Sesshomaru and Kagome were in their bedchambers as he was recalling on what happened between Kenryokuyoku's son and his sister.
FLASHBACK BEGINS...
It was two years before Sesshomaru courted Akira, when he and his twin was 175 years old. This son of Kenryokuyoku and Inuhime met at the Annual Ball. He won the challenge for the right to mate Inuhime. Inuhime and her family had no idea who this handsome young red inuyoukai was. He impressed her family with his strength, but she wasn't even interested at all mating to this unknown, but handsome youkai. This said youkai had shoulder-length red hair. He had dark green eyes that she had ever seen before. He was as tall as her twin brother. He also had one blue, jagged-like strip on each side of his cheeks like her father's cheeks.
"Father, I have no interest in mating with no one right now. Therefore I will reject his courting offer."
"Inuhime, you are at the age, when a young female needs to be mated. Besides, he's very strong. You and him will make powerful pups together. And make me a very proud grandfather."
She snorted, "Powerful pups, huh? You are actually willing to give me to somebody, who we don't know or who his family is. All this because you want powerful grandpups. Don't you wish me to have love and happiness?"
InuTaisho sighed. "Of course I want you to be happy and be loved. We will eventually find out where's he from and who's family he's from. Who knows? You might even fall in-love with him."
"But, father..."
"No buts, Inuhime. He won the right to mate you. Therefore, he will court you until the seventh night, then you will make the decision. Whether or not, I or your mother likes it or not."
"Tsk. Mother doesn't care. She would want me to be unhappy and be mated to someone who I don't love or care about. That male, father, is a complete stranger. What if he's after your title?"
"Ha, he will have to challenge me for my title. Besides, all these males know they can't defeat me. So, your worries are not necessary. You know, Inuhime, that this will happen. You are a beautiful, intelligent, and powerful demoness that these males came for a chance to mate you. They desire you as much as it gives me displeasure, but I knew it will happen sooner or later. Just do me this favor, give him a chance to show how much he desires to mate you."
"Fine. I'll give him a chance to win my affections."
"Good...speaking of the devil. He's coming this way."
She looked over her shoulder and saw the male who won the challenge. She wasn't looking forward to it, but might as well give him his prize.
This male smirked and said in his deep, sensuous voice , "My lord and my lady. Let me introduced myself, I am Toriko*. I am a nobleman from the Southern District."
Instantly, InuTaisho lifted eye brow and said. "The Southern District, huh? Tell me, young one. Who are your parents?"
"I know not of my parents, my lord. For they passed on, after I was born. My father's sister raised me, but she died about a year ago."
"I give my condolences, Toriko," said Inuhime.
"That's sweet of you, my dear. My lord, I would like to have some privacy with Lady Inuhime."
"Very well. I'll return shortly, my daughter."
"Alright." Her father left them.
"Lady Inuhime, will you do me this honor to allow me to court you until the seventh night?"
She took a deep breathe and said, "Yes, I'll give you the chance to woo me until the seventh night."
Afterwards, he bent down and brushed against her plush lips. He, then, gave her a kiss, but she broke it. She gave him a smile that told him that she liked it.
Meanwhile, InuTaisho had this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach while he was at his rooms' balcony. Sesshomaru walked up to him.
"You summoned me, father."
"Yes, I did." He turned to face his son. "Are you aware that your twin now has a suitor?"
"Yes, I am aware, father. Why?"
"Because, my son, as you're her sibling, you will protect her from whatever harm comes her way."
"Father, I will always protect her no matter the circumstances."
"Good, I am proud to hear it. I want you do a little snooping around."
"Hm. For what? Whom you want me to spy on?"
"Your sister's now intended mate. He said that he's from the Southern District. He gave no name to which family he was from. Something tells me that I need to know the true about this one, Sesshomaru."
"I see. When you want the information?"
"I'll need it by the seventh night, Sesshomaru. It's really important to get this done, son. I am counting on you with this. Don't let us down. Our lands are at stake."
"Does, Inuhime, know of this?"
"As of right now, no, she don't need to know until we have the facts. Now hurry! Go! And don't tell your mother. I'll tell her."
Sesshomaru nodded and left to do his task.
For the pass six days, Inuhime fell in love with this Toriko. Oh, he was so romantic. He took her on midnight walks. They had picnics in the gardens. They did cloud-gazing after the picnic. They also star-gazed. They did a lot of wonderful things. Toriko wooed her like no female has ever been wooed. Well, that was what Inuhime thought anyway.
On it was on the seventh night, the night that changes very demon's and demoness' life forever. They were in Inuhime's private gardens; having a picnic with Japanese lanterns of the colors of the rainbow.
"Lady Inuhime, I feel a deep connection to you. I want to ask you: Will you be my mate, forever, Inuki?"
Before she could give him her answer, InuTaisho and family came barging in her private garden.
"Don't answer that Inuhime," yelled InuTaisho.
"Father, what's going on?"
"Inuhime, listen to me carefully, this male here as been lying to us from the beginning."
"What? I don't understand this. You were the one who wanted me to give this male a chance. Now, you just come barging in and making accusations."
"Inuhime!" She looked to see who yelled her name. It was her brother, Sesshomaru. "What, father said is true. I know because I was the one who discovered his true identity."
"Inuhime, my daughter, this male is the son of Kenryokuyoku. He is very much alive and also his mother, too. His family has been after our lands and the throne since his father died and he became his successor."
"Inuhime, sister, he had been deceiving you this pass week to woo you. Therefore, he could kill father and us, so that his family could inherit the land, titles, and throne. No body would question their legitimate claim to them. He used you, sister, to get a hold on what's ours."
Inuhime knew that they wouldn't make this up. How could she be so blind? Well, love is blind sometimes. Inuhime could feel her heart breaking into a million pieces. Oh, kami, she fell hard in love with him, that became unbearable. Sesshomaru could feel his twin's emotions changing, first it was happiness, then it became sorrowful. Her eyes became watering.
"Toriko, is this true?"
"No, of course, not. They're lying to you. You know me, Inuki." He reached out touch her shoulder, but moved away from him. "Inuki, dear, you do believe me, right?"
She thought, "Oh kami, his voice sounds so sincere, but something tells me that he's lying. How could I make sure? I mean, I love him. He loves me, right? Oh, kami, I could see the sincerity in his eyes. But my family wouldn't lied to me. What do I do?"
Her beast said, "Physical appearance could be so destructively deceiving. You must look upon that to know the true, master."
"How do I do that?"
"You must touch his heart and look into his eyes. Only then you will know the truth. With more practice we don't need to touch no one, but only to look."
She looked at her father. She saw that his beast manifesting. She looked at her brother. His eyes were blood red, the beginning signs of his beast manifesting. She was surprised to see her mother acting the same way.
She went to touch her mother, first. Her beast saw her. Inuhime's beast communicated with her mother's beast. Her beast calmed down. Inuhime did the same to her brother and father, that they made the same reaction.
She walked up to Toriko and touched his heart. Before she looked into his eyes, she saw a smug look and a smirk on his face. Then she looked deeply into his eyes. She saw THE TRUTH through mind's eye. She dropped her eyes and removed her hands from his person, then glared at on ground like it that offended her in some way or another.
Inuki," said Toriko.
Silence.
"Inuki," he called to her again.
She thought, "Even now, his voice still sounded sincere." She looked up and saw his eyes. "His eyes still looked sincere."
The sincerity that she saw and heard. She knew through her mind's eye that his sincerity was false, which meant he'd never loved her like he said he did. She thought of every time they'd embraced; they'd kissed; they'd star-gazed; they'd cloud-gazed. The worst part was: they'd made love underneath the stars on one of their midnight walks. Every image she visualized in her mind. Her heart broke a million more times. She let out a single tear, that she quickly wiped away. No one notice except for her brother. Only he knew what she was really feeling.
"Inuki, my love, do you believe me?"
She smiled darkly, but Toriko misinterpret it. She was furiously pissed off. She and her beast said in unison, "No one makes a fool out of me and gets away with it." She was speaking to no one in particular. In a blind of an eye, she tore Toriko's heart out of his chest and used her poison whip and slashed every limp off of his body: his legs, his arms, and even his penis before she slashed his head off. Every scream made her and her beast smile. With every slash, she bathed in his blood. She used her purification powers to finish ridding his flesh that tainted her and her gardens. Afterwards, she answered his question, "Fuck no."
Her family was shocked when this happen because they had never seen her so enraged before. They'd never seen her punished and killed anyone because she was usually a peaceful soul. Inwardly, though, they were proud of her, even her mother.
Inuhime panted and leaped over the other side of the wall. Sesshomaru smelled her tears and began to leap after her, but their mother stopped him; not because she didn't want him to go after her.
She said, "Leave her be, Sesshomaru. It isn't every day that one finds out that the one intends on mating with deceives the one the most unforgivable way. Her heart is broken. Perhaps, even shattered to pieces."
"Sesshomaru, she will be find. She needs to be alone, right now. Give her time to grieve the lost of her intended, even though, he betrayed her trust and she killed him for that. She still loves him, but with time she will recover from her lost and move forward."
Sesshomaru nodded in agreement even though he wanted so badly to comfort her.
FLASHBACK ENDS...
"Afterwards, she returned like nothing happen, which I knew that she was still hurting inside. I gave her my shoulder to cry on, which she took it greedily."
Kagome had tears rolling down her redden cheeks.
"That's so sad. Is that why you never wanted to take a mate before me?"
Sesshomaru looked at her and said, "One of the reasons, yes, but there was more than that though. Everyone of them wanted wealth and power. It seemed hopeless for me to find a mate."
"To find a demoness, you mean."
"Yes and no. I knew that the court would take action, which they did two years ago. They wanted me to mate with Akira, despite the fact that her family wanted to take what's ours. Every time the ball came every year before you returned, it seemed hopeless. I almost gave in to their demands for me to take a mate until you returned. I scented your scent when you first return from the future. Then I thank Kami, then, because I had hope. I mean, I didn't think it would take Inuyasha to die for me to take action. Kagome, you were my ray of hope. Every time I saw you, that hope was restore. If I would had known that you and my brother weren't mated, I would had taken action, then. I'd avoided her and the court for two years by not showing up at the ball. My mother went in my place. She, too, refused Akira's father's mating proposal and the court, which it wasn't easy to do."
Kagome was shocked to hear that Sesshomaru wanted her before she was forced to return to 500 years in the future.
She yawned and said, "Thanks for telling me the story, anata. I am glad that you waited for me. I, too, wished that I knew that you had feeling for me, then, because I had feelings for you, too. I thought it was hopeless to have you as my mate. I guess Inuyasha's death wasn't in vain then because it brought us together. I know that sounds terrible, but..."
Sesshomaru interrupted by kissing her and said, "You're right, his death wasn't in vain, in the first place. He protected those he had loved and cared about. I thank him for that at the time of the burial. Now, go to sleep, omae. You are sleepy. Now, sleep."
Kagome nodded and quickly fell asleep in her love's grasp.
Inuyasha (c) Rumiko Takahashi
Fanfiction & OCs (c) ladytari