend had strolled behind him with a promise to give him a proper burial ceremony.

"What are your intentions towards Kagome?" The Lady of the West was not known for her patience. That was the usual rumour that had flown to the farthest, darkest corners of the lands. But it was all wrong. She had raised Inuyasha and it does mean that she did have all the patience in the world by now. So, she repeated those words again.

"Uh- Wha- Uh, I mean, she is my pal" He stuttered. He really didn't understand why such a question was asked and it really really didn't make any sense to him as to why she gave him a stare that she usually gives when he gets in to trouble. (He swore that he didn't do anything when he had barely taken a step in to her room, before any sort of questions were asked. Miroku had found it hilarious and had giggled.)

"Is that all? Do you have any intentions to pursue her romantically in the future?" The Lady did know her younger son well, but she wanted to make sure that there wasn't even a thin filament of such thoughts lingering in his tissues.

"Ew, No!" He grimaced and his face had a reign of sour look, as if he wanted to puke in the very carpet that was all red and royal. Of course, it didn't in anyway mean that he didn't find her attractive, it's just, it felt so grossly wrong to even think of her that way. She was Sesshomaru's and will always be his. Inuyasha would never pluck her out of his brother's life even if his very existence depended on such an act. Besides, he was twelve and was still focused on sketching prank plans. His father had even complimented him on the 'brilliant war strategies'. It had made Inuyasha smile for the whole day and Sesshomaru had to knock him down, twice, so that he could get his due sleep without being interrupted with the hanyou's constant ,'Papa-said-I'm-the-best' song every thirty seconds.

"Good to know. And you?" She asked the human male who was growing handsome each day. It had almost made her even more calculative. But it came as a breath of relief when a royal spy had informed her that the human child was smitten with some demon slayer in the next village.

"No, my Lady. My intentions towards her are very honourable. It is known now to almost everyone that she is Lord Sesshomaru's intended" He said. Inukimi almost blinked in surprise when she saw the air of diplomacy rippling from the young man. Her mate's words were very true; he did carry the value of a true Prince.

"Fine then, off you go, my son" The Lady ordered and turned with a might. The smallest of a silly smile crept in the corners of the hanyou's lips when the Lady of the west referred him as her son. His mind had never doubted the treatment that he received, but it did feel really good to hear those rare words of momentary confessions. She had always seen him as her own and Sesshomaru had always seen him as a pain in the ass brother. (Pain, but still a brother)

And it felt damn good to hear it out loud.

~.~.~.~

"That's it. We are going back now" Sesshomaru got up from his temporarily made snow seat. The kiss of the winter was pelting them with its white and he could see the slight shiver that she pathetically tried to hide.

"Five more minutes. I knew I left it somewhere here" She said and tried shoving away the fallen snow by her small palms.

"Left what? Kagome, tell me what you are searching for? I can smell and let you know where exactly it is." Sesshomaru offered his help for the tenth time in less than five minutes.

She shook her head.

'God, she is stubborn'

He moved next to her and took her chilled palm in to his. She shuddered and the eldest heir did know that it wasn't because of the silver freckles that the sky spilled. Her eyes, her large eyes that never shy away from his were filled with sadness. He hated it.

"Tell me" He ordered. She shook her head again. Her lips had a tint of blue, as if the Gods of the Cold had personified and kissed her beautiful pink lips; he hated it so much.

"Please?" He yearned and she melted, instantly. He had smelled secrets from her of late and he hated it too much when she kept things away from him.

"It was supposed to be a surprise" She said, her voice was too low and if not for his sharp senses, he would have missed it among the blowing waft.

"What is it?" He asked, pulling her closer. He could feel the slight gasp from his Kagome, her skin was warming up and her cheeks were in a delicious pink. With her eyes closed and her palms lost in his, their hairs in a lazy ornate, tangled, dark among the strands of light, they stood as if they are where they were meant to be.

He was not blind, he was a full grown demon with all the senses. He was not a fool, no he wasn't, he could see her as a young girl now, naive and unbelievingly beautiful. Her shoulders relaxed when his warmth embraced her frame. It went deep, the comfy feeling of belonging with someone rooted firmly in their tissues.

Her lids lifted up, to grace her eyes with the complete bliss of being showered with the iris of pure gold. Her heart hammered, fighting so hard against her ribs, wanting to dance with the other half that was beating on the other side.

Her breath was deep, taking in all her lungs could, to imprint in her memories the very essence of his aroma. His single claw trailed her arms and there was that momentary dizziness where she felt as if her legs could no longer support her.

She was scared. Everything around her changed so fast, her heart, her feelings, her definition of happiness. She was too scared to give a form to the feelings she now harboured.

She had spent nights without sleep, refusing to give in to the demanding slumber until Sesshomaru crawls in to her room secretly. She was too addicted to his rare smile, to his hugs that he saved only for her. She was all confused and she could sense that something was gonna change, but it was too misty to point it out.

Few hours ago, she had felt too heavy and worn out to give a meaning to everything that was changing and so she had taken Ah-Un to the forest and had spent gazing around. She had stumbled on a heavily wounded fox. She had panicked and screamed for help, but the fox managed to mew her down.

"Please human, stop screaming for help. I won't be lasting. I can feel the kiss of the death, coming to claim me away. I have been hurt and wounded and my time has come. I do not shed tears for departing from the alive, but what worries me is that I would leave this young one all alone in this cruel world" The mother fox had whispered. It was only then, Kagome had spotted a small bundle in the woven basket near the full grown wounded fox.

"His name is Shippo" The mother had managed to whisper, she gave a small smile, a single drop of saline rolled down her furry cheeks as a final tribute to the realm of lives.

And then she was gone, her last breath lost among the wind.

"Shippo" Kagome had whispered and peeked in to the bundle. A small brown fuzzy creature yawned and it reminded her so much of Inuyasha.

And then he had started crying.

"Yup, definitely like Inuyasha" She had muttered and had given the baby fox some dried fruits from around. She had built a small nest, a cosy makeshift bed with her small cape and left her fur wrap (a gift from the Lord last year) around the tiny fox. She knew she shouldn't leave the chibi fox alone, but she was well aware that the Lady and the Lord of the West wouldn't exactly approve of her actions if she shows up with a stray fox in her hand.

"Hey little guy, I will return in an hour with someone who could give your mother a proper respect and we can go home, okay?" She had promised the little fox, as if the toddler could understand every word that she uttered. She dearly hoped so. The furry creature had hiccupped, curled in the wrap and nodded off to a dream land.

She had gone to castle, demanded for Sesshomaru and had ran back here. (He ran, she was just carried). It had started to snow and her memories have shadowed the location and here she was, searching for the sleeping toddler for almost four hours and she felt too guilty for leaving a helpless child behind in the belly of the forest.

She rested her head on his chest and cried.

"Kagome...please" He begged and he had never begged to anyone.

She told everything and he listened. It took all of three minutes for him to sniff the ether, to clear a small trail and to locate the snow buried carcass and a still sleeping toddler.

"Shippo" She whispered, kneeling down to the little warm brown. He peeked from beneath, all confused and hungry. Her arms were wide open and he leapt in the warmth, it was oddly familiar and he tried so hard to remember the feeling.

"Mama" He let out. There, he found out the name for the warmth.

She cried, hugged, kissed.

"He has green eyes.. so beautiful" She whispered to no one in particular.

An unusual sense of swell surged Sesshomaru's heart, almost proud to see Kagome under the night's bless kissing the orphaned demon, to see her caring for the little pup, as if he is her own. His inner demon danced with merry, roaring in his blood with a current of happiness.

He laid a finger on the baby fox, to mark his demon as his own pack. The kid demon turned towards the young man in the silver, all tall and strong.

"Papa?" he asked Kagome, his face inclined towards Sesshomaru. The human girl smiled, her heart was at an ease, her cheeks were kissed with scarlet, her eyes ducked down with a touch of shy.

She nodded and he smiled.

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A/N: Love you guys so much. Thanks for following and favourite-ing : )

I know its fluffy, but couldn't help it. :)

I wanted Shippo in the story.

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