InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nigatsu no Hoshi (Stars of February) ❯ My Palace, Our Home ( Chapter 21 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 19: My Palace, Our Home

Inuyasha promptly shut his mouth, and followed the direction of Kagome's hand. Sesshoumaru stood before then, stalk still with his emotionless golden eyes towards them, once again his face unreadable. As a breeze picked up, the Demon Lords silver hair billowed elegantly with it, almost giving his appearance the perfect touch. Kagome smiled to herself, she herself always having an amount of respect for her brother in law as it were.

"come to meet us Sesshoumaru? How kind of you." Inuyasha scoffed sarcastically. Sesshoumaru made no response to his younger brother, yet kept his eyes fixated on the demoness standing next to inuyasha. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the awkwardness of his brother, and followed his gaze to his mate. "uhhh, Sesshoumaru? This is kagome, I'm sure you could tell by her scent."

Sesshoumaru nodded, "what do you take me for brother, of course I would recognize the scent of my own blood, it is her form that baffles me. I heard that Inuyasha's wench had become demon, but I didn't quite know what to expect, forgive me kagome-sama." He said coolly.

Kagome's eyes widened for a second, `kagome sama?' "my lord, why do you refer to me with respect? You, eldest of the Inu-Demon tribe, are not expected to show such to the bitch of your brother." Kagome questioned.

The noble lord replied with a small smirk of his own, "My Lady, even this Sesshoumaru can plainly see that you are not just the bitch of my brother, your blood smells of power and nobility, such as yourself deserves nothing less." He stated in his usual smooth voice.

`wow, this certainly is turning out differently, he was supposed to show up here and fight us, not compliment me on my nobility.'

"I surely know the reason of your sudden attendance, you were sent to take the throne, were you not, brother?" he asked the still stunned and confused inuyasha. "uh, well, yeah. Myouga told us that this is the direction of the council. Why else would I return to this horrid home of mine?" he replied.

Sesshoumaru smirked at him again, "ah yes, so I see that you still have an issue with your own blood line. well, It appears that you will have to be getting over that soon my brother.

"hold on, you mean to tell me, that you're not going to fight us for this? You're just going to leave us the key and leave in peace?" kagome asked in disbelief. Sesshoumaru turned to her again, "I see no reason for me to fight. I am no stubborn child, I understood from the beginning that if inuyasha was to find a mate before I, then I would have to step down. I always knew that it would be so, and I never fought to stop it."

"Now if you will excuse me, I must gather Rin, Jaken, Ah and Un so that we may depart. The domain is yours brother. I bid you farewell Lady Kagome, if anyone can keep inuyasha on a leash, I have faith that it would be you." He said as he solemnly bowed to kagome and nodded to his brother, who was now scowling at the little `leash' comment.

As he turned to leave, and his cloud of youki appeared, kagome stared on with a deeply confused look on her face, till a sudden, obvious idea came to her mind. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Wait a second!" she called out as she stepped towards him.

His cloud dissipated as he looked at her from over his shoulder, "nani?"

"Sesshoumaru…" she began as she glanced over to her mate, who also had `nani' written all over his face. "if this castle is as grand as it appears, why is it that there is not room for more that two youkai? as far as I know, royal families all live in the same domain. I've hated the thought of taking over your home since the beginning, especially with Rin and all. If it is okay by inuyasha and yourself of course, I would be happy to have you stay with us." She stated meekly.

"NANI?!" were the responses of both inu brothers. "live in the same residence as HIM? Kagome dear, I can barely stand to live in the same era as this asshole, let alone live with him." Inuyasha burst, and Sesshoumaru simply looked on, clearly wanting to retaliate but holding his tongue.

"inuyasha! It's a big house! Are you saying that you would rather put little Rin on the streets instead of giving her and your only brother a home?" she asked incredulously, giving him the eye. Inuyasha gulped at the look on her face, a look that only the primmest of woman could manage.

He looked between his elder brother and his mate, and then stared at the ground for a while. Images of how his life as a toddler was came back to him, images of him and his brother playing in the courtyard of their home. He looked back up to the palace in the distance and sighed, "whatever, do as you like kagome. If I could tolerate him before, I'm sure I could muster it again. But the moment he does something to piss me off, he's outta here! You can keep Rin, but I'll personally kick his ass out if he tries to interfere with my life." He said in a serious tone.

Sesshoumaru's chest rumbled almost inaudibly at the mention of separating him from his Rin, but quickly caught himself. kagome looked at him oddly after hearing it, but shook it off, "so Sesshoumaru, I know it wasn't much, but it sounds as if my mate has opened the family plot back to you, how kind." She said as she gave a sideways glare to inuyasha, but smiled when she saw him shrink back.

Sesshoumaru thought for a moment, then nodded. "very well kagome-sama, I thank you for your undeserved hospitality. And thank you for thinking of Rin, you will be a good mother to your pups, of that I am sure." He said nonchalantly, but savored the horrified look from the both of them.

"shall we go then, or do you wish to stand out here, and simply look at your knew domain?"

kagome shook out of her daze and looked back to the demon lord, "huh? Oh yes! And if we're lucky, maybe we can turn this cold palace into a warm home." Kagome said happily, her eyes twinkling with the prospect.

"feh! I doubt it, but whatever makes you happy kagome, we're all entitled to our own dreams." Inuyasha replied as he began to walk towards the large structure in the distance. Kagome rolled her eyes and ran up to her mate and linked an arm through his own. she turned back to Sesshoumaru who was still standing still in thought, "come on Sesshou! Lets go home!" she called to him with a smile on her face.

Sesshoumaru nodded once more, and followed closely behind them.

~~*~~*~~*~~

as they reached the gates of the castle, inuyasha and Sesshoumaru stood still and simply stared on. The gates slowly creaked open before them and the brothers entered. Kagome followed, but was deflected by some kind of demon barrier. "eek! What the? A barrier? I should have been able to walk right through that…maybe my powers are draining?" she thought out loud.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru laughed to each other, and inuyasha came back to stand next to her, the barrier opening easily for him. "I'm sorry kags, I forgot that this was here. You see, it recognizes the blood of our family, but since you're my mate, I guess it doesn't recognize you since our bond is mainly in aura. But give me your hand, its nothing that cant be fixed." Inuyasha told her.

Kagome held out her hand, and watched in confusion as inuyasha cut a gash in his palm with his claw, and did the same to her. "itai!" she hissed. Inuyasha held onto her bleeding hand, pressing his palm to hers for a moment. He pulled away, and walked over to the gates of the castle. He dragged his bloody hand across both sides of it, and watched as they seemingly absorbed it.

He stepped back and smiled, "now, it will recognize you as not only my mate, but inu-youkai of noble heritage." He said happily. Kagome smiled as she healed the wound on her hand, and then made her way to inuyasha and pulled his hand infront of her. She brought it to her lips and kissed it tenderly, and then proceeded to lick away the blood slowly, and then used her miko powers to heal the wound completely.

Inuyasha stared down at her, blushing and his mouth hanging slightly slack. "ka-kagome?'

"There you go! All better, now lets hurry inside!" she yelled excitedly. Inuyasha furrowed his brow at her back as she skipped towards the house, "tease." He muttered under his breath, Sesshoumaru smirked upon hearing his frustrated sibling.

Inuyasha followed his mate, arms tucked safely inside his haori sleeves, and slowly burning holes through the stone walls of the castle with his gaze. Sesshoumaru kept silent as he watched the two's behavior.

Kagome was the first to reach the large cedar doors of the house, and waited, none to patiently at them. "come ON inuyasha! Hurry it up already, I wanna see inside!" she whined as she jumped up and down. "feh, watch it kagome, you're starting to sound like the runt shippou" inuyasha warned her.

"shippou? Shippou-Chan?! My little fox is here?!" came a high pitched voice from inside. The large doors creaked open, and a small girl, about the age of 13 ran out from the palace. She stopped dead in her tracks to stare up at the visitors, "k-kagome sama? Inuyasha-sama?" the young girl asked in disbelief.

Kagome smiled and leaned down to place a hand on the girls head. "yes, hello there Rin, ogenki desu ka, Rin-Chan?" kagome asked in a happy tone. Rin beamed with excitement, "arigato gozaimasu. Genki desu!" she beamed back.

"Hehe, good to hear rin, I take it that Lord Sesshoumaru is taking good care of you?" the young demoness questioned.

"hai! Lord Sesshoumaru takes very good care of Rin!" Rin replied happily as she shot her master a toothy grin over Kagome's shoulder, and Sesshoumaru gave her a kind one in return. "hmm, well while I'm here, I'm going to be schooling you Rin-Chan, it sounds to me that someone needs a lesson or two in their grammar skills." Kagome mused.

"graa-marrr? What's that kagome-sama, Rin has never heard of this before." She asked in question. Kagome gave a small chuckle, and stood, taking the little girls hand in her own. "come on now, lets get inside." Kagome said, once again excited to see her new home.

"Inside?" Rin gasped, "kagome-sama and inuyasha-sama are staying with Rin and my lord?!" she asked, and kagome only responded with another smile. "yayyy!" she shrieked and hopped in circles around kagome as she walked through the door way.

"wait kagome!" inuyasha said as he suddenly jumped ahead to stand beside kagome, and without wasting a second, put an arm under her legs and swooped her into his arms. "I-inuyasha?!" she shrieked in surprise. "quiet kagome, I'm walking you over the thresh hold. I did some research on human marriages and found that the male carrys his bitch through the doorway of their new home." He said simply.

Kagome looked up at him with a shocked look on her face, and started giggling wildly. Inuyasha arched a brow down at her, "what's so funny?"

"you're just so cute when you're trying to be romantic." She giggled. Inuyasha snorted and dropped her to her feet when he reached the entry way of the home. Kagome was about to turn around and bite his head off for dropping her, but her voice stuck in her throat and her jaw hit the floor.

Inuyasha stirred uncomfortably at the feeling of being in the home of his youth again, as all the familiar scents of the old place brought back many memories of the past.

The floor was of white marble, and the walls were of the same. The boarders on the ceiling and floor were of molten gold. There were numerous tapestries lining the wall, giant dog demons and other lords portrayed in the priceless fabrics.

As she moved further down the long entry way, she noticed ceiling appeared almost transparent, and the mid day sun seemed to shine through the solid stone walls. The home held a certain warmth, yet a tenseness at the same time, kagome presuming it to be the clashing of the demon auras that remained in the house.

She came upon the ending of the hallway, and it opened up to reveal a large room. The floor sank into the floor and kagome noted a pair of wooden sandals, no doubt rins. She plopped off her own sandals and entered the room. The floor was made of curiously soft oak, and palm braches and exotic flowers hung in pots from the high ceilings.

Kagome turned to face the others, with a smile adorning her face and tears welling in her eyes, "we're home inuyasha." She said quietly.

Inuyasha smiled back at her as he made his way towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lowered his head to the crook of her neck and whispered softly in her ear, "I'm glad you like it kagome, I can tell we're going to be very happy here."

"I will show you to the master bedroom." Sesshoumaru broke in. kagome peered over Inuyasha's shoulder and looked happily at Sesshoumaru. "I'm following you, lead the way." She said. Sesshoumaru glided by the couple, closely followed by Rin.

Sesshoumaru led the new lord and lady up a spiraling set of stairs, and upon the fourth floor. They reached the top of the stairs, and the hallway broke in two directions. Sesshoumaru led them to the right, towards the west wing. Kagome observed the numerous ink portraits of who could only be Inuyasha's ancestors.

As they approached the end of the hallway, kagome spotted to large redwood doors at the very end. Candles were attached to the wall on either side of the doors, as well as too more portraits. Kagome gasped when she saw the faces of the paintings. On the right was the side profile of a demon lord. His long silver hair drawn up in a hair ponytail, held in place with wooden sticks. His eyes reminded her of sesshoumarus, strong. Yet at the same time they reminded her of Inuyasha's eyes, they held a certain compassion in them. The man had the marks of an inu demon on his face, and his garments clearly showed royalty.

Then her eyes wandered to the portrait on the other side of the doors, this one a woman. Her hair was very long, and black as night. She wore many layers of noble kimonos, yet she did not have the markings of a inu Lady. But her eyes were what fixed Kagome's gaze. Her eyes were so kind, held such love, but at the same time held a sadness in them that she had only seen in one other person. She knew at once who the woman was, it was Inuyasha's mother.

She turned to look at inuyasha, who was peering deeply into the picture as well, "inuyasha?" she whispered. Inuyasha didn't take his eyes from the woman's face, and simply nodded. He knew what she was going to ask, he could see the realization in her eyes as he watched her observe the murals.

Sesshoumaru however, continued to look on indifferently. "this my Lady, is the Lord and Lady's chamber. That is why these depictions are adorned here, they are of the last ruling party. At one time, my mothers portrait hung on this very wall, but when she took her own life, she was moved to the halls of past rulers, where she still remains." He stated simply.

Kagome listened nervously, only being able to imagine that this must be why the brothers grew to hate each other, `Inuyasha's mom had replaces sesshoumarus…how sad' she thought.

Rin tugged at the vacant sleeve of her masters haori, "Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin has never seen this room before, why have you never shown this Rin?" she asked in curiosity. Sesshoumaru didn't even bother to look down at the girl, "because rin…this room is to remained shut until the adorning of the Lord and Lady of the Western Lands. Kagome and inuyasha are to be those rulers, so it is time to break the seals." She said as he moved forward.

He reached for inuyasha, and reached for Kagome. He clasped their hands together in his one hand, and moved them to the door. he pressed their closed fists, first against the picture of Inutaishou, their father, then to Inuyasha's mother. Kagome gasped as she watched the couples faces fade, and her own take its place.

Kagome was portrayed in a long silk, noble kimono, with her long hair falling to one side. Her demon markings were clearly visible, and what looked to be her miko chi swirled around her person. Inuyasha was portrayed in much the same pose as his father. His back towards the viewer, and his head tilted over his shoulder, his eyes held the same softness but still the power in which was passed to him.

Inuyasha and kagome stood in awe for a moment as they observed their own faces that stared back at them, "wha-what happened? Where'd the other paintings go?" kagome asked anxiously. "do not fret my lady, they have reappeared in the hall of past nobles. The lords chamber has recognized you as the new rulers, and thus, you are now granted entrance to the room." He stated.

Kagome turned back to face inuyasha, and they stared at each other for a moment, and then back to the door. inuyasha slowly stepped forward, and placed a hand on the golden door handle, and pulled on it, expecting the door to be heavy. However, the door easily opened to him, and kagome quickly peeked her head into the door, to see what her mate was gawking at all of a sudden.

`its gotta be really empressive to render HIM speechless, what's in there?' she asked herself. She clung onto inuyasha as her eyes focused in on the room. "its beautiful…" she said simply.

In the middle of the large, VERY large room, was a VERY large bed. Above it hung a sheer silk canopy, and the mattress was covered in large pillows. The far wall was lined with closets, which themselves were lined in silver. There was a large balcony which took up almost the whole west wall, with long flowing curtains of a lilac color. The other wall was lined with floor to ceiling mirrors. Everything in the room was either lined in silver or plated in gold, and it seemed to sparkle in its majesty.

Kagome and inuyasha began to walk into the room while Sesshoumaru and Rin waited outside. Kagome lifted herself ontop of the large bed, and from there she gazed around the rest of the room. Inuyasha watched her happily as she smiled in glee. `I'm glad she's happy, maybe this will be worth it after all.'

"I will leave you to yourselves, I only suggest that you be dressed and ready for dinner by nightfall. In the meantime, just enjoy yourselves, remember this is YOUR domain, so do not be afraid to wander if you desire. My and Rin shall retire for now, we will join you for the evening meal. Although I myself do not require human food, it is required that all royal family attend the formal meals together." Sesshoumaru explained.

Kagome smiled at him and nodded in understanding. "what are we to wear Sesshoumaru? We don't have anything except the clothes on our backs." Kagome said.

Sesshoumaru nodded to inuyasha and then walked away. Inuyasha nodded to his brothers back, and turned towards his mate. "what is it inuyasha?" she asked. "the clothing of our past lords and ladies are in the closets over there, you will be…you will be wearing my mothers clothes." He told her, and Kagome's eyes went wide. "your mothers clothes?"

"yes, it is traditional that we wear the garments of the prior nobles, it shows our respect for their last standings." He said as he joined her on the bed.

"oh, I see." She said.

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her as he laid to her side. He brought a hand to her face, and ran his fingers over her jawline, and then through her hair. "do you think you're ready for this my kagome?"

"oh yeah, from birth I had a feeling that I would be destined to rule over some foreign land, 500 years in the past?" she said sarcastically. "really?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Kagome giggled, and pecked him on the lips, "of course not silly, but don't worry, I can adapt, as long as I have you by my side." She said as she smiled at him.

Inuyasha smiled back at her, "I love you kagome." He said, "I love you more." She responded, and he leaned in to claim her mouth as his own. They relished in each others touch for who knows how long, but they enjoyed every moment of it. it was as if nothing else mattered, the only thing that existed was them, and they got lost in each other.

But all too soon, a voice came from outside the door. "my lord, my lady, dinner is prepared, we are expecting you soon."

Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha's feasting lips to respond, " we're on our way." She called, but inuyasha pulled her back down onto the bed before she could get up.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, "we have to go, you don't want to be late to out first meal as lord and lady do you?" she asked. Inuyasha pouted, and rose with her. "fine, but you owe me." He said mischievously as he ran his tongue over her pulse, and then walked over to the closet and began digging through the clothes.

Kagome pouted at his back, "hmph, tease."

Suteki: okay, FINALLY the next chapter is complete! Sorry of there was any mistakes in the spelling or grammar, but I don't have time to proof read it if I want it up tomorrow, so I'll fix it later if there's any big probs. Hehe, sorry, I've been really busy what with the anime expo two weeks ago, and partying all this weekend, ugh, I'm SOOOOO tired! Okay, next chapter: Meeting the Counsel.