Chapter 12: Duty

Reiwa Era 3rd Year (February 2021)

Inukimi looked up as Sesshoumaru entered the house, still clad in his human disguise. When he appeared in the doorway to the living room, he stopped, his contact-blue eyes meeting hers.

"Mother," he said in greeting.

She looked down at her silver wristwatch. "You're cutting it close, Sesshoumaru. You still need to fix yourself up before dinner. Your father insisted on dining casually." For them, casually meant in the traditional outfits they had worn for hundreds of years rather than the modern Western clothing they wore outside the estate.

"Did he give you a reason for this sudden 'family dinner'?" her son asked.

"You know as much as I do," Inukimi answered. "Now hurry up. I don't want to be late. It's so gauche."

She waited for him to rid himself of his accoutrements and met him in the hall. Jaken stood at the door to usher them out. "Have a pleasant dinner, Sesshoumaru-sama, Lady Mother," the imp said, bowing as they passed.

The dog demons left the house wordlessly, walking across the family compound to Touga and Izayoi's. As they neared, the familiar scents of Touga, Izayoi, and Inuyasha filled her nose, yet a foreign one intruded. It only got stronger when they entered the house—not announcing themselves, of course, since the families had a standing open-door policy for each other.

Inukimi frowned in confusion. The foreign scent was distinctly human. Yet Sesshoumaru showed no concern. Did he know this scent?

"A guest?" she asked.

"So it would seem," Sesshoumaru answered.

"How curious. Your father said this was a family dinner."

What human aside from Izayoi would be considered "family?"

As they walked the familiar hallway to the dining room, the conversing voices inside grew clearer.

"Remind me about your family, dear. Inuyasha doesn't tell me much. For instance, how many can we expect from your side?" Izayoi asked.

"Well, there's my mother and grandfather as well as my younger brother, his wife, and my little sister. And soon I'm—no, we're going to have two nieces or nephews. I'm so excited! I'm going to spoil them rotten. Be prepared, Inuyasha. I plan to babysit as often as I can."

"Ah, that's right," Touga said. "Inuyasha did mention that was the reason you wanted to hold the ceremony sooner rather than—"

"Aww, hell no, Dad," Inuyasha interrupted. "Why are they here? I said I just wanted this to be a casual family dinner."

"This is a casual family dinner, son. They're family. That's why they're here."

Inukimi couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at her lips. That Touga still considered her and Sesshoumaru his family buoyed her spirits. She hated that she let such little things give her hope, and yet she couldn't help it.

"Umm…who are you talking about?" a feminine voice asked just as Sesshoumaru slid the door to the dining room open.

Four pairs of eyes turned to look at him and Inukimi. Touga's golden eyes and blue markings were on full display. He was dressed similarly to Sesshoumaru in a white kimono and hakama outfit, while Izayoi wore a splendid floral pink kimono. Inuyasha's ears were out in the open, and his amber eyes glared at Sesshoumaru; he boasted a red haori and hakama outfit.

And then there was the human: a rather plain creature with the standard brown eyes and black hair of the Asian race, though she had apparently received the memo to dress traditionally, as she wore a patterned green and white kimono. Her lips flipped from a surprised "o" into a smile as she stood up. "You must be Sesshoumaru and Inukimi! Pleased to meet you. My name is Kagome Higurashi," she said, bowing to them.

Kagome? Where have I heard that name before? …Ah, right. Inuyasha's so-called girlfriend. Although, if she's being introduced to us au naturel, then I gather she's more than just a girlfriend now.

Sesshoumaru's hand clenched on the doorway. "Father, what is the meaning of this?" he asked with a frown. Kagome's expression faltered.

Inukimi answered before Touga could. "If you took a moment to look at your surroundings, son, it would be obvious. Or did you miss the diamond on her finger?"

It was a little gaudy for her taste, given how sizeable it was, but if there was one universal truth that had withstood the test of time, it was that humans were attracted to shiny things—the bigger, the better.

She could not help the sense of disappointment that welled up in her at the sight though. Inuyasha was some seven hundred years younger than his brother. Despite Sesshoumaru's lengthy head start, he was woefully behind when it came to the marital department. Inukimi hadn't ever really hoped for a love match for her son, given his personality, but she had hoped that in all these fourteen hundred years, he might at least find someone he respected enough to settle down with—and, quite importantly in this day and age, with whom to propagate their endangered species.

In a way, Inuyasha's accomplishment—and it was an accomplishment, as far as Inukimi was concerned—made her feel like she had lost to Izayoi as a mother. And that did not sit well at all.

Sesshoumaru's eyes zeroed in on the gem that glinted from the overhead light. He turned an accusatory look on Inuyasha. "You asked her to marry you?"

"Yeah, what of it? It's not like I needed your permission," Inuyasha groused. Kagome bit her lip and quietly sat back down, averting her eyes from the newcomers.

"Well, this should be interesting," Inukimi intoned, striding into the room and sitting at the other head of the long table, opposite Touga and next to Kagome. "Don't keep us waiting and come sit, Sesshoumaru." She promptly turned to Kagome, who sat on her left. "So, when is the wedding?"

"May 11," the human answered.

In three months? The boy acts quickly, just like his father, Inukimi thought. She's not pregnant, is she? Inukimi gave a subtle sniff, but Kagome's scent didn't carry the telltale pheromones.

She glanced over at her own son, who sat to her right. Sesshoumaru's brows were pinched together so hard, the furrow appeared etched into his skull. Strange that he should seem so perturbed. Sesshoumaru never liked to be caught off-guard, but he also tried not to let it show when it happened.

Then again, her son had been acting odd lately.

The servants came in to serve their meal, and as they were pouring the first round of sake around the table, Inukimi glanced at the bottle. "Juyondai Ryusen Junmai Daiginjo? My, my, you are treating us tonight, Touga." It was one of the most expensive bottles in the world, costing nearly a million yen. But then, with centuries of wealth compounded between them, they could afford some luxury. She picked up her cup and sniffed it. "Mmm, that is exquisite."

"Well, it's not every day your son gets engaged," Touga answered with a wide grin.

"True. But if you're lucky, you'll get to experience it twice," she answered. Not only was Kirinmaru's command hanging over him, but now that Inuyasha was engaged, Sesshoumaru had no choice, as far as she was concerned.

Good thing she had already planned to speak to him about it tonight. She supposed she needed to update his father as well.

Sesshoumaru and Touga sent her identical warning looks before the head of the household turned to the betrothed couple and smiled while lifting his cup. "On that note, I'd like to a propose a toast. To Kagome, who was able to look past prejudices and see the man within the demon."

Kagome blushed as the others raised their cups and answered, "Cheers," before downing their drinks. Sesshoumaru, for his part, raised his glass a few centimeters but said nothing before partaking.

Kagome then took the bottle of sake and gestured towards her future in-laws. "Please, let me pour you both some sake, because really, I should raise a toast to you, Touga and Izayoi, for raising such a fine son." She looked at Inuyasha the same way Inukimi often saw Izayoi and Touga look at each other: with that sickly-sweet gaze that made it feel like they could ignore all the others in the room and just live off each other.

The way she longed to have her husband look at her.

If he had in the past, she could not recall it.

"I've never met anyone like him, and I'm thrilled to know I'll be spending the rest of my life with him," Kagome continued.

Inukimi smirked. The opening was too easy—how could she pass up the opportunity to pry a little?

"The rest of your life," Inukimi echoed, swirling her finger over the edge of her cup. "Indeed, what do you plan to do about that, Kagome?"

She didn't miss the glance of surprise Touga gave her. It was not often that she chose to use someone's name upon first acquaintance. Then again, having to pass and mingle with humans for the last fifteen decades required a certain etiquette. Their ways must have been rubbing off on her.

Kagome turned to her and blinked. "Pardon me? I'm…not sure I understand."

Inukimi's golden eyes cut into her. "I mean what is it that you do, dear? Your occupation?"

"Oh! I'm a priestess at my family shrine. I'm learning the ropes from my grandfather."

"I see. And did you plan to take over when he dies?" Kagome flinched at her bluntness.

"Inukimi," Touga hissed.

"It's a legitimate question, Touga," she continued, unfazed.

Kagome's brow twitched. "Well, yes, that was the general plan, although I certainly hope it doesn't happen for many years yet."

"Of course not. But priests and priestesses generally reside at their shrines, do they not?"

"Yes…and I think I see where you're going with this, but I've thought about it. Inuyasha and I will just find a place of our own for the meantime, somewhere between his workplace and my home. I don't mind having to commute for a while. But when my grandfather does, ah…pass on, I'm sure we'll have to move back into the house so I can take care of the shrine every day."

Inukimi chuckled lowly. I thought as much. "Oh my dear…may I offer you a word of advice? I see already that you two need to work on your communication skills. Take it from me: a lack of communication can be the end of a marriage," she said, eyes flitting across the table at Touga.

Touga snapped his sake cup in two.

"Dear," Izayoi whispered, nodding to the broken ceramic. He pulled his hand away, and a servant rushed to replace it.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome demanded.

"I mean, dear, that Inuyasha knows perfectly well that you'll be living here, but apparently, he hasn't told you yet."

"That's a rather bold assumption. I'll have you know that he did, in fact, make that offer, but I told him I'd rather we had a place of our own. No offense, Touga and Izayoi—your home is absolutely lovely—but…I think it would be better for our personal growth if we both stopped living with our parents once we're married. I mean…I never even stayed in college dorms, and I know Inuyasha has lived here since you built the place, so it would be good for us to discover what it means to be independent."

Inukimi laughed again. She couldn't help it. This girl has no idea what she's getting into. "Oh my dear, but that's how it was always done! Why, it wasn't until only recently—say, the last century or so—that children ever escaped the family compound!"

"I realize that, but this is the 21st century now. And I think we deserve a little space of our own."

Touga cleared his throat. "Kagome, if you'd really like your own space, we would be happy to build a new home on the property for you."

"Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to do that! We'll make our own way."

Throughout this entire exchange, Inuyasha had just been staring mutely at his plate.

Then Sesshoumaru blurted out, "Inuyasha, tell her why you have to live here."

Inukimi looked at her son in surprise. It was rare for him to get in the middle of such arguments.

Inuyasha slammed his chopsticks down and sighed gustily. "Look, you're the last person I want telling me what to do."

"Inuyasha, what's going on?" Kagome hissed.

"Look Kagome, they're beating around the bush about it, but the truth is…I kinda have to stay here. For my safety. There's a barrier around the estate—"

"Oh, that! I was wondering what that was!"

Touga's eyes widened in interest. "You could sense that?" She nodded. "You must be a powerful priestess indeed."

"Well, to be honest, I only recently learned about my spiritual prowess. But Inuyasha, you should have told me. If I get some proper training, I should be able to put up a barrier for us around our new home—"

"Tell her the other reason, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru interjected, picking at his meal.

Inuyasha sighed. "Kagome…I appreciate you wanting to help, and I'm totally supportive of your desire to live on our own…but signing a rental contract or buying a home would just create more paper trails. We try to keep as few properties as possible for that reason. That and nosy neighbors. We stay here because we don't have any."

"Oh. I see," Kagome answered in a subdued voice.

"Did either of you even think this through?" Sesshoumaru spat. His vitriol made Inukimi's eyes widen. "Inuyasha, have you told her about any of the sacrifices she'll have to make?"

"Sesshoumaru, stay out of this—"

"Sesshoumaru," Touga warned in a low, soft tone, but one that still cut through Inuyasha's threat. "This isn't the time."

"This is the time, Father. Obviously, Inuyasha has once again kept her in the dark."

Inukimi calmly took a bite of her meal. How interesting. It seems Sesshoumaru knows more about this relationship than I do. Why is he so invested? Was it really just because of that disagreement he had with Inuyasha in the fall?

Kagome rebuked him. "Look, I realize marriage is no cakewalk, and I'm aware marrying a half-demon will be difficult, but I am fully committed to this relationship, Sesshoumaru."

"Is that so? Then let us begin with something simple. How many social media accounts do you have?"

Kagome looked puzzled at the change in topic. "Well, all the basics, I guess. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LINE—"

"And how much time each day do you spend on them?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "That much? Well, at least you'll recoup a lot of your free time with this marriage, since we cannot have social media accounts."

"W-What now?" Kagome murmured.

"Did you not find it strange that Inuyasha has no internet presence?"

"I mean, yeah, I did, but some people are just like that—"

"Some people are like that. All demons are like that. There can be no photos, no public messages—nothing that can be traced back to us. Do you understand?"

Kagome flinched. Even Inukimi was a little shocked. Sesshoumaru never bludgeoned with words, only physical attacks. What had set him off so?

"O-Okay. Yeah, I get it. It'll take time…but I can wean myself off it. Sure. No problem." But the human girl looked a little sick at the thought. Then something seemed to hit her. "Wait, does that mean…we can't even have photos of our wedding? My family will find that very strange, if so."

The table went silent. Touga finally answered in a careful voice, "Photos are a dangerous thing for us, Kagome. The more that are out there…the more chances we have of being discovered, since they exist in perpetuity. Especially nowadays, with everything being digital."

"But who's going to know what you are aside from us and any demon guests? You disguise yourselves every day already. And I can hardly stop all the guests from taking photos on their own phones—they would all find that very strange."

"Yet another reason why a human-demon marriage in this day and age is impossible," Sesshoumaru added.

Touga cut him a dark look. "A ceremony and a party do not define a marriage, Sesshoumaru. There are hurdles to overcome, yes, but…I may have an answer…."

Inukimi zoned out as Touga offered a solution, taking the opportunity to sample more of the food. She didn't need to eat it, of course. This dinner was for the benefit of the humans and Inuyasha. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it anyway.

Her ears perked up again when Kagome exclaimed, "Of course! Thank you, Touga. I just want a reminder of that day that we'll be able to look at in the years to come, when I'm old and gray. Something our children will be able to look at as well."

Old and gray? Oh dear. Inuyasha really has bungled this up. Although I suppose that's no surprise.

Inukimi smirked to herself, piecing together her next question as the others chatted.

"It certainly is a magnificent age to have that be possible," Izayoi chimed in. "The best we were able to have was an ink painting portrait." She looked at Touga with a smile. "Not that I don't love it still, but if we could have had photographs at the time so we could look back and see the differences that have occurred over the centuries, that would be fascinating."

"Do you still have this painting? May I see it?" Kagome asked excitedly.

"Certainly, dear," Izayoi replied. "I'll take you to see it after dinner."

Inukimi had seen the portrait when she moved in—unwillingly, of course. It was a reproduction, since the original had burned in the fire the night Inuyasha was born, but to a human, it would still be seen as a priceless artifact from the feudal era.

She and Touga had had portraits of themselves made over the centuries as well. Many had been murals that adorned the palace walls. She had saved what she could when they repurposed the palace timber for the Sanctuary, but like so many of her things, they lay in storage. What use was displaying something that only brought pain?

When the conversation lagged, Inukimi finally spoke up. "I'm curious, girl. You seem to believe you are going to age normally. I commend you for it, of course—humans shouldn't get greedy. But you are literally sitting across from a 700-plus-year-old human woman, and you didn't think the same fate might befall you?"

Kagome bit her lip, looking back and forth between the two other women at the table. "It's not that I didn't notice or wasn't curious. Inuyasha and I have talked about it. I just…didn't want to get my hopes up."

Inukimi's brows rose in surprise. So he's not withheld as much as I thought. But why would she not find hope when his own parents have shown that a mating mark will guarantee her near-immortality? Her eyes widened as the answer hit her. "Ah, I see. It's because he's a half-demon, isn't it? He might not have the instinct, I suppose. Or the power."

It was one thing for a full demon to mark a mate, but who had ever heard of a half-demon doing so? Kagome was right to set her expectations low.

"I have damn well enough power, and you know it, Inukimi," Inuyasha snapped, slamming his hand down on the table.

She chuckled, amused at how easily he got so wound up. Many assumed he got his temper from his father, but Inukimi had seen firsthand how quick Izayoi was to anger on matters close to her heart—a side effect of always wearing her emotions openly, she supposed. Touga was a paragon of patience in comparison. "Is that so? And yet here she is, engaged in purely human terms and still quite mortal. But your scent is all over her, so you cannot tell me you haven't been intimate."

Kagome's face flushed. "His what is all over me?"

Inuyasha growled. "It's none of your business when or how we—!"

"Oh, when. That makes sense, I suppose. You did keep your demon self a secret from her for so long. But not even once since then? Or do you still wait for the new moon?"

"Butt out, you old ha—"

"Enough," Touga growled. "Inukimi, can't you see you're making Kagome uncomfortable?"

She could indeed, but she excelled in discomfiting others. "I'm only making an observation, Touga. But as you wish, I shall say no more." He might have given up his position at her side, but he still remained an alpha of the dog demon clan, and she would only push him so far….

At least on this matter.

"Say you do have the power, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru interjected, and the entire table turned to face him. He kept his gaze trained on Kagome. "Have you considered the consequences of a near-immortal life?"

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Your vocation as a priestess at your family shrine. You wouldn't be able to continue it forever."

"True…but I suppose that I would be able to try out other sorts of jobs then. That's the beauty of having time."

"Except that human jobs leave paper trails. So you would simply be restricted to working at Nishikuni Corp. for the rest of your life. Or perhaps going undercover as a Demon Slayer. Could you live with that?"

"I—"

"And will you be able to give up your family, who would otherwise notice that you never age? Could you watch as your family shrine is sold to someone else one day, when your siblings' descendants don't want it?"

"Don't listen to him, Kagome. I'd buy it for you through a third party, if that's what you wanted," Inuyasha said.

"That is not the point, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru snapped. "The point is: do you realize how selfish you are being by condemning her to this sort of existence?"

"Hey, who are you to talk about being selfish, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha rebuked.

Inukimi had to agree with the mutt there. This somewhat…compassionate display for a human was not at all like her son.

"Besides, last I checked, I'm the one with the human mother, and seems to me she's coped with this life just fine," Inuyasha continued.

"Your mother and Kagome are nothing alike!" Sesshoumaru barked. "Not least of which your mother comes from a completely different era. She was raised to accept living locked away like a prized heirloom. Your modern fiancée won't be able to handle it."

If Inukimi had been a baser sort, she would have whistled at that remark. A look at Izayoi showed the woman's gaze cast down to the table, though whether from embarrassment or introspection, Inukimi couldn't tell. His words are true enough though. And she knows it.

"Who are you to say what I can and can't handle?" Kagome retorted. "You don't even know me!"

"I don't have to know you. I just have to know the world you grew up in. And that world is the one that is currently most dangerous to our kind but best-suited for yours."

"Sesshoumaru, that's enough," his father said in a soft voice, but it lacked the vehemence he had leveled at Inukimi earlier. Touga stared pensively at the dish in front of him. "Every marriage has its individual struggles. No two are alike. I can personally vouch for that."

Inukimi clenched a hand. And apparently you struggled with one more than the other, despite how I always gave you the freedom you desired. That was my mistake.

Touga continued, "Yes, Sesshoumaru, they still have some problems to work out, but now is not the time. We came together tonight to celebrate, not denigrate."

"Father, if not now, then when is the time? After they are married, possibly mated, and stuck together?" Sesshoumaru glanced at Kagome. "Or has Inuyasha failed to explain that to you as well?"

"I am well aware of what mating is," Kagome answered in a low voice, her brows furrowed. "And if you really must know, Inuyasha wants to wait until our wedding day to attempt that, and I've agreed. Why are you so determined to think the worst of him, Sesshoumaru? Yes, he hid a lot from me at first, but I understand why he did it. Was it difficult for me to accept initially? Sure. But how would you feel if one day the person you thought you just might spend the rest of your life with suddenly turned out to be a different species? It's not something you can just cope with in a few minutes."

Or if the person you thought you'd spend your life with turned into a different person. Inukimi had not expected to relate to this young, opinionated girl, and yet the woman's words resonated. When Touga had come back to her with a new woman and a different outlook on life, she had not recognized the man she married. In time, she had come to accept those changes in him—yet it still took centuries.

"But after we got back together, he's been very honest with me. Maybe not completely transparent—I think tonight has shown me that—but I'd like to think it's because he's willing to put his safety on the line, just to make me happy." She reached over and took Inuyasha's hand, smiling at him. "Am I right?"

Inuyasha's cheeks pinked, and he glanced away from her. "Don't go makin' me out to be all noble and self-sacrificing or somethin'. I just…wanted to ease you into this life. Figured a few years of being more…public…wouldn't make a real difference in the grand scheme of things."

"I appreciate that, but I don't want you taking any huge risks just for my sake."

"But you'll risk her safety by bringing her into demon society, now that Naraku has it salivating for human blood?" Sesshoumaru asked Inuyasha.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, her eyes widening.

A discussion ensued then about Naraku's plans to open a rival sanctuary and serve human blood there, which he had announced at his gala. Living with the Nishikunis was no guarantee of Kagome's safety now either.

Sesshoumaru then addressed Kagome. "Do you see now what he's getting you into?"

Kagome took a deep breath and then leveled him with an intense stare. "Okay, you've made your point: I don't know all the ins-and-outs of marrying into a demon family, and maybe I don't know all the right questions to ask, because I just can't imagine all the pain of hiding that you've had to go through. But Inuyasha's promised to help me in any way he can to make the transition as easy for me as possible, and he's promised to protect me. What more can I ask for? Every single day, his life is already in danger; it would be hypocritical of me to walk away from him just because I would have to put my life on the line too.

"And you know what, Sesshoumaru? I don't care if it is hard for me to cope, like you say it will be. I would rather struggle every single day of my life to live in hiding than to go the rest of my years without knowing or loving Inuyasha. I only wish you could feel one iota of what I do, so you'd understand that these aren't just hollow words and that I mean every single one. But if my convictions fall on deaf ears, well, that's not my problem."

Inukimi was vaguely impressed. She's certainly not afraid to speak her mind. And not many would dare mouth off like that to Sesshoumaru.

There was a loud sniff from the end of the table, and everyone glanced at Izayoi, who had pressed a napkin to her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut and tears flowing out. "I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to break the mood, but…Kagome, as Inuyasha's mother, your words could not make me any happier. I will be so proud to call you my daughter."

"Oh, Izayoi," Kagome breathed with a smile, her own eyes misting. She got up from the table and walked around, hugging her future mother-in-law, who accepted her with a soft chuckle and a kiss on her cheek.

Sesshoumaru suddenly stood up. Inukimi caught a glance of his features—dark as a thundercloud—before he turned and went to the door.

"Son, where are you going?" Touga asked.

"They have made their point, Father. No matter the consequences, they intend to go through with this marriage. Nothing I say will convince them otherwise." He left.

Kagome stared at the door with a stricken look. "He hates me."

"No, Kagome, he hates me, so don't even give him another thought," Inuyasha said. "I knew he'd pull some shit tonight, so that's why I didn't want him here, but Dad insisted." The half-breed glared at his father.

Touga rubbed a hand over his face. "I swear, you two act like this only to try my patience."

"You are both wrong," Inukimi stated, not looking at anyone and instead keeping her eyes trained on her sake glass as she scraped the edge of her claw over it. "Inuyasha, if your brother truly hated you, he would not have spent the last half-hour trying to make you see sense. As for you, Kagome, Sesshoumaru has no reason to hate you—nor does he have any reason to like you. A family tie means little to him. If you seek his approval, you will have to prove yourself worthy of his notice." She stood up.

"You're leaving now as well?" Touga asked, pinning her with a reproachful stare.

Inukimi leveled one back at him. "I know when I have overstayed my welcome. Stay and celebrate with your son, Touga. I will tend to ours." Obviously, there is something more to this than meets the eye. You've said as much before.

Touga nodded, as if he had heard her unspoken words, but to her surprise, he caught up with her outside the house.

"Inukimi, wait." She stopped and turned towards him, arching a brow in anticipation. "What…what do you plan to say to him?"

"Why? Did you have something in mind?"

"No, I just…. Don't be too hard on him. Something is obviously wrong. I just wish he would tell us why.

"Yes, well, you wanted me to get to the bottom of his behavior recently, and I plan to give him one last chance to come clean."

"What do you mean, 'one last chance?'"

Inukimi sighed. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure about Sesshoumaru's intentions, but Kirinmaru is threatening to call in your life debt. He wants Sesshoumaru to marry Zero, and she has agreed to such an arrangement."

Touga's eyes widened. "And you weren't going to tell me this until after it was all said and done?"

Inukimi frowned. "This can hardly come as a surprise, Touga. Kirinmaru has done more than hint at such an alliance for centuries."

"I know, but I just…hate that Sesshoumaru has to shoulder my debt." Touga stared at her and swallowed thickly. "Is that…the only alliance Kirinmaru would consider in exchange?"

Inukimi frowned. She knew exactly what he was insinuating. "So it is alright for me to bear the burden of your debt, but not your son?"

Touga winced. "No, that's not what I—"

"Yes, that is exactly what you meant. Do not lie to me. You forget that even if no one else is aware of it, I am not even legally available to wed another demon."

Touga stared at her, appearing to chew over his words before finally letting them drip out. "But it is within your power to change that."

Inukimi's heart squeezed, as if he had crushed it in his fist. After all these years, he still wants a divorce? Has nothing I've done moved his heart even a little?

And yet that look he had sent her and Kirinmaru's way during their dance a few weeks ago had been burning in her mind. Had she just imagined it all? Or was he simply denying his own feelings? She could understand if that was the case.

Perhaps she could test the waters.

"It would not bother you then to hand me off to your rival? The demon whose horn and arm you cut off because he dared try to mount what was yours?"

Touga's jaw tensed, his pupils sharpening to slits. "That was…a very long time ago," he admitted through gritted teeth.

"Some things are not so easily forgotten, no matter how much time passes.

"You said you forgave him."

"Yes. But have you forgiven him?"

"I have—"

Inukimi suddenly closed the distance between them and placed her hand on his chest. His heartbeat kicked up a notch in her ears, and her own responded to the same tempo. Emboldened to continue, she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Can you imagine what might have happened had you not been there?" Her fingers trailed down his chest until they brushed both the top of her stomach and his. "Our Sesshoumaru would not be here. Instead, I could have borne some doggish kirin bastard." Touga's knuckles cracked as his hands fisted at his sides, and she couldn't help the feeling of pleasure she derived from his anger. So she egged just a little further. "What would that child have looked like, I wonder? Do you truly wish me to go and find out…?"

"Enough!" Touga barked, pushing her away. His face looked as if it had been molded from steel, and the words that left his lips were just as sharp. "Enough. What you choose to do…and with whom…is no longer any concern of mine."

She masked her features to hide the hurt caused by his words. But she could not resist a return volley. "The great irony is, Touga, that as your wife, I did vow to help you carry your burdens. And I would have done so willingly—except that this particular burden would relive me of my position as your wife, and then what duty would I have towards you anyway?"

Touga pinched the bridge of his nose. "Inukimi, please, do not make my mind spin anymore than it already is."

She waved his concerns away as if they were a physical thing. "As you wish. You've been informed. Come the morn, either Sesshoumaru will have confessed his secrets to me, or he will have entered into an understanding with Zero."

"And there are truly no other options?" Touga asked.

"Sesshoumaru will be the key to figuring out that."

Touga looked so exhausted from their conversation that a small amount of pity welled up within her—and she hated herself for it. She knew she hadn't made this exchange easy on him, but he had deserved every word and more.

Even so, she disliked seeing a Touga who was anything but happy, so she decided to bestow him with a small mercy and close this conversation. "Go back to your dinner, Touga. You've kept them waiting so long, it's a wonder Izayoi hasn't come snooping yet. Besides, I need to pin down Sesshoumaru before he runs away from this conversation again."

She left him then, going back to her own home. Even if she could not smell which room Sesshoumaru was in, she would have only had a couple choices: his den or his bedroom, and the foremost was his preferred sanctuary.

Without waiting for an invitation, she opened the door to his office and breezed in, taking a seat on the other side of his desk. They sat in silence for a moment. Sesshoumaru did not often initiate conversation, so if she was going to figure out what was going on with him, she would have to start it.

Unfortunately, she knew firsthand that asking him what was wrong outright would cause him to clam up or lie. She too had the tendency to recoil from such personal questions, and it had cost her her husband. She was trying to be better about it—had she not just confessed some of her feelings in the garden?—but sometimes she wondered if it was just too late for her. For them.

Finally, she chose what she felt was the right angle to begin with. "You were awfully invested in your brother's relationship tonight."

"And you weren't?" he answered. "I recall you held your own Spanish Inquisition with Kagome."

"Oh, I was just toying with the two to get a rise out of them. How they choose to bungle their lives is no concern of mine, nor should it be of yours. And yet…you seemed quite concerned for that girl."

"If I did, it was only because I am concerned what calamity she will bring to our family and our ability to stay in the shadows," Sesshoumaru answered.

"Hnn," Inukimi responded. His answer was certainly in line with what she would expect to hear from Sesshoumaru, and yet…the vehemence in his tone earlier—the emotion welling behind there—were more than what he ever revealed in regards to keeping their family safe. "Well, I suppose their little announcement will have an impact on you, so you have a right to be concerned."

He finally glanced at her, frowning. "How so?"

"You cannot put it off any longer, Sesshoumaru. Now that your younger brother is getting married, so must you."

Sesshoumaru huffed in annoyance and turned back to his computer screen. "This isn't the feudal era, mother. Such antiquated notions of elder sons marrying before younger ones no longer hold any water."

"That's not what I mean, Sesshoumaru. While predictable, it is nevertheless lamentable that your brother chose a human for his intended. Despite his half-blood status, he comes from a powerful, noble, demon family and would have sired a powerful mostly-demon child had he chosen differently. Though it's a shame Tsukuyomaru has the same proclivities as your father, even his girl, Shiori, would have been a better pick than this human. Instead, Inuyasha's descendants will hold less and less demonic blood until it is but a drop and essentially wiped out. So, my son, you are this family's last hope in continuing its demon lineage. In fact, it is your duty as a pureblood."

"Again, your antiquated notions are lost in this day and age."

Inukimi clenched her hand, then smoothed it out as if she were simply looking at her nails. What more could she say to make him understand? He knew the stakes already, but he acted as if it had nothing to do with him. "Sesshoumaru, our kind is dying out. Do you not care that your own species is fading from existence? What will you say when you are left alone at the end, the last of your kind, and wondering what you could have done to prevent our demise?"

"Do not presume to place the entire fate of demonkind on my shoulders. There are other purebloods out there who can do the same."

Though she continued to inspect her claws in a show of indifference, she could feel his accusatory gaze upon her. Still, she did not falter. "And when every pureblood has the same answer as you? It is a collective duty, Sesshoumaru. You must step up."

"Then why don't you step up, Mother, and do your duty? Last I checked, you were single enough."

She looked up, and her eyes flashed red as she snarled at him. "I did do my duty, Sesshoumaru. I had you. And what an ungrateful return I have gotten for it!"

The brief twitch of her son's facial muscles was enough to know she had wounded him, and she regretted the words immediately. It wasn't his fault that Touga had left her. It wasn't his fault that she had not felt ready to have another child until it was too late. He didn't know any of this, and though his words struck her like arrows, she could not apologize for her retaliation, for to do so would be to reveal all the deepest secrets of her heart—and that was not a burden for her child. He already had enough to shoulder. So she sighed, resting her head on her hand. "Son, what do you have to lose?"

"You cannot force me to wed, Mother."

"We shall see. Now then, where are those bridal profiles I gave you last month?"

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru barked.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the imp asked, sliding into the doorway like he had been standing outside the whole time, just waiting to be called.

"Where are these profiles of which my mother speaks?"

"You, ah, asked me to throw them out, milord."

Sesshoumaru smirked at his mother in triumph, even as she glared back at him. She had expected Sesshoumaru to ignore her hard work, but to toss it all away? Unfilial child.

"F-Forgive me, sir," Jaken continued, "but the files looked important, and I knew your lady mother had taken great pains to put them together, so I…kept them safe." The imp's voice trailed off as Sesshoumaru's smile turned into a scowl. He pulled open a small, heavy drawer in his desk that he kept stashed with rocks just for this sort of moment.

Inukimi smiled as if she had just chased off a cat, and before Sesshoumaru could throw a stone at Jaken's head, she said, "Well done, little demon. Now, go and fetch them for us."

"Y-Yes, milady," Jaken squeaked, scampering out of the room.

"I've always had my doubts about your retainer, but he does appear to come in useful sometimes," Inukimi noted with her satisfied smile, leaning back in her chair. Sesshoumaru just ground his teeth and shut the drawer with more force than necessary.

Jaken reappeared moments later, juggling the thick set of files in his arms. He ran over and handed them to Inukimi. "H-Here you are, milady."

"That will be all, little demon," Inukimi said. Dismissed, Jaken left.

"That will be all, mother," Sesshoumaru echoed.

Cute. Did he think it would be that easy to get rid of me?

"Hardly. I am not leaving your side until you have picked out a bride, Sesshoumaru. If I must live with the indignity of your half-breed, younger brother marrying first, I will at least see you engaged by the time of his wedding." She placed the portfolios in front of him. "Now, these are the final options of my curated selection. I went through great pains to scour all of demonkind for the best matches for you, son."

Sesshoumaru pulled open the first file, which Inukimi noticed was Princess Abi's.

"Really, Mother? The woman supplying our competition with ill-gotten blood?"

"Well, if you want to think about it from a strategic standpoint, by marrying her, you could eventually cut off Naraku's blood supply, since it would become a conflict of interests for her."

He tossed Abi's file aside without looking further, then picked up the next one. He frowned and turned it around so his mother could see. "Are you serious, Mother?"

It was Touran of the Panther tribe.

Inukimi sniffed. "Yes, well, at this point in the game, Sesshoumaru, there aren't many options left as far as purebloods go, and of the three female Devas, I thought she fit you best. Unless you'd like one of the other ones? What were their names—?"

"Mother, they are from the panther tribe. Father's mortal enemies."

Inukimi waved his concerns away. "Pish posh. The days of mortal enemies are well and truly done. Business rivals, perhaps, but I haven't met a businessman yet who wouldn't sell his mother—or daughter—for a good deal."

If she could let bygones be bygones with Kirinmaru, Touga could do the same with the Panther Tribe, despite the wounds he suffered at their hands centuries ago.

"The lion will lie down with the lamb well before the dog lies down with the cat," Sesshoumaru remarked, throwing the file onto the rejected pile.

"I can't say I blame you, dear." If I had to smell a cat's stench in my household for the rest of my life, I'd go mad.

He flipped open the next file. "Are any of these supposed to be serious candidates, Mother?" he asked, throwing down the open portfolio.

Inukimi glanced at Kagura's picture. "Again, there could be some business strategy behind it, but I admit it's a long shot. Honestly, I only put her in the stack because she seems rather attached to you, which is more than I can say for any of the others. Trust me when I say you want a partner who is loyal to you, Sesshoumaru."

At least I could trust your father not to turn into my enemy, despite his betrayal of my heart. Though she suspected a political betrayal would have hurt less than the one she sustained.

"I would not be able to stand her stench. She reeks like Naraku."

She did indeed, which was odd. Naraku and his ilk had sprung out into society some fifty years ago, carrying identical scents of fetid corpses and nouveau riche. She posited that his children might actually be somehow broken off from himself, though he had never claimed as such. She mentioned her suspicions to Sesshoumaru, concluding, "That man is not at all what he claims he is, and if he's lying about that, I don't want to think what else he's lying about."

"So you would rather I not marry Kagura," Sesshoumaru parsed out, as if to clarify.

"Correct. However, if you insist on doing so, I will not stand in your way, since I know just how stubborn you can be."

I would rather he marry any demon than none at all. But if he truly is in love with someone as his father thinks he is, then he will need to speak up or forever hold his peace, because he is out of time. …Then again, his father apparently had no problems having relations with two women. I suppose it is not farfetched to think his son might one day end up the same, though the very idea galls me.

Sesshoumaru read through a few more profiles, calmly rejecting them. However, Inukimi did not complain as the pile of rejections grew. After all, she knew how this was going to end.

He picked up the final file: Zero.

His frown deepened. "Did Zero agree to this?"

"She is willing, if you are," his mother replied.

"Why?"

Inukimi was not sure how much Sesshoumaru knew about Zero's feelings. He had never been the most attentive to others' emotions, and yet…Zero was not exactly subtle with her desires. How Touga still seemed oblivious to them was beyond her.

For a man that desired love so, one would think he would have noticed Zero's affections by now. Or perhaps he is so blinded by love for his mate that he ignores it.

So she gave Sesshoumaru a half-truth.

"You know your father and Kirinmaru have long hedged around combining the might of the East and West. Zero, it seems, has finally gotten on board with that sentiment."

Sesshoumaru met her gaze. "Mother…if Kirinmaru is so inclined to join forces and you're so concerned about continuing the pure line of demonkind, why don't you get remarried? You're still able to breed, are you not? Why not ask for Kirinmaru's hand? You two seem to get along well enough."

Her nostrils flared before she could rein the impulse in. First my husband and now my son? Do they want to pawn me off so badly? Apparently, Sesshoumaru was observant enough to note Kirinmaru's feelings for her. Of course, he could never know what Kirinmaru had done to her when first they met. Inukimi had long since brushed off her irritation at nearly being mounted against her will. Had she not been married at the time, she would have thought little of it. In fact, she would have admired Kirinmaru's strength and perhaps even succumbed to it.

Yes, Kirinmaru was handsome—for a kirin—as well as noble (when he wasn't overcome by the pheromones of heat), powerful, knowledgeable, and even kind. He and Touga were remarkably similar in many ways, which was why they had always struggled to view each other purely as enemies.

But he was not Touga. And try as she might, nothing could loosen the bonds her husband had woven around her heart.

I once cast a curse upon you, Touga, that you might never forget me. I fear the curse instead rebounded so that I could never forget you.

She took a deep breath and said, "Luckily, we are well out of the age when sons had to find new husbands for their single mothers, so if you would please, Sesshoumaru, leave my relationships alone and concentrate on your own, where you're having a difficult-enough time."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Kirinmaru is a romantic—perhaps more than even Father ever was. I suspect he would work to make you happy."

Inukimi frowned. Why is he pursuing this? It is unlike him. Sesshoumaru seemed inordinately invested in others' relationships lately. So why wasn't he as concerned with his own if he was asking so many questions? It made no sense. "He cannot make me happy, Sesshoumaru. Now, stop prying, son."

Sesshoumaru's eyes suddenly widened in a mix or surprise and horror. "Mother…you're not waiting for Father to come back to you…are you?"

After what had just happened outside, she was inclined to give up. And yet the foolish, hopeful part of her still felt Touga's pounding pulse beneath her hand and felt the tension in his body as she illustrated for him a future of herself with another demon.

How could she give up when his body said one thing and his lips another? She was so well versed in that language, she would be mad to give up now when she knew better.

Inukimi was silent for several seconds as she held her son's stare. Neither blinked, knowing the first to do so would back down.

In the end, Sesshoumaru won.

Inukimi looked away. I should have known I couldn't keep it from him forever. We are too alike. "He already did once, didn't he?" she asked in a soft voice. "He came back to make us a family again."

"A family? You call this twisted spectacle of playing house a family? We don't even live in the same building. Yes, he felt responsible for looking after his son and, by extension, that son's mother, who was still alone. But do not read more into than that."

"And what do you know of the bond between a male and female, Sesshoumaru? I advise you to keep your opinion on such matters to yourself until you have more experience than I do. And that will be a long time coming, from what I've seen. Besides, I can be patient. I knew this would be a very lengthy game, but I intend to win it. Now, enough about me. What is your decision, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru was silent for several seconds as he appeared to think it over. Finally, he muttered, "…I need some time to think about this."

"Ha! Time to think or time to deflect and ignore? No, Sesshoumaru, your days of procrastination towards your duty are over. I was not lying when I said Kirinmaru wishes for an alliance between our houses—even more so in light of Naraku's new scheme. However, the deeper truth of the matter is, Zero is not as young as she used to be. Like me, she has fewer and fewer…opportunities for bearing children. Kirinmaru is desperate to see his sister happy. He hopes that a child with your blood—and, by extension, your father's—will be enough to give her some peace of mind and finally help her overcome this tragic love she has. Zero, it seems, has also grown desperate enough to take this action. Therefore, you have two choices, Sesshoumaru: if you do not come to this marriage willingly, Kirinmaru will call in your father's life debt, asking him to hand over his son in marriage."

Sesshoumaru froze, but Inukimi continued, unsympathetic to her son's rising panic. "However, if you marry her willingly, Kirinmaru has promised to completely forgive the life debt." She couldn't help but smirk as she added the clincher—the one piece of bait she knew would grab her son. "This is something only you can do for your father, Sesshoumaru. He will never forget it."

If Sesshoumaru was at all like her, he felt inadequate and neglected by Touga in the face of his other family. Whereas she would always compare herself to Izayoi, Sesshoumaru suffered the same fate with Inuyasha. But this was something Inuyasha couldn't do for their father.

Sesshoumaru clenched his hands, looking like he wanted to unleash a million curses on her but couldn't decide which one would inflict the most damage. After several long beats, he finally said, "If this was your ultimatum to begin with, why even put on a show with the other candidates?"

"My intent was never to punish you with marriage, Sesshoumaru. Whether you believe it or not, I do care about your happiness. If you had seriously wished to marry another demoness, your father and I could have made our excuses to Kirinmaru, citing a prior understanding with the woman. But as I figured, you were uninterested, and so you are left with only one option.

"What you may not realize is that this is not a new discussion, son. Kirinmaru has hinted about such an alliance to your father for decades now. But because of Zero's uncertainty, your father was able to deflect on your behalf up to this point, giving you time to find someone on your own. You have not, and now that Zero is ready, he can delay no more. So you see, in the end, you do have a choice."

"Fine," Sesshoumaru spat, picking up Zero's file and tossing it at his mother. "I will go through with this farce willingly, if only for Father's sake. At least the other party knows exactly what she is getting into."

Inukimi accepted the file and met her son's gaze. "Don't be so grim, Sesshoumaru. She can be rather boorish, but perhaps in time you can soothe over those feelings of hers. Who knows? You might even come to get along and—dare I say it?— like each other. Perhaps one day, she'll even become your mate."

"She will never be my mate."

"Never is not a word you should use in a life that's nearly forever."

That was the only philosophy keeping her going, after all. She had once thought that Touga would never stray. So could anyone really say that Touga would never come back to her?


AN: I thought a pinch of spice was just what this chapter needed. What do you think?