InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Mine ❯ Truce ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Wants complete InuYasha plushie collection, as well as all anime plushies. There after we have huge plushie party! And Postino from King of Bandits Jing will come in and go "Yo. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko." And drive off. (You have to have seen Jing to get that.)

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Sesshoumaru lead the woman through his castle having left his annoying brother in the dinning hall. He had to admit the woman could prove useful should Rin have difficulties with this birth as she had with Saraku. He could heal her if necessary but he did not want Rin to suffer more than she needed.

He noticed during the meal that Kagome had scarcely aged in the eighteen years since he had last seen her, appearing no more than twenty-five when in fact she had to be in her mid thirties. Sesshoumaru had to admit that relieved him. He knew that marking a human gave them the longevity of their mate, but he had been unsure of the physical change because he had never intended on mating one. Rin had not stopped aging since he marked her, and, though she was still a rather young woman, he had been concerned. But now that he had seen his brother and his mate Sesshoumaru understood. Kagome mirrored InuYasha's physical age, which meant Rin still had a few years before she would stop.

They reached his chamber and Sesshoumaru slowly pulled the screen open. Though the bed was in view Saka sat on its edge, blocking Rin from his sight. He entered and headed to his mate; Kagome closed the door before following. When he was near, Saka got up and let him take her seat on the bed.

Rin lay with her eyes closed, and, even though it had been a short time, she already appeared very tired. He lifted his hand to her face and brushed back a clump of hair that rested on her cheek. A smile graced her flawless lips and a soft laugh danced in his ears.

"You should not worry so, Sesshoumaru."

"Are you in pain?"

Without opening her eyes Rin shook her head lightly, letting it rest in his hand when she finished. "None right now."

"You are tired."

"Indeed. I believe this one will be more like me. It is already rushing to come and see the world. Saraku was too much like you, stubborn." Her chest shook slightly from her airy laughter.

"Rin, InuYasha's mate is here to assist Saka. She claims to be knowledgeable in medicine."

"Your brother's mate?" Rin opened her eyes and Sesshoumaru leaned back slightly to let her see Kagome. "Forgive me, I remember you, but I don't think I ever learned your name."

"It's Kagome."

Rin nodded then closed her eyes again. "Saka says it will not be nearly as long as last time, though it feels twice as draining."

Sesshoumaru was about to speak when Rin's body tensed up, her eyes opened wide and jaw clenched. As her hands desperately grabbed at the sheets Sesshoumaru brought his own down for her to take hold of. He was surprised by the strength in her grip; her nails broke the skin in his palm causing a thin layer of blood to well up at the edge. She held her breath only to have the pain break it into small gasps.

Kagome approached Rin and knelt down beside the bed. "Rin, I want you to breathe in very short, quick breaths, like this." She demonstrated and Rin repeated. It seemed rather ridiculous to Sesshoumaru but a small amount of Rin's tension faded and he was actually glad the woman was here to help.

After a moment Rin's breathing became long and tired, the pain left her face, and she rested once again against the pillows behind her. Her head turned to face Sesshoumaru and she forced a tired smile. She struggled for a moment to keep her eyes open but conceded defeat and let them close.

"You should...go and...Saraku." Her voice was airy and weak, only making Sesshoumaru want to stay with his mate even more, but Rin was right, he should go find Saraku. If the labor was moving as fast as they said her screams would soon be heard and he wanted to have his daughter with him, to console her. She was already worried about her mother and Rin's cries would not help to quell those fears.

Sesshoumaru gave her hand a gentle squeeze before standing. He joined Saka who was standing near the door. "How long will it be?"

Kagome walk up behind him as Saka responded. "If she continues on like this she will give birth in and hour or two. It is proceeding far quicker, but she is still early and that worries me slightly."

"May I ask how long she was in labor with Saraku?" Kagome moved so that she could see both Sesshoumaru and Saka.

"Rin-sama was in labor for nearly an entire day and almost became too exhausted to deliver. I am worried her body is already showing signs of fatigue. It very well may be another hard birth for her."

"As long as she rests herself between contractions she should be all right to deliver, but exactly how early is she? Saraku had said she was not due for another month."

Saka nodded. "I would have given Rin-sama four...maybe five more weeks."

Kagome bit down, pulling her lower lip into her mouth. "Where I come from there is a lot more that can be done for high-risk births, but even there labor that early is considered dangerous for the baby."

Listening to the conversation between the two women was not easing Sesshoumaru's own concerns for his mate and soon to be born pup. Rin, though he didn't want to, would be easy enough to revive; however, Tenseiga was a sword of healing and restoration. Sesshoumaru was doubtful it could give life to something that had yet to have it. If the pup was born without life...no. He had heard the heartbeat of his pup, a strong heartbeat. Surely that meant the pup already lived and thus can be restored should there be any trouble.

Sesshoumaru moved forward and opened the door. "I trust you to take care of her. I will be in the gardens with Saraku should you need me." Saka and, to his surprise, Kagome both bowed as he left, closing the screen door behind him.

He walked to his study, which, like his bedchambers, had a balcony overlooking the gardens. He knew he needed to go to Saraku soon, but her reaction to the scythes had confused him. He had expected her to have some dislike to giving up her sword, she had not enjoyed the idea of a sibling for several months now, but it had been far more extreme than he had thought. For that matter, her behavior the past few months had been unusual.

When they had first told her of the pup she seemed to enjoy the prospect of a sibling, he might go as far to say she was excited, but then one day she suddenly became hostile to the idea. He had yet to find out what had caused the change, since she had indeed taken after him and kept many things to herself. The revelation that she had heard someone say she had dirty blood was example enough.

He would normally need to find out who it was, but he knew that if he waited Saraku would tend to the matter herself. She was strong willed and powerful for her age, a fine representative of her bloodline, and had his sense of pride, which perhaps was her downfall. He had asked her many times about her contempt to the pup but she had merely gone straight-faced and would say there was nothing when it was obvious by her scent there was. She could calm her body but her scent still revealed the truth.

Now, she had been given something specifically for her and she was just as hostile to them as to the pup. It could be just the fact that her sword would be given away, but it was obvious to him, and even to Touya who often came to spar with her, that a smaller, more agile weapon would suit her style. She was fast and moved around when she fought. She preferred quick, close strikes that she could readily break from and gain distance to avoid a counterattack. The scythes would easily accomplish this, and if she chose, she could place a chain on one or both and obtain powerful distance attacks. Plainly this would strengthen her in the long run, so her apprehension to them was unnecessary and absurd.

Sesshoumaru looked out onto the land beneath him and found Saraku talking with his brother and the human. He let a small, satisfied smirk cross his face. Toutousai had managed to convince InuYasha to come after all. He had been unsure if curiosity would be enough to bring the hanyou to see him, but even if he had to go and retrieve the scythes from InuYasha his goal would have been accomplished. He was now glad that they had come, with Rin's premature labor, though that almost caused him to have to force his brother to stay. That was not how he wished their encounter to go, but he would if necessary. Sesshoumaru did not intend to let InuYasha leave without first discussing the reason he wanted him there.

Saraku scraped the two scythe blades against each other as she talked and by her rigid posture he could tell she was upset. When angry she mirrored him: placid face, straight back, and emotionless voice, so it was always easy to read her feelings, but the reason behind those emotions...that was another matter entirely.

Saraku stopped striking the blades together and pointed one at InuYasha in an obviously threatening manner. InuYasha said something, though they were too far away for Sesshoumaru to hear, and turned his nose up to her. Whether or not he realized his mistake Sesshoumaru knew InuYasha was about to get reminded not to underestimate the small girl.

Saraku leapt at InuYasha, though in the process, and to Sesshoumaru's annoyance, she discarded her new weapons to the ground. He was curious to see how well she faired against an opponent she never fought before and decided to just watch the exchange, though he was ready should InuYasha dare use Tessaiga against his now unarmed daughter. Saraku was obviously enjoying the fight, having quite a bit of tension and anger to release, but InuYasha appeared to be struggling. Sesshoumaru knew he was holding back to avoid harming the girl, but if he didn't start attacking seriously Saraku would do some significant damage.

When InuYasha finally realized this fact he attacked with Sankontessou, but Saraku's speed and agility easily allowed her to dodge. The fight continued this way for a few minutes. Saraku herself had yet to show any demonic attacks such as InuYasha's Sankontessou, but Sesshoumaru had before tested her against his poison and found her to be extraordinarily resilient to it, leading him to believe she may gain some of his talents as she grew.

Suddenly, InuYasha pulled Tessaiga from its sheath and before it had finished transforming Sesshoumaru was over the balcony edge and heading for the fight. To think that InuYasha even considered using such a powerful weapon against a child just showed his idiocy, even though she was strong, she was also now weaponless and unaccustomed to the severity of Tessaiga's attacks. She would not dodge if she believed she could get in close by taking the blow, but Tessaiga was not a sword you just got hit by and walked away, even Sesshoumaru had felt that.

By InuYasha's stance Sesshoumaru could see he was threatening to use Kaze no Kizu, a threat that would not be properly understood by his daughter. Before InuYasha even begun the swing downward Sesshoumaru's poisonous claws were at his wrist yanking both arm and sword back. He let the poison soak into InuYasha's skin for a moment before releasing him to find his daughter staring at him with the controlled calmness in her expression.

"Chichiue, I didn't need any help. I was doing fine."

"Pick up your scythes now and follow me." Sesshoumaru looked down at InuYasha who was nursing his now raw wrist. "InuYasha, do not ever raise Tessaiga against her again."

Sesshoumaru led her into another section of the garden much further from the castle. His irritation at InuYasha was still smoldering when Saraku stopped and refused to continue on. "Saraku, do not disobey me. Come now."

"Why did you stop him? I was doing fine!" Saraku's anger was far more prevalent than his own.

"Were you going to take his attack in order to get closer?"

"Of course, he wouldn't have seen it coming. I would have won!"

"You would have been dead!" Sesshoumaru surprised himself with the ferocity in his voice. He took a moment to calm his tone. "Even I cannot take a direct attack from Tessaiga without becoming seriously hurt."

Saraku stared at her father, her indifferent expression changing to a sad, frightful one as she realized the danger she had almost put herself in. "I'm sorry, Chichiue. I didn't know and I shouldn't have yelled at you." She lowered her regret filled gaze to the ground.

All he cared about was her safety, and her recklessness had almost gotten her killed. She needed to understand all she could before going headfirst into an opponent's attack. He wanted her to realize that and didn't care that she had screamed. In truth Sesshoumaru was pleased she yelled at him, it showed her strength and conviction, she just needed to learn when she should show those traits.

"Come along." Sesshoumaru headed to a small bench not far from where they were. He disliked seeing his young daughter looking so distraught but he also knew she needed to understand the danger she had put herself in and his disapproval of her actions.

He took a seat on the bench and waited for her to join, but instead she sat down on the ground next to his right leg. They stayed in silence for quite some time, Sesshoumaru wanting to wait and see how Saraku was going to react to his disappointment of her recklessness. She tapped the scythes against the ground very lightly as to not cause more than a mild thud when the metal struck the soft earth.

The late morning sun soon rose to mid day as both father and daughter sat thinking, though each had the same thoughts in mind. Neither had spoken for sometime, but since she had taken after Sesshoumaru they didn't need to, small actions and slight changes in scent and posture was enough for him to understand Saraku's remorsefulness.

Soon after the shadows had fallen from the high noon sun, Rin's first scream was heard in the garden through the open balcony door in his chambers. The speed of Saraku's tapping increased and her head fell against his knee.

"Chichiue, Okaasan is going to be fine, right?"

"Yes, they say she is not in danger."

"That doesn't mean something might not happen."

Sesshoumaru placed his hand on the top of his daughter's head, lightly stroking the white of her ear with his thumb, an action that he knew calmed her. "No, it doesn't, but should anything go wrong Saka will help her, or, if need be, I can heal her."

Another scream caused Saraku's ears to twitch nervously and she stopped tapping her scythes, choosing instead to dig the edge of one into the ground. A small hole quickly formed and the fidgety child hastily restored the upturned soil to its place in the earth. She repeated this action many times as Rin's screams increased in both quantity and strength. All the while Sesshoumaru kept a steady, gentle motion smoothing the fur on her ears.

It was not easy for Sesshoumaru to keep his own body from tensing at the sound of Rin's pain filled cries, but he was not going to add to the worry Saraku already felt. Sesshoumaru was most surprised to hear silence after only a half-hour or so. Remembering Saraku's birth, he had expected it to last much longer. When a few minutes had passed and there were no more sounds from the castle Saraku tilted her head back, her mismatched eyes staring up at Sesshoumaru.

"Is it over, Chichiue?"

"I believe so. Let's return to the castle."

Saraku nodded and stood up, brushing a few pieces of grass from her clothing. She walked beside him, not clinging to him as she had earlier, but with her head raised with a pride she often showed. Sesshoumaru was pleased to see her fear subsiding and Saraku's normal disposition returning to her.

When they were within sight of the castle doors they could see Kagome talking with InuYasha and Kohaku, a relieved look on her face. When she saw Sesshoumaru and Saraku approaching she hurried to meet them.

"Rin and the pup are well?" Sesshoumaru asked, eyeing her expression curiously, it looked too relieved.

"Yes, though there was trouble. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the pup's neck, it was choking him, but once we freed him of it he seemed fine. He is smaller than a normal infant, but that shouldn't matter later on."

"It is a boy then?" Saraku's voice was controlled and even.

Kagome smiled brightly. "Yes, you have a little brother."

Saraku's grip on her scythes tightened and he could smell the spike of anger in her scent. After he returned with InuYasha the following night he was going to have to find out the reason for her dislike of the pup. Right then all Sesshoumaru wanted to do was make sure his mate and son were well. He ushered Saraku forward leaving Kagome and the others near the door.

When they entered the hall heading to his chambers an all too familiar scent filled Sesshoumaru's scenes, Rin's blood. He glanced down at his daughter. Her nose continually twitched and she brought her hand up as if it itched, though he could tell she was really trying to block out the smell. Never before had Saraku been exposed to so much blood loss and the scent could be overwhelming.

Sesshoumaru stopped in front of the screen and open the door very slowly, so the contained smell would not hit Saraku all at once. Rin was sitting up on the bed, a small bundle in her arms. Though she appeared tired, her skin was not nearly as pale or her body as weakened as after Saraku's birth. She smiled at them as they neared and turned the small mass of cloth so that they could see the infant beneath.

He was much smaller than Saraku had been, but unlike his sister, the boy showed none of his human heritage. White wisps of hair poked out from beneath the cloth at his head. When Rin managed to wake him enough to open his eyes Sesshoumaru could see both were a deep amber, but what surprised him was that the pup's ears were pointed like his own. He had expected they would be canine like Saraku's and InuYasha's. The boy would most likely grow to look very much like Sesshoumaru, and he had to admit that pleased him.

By her scent, Saraku was less than pleased; whether it be from his appearance or the pup itself, Saraku was obviously extremely angry. He knew Rin could also see her displeasure, since she too knew how to read their daughter. She smiled at Saraku in a comforting manner.

"You have a little brother now. What do you think we should name him?"

"I don't care."

"Saraku, you need to stop acting like this. I expect you to guide your brother, not try to kill him." Sesshoumaru glared at his daughter disparagingly. He could not have her so hostile while he was away.

"Okaasan is all right. May I go now?"

"Listen to me. You will take care of your brother."

Saraku looked up to him, frustration in her eyes. "If that is what you want, Chichiue. May I go now?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and she quickly left them. Rin stared at him concerned. "She really is not happy. I don't understand why."

"I will speak with her tomorrow night. Give her some time to adjust."

Rin nodded and turned her attention to their son. "What shall we name him? I rather like the name Seto."

"It sounds like a fine name. Seto."

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InuYasha, Kohaku, and Kagome had returned to the garden to talk since they didn't know much of the castle's layout. Kagome seemed slightly jittery and it worried InuYasha. "Kagome, are you all right?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yes, just give me a minute. I didn't want to say it because Saraku had been there but there was more trouble with the pup."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she hesitated, looking around to make sure only they were near, "I was almost afraid the pup had suffocated before Rin was finished delivering. I had to do mouth to mouth to get him breathing. I was so scared he wouldn't make it, and all the while Rin was there staring at me. I could hear her praying for him to breathe. I have seen people die before, but to watch a mother staring at her son waiting for him to live, it was a bit intense."

InuYasha reached out and pulled his mate into a gentle embrace. "They are fine now. Nothing to worry about."

"I know, it just got to me a bit." She pushed away and looked down at InuYasha's wrists. "What happened? It is all raw."

"It's nothing."

Kohaku smirked. "InuYasha got his butt kicked by Saraku."

"She can use poison, like Sesshoumaru?"

"Keh! That girl couldn't do anything," InuYasha scoffed.

"Then Sesshoumaru did it?"

"Well, yeah."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Don't ask me."

She turned to Kohaku. "He pulled Tessaiga on her and Sesshoumaru stopped him."

"You were going to attack a child with Tessaiga!"

"I wasn't going to hurt her! I just wanted to bring her down a bit. She can be a cocky little brat. I wasn't going to actually attack her, just show her what Tessaiga is capable of."

"Why were you fighting with her in the first place?"

"Hey, she attacked me!"

"After you insulted her," Kohaku added which earned a deep growl from InuYasha.

"Can't you ever just talk with someone!"

"It's not my fault the kid attacks after every little thing!"

InuYasha and Kagome faced off both looking ready to kill the other. He was just glad Kagome had removed the rosary beads long ago or he might have been slightly worried. Kagome, on the other hand, looked as if she was regretting that action. It amazed InuYasha that even after all these years they still could get under each other's skin like this.

Kagome turned away in a haughty manner and took a deep breath. "Kohaku, what exactly did InuYasha say to insult her?"

"Well," Kohaku hesitated and looked at InuYasha apologetically. "She was telling us a little about herself and InuYasha said something about the color of her eyes, well colors of her eyes, and she said that one of them was actually human."

"Human?" Kagome interrupted. "What do you mean?"

InuYasha answered her. "Yeah, this is the weird thing, that brown eye, it is actually human. So she can't see even half as well with it as she can with her gold one. If she wants to really aim for something, or see far, she has to close her right eye and look only through her demon one."

"That isn't common in a hanyou, is it? I mean none of ours have that problem."

"None of our pups have two different color eyes, either. But, no, I've never heard of it."

Kagome's brow narrowed. "Let me guess, that is when you insulted her."

"Keh!"

"He said she was weird even for a hanyou. She told him it didn't matter whether her eyes were like that or not cause she was still stronger than him, and he said she should wake up to reality. That's when she attacked."

"InuYasha, she was already worried about Rin and you had to go and taunt her."

"Keh!"

The three sat in silence for a while. Even though they had been fighting Kagome still felt shaken from the birth and leaned in close to InuYasha. He wrapped his arm around her, taking her shoulder into his palm and gently massaging it. Kagome laughed slightly.

"You know what the weirdest thing I saw was?"

"What?" InuYasha asked unsure if he wanted to know the answer. What weird thing could she see while Rin was giving birth?

"When Sesshoumaru was sitting next to Rin, after we arrived, he was so incredibly gently and caring to her. It just looked strange seeing him stroking her face and letting her take his hand."

InuYasha laughed this time. "No way Sesshoumaru would do that."

"He did. I swear it was the strangest thing I had ever seen. I just never imagined Sesshoumaru acting that way to anyone."

"I never imagined Sesshoumaru mating a human."

"Let alone Rin?" Kohaku asked.

"Especially her, I mean, he practically raised her. It seems wrong, like me mating Makoto...I mean that is disgusting."

Kagome gave him a quick jab in the stomach. "You'll think differently when you see him with her. I mean, as weird as it was, it looked right. They just seemed to fit together."

"Well, of course. They do have two pups."

"InuYasha!" Kagome gave him a much harder hit to the stomach.

Kohaku just laughed. "You have been spending to much time with Miroku?"

"Maybe, but he usually gets slapped," InuYasha said as he rubbed his abdomen.

They spent the rest of the day relaxing around the castle. Kohaku headed back to the village to inform Sango and Miroku it would take longer than they thought before they could return, but not to worry Makoto about it. Sesshoumaru was seen going between his chambers where Rin rested, a small nursery where Saka kept careful watch over the pup, and searching for Saraku who managed to find new and unusual places to sulk each time he left her. She didn't come and talk to them except once and even then it was only on her way to a nice shadowy hiding place in the garden.

The table in the dinning hall was laid out with food for them and Saraku, though she decided to wait till they had finished before going in herself. Despite his desire to return home, InuYasha had to admit it was nice to spend an evening relaxing with just Kagome. They hadn't had too many chances to do that since the pups were born. That evening Jaken directed them to their room and informed InuYasha that Sesshoumaru would be calling for him around sunrise. When InuYasha asked where they were going Jaken told him that was not for him to speak of, making him think of Touya's earlier statement.

Kagome walked in ahead of InuYasha, taking a look around the rather large room. It was much like the rest of the castle, proper and formal, yet simple and pronounced. A large bed was placed against one of the walls and adjacent to it was a window overlooking the forest heading to the village.

"It really is a beautiful castle, and the landscape is just pristine," Kagome said as she gazed out the window. "I wouldn't mind living in a place like this."

"Mikos don't live in castles."

"They don't mate with demons either."

InuYasha walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his nose into the hair at the base of her neck. "Kagome, can you tell me the last time we had a room to ourselves in which there were no pups to come in and bother us?"

She closed her eyes and tilted her head, giving him better access to her neck. "Saraku is in the castle."

"She's not our pup. Let her bother Sesshoumaru." InuYasha pulled her closer against him as he carefully kissed his way up her neck and over her jaw line. "So, how long has it been?"

Kagome turned around in his arms and stared into InuYasha's eyes, a look of lust on her face and the scent of arousal in the air. "Far too long." She slid her arms over his shoulders and pulled him down for a slow kiss, while her fingers played with his long, smooth hair.

If InuYasha actually liked Sesshoumaru he would have thanked him for forcing them to stay overnight. Being able to be with Kagome without worrying about one of the pups needing something, or picking up on the scent and coming to investigate was a wonderful feeling. He fell asleep with her head resting on his chest, her luxuriant scent filling him with every breath.

Sesshoumaru was true to his word and Jaken come knocking at their door just as the sun was beginning to rise. It was a soft knock, one that InuYasha heard but Kagome easily slept through. He gently moved out from beneath his mate, placing a pillow where his chest had been. Kagome turned slightly but didn't awaken. He quickly dressed and went out to follow the small toad. InuYasha rather wondered what Jaken did all day, since he had not seen him around the castle except when they first arrived and then later that night. By the time he considered asking they were at the main gate where Sesshoumaru waited.

"We need to hurry. I wish to be back by nightfall."

"It will take that long to get to? Where the hell are we going?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer, instead he began running over the land, which forced InuYasha to follow lest he start more trouble. They bypassed the village, going southeast, and ran on for hours, the landscape around them quickly changing. It wasn't until after the noon sun dominated the sky did Sesshoumaru stop. They were at a field along the edge of a swift river and not far away was a forest, which held Sesshoumaru's attention. He entered the tree line, with InuYasha following, and seemed to tense up the closer they got to...something.

The something turned out to be a tall barrier made of fallen, decaying trees piled atop each other. Sesshoumaru hesitated a moment, which shocked InuYasha who had never seen him act quiet so, apprehensive. With a quick jump Sesshoumaru was over the barrier and InuYasha did the same.

He was not prepared for what he saw. Nothing existed within the neglected barrier: no plant lived, no bird flew over, no sound could be heard. The silence was deafening. InuYasha ran his claws along the bark of one of the fallen trees and felt it crumble beneath the slightest pressure. The very air he breathed scrapped, and clawed, and burned in his lungs.

Every instinct InuYasha had told him to leave. "This place is cursed."

Sesshoumaru bent down and took a pile of barren dirt into his palm, staring at it as if lost in memory. InuYasha was unsure of what was going to happen since never before had he known Sesshoumaru to reminisce, as he had put it. Slowly, InuYasha could see the very dirt melt between his fingers as the green mist of Sesshoumaru's poison seeped through.

"This..." Sesshoumaru threw the last of the tainted soil from his fingers and stood up. "This is indeed cursed land. I have tried to destroy this place many times, but it still remains."

"What happened here?"

"Rin was murdered."

InuYasha was speechless. What could he say to a statement like that? It was more than just a fact, the way Sesshoumaru had spoken...it was an admission of guilt, but how? InuYasha didn't believe that Sesshoumaru could kill the woman he took as his mate, but then, he let, or more likely, was unable to stop her from being killed.

"Why? Why tell me this?"

"My mate is strong. She has overcome much to gain that strength. My daughter need not experience such things to become strong, but," Sesshoumaru turned to InuYasha, for the first time looking directly at him, "should she be in danger I would like to think she will have the support of her kin."

If Sesshoumaru hadn't been so serious InuYasha would have laughed. A truce. Sesshoumaru was offering a truce. For the sake of Saraku, Sesshoumaru was willing to put aside decades of hatred and conflict. InuYasha finally understood why he was brought here. He never would have accepted a truce from Sesshoumaru, not if he was just asked, but now, after meeting Saraku, after seeing this place, after hearing his brother...didn't they both want the same thing? Sesshoumaru wanted to protect his daughter, not just by himself but by knowing even if he wasn't there she had someone to turn to.

InuYasha turned away and started fidgeting with a tree in the barrier again. "I got pups of my own. I'd like the same thing for them."

"Of course."

He pulled a large piece of the bark and crushed it in his hand, rolling the grit between his fingers. "Of course."

"We need to be returning."

InuYasha nodded and the two left the desolate bane of nature to its isolated grave in the darken forest. Once in the open fields again the brothers began their hasty journey back to the castle. As they ran and InuYasha was able to comprehend everything that had just happened he began suspecting that Sesshoumaru had planned all of this from the beginning, even with Toutousai. Touya was right, Sesshoumaru had changed.