Chapter 2

Inutaisho had to stay calm, placid and composed even though he was in the verge of having his veins exploded. His facade of patience was not fooling anyone in the main hall. And there was no one to blame except for himself, why he ever had a second son was something that he kept asking every night when the sleep refused to grace him. Not that he hated his hanyou son, but he wondered what kind of apocalypse he had caused in his previous birth that had made the Gods to bless him with a son who just doesn't know when to stop being a complete fool and who was an epitome of complete abasement.

Inukimi could taste the ripple of anxious in the tip of her tongue that was being currently emitted from the great King of Demons himself. Her fingers were tracing the vivid patterns on the pearls that adorned her nape while her eyes were trained on her step son who was the cause of the encased tangible frantic ether on them. Her gaze averted to her eldest, who was in the form of poise and perfection, as if swimming in the waters of absolute tedium, but she was his mother and she could very well see the small quirked up edges of his lips that almost went unnoticed by others. Sesshomaru was certainly enjoying the dense scenario, nearly waiting for the meeting to end so that he could witness with his heart's content the outburst of his father and followed by prompt disinheritance of his brother from the family legacy.

Inuyasha, who was totally oblivious to the knotty reactions of his family, was busy mentally disrobing the little female, whom his eyes had instantly picked off from the crowd. His fang was dipping his lip in what could be defined as his way of telling he was certainly interested, his golden eyes were half lidded, straight and glimmered under the flickering fires that were lit in the bronze fire holders placed across the walls. She was squirming under his gaze, covering behind another woman, the miko, who was doing the non stop talking with his sire about a treaty that needed to be signed.

~If you don't cut that out brat, I would personally rip one of your ears and feed it to the humans as an appetiser before their dinner! ~ It was a strong mental message from his father through the pack link and Inuyasha visibly flinched. His silver ears immediately drooped and nuzzled in the mass of silky strands in his head, to hide away from the imposed threat. His eyes shifted to that of his brother who was a little tardy in covering up the smirk. The haughtiness caked his bravado and Inuyasha could only send a silent sneer towards his half brother.

~A little warning would have been nice~ He cursed Sesshomaru and rolled his eyes when the said brother smirked at him again. The girl who was in the receiving end of Inuyasha's melting stare relaxed a bit and kept averting her gaze back and forth, stealing subtle glances at the hanyou who was feigning a sudden interest on the treaty.

Sesshomaru, who had already heard the terms of the contract million times before, had his gaze fixated on the miko who did all the talking. Her eyes had a mystified perception, her aura sang the serene purity and he could almost see the little specs of pink and mauve hues hugging her skin. He inhaled a lungful and his tongue clipped out with a burst of euphoric zest. He almost cringed when her eyes met his, across the luxurious room with acuity; she had a small smile that proved her to be blithe. Her vision shifted back to the matters in the hand and he felt unsettled, unable to form an opinion on the miko. Some thing was blatantly foreign about her, yet the look was similar and it nerved him to the core that he couldn't solve this well presented enigmatic labyrinth. The brothers had missed the introductions that were exchanged and by the time they entered the hall, the session had already started.

There was some kind of familiarity that was etched on her visage. From his peripheral vision, Sesshomaru could see that his brother had his eyes narrowed in a slit; looking for the same clue that he was seeking for. The eldest heir took in her dark wavy hair that looked like tendrils from the finest silk, smoothed with inks of squeezed hematite, flowing down and more. Her lashes seemed curved and never to end, bordering the light in her eyes that could be compared with the rarity of obsidian.

There was a man clad in traditional attire of monk, black and violet silks ruffled with the movement of his staff held in his right hand. His level of diplomacy brought many ministers in the hall to their knees. He had put forth the issues in the prescribed terms in the treaty and was currently dealing with the King, leaving the miko to rest a while. She had the small minuscule smile always on her lips that made Sesshomaru to question her state of sanity. Her palms reached up to twist her hair in a knot and that was when Sesshomaru literally heard a gasp from his brother. The royal members were oblivious to the sudden intake of air by the youngest prince and didn't still.

Sesshomaru could very well see the resemblance now and he could relate to his brother's flustered reaction. She strongly had the semblance of Inuyasha's dead lover, Kikiyo.

~Don't leave the hall in the middle of a session~ Sesshomaru sent a loud warning to his brother telepathically, who looked as if he had eaten something that was not supposed to be eaten (which is strange because Inuyasha usually eats everything that looks even remotely edible).

~Does she-? Is she-?~ Inuyasha struggled to complete whatever question he had in his mind, his eyes were alarmingly large as if he had committed an act of larceny and got caught righteously. His usually twitching ears were timorous and hidden, his claws flexed and his breath hitched. Sesshomaru had to control him mentally before the King and Queen noticed any err or stir in the air. They were still preoccupied with the monk and Sesshomaru decoyed the hanyou back to normalcy.

The meeting came to an end, adjourning the rest of the discussion to the next session on the next day. Inutaisho rose from the throne, his fur swirled with a curl in his arm, his crown imprinted with the richest of stone brought a sense of awe to the humans. Inukimi joined her mate with a smile in her face and a drop of jewel touched the crescent moon on her forehead that rendered everyone else speechless.

"The moon palace is open for your stay. We hope it meets your requirements" She said, her voice high and sharp. The maids at her disposal were immediately by the sides of the guest to show them their respective arrangements. Inutaisho was about to stroll down from the royal dais to give a piece of his mind to Inuyasha, but was stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"No, my mate, he really needs to-" The King hushed in a whispered tone.

"My dear King, Trust me, this is not the time" Inukimi simply said, gave a nod towards her eldest and tugged her mate towards the open door.

Inuyasha was still in shock, staring hard at the velvet weaves that were draped against the huge windows, as if willing them to be burned, to smoke away everything in his line of vision with a blinding inferno. His memories haunted him and he struggled to breathe.

Sesshomaru moved from his place, to stand next to Inuyasha, to pull him back if he starts to attack the random guests in their palace. There was a shift in the air; a strong tempest of lamentation was tearing away the sense of serenity that was seeping moments ago.

"Inuyasha, that's enough" Sesshomaru said, his voice equally monotonous and sharp. His eyes narrowed and the hanyou was shifted from the strange moment of trance. He blinked twice and a well drawn facade was back with a smirk, his eyes travelled beyond the miko and rested on the girl he was concentrating on earlier, all the while willing to obliterate the opaque form of his deceased lover.

"You must be Prince Inuyasha" The miko approached with a wide smile that was drafted almost in a sense of benevolence. Inuyasha swallowed a large lump in his throat, branding his brain with the message that the woman in front of him was definitely not Kikiyo, she was nothing like the demurred, soft spoken lover of his.

"Feh, are we in a place where we state the obvious?" He asked, his brow were raised, his iris starring hard at the human in front of him. Her brows arched, her eyes shone with brilliance and she rolled them in annoyance.

"Hmm, I have been told, that you have the bratty temper" She said with a smirk, twitched her lips and grinned after few seconds.

"Watch your mouth young Miko, you are talking to the Prince" He said, matching her stance, looking down at her.

"Titles huh? It should be earned Inuyasha, the King and the Queen has my deepest respect, but no one else" She said and walked past with a casual flick of her tress.

Sesshomaru had his smirk well pasted in his lips; her laconic words were as cryptic as she was. He could taste her power and was momentarily drenched in a sense of adulation towards her.

"Prince Sesshomaru" She inclined her head and strolled away with the monk and black haired girl, along with allotted maid towards her night chambers. The eldest prince raised a single brow, his fur coiled in the ends, bristled, annoyed with the lack of answers but intrigued with the challenges unfolding in front of him.

"And you are?" He asked before she could step away from the confines of large room. Her form angled a bit, a small smile edged her lips and Sesshomaru could only stare.

"I'm Kagome" She said and moved away with the monk.

"Oye!" Inuyasha yelled, his hands in a perfect knot across his chest, his eyes burning like a molten gold.

The last in the crew stopped and turned towards him.

"You never said your name" He said, his head was in a tilt, the smirk and arrogance baked his aura, and the girl towards whom his question was directed, visibly blushed.

"I'm Rin" She said, her tone was almost inaudible, floating as light as plumage across the mild gust and her cheeks were tinted with spots of pink, she bit her lower lip, a demurred look was given to the hanyou and she left all the while calming her frantic nerves.

The brothers exchanged a look. One thing was absolutely certain. The miko was nothing like Kikiyo and their stay guaranteed an impending havoc.

~.~.

A/N : I know they seem to be a little OOC. But they would get in their characters soon. Inuyasha, even when raised in a palace is cold and a brat because of certain misfortunes with his lover. And the flash back would find its way in future chapters.

Kagome may seem little proud but then how else would the great and mighty Sesshomaru fall for a woman (unless she is eye catching and interesting)?

And thanks for the reviews :)