InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Destiny

Author: Sinistersmiles

Warnings: Yaoi, Shounen ai. Pairings Sess/Inu.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Author’s notes: This story is AU and Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are really not brothers. They are cousins. It might be a little confusing at first. I hope you like it.

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Chapter One

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Kag ome sighed for the umpteenth time as she glanced at the leader of their group. For the last two days they had been traveling from the west to an unknown destination. All of them wanted an explanation but no one dared to ask. Questioning that pack leader, going against his commands was something they never dared to do.

Insubordination was not tolerated by their pack leader Sesshoumaru.

It all happened about half a year ago. She had fallen into this weird and bewildering world when Mistress Centipede pulled her into the ancient well. She landed up at a bizarre version of feudal Japan where demons and magic were abundant.

She still remembered that day clearly. After the horrifying incident with that demon in the well she had been shocked to see the sheer natural beauty of her surroundings. That day she met Kaede and the villagers, she found out that she carried the Shikon no Tama in her body and was the reincarnation of a famous priestess named Kikyou.

That night, Mistress Centipede attacked her again and successfully removed the Jewel from her body for her own use. Kagome was certain that she would die that night, away from her family, away from her home at the hands of an insane demon.

It was then that Sesshoumaru, the Inu-youkai prince, came to her rescue. It was a perfect fairy-tale ending to a nightmarish day. She fell into the arms of this beautiful demon prince and sincerely thought that he was a good guy.

Boy, was she wrong.

He dropped her and snarled at her in disgust. Humans are pathetic; he said and just left her there with a bruised ego by calling her a whining weakling. He didn’t even look that the Jewel and left.

She thought that she would never see him again but she was wrong. He came back when she was stupid enough to shatter the Jewel. His father had commanded him to assist her in hunting for the shards, much to his dismay. They had no choice but to tolerate each others’ company. Kagome then realized that Sesshoumaru wasn’t that bad but he wasn’t good either. He wasn’t kind and merciful as his father was rumored to be; in fact he was ruthless and unforgiving.

In a few months, others joined their group. At first it was Shippo, the fox demon. It was because of the little runt, the always calm Sesshoumaru’s ire sky-rocketed for the first time. The Prince had killed the Thunder brothers while snarling in fury with burning crimson eyes. Then it was Miroku they encountered followed by Sango and Kirara. They had also met their ultimate enemy Naraku. That sinister half-demon eluded them many times ever since they first met and that only served to strengthen Sesshoumaru’s determination to kill him.

That was how they landed up being an odd group of Shard Hunters consisting two demons, one demon slayer, a monk and a reincarnation of a powerful priestess.

“Sesshoumaru-sama…” Miroku approached carefully, “It is almost dark, I think it is time for us to set up camp for the night.”

The prince narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance and glanced at the polite monk from over his shoulder. He gestured towards a large village just down the hill, “We have reached our destination monk. It wouldn’t take us long to reach the castle of Fire Valley.”

Sango gasped and looked at the village in awe. It was then they could see that it was no ordinary village… it was the settlement of fire demons. The castle stood out as a glowing piece of fantastic architecture. It was enormous with large fires burning over every watch tower surrounding the castle.

“Sesshoumaru-sama, the fire demons do not like intruders in their territory.” Sango said carefully as she eyed the beautiful settlement with trepidation. Fire demons were neutral; they didn’t like to deal with matters that did not concern them. Their territory was guarded zealously and trespassers were dealt with swiftly and without mercy. She should have known that they were heading fire country! It was right next to the western lands with hardly a two day walking distance between their capitals.

Sesshoumaru continued walking towards the village and they followed him. “If you know your place, no one will with bother you.” he said calmly, as though that explained everything. They decided not to ask anymore questions and silently followed him to the village.

The villagers looked baffled when they spotted Sesshoumaru with humans. Their eyes were filled with confusion as they bowed towards the Inu-youkai prince in respect as he passed by.

Sango, Miroku and Kagome took the time to look around themselves. The village was bustling with activity. People were working, children playing and women were gossiping. It looked like a normal human village only this settlement was full of demons.

Fire demons.

Every where they looked they saw flame colored hair and yellow or crimson eyes. The demons were beautiful; almost all of them looked friendly. Sesshoumaru didn’t say anything as he kept walking towards the castle; he let the humans take in the rare sight of a flourishing demon village.

Generously sized homes and markets filled with lively chatter formed the village. Demons were helping each other in their day to day chores. The village looked prosperous; almost everybody was wearing clean and beautifully tailored clothes. Woman were wearing little jewelry, not much, but more than what human peasant women would ever own.

Sango easily understood why the Fire demons chose to remain isolated from everyone. The kind of peace and serenity that surrounded the settlement was rare and outsiders would only disrupt it.

Shippo being the inquisitive child he was, walked up to Sesshoumaru and tugged at his hakama with an expression of pure curiosity. The Prince glanced at him and nodded his head in assent, silently asking Shippo to voice his question. “Why are we here? I thought we were going to search for the jewel shard Kagome-chan sensed this morning.”

Sesshoumaru merely glanced at Shippo before closing his eyes calmly, “There is someone I wish to meet.”

“Ah, alright.” The kitsune muttered looking satisfied with his answer.

Sesshoumaru glanced at the kit in amusement. Out of the entire pack, Shippo was the only one who could gather enough courage to question him. Shippo’s instincts obviously told him that Sesshoumaru was the alpha male of the pack and therefore his main source of comfort and protection. Sesshoumaru didn’t mind. The fox was not as annoying and ignorant as the rest of his pack.

The Prince turned his attention ahead of him as the gates of the castle appeared. A guard was on their knees, bowing to him in respect. “Welcome Sesshoumaru-sama, Keiko-sama is waiting, right this way.”

Sesshoumaru nodded and followed the guard knowing that the humans were right behind him. The fire demons working in the castle looked rather uncertain. They didn’t want to let humans in knowing that their masters will not appreciate their presence.

The fire demon prince didn’t like humans.

Just as Sesshoumaru stepped into the tea house, a soft voice greeted him. “Ah, Sesshoumaru! It has been such a long time since I last saw you. Welcome to our home my nephew.” A lady dressed in rich, silk kimono came up to him and kissed his forehead tenderly. Affection was blatant in her eyes as she cupped his face and studied him with a warm smile, “My my, look how wonderfully you have grown. You have become a handsome young lad my dear Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru nodded faintly and bowed his head to her, “And you are as beautiful as ever Keiko-oba-sama. Father sends his regards.”

Keiko smiled and stepped away from him and for the first time noticed at odd and uncomfortable group behind him. Her smiled quickly turned into a small scowl, making the humans in the room squirm. For some reason, Kagome, Sango and Miroku felt extremely unwelcome.

The elegant lady quickly composed herself but she didn’t smile. Turning to Sesshoumaru, she gestured towards the seat with a raised brow. “This is not a leisure trip, is it Sesshoumaru? Sit down please.”

Sesshoumaru nodded and sat down gesturing his companions to do the same. He waited silently as his aunt settled in front of him. “So my dear nephew, what can I do for you?”

The Inu-youkai prince nodded, “I need to speak cousin, oba-sama. I require his assistance in a certain matter, that is, if you permit.”

Keiko shook her head and smiled at the mention of her stubborn son, “It is not the question of my permission Sesshoumaru. My son has a mind of his own. This is the first time you will be meeting him since his introduction ceremony right? That was about… a hundred and seventy five years ago?”

Sesshoumaru nodded, “Iie, oba-sama, I met him fifty years ago, he had stayed in the western palace while you were in Dragon country with your mate.”

Keiko nodded and turned to the servant, “Please inform the prince that his presence is requested here.” The servant nodded and left the room swiftly and silently. The lady turned back to her nephew and raised a questioning brow, “I see that onii-sama has given you a rather unsavory mission.” She glanced meaningfully at the humans and smiled when Sesshoumaru’s lips thinned into an irritated scowl.

The human stiffed at what they thought was an implied insult but their reaction went unnoticed. The demonness smiled, “So, I presume you are finding humans far more interesting than you thought, isn’t that right Sesshoumaru?” The youkai didn’t answer her but she already knew what his reply would be. Just when she was about to continue the conversation, there was a soft knock on the door.

“Come in.” Keiko turned to the door and smiled softly when her son walked in. The newly arrived fire-demon raised a brow at the odd guests before his gaze landed on Sesshoumaru. A small, smug smirk lit those youthful features and rare silver eyes sparkled in mischief, “Nii-sama, what a pleasant surprise.”

Sesshoumaru returned that charming smirk with a cool glance but his eyes were another story. “So it seems pup.”

The demon scowled playfully at the childish name before settled beside his mother. The lady kissed Inuyasha’s cheek and stood up. She turned to Sesshoumaru and asked, “You will be staying for a while I presume?” When the Inu youkai nodded she smiled, “Good. I shall arrange for your chambers, for now, I will leave you alone. Inuyasha, behave yourself.”

The fire demon waved his mother off, “Hai, hahaue.” The woman rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Just as soon as his mother left the room, Inuyasha became serious, all mischief erased from his eyes and his smirk melting away. “So, it seems you have gotten involved in rather unsavory situations nii-sama.”

Sesshoumaru nodded, his eyes betraying nothing, “You already know why I am here.” The Inu-youkai stated mildly. Inuyasha nodded in reply before observing the group of humans with keen silver eyes. He raised a brow in slight surprise at the sight of Kagome, his beautiful eyes becoming cold and hard as steel.

Sesshoumaru instantly noticed the reaction and frowned slightly. Of course, Inuyasha’s dislike for humans was legendary in their family but very few knew the real reason behind it. Sesshoumaru was one of those few. He had been the one who had berated Inuyasha for his actions while the others took pity on the boy.

The fire demon looked away from Kagome and sighed, “A human who can cleanse the Shikon no Tama, her presence is similar to Kikyou’s… is she a relative?”

Kagome shook her head and chose to answer that question, “No… I am Kikyou’s reincarnation.”

“Oh really?” Inuyasha questioned skeptically, “It takes about five hundred years for a person to get reincarnated.” The youkai narrowed his eyes at the squirming miko, taking in her odd attire, “Unless of course you managed to use the Goshinboku. The time tree’s magic exists in different timelines… if you learn to harness that you can create a portal in time.” Finely arched brows rose in surprise, “The well… you activated the well… somehow. How very interesting, that well has been sealed for ages; to activate it you need a lot of power. The power of the Shikon no tama.”

Sesshoumaru suppressed a smirk. Inuyasha was a very knowledgeable fire demon and if there was anyone with more information about Midoriko and her jewel than Naraku, it was Inuyasha.

Kagome, Sango and Miroku looked at Inuyasha with wide eyes. “That would be correct Inuyasha. The girl you are speaking to is Kagome. She is Kikyou’s reincarnation and she travels through the well. The woman sitting beside her is Sango, she is a demon slayer and that monk is Miroku.” Sesshoumaru informed.

“And who is that fox child?” Inuyasha questioned as he glanced at the demon on Kagome’s lap.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Shippo and answered, “Shippo.”

“You seem very knowledgeable for a demon so young, ouji-sama.” Miroku pointed out with a slight smile but his eyes were suspicious. Sesshoumaru glanced at the monk sharply but he didn’t notice. “One wouldn’t expect a fire demon prince to know so much considering how isolated your kind tends to be.”

Inuyasha leaned back; the golden half-sun on his forehead glittered mysteriously. In demon court you were not supposed to speak to the prince unless you were addressed. It was obvious that the humans didn’t know that. Inuyasha was quick to suppress his agitation at the presence of the humans but he was not going to dignify the monk with a reply. He ignored the monk entirely and focused his gaze on Sesshoumaru, his silver eyes narrowed in thought. “I am a little lost nii-sama, what is it that you want from me?”

The Inu-youkai leaned forward and looked intently into his cousin’s eyes, “I wish for you to join me in this mission. We are collecting the Jewel shards and are trying to eliminate a hanyou named Naraku… I rather dislike this game of cat and mouse.”

Inuyasha raised a brow at the other youkai and frowned, “For you to ask my assistance, this hanyou is testing your patience nii-sama?”

Kagome and the others stiffened knowing from experience that Inuyasha’s question would only anger Sesshoumaru. It was obvious that Sesshoumaru disliked asking for assistance from anyone.

They were rather surprised when Sesshoumaru didn’t look the least bit annoyed, “You know that is not the reason Inuyasha.” The fire demon narrowed his eyes at the Inu-youkai suspiciously, “You have had enough time to enjoy your freedom. It is past time that you return to my side.”

Inuyasha’s eyes widened marginally at the implication of the statement. He was about to protest when Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in warning. Inuyasha could clearly see that Sesshoumaru was not going to be more generous than he had already been. Inuyasha nodded silently, accepting that for the moment before changing the subject. “This Naraku character… is he the one who is corrupting the Jewel these days? I can sense it even though it is very faint. The jewel is already too corrupt.”

Sango frowned and looked at Inuyasha with narrowed eyes, “Yes, Kagome can purify the jewel but we have less shards compared to Naraku.”

Inuyasha shook his head, “A human cannot purify the jewel, no matter how powerful the person is.”

Kagome scowled at him. His attitude was a little too arrogant for her liking. She could see that he didn’t want them there and also the he disregarded them as though they were underneath him. Kagome didn’t like the way he ignored Miroku by not even acknowledging what he said.

“I have been purifying the jewel for months now. How can you say that humans can’t purify them?” Kagome said snappily and nearly flinched when Inuyasha glanced at her sharply. She had forgotten that he was a prince and not only that, he was Sesshoumaru cousin.

The demon lifted his arm, “Give me the shards, I shall examine them and tell you if they are purified or not.” His tone was serious and those liquid silver eyes of his bored into her eyes, almost hypnotizing her. It was then she noticed how similar this demon looked to Sesshoumaru. The only difference was that his eyes were silver while Sesshoumaru’s were gold.

They had the same snow white hair and elf-like ears. There were no markings on Inuyasha’s face except for that half-sun that sat elegantly on his forehead. Inuyasha could easily pass off as an Inu-youkai but then again, it would seem that he inherited his looks from his Inu-youkai mother.

Kagome shook her head and clutched the small container that hung around her neck and glared at him suspiciously. The youkai raised a brow at her. “Do not presume to know more than I do ningen. Kikyou was my lover before she died; I have researched and examined almost everything there is to know about the jewel. I know more about it than all of you put together.”

All of them, excluding Sesshoumaru were taken aback by the blunt declaration. Kagome’s eyes widened comically at the thought of Kikyou having such an arrogant yet powerful man as her lover. Sango and Miroku shook their heads in disbelief. The demon slayer looked at Inuyasha in undisguised wonder, “I have heard that fire-demons are not only demons but also spirits of nature. You have been given the power to manipulate fire at your will by the gods. You are immune to the allure of the Shikon no Tama.”

“Very wise Taijiya. Yes, the jewel does not tempt us nor does it get corrupted at our touch. Now, do not waste my time ningen.” Inuyasha stated and then looked back at Kagome, his arm still outstretched.

“Give the shards to him miko.” Sesshoumaru commanded with narrowed eyes and Kagome could do nothing but hand over the small container to Inuyasha. The fire demon opened the container and let the three shards fall into his palm. He brought one shard before his eye and examined it closely.

“You call this pure?” Inuyasha snorted before placing all the three shards on the table before him. “It is cleansed but it is still corrupt and it shall remain corrupt until the battle between Midoriko and the demons continues within the jewel. The miko placed a curse upon herself by sacrificing her soul to confine that demon. The demon is still fighting to come out of the jewel and Midoriko is still fighting to contain it.” Inuyasha raised his brows at the humans and smirked, “You wish to know how to destroy the jewel? It is to purify it. Do you know what will happen then?”

Kagome frowned at him but inwardly she had to admit that this was more information than they had gathered in months of searching. “You humans are pathetic if you assume that you can successfully retrieve and purify the jewel when you don’t know anything about it.”

“Inuyasha, this is not the time to berate them.” Sesshoumaru reprimanded, “I understand the cause of your irritation but it is I who requires your assistance.”

“Of course, I apologize, nii-sama.” Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru and started explaining, “The concept is easy to understand nii-sama. To purify the jewel means to stop the battle that is raging within. The only way to do that is defeating one side. Of course, we cannot go inside and participate in the battle so we have to bring the battle outside.”

Sesshoumaru nodded in understanding, silently commanding Inuyasha to continue. “Each shard contains a portion of the demonic and spiritual energy of the demons and Midoriko. That unique combination is the reason behind the jewel’s power. However, when anyone uses the jewel for selfish reasons, that person’s darkness enters the jewel and therefore the demonic energy grows more powerful. The more misfortune the jewel causes the more evil it soaks up. There are many ways in which a person can keep on adding dark power to the jewel.”

“That is what Naraku has been doing.” Miroku pointed out, “He says the jewel grows more beautiful when it is tainted with malice.”

“He is a fool to think so.” Inuyasha replied with a small smirk, “The more dark power he adds to the jewel, the more he overshadows Midoriko’s spiritual energy.”

“You mean to say that excessive dark energy added to the jewel will weaken it not strengthen it?” Sesshoumaru questioned quietly cause Inuyasha to smirk.

The fire demon smiled as the tea arrived, “Ah, just what we need.” He waited till the servants placed the tea in front of them and left before continuing his explanation. “You are right nii-sama. Let me explain in simpler terms.” He placed an empty cup in front of him and half filled it with warm water and then added a small amount of tea it in. “This is a perfect blend. The right amount of water and the right amount of tea. Think of water as the dark energy in the jewel. What Naraku is doing is adding more and more water to a perfect and powerful blend. Consequently, the tea thins and becomes weak and tasteless. But that is not all…” As on cue, the cup began to over flow and the excess liquid spilled out onto the table. “The tea not only weakens but it also becomes too much for the container to handle.”

Sango gasped at the implication at the statement while Kagome and Miroku’s eyes widened in alarm. “You mean to say that the power will erupt!” Kagome exclaimed in panic.

Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head, “No, that would be the predictable end wouldn’t it and life is not that simple. It is here that our problem begins.”

The fire demon placed the cup aside and wiped away the spilled tea without waiting for the servants to come and do it for him. “As I said before, Midoriko contains the demon and it is fighting to come out. With Naraku fueling it with dark energy, the demon will soon escape and Midoriko’s soul will be released to carry on to the spirit world. Unfortunately for us, Naraku would be the least of our problems then. This demon is not only evil but it is also very cunning. You think Naraku is devious? You have seen nothing. This demon is hell on earth.”

Kagome and Miroku paled and Sango cursed under her breath. All the while, Sesshoumaru was silent.

“This battle is inevitable, isn’t it Inuyasha? There is no avoiding it.” Sesshoumaru questioned his knowledgeable cousin with a slight frown.

The fire demon nodded with a slight sigh, “The jewel cannot continue to exist. It is a curse that will slowly destroy our lands and end life. It has to be destroyed and someone will have to face that demon and finally kill it.”

Everyone fell silent for a long moment.

“Inuyasha-sama…” Miroku began carefully, drawing the prince’s attention, “What are the chances of us defeating this demon?”

“You? None at all. Sesshoumaru nii-sama and I can handle him but your presence in the battle will hinder us.”

Kagome slammed her hands on the table, rattling the expensive crockery placed on it. “Don’t judge us as weak you arrogant swine! You barely know us and have still managed to insult us so many times! How dare you assume that we are weak just because we are humans? What gave you demons the right to degrade us like that?”

Sesshoumaru stiffened in warning and Miroku and Sango nearly groaned in dismay.

“Are you quite done?” Inuyasha asked coolly. When he got no reply he continued, “You are weak even if you are exceptionally strong humans. Your attacks will not work on an entity like that. It took an enormous sacrifice from Midoriko to contain that demon and you do not even possess half her talent or power ningen and you assume that you can kill it?”

Kagome flinched at the calm reprimand while Sango and Miroku lowered their eyes. Inuyasha was right after all, the way the fore demon described it, they would be only a hindrance in a climatic battle.

“We will get distracted if we have to protect you while we battle the demon.” Inuyasha said calmly before standing up. The fire demon called a servant in and gestured towards the humans, “Take the humans and the fox kit to their chambers.” The servant bowed and took them away while Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha headed out towards the gardens.

“You are still bitter towards humans.” Sesshoumaru stated mildly and Inuyasha scoffed.

“Yes,” the fire demon grumbled, “And that Kagome-woman’s appearance doesn’t help any. Did you intend on opening up old wounds for me nii-sama? Do you want to rub it in my face that I made a mistake?”

Sesshoumaru leaned against a tree and looked at Inuyasha with hooded eyes. “You call me nii-sama do you not? You gave this Sesshoumaru that position of respect, I didn’t ask for it, we are merely cousins but you chose to redefine that relationship by placing me on that pedestal.”

Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru questioningly, not quite understanding the point of the comment. The Inu-youkai prince crossed his arms and looked at the twilight, “It becomes my duty as an elder brother to correct your mistakes and look after you, to protect you from others and from yourself. I do not do it out of spite mattei.”

Inuyasha turned away from Sesshoumaru and looked down at the koi pond with a sigh. “And it is not the only reason.” Sesshoumaru murmured, startling Inuyasha. The Inu-youkai prince came forward and slipped his arms around Inuyasha’s waist causing the younger demon to blush. “I was incredibly jealous. You are my chosen mate after all, I may have not viewed as a potential mate at that point of time but our parents had decided for us.”

Inuyasha licked his lips nervously, his body feeling warm at Sesshoumaru touch. “Even if I hadn’t accepted you as my mate at that time, I didn’t like the fact that you had taken a ningen lover… especially a ningen priestess.”

“I didn’t know!” Inuyasha stated, slightly distressed, “They didn’t tell me. Kikyou was so beautiful and exotic to me, I had hardly met any humans before her. Her aura and her power attracted me as a moth to flame. I didn’t know that she had ulterior motives, I was so confident that she loved me enough to accept the differences between us.”

Sesshoumaru pressed his lips against Inuyasha’s temple, calming the fire demon instantly. “That was fifty years ago Inuyasha. It is the past and it is about time you let it go.”

Inuyasha sighed and leaned against Sesshoumaru. “I can’t even ask for your forgiveness Nii-sama. Had I known that we were to be mates, I would never have considered Kikyou.”

Sesshoumaru didn’t say anything in reply but he did sit down on a flat rock beside the koi pond and settled Inuyasha on his lap. The sight of those pale cheeks flushed pink was amusing to see. The younger youkai sighed and rested his head against Sesshoumaru’s shoulder and closed his eyes, “It has been so long since I last saw you. I thought you were angry with me.”

Sesshoumaru buried his nose into Inuyasha’s snow colored hair, “I was, for a long time I did not wish to look upon your face. Then this whole mess of father mating with that human Izayoi and the birth of her son came up.”

Inuyasha chuckled against the soft fur of Sesshoumaru’s tail that rested over his shoulder, “I can imagine that it disgusts you, having a ningen as a step mother and a hanyou running around. Although, I don’t mind hanyous.”

Sesshoumaru didn’t reply but Inuyasha didn’t need him to. They had only met each other three times in their entire life and yet there was this unbreakable connection that enabled them to understand each other. When he first met Sesshoumaru during his introduction to the youkai lords, they started off with an ugly start. Sesshoumaru was so arrogant and he acted so superior that Inuyasha hated him at first glance.

But that night, Sesshoumaru had sat by his side when he was lost amongst the adults. His silent presence had made an unnerving evening tolerable because with Sesshoumaru he felt safe. He was a child then; only twenty five years old and he didn’t understand why he felt so attached to the same demon that irritated him to no end.

It was then that he started calling Sesshoumaru, nii-sama.

Even though Sesshoumaru didn’t show it, Inuyasha knew that he loved being called that. He had seen the way Sesshoumaru’s eyes smiled at him whenever he called him nii-sama.

The next time he met Sesshoumaru was right after the Kikyou incident. He was so troubled and broken and everyone was sympathetic towards him. They thought that it was his childish curiosity that led him into Kikyou’s arms and they didn’t mind.

Sesshoumaru on the other hand, had been furious.

The Inu-youkai didn’t hold back at all when he berated him and scolded him for his mistake. The disgust on Sesshoumaru’s face when he looked at him still tore Inuyasha’s heart.

Inuyasha never felt so horrible in his life when he found out later that he and Sesshoumaru were meant to be mates. He was angry that their parents had decided that without consulting them but he was not surprised.

In youkai society, mating was almost always arranged by parents. Demon parents had this keen sense to know who their child’s mate was. He knew that his and Sesshoumaru’s parents and known that they were mates long before they were even aware of the fact. It didn’t surprise him that he was arranged to mate Sesshoumaru.

But Sesshoumaru didn’t contact him for fifty years and Inuyasha just assumed that that was the end. He thought that Sesshoumaru would never forgive him for his error. “I will take you to western lands palace once, if you wish to meet that half-breed.”

The venom in Sesshoumaru’s voice was not lost on Inuyasha. With a sigh, the young fire demon turned to face his Inu-youkai cousin and frowned in slight disapproval, “He is your brother Sesshoumaru, more so than I am. Uncle’s blood runs through your veins and I have heard that he is quite strong, despite his age.”

“He is the stain on our name. A taint you and I shall be forced to carry upon us. Our children will be forced to relate to him.”

Inuyasha sighed at Sesshoumaru’s resoluteness. His mate was certainly not going to be convinced easily. Inuyasha already felt pity for the hanyou. “What is his name?”

“Norika.” Sesshoumaru murmured, “He looks like father although he does have Izayoi’s black hair and mutant ears on top of his head.”

The word mutant certainly didn’t paint a pretty picture. Inuyasha flinched unconsciously at the image his mind formed. He was hoping that Sesshoumaru was speaking ill out of malice and not saying the truth.

He started out of his thoughts when he felt Sesshoumaru’s breath on his neck. His eyes automatically became half-lidded at the phantom sensation of Sesshoumaru’s breath caressing him. He tilted his head back in silent invitation as his eyes closed on their own accord.

“After this matter with Naraku is solved, you are coming back with me to the west Inuyasha.” Sesshoumaru stated firmly as he pressed his lips against the pale, unblemished skin of Inuyasha’s neck.

Inuyasha didn’t argue.

Sesshoumaru gave a pleased nod at Inuyasha’s obedience and pressed his lips against the half sun on the fire demon’s forehead. “We shall leave in two days.”

“Hai nii-sama.”