13º - The truth comes out

(*)

Sesshomaru was still growling low. Seeing another male kissing her, even if it was just the hand, was not ok with him. She was to be his and his alone. Until all her body was marked with his scent, he would become possessive and aggressive towards other males. They were a threat in his eyes.

"Calm yourself, the female is not ours yet. Remember the conversation we had with father…" His beast was trying to free himself from the restrictions in his mind and attack his younger brother for touching their female.

"I remember, but I don´t like it." His beast was not irrational after all. He was capable of understanding orders from his superior. He was finally able to calm his beast and look to Kagome. Her cheeks were still red and her head down as if she had done something wrong. This behavior was proof that she was very innocent in male matters. Even if he didn't like the reason, the fact was that she was beautiful when she blushed. "Do the same to her."

That thought made Sesshomaru's blood run faster. He now had an urge to touch her without his father being able to stop him.

The rest of the meal was quiet. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Kagome was trying to understand the kiss from Inuyasha. Sesshomaru was still imagining his future with Kagome. Inu no Taisho was trying to find a way to talk with his son without making him angry. As for Aimi, she was just happy and enjoying the feeling of having her pups around her.

Finally, the meal was over; everyone had their fill, but before anyone could get up, Inu no Taisho looked to his eldest son and said, "Sesshomaru, I need to talk with you in private! Please accompany me to my office." Looking at his mate, he added, "Aimi, love, would you show the castle to Kagome? This is her home now, so she needs to get familiar with it."

"Of course. It will be my pleasure, "Aimi answered with a smile. She knew that it was only a way to keep Kagome entertained and avoid overhearing the conversation that her mate and son were about to have.

Inu no Taisho was satisfied with his mate. She was astute and she could understand why he asked her that. "Let's go, Sesshomaru."

Inu no Taisho stood up from the table and waited for his eldest son to follow him. What he didn't expect was what happened next. Sesshomaru stood up, walked to Kagome and kissed her forehead. In inu language, that meant respect, acceptance and sometimes, between mates, love.

"Welcome to our pack, Kagome," Sesshomaru said with a smile and left after his father. He was now a very happy inu. His brother, when he kissed her hand, made her cheeks red. But, when he kissed her, the red spread to all her visible skin. Her kimono hid how far down her blush went, and Sesshomaru would have loved to see where it stopped. But now was not the time. So, he just followed his father without another word.

(*)

Kagome didn´t say a thing after that. All her life, she never had much male contact. And now, she had been presented just a few hours ago, and she had been kissed… twice! None of the kisses were aggressive nor passionate, but she had felt something strange running through her body. Sesshomaru's lips felt warm against her skin. And strangely, she felt her body asking for more. Why? She just met him. It didn´t make any sense for her body to react that way.

Aimi saw Kagome's reaction to her eldest son. It was expected, really. She was his life bonded female, so Sesshomaru wouldn't be the only one affected by their bond. Although, for him it would be a lot worse since he would be struggling with his beast.

"Kagome?" Kagome looked at Aimi. Her face was still red, but not as much as when Sesshomaru kissed her. "Shall we go? This castle is a big one, and you need to get familiar with it." Kagome nodded once and both females went on ahead.

(*)

"That was quite the action Sesshomaru…" Inu no Taisho needed to make clear to his eldest son where they stood with the female.

"Inuyasha kissed her hand. As heir of these lands, it was my right to kiss her on her forehead, as a show of acceptance." Sesshomaru didn't like to have to explain his actions to anyone, not even his father. But if he was questioned, he would answer.

"I know, Sesshomaru. But, what if he had kissed her on her forehead?" Sesshomaru started growling low in his throat. The image that went across his mind was not a good one.

"Then, her lips would have been mine." Next thing he noticed was that his father had stopped in the middle of the corridor, and Sesshomaru knew he had said the wrong thing.

"That, Sesshomaru, is exactly why we need to talk. Follow me." Inu no Taisho was moving again. This time, however, with a much faster pace. None of the demons said another word, until they arrived at his office. Inu no Taisho entered first, took his seat behind his desk and gestured for Sesshomaru to take the seat in front of him. This was going to be a long talk, and not for the motives that Sesshomaru was thinking. "First things first…" Inu no Taisho looked Sesshomaru in the eyes as he asked, "Are you capable of controlling your demon or not?"

"Yes, father, I am." Sesshomaru was once again annoyed with his father. This constant pressure was something he was not used to. Having a restless beast had never been a problem for him. Now, however, everything was putting him on edge. Just one wrong look from another male and his world would explode.

"Sesshomaru, Kagome is still too young to mate. Outside the court, it is common for demons to mate before reaching the proper age. For us, however, it is not permitted. If you mate her before it's time, your mating will never be accepted by other nobles. I will not have my house name dragged in the mud because you were incapable of controlling your urges. So, if you have another episode of demon goes wild, without proper reason, I will secure your demon myself. I will ask Totosai to make you a subjugation necklace; I'm sure you know what that is?"

Totosai was an old family friend. In fact, he was one of the oldest demons around. He had mastered sword making and every powerful demon craved a sword crafted by him. However, only the ones he considered worthy were chosen to wield one. His old age made him very wise, and even if his main function was to create powerful swords, there were other mysterious objects that only he knew how to make. A subjugation necklace was one of those.

Occasionally, when demons were too aggressive, subjugation necklaces were created. This would lock away their instinct side, and with it, any demonic power. The demon in question would become very vulnerable until the necklace was removed. This was a rare punishment and never heard of in ruling families. On the other hand, Sesshomaru knew that what his father was saying was not an idle threat. If it came down to that, Inu no Taisho would subjugate his own son and heir.

"That won't be necessary, father. I will make sure of that." His voice and eyes were showing extreme confidence. Inu no Taisho could now recognize, in front of him, his eldest son; the son that every land was afraid of. After that, Inu no Taisho was positive that his son would be capable of restraining his primary instincts.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was sick and tired of this. He was not a pup with lack of control. He was a demon, an adult demon, and one of the most powerful beings to walk this earth. His name made powerful lords tremble in fear… And now his father was threatening to take way all his power. Hell would have to freeze before he let that happen.

"Good, that's more like it." Inu no Taisho took a deep breath before continuing. "Now, to the next subject. There is something serious that we need to talk about." With his eyes locked on Sesshomaru, he asked, "Do you still remember the last prophecy of the Northern territory, before the massacre?"

Sesshomaru remembered it well. There was a prophecy, a very old prophecy, that talked about a demoness. This demoness would be born in the north and her powers would be so great, that if her heart was contaminated with wickedness and malice, the whole world could be destroyed. Shortly after this, the North was attacked and the family killed. There were many theories, and most of them were related with fear. The Northern family was killed to avoid the realization of the prophecy. If the family was dead, the prophecy would be hollow.

Sesshomaru, also, remembered how his father became after hearing such news. The northern lord and Inu no Taisho were old friends, and knowing that he would never see his friend again changed Inu no Taisho's heart. But time fixed almost everything. And, eventually, all the ruling families returned to their normal lives.

'Even after 200 years…' Inu no Taisho's heart was still bleeding for his loss. Akira and Linh were very old and very close friends. Losing them and never having the chance of avenging them, because there was not enough proof, was killing him. But, as a ruling lord, he moved on and accepted his destiny. Now, the past was back to haunt him. Kagome, if he was right, would bring a lot of demons to the surface.

"Yes, father, I remember. What is this about?" If Inu no Taisho wanted his help, he would have to share his information.

"Tell me, Sesshomaru, why Kagome? Use your extraordinary rational thinking and tell me… Why is Kagome your chosen female?" If Sesshomaru couldn't reach the same conclusions, than there was no point in saying anything else. However, if Sesshomaru saw the pattern, then…

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and was quickly deep in thought. 'Why? Well, she is beautiful… But I have seen demoness' much more attractive than her…' Kagome was beautiful; there was no doubt in that. But if beauty was the only reason, then why select her when there were so many to choose from? No, beauty was not the reason. Power than? But Kagome was still a child. 'Well, not a child. But she hasn't reached her mating years.' Right now, she wasn't more powerful than a human. Now that he thought about it, there was no real reason. Wait… It couldn't be…

Inu no Taisho started seeing understanding in his son's eyes. He was almost there. "She knew the song, Sesshomaru; the northern song. She claimed to have heard that song in a dream. She was also ready to defend your mother against me when I entered the room even though she saw that she didn't have a chance. Her loyalty towards your mother is very rare, nowadays."

Sudden understanding reached Sesshomaru's eyes. "You mean that Kagome is the demoness from the prophecy? But that's not possible! That would mean that she would have to be…"

"… The last survivor of the Northern family, and a danger to many demons. Specially, the ones who wish to claim the throne, yes."

(*)

Kagome was happier than she had ever been. The castle was magnificent. However, what took her breath way were the gardens. They were so wide that she couldn't see the end of them. According to Aimi, even if they were flying, it would take an hour to see everything. Most of the gardens were not even addressed as part of the castle grounds but as wild forest.

After exploring everything there was to explore, Kagome found a sakura tree not far from the main gates. This particular place was surrounded but bushes and near a pond. All you could hear was birds and the occasional splash made by koi fish. It was a small piece of heaven, to which Kagome would definitely return to. Seeing Kagome getting near the pond to observe the koi fish, Aimi said, "Kagome, careful. Don`t fall in the pond. It's too cold for a swim." Kagome and Aimi were in peace. They could finally enjoy each other's company outside Kagome's room. Aimi decided to rest her back against the sakura tree and invited Kagome to join her. "Are you happy, pup? Is this what you really want?" Aimi wanted to make sure that Kagome was where she wanted to be. If this castle life could make her happy.

"Yes, I am very happy. I finally have a place where I belong." Saying that, Kagome rested her head on Aimi's shoulder, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was no other place for her. This would be forever her home.

(*)

*This chapter had a beta reader BelovedStranger! Thank you so much! :3

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