InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Matchmaker ❯ Family ( Chapter 38 )

A/N: Yes, yes I do. If you guys wouldn't leave such funny reviews I would not be so tempted to write cliffies! Really! Oh, I own just a couple of characters, but since I'm going to Vegas this weekend I probably won't even own them by the time I get back.

 

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The miko was watching as Rin dove Ah-Un at her. What Rin was going to do when she got there had not quite been decided, but this should distract the woman before she shot anymore arrows at the compound. Not many people can ignore a large, two headed dragon flying at them.

 

The arrow that had been intended for the palace was swung towards Rin's youkai mount. Ah-Un pulled up hard, trying to dodge away but they were too close. The miko released, and the exterminator had two heartbeats to make a decision. It took her only one heartbeat to slash her katana at the attack, releasing that surge of energy she had felt on the battlefield so long ago. The black arc slammed into the glowing arrow and both exploded.

 

Unprepared for that result, Rin was roughly tossed from Ah-Un. Tumbling towards the ground, she had enough time to curl up into a ball before slamming into the grass.

 

It took a few precious moments for the exterminator to get her thoughts back after having her head so rudely introduced to the ground. `I have had better ideas.' She carefully assessed the damage as she lay on the grass. Her left arm did not move correctly, but at least it was not broken. Opening her eyes she could see blades of grass, and above them a glowering miko. For someone that was looking to rescue her, the miko certainly did not look friendly.

 

Ah-Un dove at the miko again, blasting at her from both mouths. The attacks simply dissipated across her barrier, but the pink wall did shiver as the woman struggled to keep it up. An arrow shot at the dragon sent him racing for the open sky again, roaring in frustration. He would never run from a simple arrow, but he could smell the threat on these weapons.

 

Levering herself up to her knees, Rin cast about with her eyes for her missing blade. One was still securely at her side, but the other had been knocked loose in the fall. She could see it about ten feet away, but the miko was watching her.

 

“Are you a threat now, girl? Does he control your mind so completely?”

 

“How can I make you believe that I am with him of my own free will?” Rin carefully set her right hand on the hilt of her remaining katana. She had limited interest in blowing up anymore arrows, but if she had to she would.

 

“No decent woman would be with a youkai of her own free will, even a taiyoukai. He may look human, but he is a monster.” The miko turned her arrow to point at Rin.

 

Rin's grip tightened on her hilt. “I will not let you kill him or my daughter.”

 

“So it is true.” The old eyes narrowed. “He does have complete control of you.”

 

The youkai blade sprung to life as Rin drew it, sparking in reaction to the miko's aura. Seeing the black blade made the miko lean back on her mount, as though it was contagious. “You are beyond saving, child. Rest in peace.”

 

The arrow whistled through the air as Rin brought her katana up to block, not looking forward to another explosion. This time she was knocked back several body lengths, flattened on the ground. The miko's barrier was flickering from the blast, but still up. Trying to force her body up, Rin wracked her brain for a way out of this one.

 

“Back off, you old hag.”

 

Rin forced her eyes to focus. Merkamou was standing between her and the miko. Said miko was aiming at him, but there was fear in her eyes. Her hands shook on the bow as she stared at the crimson eyes that glared back.

 

A loud roar sent her eyes up to the sky, looking for Ah-Un. If he could distract the miko she would have a chance to get herself and Merkamou out of there. Her eyes found Ah-Un, but he was not looking in her direction. Both heads were facing away from her, watching something approaching. Rin looked over, and almost started laughing. `Sesshomaru-sama.'

 

Shou was diving down with two pups and a very pissed off miko. Next to him was a seemingly calm inu-youkai with a wicked blade in his hands. Sesshomaru touched down next to Merkamou, glancing over his ward before focusing his eyes on the miko. The woman that had been aiming for Merkamou refocused, aiming for the large blue dragon that was heading towards her.

 

“You both stay on this dragon, and stay in the air, or so help me I'll ground you both until your 300th birthdays!” Kagome dropped off of Shou, bow already in her hands. Seeing the arrow pointed for her pups she notched her own arrow and took aim at the stranger. “Oh no you don't!”

 

The older miko stared at this new ningen. Dressed in clothing like her own, but in shades of blue, the young woman's aura snapped with spiritual energy. “Who are you?”

 

“I'm Kagome, who are you?” Keeping her aim on the now silent miko, Kagome eased towards Rin, who was still on her back. “Rin-chan, are you okay?”

 

“I have been better.” Rin managed to prop herself up on her elbows. “Merkamou, the walls are down. You need to go back.”

 

“Not until you are safe.” Merkamou knelt down next to his mate, now secure that Kagome had things under control enough for him to do that.

 

“I am fine now. Go with Sesshomaru-sama before we are attacked again.”

 

“Hn.” Sesshomaru glanced back at Rin, hesitant to leave his ward and mate to face this threat. The miko saw him look away and fired at him, her weapons glowing pink. Without even thinking about it he snatched the arrow from the air. He felt the energy crackle over him, but there was no damage done. `A benefit of mating a powerful miko.'

 

“How?” The miko lowered her bow, staring at the taiyoukai.

 

“Don't ever shoot at my mate, you bitch!” Kagome's aura snapped, making things rather uncomfortable for the two taiyoukai. Her own arrow smacked against the barrier, making it ripple before the arrow dropped to the ground.

 

Sesshomaru lifted his head to watch the new group of youkai start their charge, running down any ningens that got in the way. The older miko was no longer keeping the youkai distracted, and the fight had turned into a slaughter for the ningens. With a final glance to his mate, who seemed to have everything quite under control, he charged at the oncoming force.

 

“Mate?” The older miko's bow came back up. “A miko and a youkai? Abomination!”

 

The arrow hit Kagome's aura and disappeared in a flash of energy. “You're going to need to try harder then that.”

 

Slipping the bow over her shoulder, the miko folded her hands and started chanting.

 

“It's been on my to-do list to get trained, and suddenly it seems a lot more urgent.” Kagome looked to Merkamou. “We need to get Rin-chan out of here, and you need to get back to the palace. Even Sesshomaru can't stop all of them before they can reach what's left of the walls.”

 

Merkamou lifted Rin as Kagome whistled, bringing Shou back down.

 

“Rin-neechan! Are you okay?” Katsuro leaned down as the dragon came close to the ground. Rin was rather surprised at her brother's firm grip as he helped Merkamou put her on the dragon.

 

“I am fine, Katsuro-kun.” Rin felt incredibly guilty leaving Kagome to this fight, but it was not a battle that she was equipped for. “Merkamou, get back to that palace before your mother does!”

 

“Hai, merlin.” The hawk turned into a whisp of flame and disappeared.

 

Shou climbed back up into the open sky, watching the chaos with uncertain eyes. Ah-Un pulled up alongside him, watching his rider with two anxious expressions.

 

Left on her own, Kagome turned to focus on the older miko. Her opponent was not moving, but was mumbling under her breath still.

 

`That can't be good. Okay, what works against me?' Kagome saw the blade left in the grass. She knew that Rin's katanas rejected everyone, but she might be able to hold on long enough for this to work. Gritting her teeth, she darted across the grass, picking up the blade.

 

The youki bit into her hand, shocking her as she slammed it into the miko's barrier. The pink shimmer pulsed, startling the older miko out of her muttering. Kagome swung again, making the barrier pulse again before losing her fight with the blade. She dropped it into the grass and hugged her hand to her chest. The barrier was shaky now, not quite a steady glow.

 

The bow and arrow were back out, the older miko taking aim. Mumbling again, she fired her arrow. It hit Kagome's barrier, and there was a pause before it disappeared. Cursing her injured hand, Kagome picked up her own bow again.

 

It was a lost cause. Her hand was too damaged to handle the arrow. Dropping the bow again, she squared her shoulders. `If I can take down Naraku and Ryuutaisho, I can deal with one miko.'

 

Another arrow was aimed at her, and Kagome took a deep breath. Instinct allowed her to push more energy into her barrier, making the latest attack disappear before it had even touched it. She knew she could hold off the miko, but she needed to stop her. Hoping that this was a good idea, Kagome walked right up to the other miko's barrier and set her hands on it. The purifying energy did her no harm, feeling nice and warm to her touch. It was as solid as a wall, but convincing energy to move around was something she had some experience at.

 

`Okay, I make energy move into things all the time, now I just have to convince her energy to move. It's a good thing I'm really stubborn.' Closing her eyes, Kagome started to move the energy out of her way.

 

“What do you think you are doing, woman?” The strange miko sounded like a frightened bird, backing her horse away. She ran into a problem when she could not make it through her own barrier, which was no longer fully under her control. “What are you?”

 

“A very bad miko.” Smiling to herself, the younger miko put more effort into her attempt. It seemed to be working. One hand started to slide through, as though the walls had turned into Jello.

 

Trembling again, the older woman tried to aim her arrow at the woman who was pushing through her barrier. Kagome opened her eyes, looking at the threat. “I don't want to kill you, I really don't, so please don't make me.”

 

“You are tainted. Evil. It is my duty to destroy you.”

 

“Onegai.” Kagome felt the hilt of the dagger in her hand. It would hurt to grab it, but only for an instant as she threw her weapon. “I don't like to kill, especially not a miko, but you are threatening my family.”

 

“You call these monsters your family? Do you know what that girl has created with that youkai? It is disgusting!” The arrow was released, and froze in mid air in front of the younger woman.

 

“I tried.” The arrow disappeared in a puff of energy. Kagome's scalded hand closed around the hilt of her dagger and threw it hard at the woman. Her opponent threw up both hands, stopping the dagger with a pink glow of her own.

 

Her hands clenched into fists, Kagome threw all of her strength into forcing that dagger to move forward. The older miko had more practice, but she was certain that she had more power. Seeing the dagger shift away from the older woman, she grabbed onto the last of her resources.

 

----

 

Leaping away from the fray, Sesshomaru turned his head to find his mate. She was caught in a battle of strength with the old woman, and he could now feel his own energy leaking away. This had happened before, and it had not ended well for him. He turned to make his way to the two mikos that were doing battle inside of a pink barrier.

 

----

 

A new surge of power ripped through Kagome, familiar but not her own. The older woman hissed and tried to draw back as the merged youki and miko energies joined the battle over the dagger. Closing her eyes and dropping to her knees, Kagome forced the dagger through the opposition, burying it in the older woman's throat. With a gurgle, she fell off of her horse, dead before she hit the ground.

 

Slowly uncurling her fingers, Kagome felt blood on the palms of her hands. `I won't be able to yell at Mizuki about that anymore.' The barrier around her collapsed with the death of the miko, and the horse was now free to run away from the scene. The world was spinning as she tipped onto her side.

 

Strong hands closed around her, pulling her up into a strong embrace. “Miko.”

 

Cracking her eyes open against the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her, Kagome managed a smile. “Youkai.”

 

“You should refrain from borrowing this Sesshomaru's power without warning.”

 

Closing her eyes again, Kagome blew a raspberry at him. “Next time you can deal with the miko, and I'll run off and pick on the helpless youkai.”

 

There was definite exasperation aimed at her through the bond as Sesshomaru scanned the skies for either of the two dragons. Once she was safely out of the way he could return to the fight. He found them, but he was not amused to see them both attacking the youkai forces that he had abandoned to rescue his mate. “How long are they to be grounded for?”

 

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she realized what her mate was seeing. “They are never coming out of their rooms again!”

 

----

 

Stretching her right arm, Rin felt life returning to her body. Ah-Un was right there, and the battle was not over yet. Ignoring the questions from her siblings, she vaulted to her own dragon, drawing her remaining katana. “You two stay in the air, I am going to help.”

 

“Rin-neechan!” Twin yells were ignored as Ah-Un dived back into the fray. Twin blasts ripped through the attacking youkai as the dragon passed just over their heads.

 

“She's hurt! We should stay with her!” Katsuro turned back to meet his sister's gaze.

 

“Are you insane? Do you have any idea what our parents would do to us for disobeying them like that?” Mizuki stared at her brother before turning her eyes back to Rin. “But she is hurt.”

 

“Mama said stay on the dragon, and stay in the air. Rin-neechan said stay in the air. Father said do not fight. What if Shou is the one fighting?”

 

Sapphire eyes unfocused as she ran scenarios through her mind. “We will still get into trouble, but we may live through it.”

 

“Let's go then!”

 

“Shou, can you help Ah-Un?”

 

The adolescent dragon hesitated, spinning figure eights in the sky as he watched the mature dragon blast through youkai and dodge the spears thrown at him. Ah-Un was hit with a spear, drawing out a loud roar as he blasted at the youkai beneath him. Steeling himself, Shou echoed the roar and dived into battle with the two pups squealing and hanging on for dear life.

 

Rin turned her head and stared in horror and admiration as Shou dove in. He roared again, blasting shards of ice that cut like knives. The targets ducked away as the attack sliced through skin and armor.

 

“What the hell are you two doing?” Rin brought Ah-Un alongside Shou, who was making another pass and completely disorganizing the forces.

 

“Nothing! It's Shou!” Katsuro yelled, waving his empty hands in the air. It had been pointless to try and bridle Shou, since he would just change sizes to get rid of it. He was strictly a voice command mount, and the pup would use that to his advantage.

 

“Why do I not believe you, Katsuro?” Peeling away from them, Rin sent Ah-Un down to take full advantage of the chaos that Shou was creating.

 

“We are going to be in so much trouble.” Mizuki hung on to her brother as Shou shot upwards, dodging the attacks that were now being aimed at him. High in the sky, he circled and looked for the best way to cause more damage. “Oh look, father is watching us.”

 

“Oh no.” Katsuro peered down to where he could see his father holding his mother. “We are never going to be allowed outside of our rooms again. Hey Shou, I think we should just stay up here for awhile. Okay?”

 

“You know father can just come up here and get us, correct?”

 

“Hai, but it will take a bit longer.”

 

Father was moving to the palace, taking mother with him. The siblings watched as mother was tucked out of sight and the taiyoukai returned to the fight.

 

----

 

Between the dragons in the sky and the rather vicious hawk and inu youkai helping to defend the walls, the youkai forces quickly agreed with their ningen counterparts that this was a bad idea. The retreat was no more organized then the first one, and was harassed by a two headed dragon that wanted revenge for the spear wound in his leg.

 

Merkamou shook his hair out of his eyes, grimacing at the dried blood on his face. From his perch on the wall he could see Rin chasing the last of the attackers off. His heart was still racing from the sight of his mate lying still in the grass. It had been a horrible moment between seeing her and reaching her side, not sure if she was already dead. Now she was back in the battle, and things were as they should be.

 

“Any sighting of the exiled hawk?” Sesshomaru appeared at his side as though through magic.

 

“No.” The hawk crossed his arms and looked over the carnage. “I am not surprised that she was not in the fighting. She is probably in hiding somewhere.”

 

Sesshomaru sniffed lightly. “Where is Yuriko?”

 

“What do you smell, Sesshomaru?”

 

“Blood. Inside of the palace.”

 

“Kuso.” Merkamou dropped off of the wall and ran through the corridors of the palace with Sesshomaru at his heels. Soon he could smell the blood as well, but he did not smell Yuriko's. It was very little comfort, but he would take it. Screams were echoing to him, and those did sound like his daughter

 

Sliding to a stop in front of the room where his daughter had been kept, he found dead guards laying everywhere. His mother was holding a fighting Yuriko by the hair, backing away from the look on her son's face with two of her own allies at her back. “Come towards me and I will kill her.”

 

Sesshomaru sized up the situation. The female could probably kill the chick before he could kill her, so he remained still. Next to him Merkamou clenched his fists.

 

“Mother, what are you doing?”

 

“There will be no hanyous in this family.” The Lady Sumi twisted Yuriko's hair, making her scream louder. “I will not allow such filth to stay in your father's home.”

 

“I will kill you if you harm her, mother.”

 

“You would kill your own mother? Never. You are too soft for that.”

 

A new voice echoed from behind the hawk. “I am not.”

 

The two males behind Sumi turned to face the new threat. Glaring at her son, the old hawk pulled Yuriko tightly to her. “Let me guess, your whore.”

 

“Oh, this will not go well.” Merkamou actually flinched when he realized what his mother had said in front of his mate.

 

The two males moved to stop the attacking ningen, and were cut down for their troubles. Sumi turned her head to see a ningen dressed in black armor, carrying a black katana that was now dripping with blood. Her eyes were as dark as her attire as she growled. “I made a promise to Merkamou, and I am so very happy that I will get to fulfill it.”

 

Caught between the two taiyoukai and an insane ningen, Sumi looked back and forth. Yuriko felt the grip in her hair and on her throat lessen, and decided to put some of her first lessons into use.

 

“Lemme go!” Yuriko stomped on her grandmother's foot and dug her little talons into the arm that had trapped her. She slammed her shoulder into the older woman, slamming her into the wall, and bit her.

 

“Ow, you little monster!” Sumi let go and jumped away from the vicious little hawk. Merkamou dived in to grab Yuriko, burying her face in his chest.

 

“Do not call my daughter that.”

 

Sumi slowly turned, belatedly realizing that she had jumped towards the insane ningen. Rin gave her a rather feral looking smile. “So nice to meet you, Lady Sumi. Merkamou, get Yuriko out of here.”

 

“Hai, merlin.” The hawk hesitated for half a heartbeat before leaving with his daughter. Sesshomaru stayed.

 

The katana slashed out, slicing the older female from shoulder to hip. She dropped to the ground, screaming, as the poison ate into her. Rin slammed her katana through her opponent's chest, pinning her to the ground. “I understand that hawks do not deal with poison particularly well. If this does not do the job, I am certain that Sesshomaru-sama will assist me.”

 

“Hai.” Sesshomaru looked quite bored as the hawk in front of him squirmed and screamed.

 

Breathing deeply, Rin tried to block out the noise. She was not a cold hearted person, and the sounds were driving her insane, but because of her the ningens would never forget today. There would always be resentment towards the Lord of the South. To say nothing about trying to kill her daughter, her mate, and destroy her home.

 

The screams were dropping to weak, gurgling moans. The exterminator twitched to end the suffering, her eyes going to Sesshomaru. The inu-youkai looked at her, then gestured with his head. He wanted Rin to leave.

 

“Hai, Sesshomaru-sama.” Rin asked no questions as she walked around the dying female, moving towards the courtyard where her family was waiting for her.

 

The inu-youkai looked down at the female, who was still glaring up at him. `Pack should never attack pack, especially pups. This creature has no business glaring at this Sesshomaru.'

 

With a quick gesture and some poison, Sesshomaru ensured that even in death the hawk would never glare at anyone again.

 

----

 

“No, Kagome-chan. You do not want to look for him.”

 

Kagome kept her hands clenched at her sides. She could feel how furious her mate was, and the cold pleasure he was taking in harming that female. It was all she could do to avoid throwing up when she caught a glimpse of what was going on. “I know, Rin-chan. I just want him to be done already.”

 

“She was most of the way gone when I left. It will not be long.” Rin rubbed her friend's shoulders as she sat next to her, Yuriko in her lap. Mizuki and Katsuro were on Kagome's other side, offering silent support even as they worried about their punishment to come. Merkamou was a short distance away, directing some of the clean up.

 

Closing her eyes, Kagome took deep breaths as she forced her body to not rebel. There was a flash of awareness from her bond, and suddenly Sesshomaru was coming back. There was concern, and an ever so tiny amount of guilt as he stepped into the courtyard. He had Rin's katana with him, and Kagome was relieved to see that he had wiped it off. “Hey, wait a minute. That should be rejecting the daylights out of you.”

 

“And why would it do that? I helped to create it.” Sesshomaru handed the katana to Rin before dropping down to look in Kagome's eyes. His voice was the softest whisper. “Koishii?”

 

“It's alright. Just try not to do that unless you really, really have to. My stomach just can't take it.” Trying to force a smile, Kagome stared into those amber eyes and let herself just be lost for a moment. `So he's got some bad habits. I can work with that. I think.'

 

The amber eyes turned to the two pups huddled next to their mother. Both sets of ears dropped down until they all but disappeared, while the two heads ducked down into their shoulders.

 

“Well.”

 

Mizuki swallowed, ready to explain as best she could, but Katsuro beat her to it. “We were worried about Rin-neechan, and nobody said anything about Shou fighting.”

 

Kagome already had her finger up, ready to argue, but stopped and thought back. “I knew I forgot something.”

 

Sesshomaru growled low, making both of his pups drop down again.

 

“We knew you would be angry, but we wanted to protect Rin-neechan. That seemed more important at the time.” Mizuki kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke.

 

The growl evaporated. Even Kagome looked up in surprise at the sudden silence.

 

“And you should protect your pack.”

 

“But you know what we meant, and you disobeyed us anyways!” It was almost impossible for Kagome to stay mad at the two dejected looking pups. `They really were just trying to help their sister.'

 

“Hai, Mama.” Both of the voices were little more then whispers.

 

“And you are both losing Shou riding privileges for one moon, since you obviously aren't ready to deal with that responsibility.”

 

The two pups looked at each other, then up to their mother. Both pairs of ears slowly came up as hope was rekindled. “Hai, Mama.”

 

“I'm still tempted to lock you both in your rooms until you're 300. You both just attract trouble.”

 

“Are you certain it is them?” Sesshomaru did not stick around to hear Kagome's response, but instead was off to discuss things with Merkamou.

 

“Arrogant bastard.”

 

“Language, Kagome-chan!” Rin had both of her hands clapped over Yuriko's ears, and Mizuki had her hands over Katsuro's.

 

“What, it's not like I haven't heard that one. It's Mama's favorite.” Katsuro waved at his sister's hands. “And I heard what the Captain called her the last time she skipped out of practice, but it all kind of blurs together after the whole fathered by a . . . “

 

Kagome clapped her hand over Katsuro's mouth. “Not in front of your niece!”

 

----

 

The walls were whole again, and the bodies had been removed. Sesshomaru stood with Merkamou and Rin, looking over the repairs. Assuming that no more mikos attempted to break in, they should be secure.

 

Off in the distance Kagome could be seen sitting on a rock, enjoying the view. She had been rather distant since the attack, and Sesshomaru did not like it. Without saying a word to Rin or Merkamou, he dropped off of the wall and set out after his mate. He would know what was causing this problem.

 

`Okay, I know that hawk deserved it, but it just wasn't fun to get to see it. It's not like he was out picking a fight, that bitch had Yuriko. And he was doing Rin a favor, getting her out of there. I just don't want to see it up close, and feel that he enjoys it. I know what he is, and I can deal with that. As long as it is just that little bit removed. But how can I explain that to him. It's not something he will understand. Sometimes we are just so different.' Kagome gazed off into the horizon, feeling her heart change its rhythm. Sesshomaru was coming. `And you know what? I still love him. What a mess. I'm starting to make my head hurt. That's what probably got his attention, and not in a way I want.'

 

“Miko. Stop that.”

 

`Ding, ding, ding. Two points for Kagome.' The miko looked over her shoulder, smiling at Sesshomaru. “Stop what, youkai?”

 

For a moment Sesshomaru could clearly see the girl that had yelled at him for trying to kill her. She had used the same stance to tell that miko off that she had used all of those years ago to damage his armor. Although she was now an adult, the years had simply tempered her like a fine blade. The same long hair was blowing in the breeze, but the bright eyes were smiling at him instead of throwing challenges. After using her powers that much, she still smelled of purifying power and Sesshomaru was reminded yet again of what she was. His natural enemy.

 

“You're thinking too hard, Sesshomaru.” Kagome turned to face him. “What's bothering you?”

 

“I intended the same question for you.” Oddly hesitant, Sesshomaru stopped just out of reach and watched her. She may not be able to kill him, but she could still be a threat when she chose to be.

 

Closing her eyes, Kagome let the wind play through her hair for a long moment. “It's hard when you do stuff like that.”

 

“The hawk.”

 

“Hai. I could never do something like that, and having to feel what you feel while you do it, and having to see glimpses of it . . . “

 

There was a tense silence. Sesshomaru had not realized that she was picking up that much from him, or that she could not just block out what he was seeing.

 

“I know what you are, Sesshomaru, and I don't want you to change that.” The eyes opened and looked up to him.

 

“And I do not want you to change. I will try to show more restraint, so that you do not have to experience things in such detail.”

 

`Hey, that was almost an apology! Not bad.' Kagome gave him a bright smile, feeling the effect it had on him.

 

The inu-youkai stepped forward, moving into her reach so that he could run the back of a finger down her cheek. The small show of affection made Kagome shiver, catching his wrist so she could hold the hand against her cheek.

 

“It was concerning when you withdrew.”

 

Shock showed plainly on Kagome's face. “I'm not going anywhere, Sesshomaru. You know that's not even an option.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Rolling her eyes, the little miko grabbed onto his arm and pulled him in close. Grabbing his haori in her free hand she pulled him down for a kiss. “I'm not going anywhere because I don't want to. One day you are going to figure out that I actually love you, you arrogant bastard.”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

“Baka.” Kagome kissed him again, running her tongue along one of his fangs. His arms slipped around her, pulling her up tight against him. With the sun shining down on her and his hair under her fingers, it felt like heaven.

 

The inuyoukai broke away reluctantly. “We are about to be interrupted.”

 

“Nani?” Kagome looked around, seeing two pups running across the grass.

 

“Mama! Father! Merkamou and Rin-neechan said that you were out here!” Katsuro reached them first, just ahead of his sister. “We're all packed, just like you told us to be. Can Shippou come and stay for a visit? His uncle said he could.”

 

“Of course.” Kagome tried to walk towards her son, but her mate was not letting go. “Um, Sesshomaru?”

 

The arm around her waist tightened in response, pulling her back to rest against his chest.

 

“Oh, father, you need to let Mama go so she can talk to Shippou's uncle.” Katsuro grabbed onto one of Kagome's arms and started to tug. “Oi, Ki-chan, give me a hand with this.”

 

Shrugging her shoulders, Mizuki took the other arm. “Rin-neechan needed to talk to Mama anyways. It is time to head back up to the palace.”

 

Sesshomaru growled a bit at his pups, pulling Kagome back. The two pups growled in return, pulling harder.

 

“I am not a tug toy! All of you, let me go!” Kagome struggled as her family continued to pull.

 

“Give us back our Mama!” Katsuro and Mizuki dug their heels in, pulling hard on Kagome's arms.

 

“No.” Sesshomaru stood perfectly still, quite amused to see his offspring struggling to free their mother from his grasp.

 

“If you guys dislocate my shoulders I'm going to be very, very angry!”

 

----

 

“That is your family, not mine.” Merkamou sat with Rin and Yuriko on the wall of the compound, watching as Sesshomaru's family fought over the miko.

 

“I know, I know.” Rin tucked Yurkio's head under her chin. “At least this one is well behaved.”

 

“Then it is for the best that they must return so quickly. Less chance to contaminate our offspring.”

 

Sesshomaru had suddenly let go of Kagome, and was now watching with a bland expression as his family sorted themselves out from their heap on the ground.

 

“I think that Yuriko should be an only child.”

 

Merkamou nodded slowly as Kagome tackled Katsuro before he could jump on his sister. “Hai, merlin.”