InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Chapter 45: Illumination ( Chapter 45 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

CHAPTER 45: Illumination

When the door opened, revealing the youkai behind it, Kagome found she could do little more than gape. She was familiar with seeing him as he so frequently was -- clad in his traditional, embroidered kimono, two swords at his side, long silver hair reaching his knees, and a look of unmistakable disdain at his lips. She hadn't been prepared for this other Sesshoumaru, one familiar with modern conveniences... and modern clothing. The slate gray, button-down shirt was open at the collar, and the sleeves were rolled up slightly; on anyone else, Kagome supposed it wouldn't have seemed that out of the ordinary, but on the taiyoukai it was positively odd.

There was a moment of silence that felt vast and cavernous, though couldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds. During this time, Sesshoumaru regarded the younger version of his half-brother and his mate. He found slight amusement in the realization that he was faintly amazed at how very young Inuyasha appeared. Shaking off the sensation, he inclined his head. "...Inuyasha. Kagome."

Sesshoumaru was neither surprised nor offended by Inuyasha's gaping stare, but when the hanyou recovered his savoir-faire, folded his arms over his chest, and said, "We came to bring Teles and the pup back to Kagome's," the taiyoukai felt himself stiffen. While a great deal had occurred over the course of the centuries to alter his relationship with Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru knew that his brother's younger self would not have joked about something like this.

At Inuyasha's words, Kagome sighed deeply, and when Sesshoumaru glanced at her, he saw that she wore a look of long-suffering patience. She looked up at him, meeting his amber gaze unwaveringly. "We just want to make sure they're okay."

The youkai was silent for a moment or two before stepping aside. "Come in," he said evenly. Closing the door behind them, Sesshoumaru led the pair into the living room. "She's indisposed at the moment, but I'll tell her you're here." Without another word, he strode silently through the series of hallways that led to the master bath.

At the bathroom door, Sesshoumaru paused for a moment and closed his eyes; he could smell the cool scent of mint as it clung to the damp air. Within, he could hear the rush of water, the sound of splashing, and his mate singing quietly. A faint smile tugged at his lips; it amused him how very much Teles seemed to appreciate modern bathing. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, the small smile quirking a bit when her silhouette -- obscured only by the smoked-glass door -- filled his sight. She seemed to grow rounder by the day, and even now, his eyes could easily track the curve of her belly through the smoked glass.

He cleared his throat softly. "Beloved?"

Teles started slightly, and the song she'd been singing stopped with a short, surprised gasp. "Yes, Sesshoumaru?" The rush of water subsided, and a slender arm reached out of the shower to grasp a towel hanging nearby.

"I'm sorry to disturb you."

The door slid open, and she wrapped the large towel awkwardly around her torso, with limited success. She smiled at him, reaching up to wipe some of the excess water from her face. "It's no disturbance, beloved." A sly light glowed in her eyes. "In fact, I was rather hoping you'd--"

"Alas, we have company."

There was a short beat of silence. "Company?"

"Inuyasha is visiting Kagome, and wasn't aware of your... new arrangements. So he believes that you need to return to Kagome's for your own safety."

Teles blinked once. "I beg your pardon? He... what?"

Sesshoumaru closed the bathroom door and took several steps toward his mate. "Teles, the last he remembers of you, you were running away from me, frightened, cold, and in pain. I shudder to contemplate for what nefarious purposes he thinks I've brought you here."

"Ah," the former goddess replied, looking away for a moment. "Very well," she sighed.

And then, with a trace of mischief, he looked at her, his brow lifting in wry amusement. "Now, are you certain you can manage dressing on your own?"

A warm -- if slightly impish -- smile lit her lips as she replied with a fair amount of her own mischief, "I'm quite certain I cannot."
The youkai chuckled and closed the distance between them, taking the towel and rubbing it slowly across her skin, drying her. Her expression melted into a fonder version of the smile she was wearing as the youkai lowered himself to his knees to dry her legs and rounded abdomen. As the towel wiped away the beads of moisture on her skin, Sesshoumaru leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against the swollen flesh of her belly. Her fingers combed slowly through his hair as he did this, but when the pup within gave a flutter, Teles gasped softly, her hand stilling.

"How has he been?" he asked quietly.

"Your participation has made a great deal of difference, beloved. I think he just likes to remind me that he's still there, and that he's growing impatient." She huffed a soft chuckle. "So am I, actually."

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru let a low growl rumble against Teles' stomach. When he felt his mate relax slightly, he stood.

Teles slipped into a robe, tying it shut; Sesshoumaru leaned against the counter, watching. "I cannot decide if my following you into the bedroom will take too long and make him suspicious enough to come looking for me."

She laughed -- a sound he reveled in -- and cradled his face in her hands, pulling him down for a kiss. The scent of mint twined around them both. "Perhaps I'll have to manage dressing on my own," she breathed, letting her lips brush his as she spoke.

He let her warm, pliant lips work slowly across his mouth. "I'll try to keep him from storming in here," he murmured. They stayed like that for a moment, and, for a moment, Sesshoumaru felt his soul quiet. For several short seconds, the world was at peace, and all was as it should have been. For that infinitesimal stretch of time, five hundred years had not passed, he hadn't driven Teles away... none of it had happened at all.

But when his mate began deepening the kiss, the surge of desire that welled up in the youkai broke that spell.

"Beloved," he groaned.

Teles pulled back, looking up at him, the picture of wide-eyed innocence. "Yes, Sesshoumaru?" she asked lightly.

"Very funny," he replied dryly, disentangling himself from her arms before turning and passing into the bedroom on his way back to the living room. So very like her to pretend that she had no idea of the effect she had on him.

As he left, he heard her chuckle. "You've denied me for the entire length of my stay. You needn't sound so shocked that I've resorted to more covert tactics."

"Who said it was shock?" he muttered.

***

Kagome gazed around the spacious living room in awe. "Wow," she breathed. "Can you believe this place?"

Inuyasha stood by the wide windows overlooking the city, which was quickly plunging into darkness. "Keh. It's not that great."

Smiling inwardly, Kagome nodded once. Slow, wandering steps took her to the glass museum case in the corner. Tenseiga's here... Toukijin, which still feels unpleasant.

Running her fingertips over the thick glass, Kagome felt a slight tingle. Tenseiga felt... serene, cool. Toukijin, by contrast, felt hot, and Kagome could sense the sword's immense rage at being held in check by Sesshoumaru's aura for so many years.

But the case was only made for two swords, and it was this fact that made Kagome swallow hard, her throat closing. He doesn't have Tetsusaiga... I wonder what happened to it? Where are you? What happened? I know you're here, but... Closing her eyes, Kagome shook herself briefly, turning around and looking for something else to distract her.

She moved to stand by the large window Inuyasha had been gazing out earlier. When she looked over at him, she saw that he was looking curiously at a large bookcase. After a moment, he withdrew a book from the shelf and started flipping through it.

His brow furrowed. "The fuck kind of kanji is this?"

"Hmmm?" Kagome turned away from the picture window and crossed the room to peer over his shoulder. "...I think... that's French."

He looked over his shoulder at her, thick brows twitching together. "...French?"

"It's, um... it's another Western language," Kagome explained, looking at the foreign words. "I can't read it at all..." She took a step back and looked up at the shelves. "Wow. Some of these look like they're from the beginning of the Meiji Era..."

Inuyasha gave her a blank look. "What's so special 'bout them?"

"They're just... well, they'd be about a hundred and thirty years old."

Inuyasha shrugged. "So? My father's scrolls would be older than that by now, right?"

Before Kagome could reply, Sesshoumaru's voice came from the other end of the room. "As a matter of fact, they're considerably older. And they're in quite good condition, considering."

Inuyasha started slightly, and then glowered -- he hadn't heard Sesshoumaru approach. Kagome brushed a comforting hand over his arm as she turned to face the taiyoukai.

But Inuyasha covered his momentary lapse of vigilance, injecting a dose of antagonism into his tone. "So? What'd you do with her?"

Sesshoumaru remained unruffled. "She was bathing. Now she is dressing. I was not about to bring her out here forcibly."

The hanyou snorted. "That's a first."

Still, the youkai lord's expression did not change. "I do not owe my apologies to you, Inuyasha, except for having attacked you. The apologies I owed, I made. To my mate."

"Hey, she asked me to watch over the pup," he said defensively. "I'm just takin' care of my responsibilities."

Kagome closed her eyes at the unspoken insinuation that hung in the air with Inuyasha's words. Please, Inuyasha...

But however much Inuyasha tried to goad his older -- now much-older -- brother, the youkai would not rise to the bait. "I'm well aware of that," he said patiently. He opened his mouth to say more, but was stopped by a light touch on his arm. Teles had slipped into the room, and was looking up at him with a serene -- and yet slightly amused --expression.

Kagome stared at the former goddess for a moment. She was wearing a long, chunky, black turtleneck sweater and loose fitting charcoal colored knit pants; her hair was damp from her shower and was wound up in a chignon. But it wasn't the fact that she was wearing modern clothes that struck the young girl -- she'd been wearing them while she was staying with Kagome's family. The thing that caught Kagome's attention was the fact that though Teles' face was free from makeup, her color was excellent, her eyes clear, and all signs of stress and worry had faded away. She sidled up to her youkai mate, slipping her hand into his and smiling at him.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the dark haired woman. Kagome saw the slight shift in his stance -- his posture seemed less rigid with her at his side. He seemed to relax when she leaned against him. After a moment, he brought his other hand up to rest lightly against her stomach. And in that time, Sesshoumaru did something neither Kagome nor Inuyasha could recall him doing at any time in recent memory. He smiled. It was a faint, slow curve of the lips, but it warmed his eyes, and for a moment it seemed as if everything else in the room fell away and ceased to exist.

Feeling as if she were intruding on a wholly intimate moment, Kagome looked away. Her eyes went briefly to Inuyasha's face in time to see his expression of shock before it evolved into something resembling discomfort. He too looked away from the tableau, blushing lightly. Their gazes met and locked for a moment, and they both looked away from each other quickly, both of them a deeper shade of pink.

Teles cleared her throat softly and regarded them with a serene smile. "It appears Sesshoumaru was not lying about having company."

"I would not lie about the charming company of my brother and his mate," he replied blandly.

These words, spoken so casually by the youkai, brought more color to Kagome's cheeks. Until now it had been something she'd savored, sharing only with Sango-chan. To hear someone else say it was wonderful, but the words roused a swarm of butterflies in Kagome's stomach.

Kagome's discomfiture increased sharply when Teles' smile grew suddenly devious. "Who knows what fantastic tales you might weave to keep me from spending every spare moment in that shower of yours?"

Something traveled between the two mates at that moment -- a knowing smile, a slight arch of an eyebrow. A beat of silence passed before Sesshoumaru replied, "Why would I weave fantastic tales to keep you out of the shower when I could join you?" At this point he seemed to recall that they were not alone in the room. Offering both Inuyasha and Kagome a brief nod, he cleared his throat. "Ah. I beg your pardon."

More silence passed and Kagome felt herself start to squirm. "No, that's okay..." she replied faintly.

Inuyasha blinked once, then shook his head briskly. "...What the hell is going on here?"

Sesshoumaru was quiet for a moment before blowing out a soft breath. He turned his attention to the woman at his side. "Beloved, do you want something to drink?"

Green eyes widened before they closed in relief. "Yes, please!" She let her head drop back limply. "Gods, I thought you'd never come to your sens--" And then, all of a sudden, her face fell and she blew out an aggrieved sigh. "You're still not going to let me have any wine, are you?"

He shook his head gravely. "No wine." At this, Teles' expression slid into a little moue, but Sesshoumaru stood firm. "No."

"It's really not good for the baby..." Kagome offered quietly.

The former goddess folded her arms over her breasts, scowling prettily. "That's what he keeps telling me."

"Well... it's not," the girl replied reasonably.

"Hmph. I'm convinced the youkai is mistaken. The child is descended from gods, for Zeus' sake."

Sesshoumaru made a conscious decision to withdraw from the debate. "Would either of you care for anything?" When both Inuyasha and Kagome declined, he nodded and turned, walking back toward the kitchen. "If you do not express a preference, beloved, I will choose for you..."

Waving a hand, Teles sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, fine. Choose."

At that moment, Kagome leaned forward, murmuring in a conspiratorial whisper, "Let me guess: protective instincts of inuyoukai?"

Teles nodded, giving her a wry smile before looking over her shoulder and calling back to the youkai, "If you like, I'm sure I could convince Dionysus to explain to you the merits of the vine and its fruit!"

There was a very long pause.

Teles' smile took on a devilish edge. "I could even ask him to use very small words!"

Inuyasha snickered at this, but Kagome elbowed him sharply.

"Ow!" Inuyasha yelped and jerked away, rubbing the now-tender spot at his ribs as he glared. "What'd you do that for?"

"Shh!" she hissed.

Having heard his mate's words, Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Is he not one of the gods with whom you dallied in the time before you came to Japan?" he asked, tilting his head inquisitively.

Teles' expression was guileless. "...I wouldn't say, 'dallied,' exactly."

One dark eyebrow arched. "No? Your mother did. And if he is, then I do not believe there is anything he could say that I could wish to hear."

A slow smile curved the former goddess' lips. "Someone sounds jealous."

He returned a short while later with a glass of something that was doubtless healthy and vitamin-fortified; he handed it to Teles, who took it with a grateful smile. "Of course I am."

Her eyes twinkled as she took a sip. "Just what did my mother tell you about Dionysus?"

"Nothing I care to repeat," he replied archly as he settled on the couch, extending a hand to Teles. She took his hand and carefully lowered herself down next to him. He raised his eyes to Kagome and Inuyasha. "Forgive my manners, please -- won't you sit down as well?"

As Inuyasha took a seat next to Kagome on a couch about half the size of the one Sesshoumaru and Teles were sitting on, he caught himself staring at his half-brother's mate for what wasn't the first time that evening. He was having a remarkably difficult time reconciling the sight of this smiling, composed woman -- poking fun at Sesshoumaru -- with his memory of finding Teles freezing and terrified in the woods of the Western Lands. However, on the list of improbable things, this ranked fairly low, compared to the fact that it was his human night, and he was in Sesshoumaru's company.

It made his head spin.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kagome watching the pair thoughtfully. When she spoke, her voice was soft. "You were right," she said, her eyes on the pregnant woman.

Teles tilted her head a bit, frowning in puzzlement. "Right? About what?"

Kagome shrugged, a rueful smile tilting her lips. "I was worried about you coming here. You said it would be all right."

The former goddess chuckled softly, and when she spoke, her voice resonated with quiet confidence. " There was no way that it could not have been all right, Kagome."

Shrugging her shoulders, Kagome replied, "I was worried anyway."

Sesshoumaru's voice was low. "Of course you were."

At the sight of the small, fond smile Teles directed at Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha felt a minute twinge that almost -- almost felt like guilt. But after all that Teles had told them about Sesshoumaru's behavior in the Sengoku Jidai, after she was not only willing but determined to leave him, a change this drastic was beyond anything he ever would have anticipated.

Inuyasha shook his head slightly. Maybe he figured something out in five centuries. He exhaled a silent snort. I never would've figured he'd be the type to actually learn anything.

After a moment, he blew out a breath. "So what happened?" he asked, his gaze settling on Teles. "Why'd you change your mind? I mean, hell, you came here to get away from him. This is the last thing I figured you'd do."

Several seconds of silence passed. Teles blew out a long breath. "I... I'm not sure I can explain it in so many words, Inuyasha," she said, her voice low. "I came here to get away from him, yes, but..." she frowned, trailing off as she looked at the youkai.

Sesshoumaru's expression had turned grave, and he looked down at the rug with a fixed gaze. "I assure you, Inuyasha," he said quietly, "after five hundred years, frightening my mate was the last thing on my mind."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to snap back a reply, but the words froze in his throat when his eyes settled on their hands. He marveled at the smaller, feminine hand in the larger, clawed one. Their fingers were interlaced, and at that moment, Teles' thumb was slowly stroking the top of Sesshoumaru's hand. Is that what Kagome's hand looks like in mine? It was an odd contrast, he noted. Hands powerful enough to crush bones, claws sharp enough to tear flesh. And yet, it appeared that the human woman next to the youkai was giving no thought to the capability for destruction in those claws; instead, she was focused on reassuring him -- on comforting him.

Kagome had held Inuyasha's hand in much the same way on a number of occasions, but it hadn't occurred to the hanyou how strange it must have looked.

Then again, Kagome knew he would never hurt her. She knew he'd protect her.

Inuyasha glanced quickly at Teles and he realized that now she knew those things too. She felt safe with Sesshoumaru -- she knew that no matter what had happened before, he would never let her come to harm.

He swallowed hard and brought his eyes up to his half-brother's face. "So... after five hundred years, you... what? Finally realized you were being an ass?"

Sesshoumaru lifted an unflinching amber gaze to meet his brother's violet eyes. "I knew perfectly well I was being an ass when she fled. I knew I was being an ass before she fled. My reasons for being an ass are between my mate and me, and are therefore none of your business."

Inuyasha bristled hard at Sesshoumaru's explanation; the youkai had expected as much. He held his brother's gaze and waited patiently, unable to stop the small fond smile that crossed his mouth. Ah, brother. How much you've changed, and how much you have not.

The hanyou tilted his chin defiantly. "When me and Kagome get dragged into the mess that gets made from you bein' an ass, it BECOMES my business."

"No," Sesshoumaru replied calmly. "For the trouble you have been put to.... for guarding the well... for my attacking you.... For all of that, I do apologize. But, I repeat, the root cause of my behavior concerned Teles, and Teles alone. It is not for me to explain to you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru saw a subtle movement as his mate shifted slightly. He turned a bit to regard her and saw the distinctly uncomfortable expression on her face. "That is," he amended, giving her hand a light squeeze, "unless she wishes me to."

Teles looked up at her mate, a rueful smile at her lips. "I'm afraid I've already... ah..."

On the loveseat, Kagome squirmed, folding her arms over her chest. "She told me," she muttered sheepishly.

Inuyasha's head swiveled, his eyes wide. "You knew?"

When Kagome only dropped her gaze guiltily, Teles sighed. "I was... excited. And..." She inhaled deeply before blowing out a breath. "Kagome did not want me to leave. She was trying to convince me to stay, and I... relayed the tale to her."

Sesshoumaru smiled faintly, amused despite himself. "Do you wish me to make a full confession, then? On my knees, perhaps?"

"I only wished to communicate the..." she trailed off, laughing softly as she looked at their hands. Her thumb gently stroked the tops of his knuckles, and the ministration soothed him infinitely. "Perhaps only one knee," she replied, smiling affectionately. "Both might be overdoing it."

Nodding once, Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome. "What did she tell you?"

To Sesshoumaru's bemusement, the miko began to blush, and when she spoke, she did so haltingly. "Um.... Just that.... you..." Sighing, she fixed her gaze downward. "That... inuyoukai like... defiant mates. Mates that fight back."

At this point, Teles sighed hard. "I told her that you were behaving in that ridiculous manner so that you might goad me out of my acquiescence -- without realizing, of course, that I'd adopted said acquiescence in order to appease you and thus bring you out of your horrible mood." She looked at Inuyasha, shrugging fluidly. "The more he goaded me, the more passive I became. The more passive I became, the more he tried to goad me."

Inuyasha took in this information and appeared to digest it for a second or two. He looked at Sesshoumaru, arching a thick, dark eyebrow. "Gods, and you call ME stupid?"

The youkai suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm completely aware of how asinine it was, thank you. But..." He hesitated, looking again at his mate, the reassuring warmth of her body next to his -- absent for so long. His words were barely audible. "I was... desperate." At those words, he felt Teles's grip tighten on his hand and he gave a gentle squeeze back in response.

"Desperate?" Inuyasha echoed, shaking his head. "I don't get it."

"He thought I was lost to him forever." Teles' tone was soft, the words tinted with melancholy. "Because of my transformation."

A few seconds passed as Inuyasha frowned. "Dumbass, I already TOLD you -- a soul is a soul is a soul! Whether she's a human or a goddess. She's your mate. She's still got the same soul as she did before!"

"Yes, well, I didn't trust your judgment then." The taiyoukai rubbed tiredly at his forehead, swearing silently as he caught the almost-slip. He supposed it was understandable; the past week had been a difficult one -- the initial joy he experienced when Teles arrived was soon replaced with the dread and reluctance that came with the knowledge that he would have to send her back soon.

Inuyasha shook his head slowly before turning to Kagome. "And you! Why the HELL didn't you tell me this if you already KNEW?"

The young woman's eyes flared as she snapped back at him. "Because I knew you wouldn't believe me! Even if I had told you, you would have made me bring you over here so you could see her for yourself and make sure he wasn't messing with her!"

The hanyou sputtered for a moment. "You coulda SAID somethin'!" he exclaimed.

"Like what? 'Teles says that inuyoukai like it when their mates fight back and all of a sudden I don't think I'll ever be able to fight with you again in the same way?'" Kagome was blushing by the time she finished speaking. But Inuyasha's reaction was far more entertaining to watch.

The hanyou's mouth snapped shut as he gaped at Kagome. He stared for several seconds, a faint pink blush creeping up his neck. He blinked once, then twice. And then, all at once, his face went completely scarlet. He floundered for a moment or two, before managing a dry, "Keh."

Sesshoumaru watched the pair, and found his amusement growing at the sight of their discomfiture. He never had the opportunity to know them when they were like this -- shy and awkward around each other, slowly learning to be comfortable with their relationship. He'd never seen it firsthand, but found that he was not surprised by their behavior -- even after they had matured and grown more comfortable with each other, Sesshoumaru could still remember instances when they'd fallen into similar stints of bickering.

The inuyoukai schooled his features into his blandest, most neutral expression. "You don't find you prefer a mate with a temper, little brother?"

"YOU SHUT UP!"

"Ah. I see that you do." He turned his attention to Kagome. "I beg your pardon."

She waved her hands nervously. "No, I mean... it makes sense, it just... I wasn't... I didn't..." Stopping, Kagome thumped herself lightly on the side of the head. "I mean, it makes sense. That... you want a strong mate. For... strong pups. I'm just not used to what that means."

At this point, Teles' brows knitted slightly as she leaned forward minutely. "... But it's not just strong pups, Kagome."

The girl blinked, bemused. "It's not just..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "What do you mean?

"It's... the circumstances that arise. The trials that we face together." She shrugged. It's life. When things don't go smoothly... somewhere deep inside, Inuyasha knows that you're made of stronger stuff than most. He knows that you won't fall to pieces at the slightest mishap."

Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms. "'Course she won't."

Teles chuckled and shook her head with fond amusement at Inuyasha. "What I'm trying to say, Kagome, is that mating isn't just about... pups. It's about being able to exist... together."

Kagome was quiet for a moment. "....Oh."

Shrugging, the former goddess smiled ruefully. "I suppose I haven't set a very good example for myself. It would have been helpful if I'd done something right so I could go by my own behavior later. For instance, I can think of two instances where circumstances grew difficult, and both times I ran away."

Sesshoumaru regarded the pregnant woman with a raised eyebrow. "One set of circumstances being provided by your well-intentioned but rather foolish mate," he replied wryly.

"Hmm... I'd argue that both sets were provided by him," she riposted, sending him a conspiratorial grin.

The taiyoukai inclined his head regally. "There was nothing difficult about that first circumstance," he said, his tone wholly arrogant.

"Well no. Of course not. Not for you. You were still asleep," she pointed out dryly.

A beat of silence passed.

It was Kagome who broke the quiet. "Um... asleep...?"

Another beat of silence passed. Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. Inuyasha looked as if he couldn't possibly be more uncomfortable with the conversation.

Once again, Kagome's face flamed red. "Oh." She frowned a little, looking down at her hands. "But... well, that's what these things are about. The mistakes you make... the ones you don't realize you make.... you fix them."

Teles smiled warmly at the youkai. "As I'm learning."

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "As we all learn, beloved."

She tilted her chin up slightly and said, with a fair measure of her old haughtiness, "Yes, well I'm quite unused to having to learn anything."

"That is, perhaps, what you're meant to discover," he replied quietly, pulling his hand out of hers and placing that arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, exhaling contently, and once again, Sesshoumaru felt something quiet within him. After so many years of waiting, he felt at peace.

Kagome watched the other couple for a moment, feeling suddenly wistful. She glanced at Inuyasha. "We should probably go," she murmured.

After a few seconds, he nodded briefly. "Yeah."

Sesshoumaru looked up, and Kagome found that she still wasn't used to the youkai's face betraying any emotion whatsoever -- but the warmth in his expression was unmistakable. "Would you like me to have a driver take you back to your house?"

Kagome glanced uncertainly at the window, but it was Teles who spoke first.

"It's as dark as pitch outside, Sesshoumaru. You can't permit them to walk home at such an hour."

After a moment, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Very well. I'll call the driver." The youkai fell into a thoughtful silence before turning his gaze to his half-brother. "Inuyasha. May I speak with you a moment?"

Inuyasha didn't answer right away, choosing instead to watch his brother warily.

Cocking an eyebrow, Sesshoumaru said, "I assure you, I have no wish to pick a fight in this small space."

Snorting, Inuyasha stood. "Wouldn't matter if you did, old man."

The taiyoukai stood as well. "Mmm. A good point," he replied, turning and walking smoothly toward his study while Inuyasha stood gaping behind him.

Shaking his head briskly, the hanyou followed his half-brother down the hallway.

When they were gone, Kagome smiled apologetically at Teles. "I'm sorry we just descended on you like this."

A serene smile curved at the pregnant woman's lips. "It's quite all right -- I've been hoping you'd come by, actually."

"Really?"

Teles nodded. "It's... I..." Closing her eyes, she blew out a long breath. "I love being here with him. But sometimes..."

Laughing softly, Kagome gave a wry smile. "All that inuyoukai energy, directed right at you. All the time."

Pursing her lips, Teles nodded. "... And... I get lonely sometimes. I... miss my friends." She hesitated a moment, glancing down at her hands. "Particularly the little monk."

"I'm sure he misses you, too," the girl replied quietly.

Teles' words were spoken quietly -- nearly a whisper. "And you're my friend, Kagome."

The girl nodded, eyes solemn. "Yes, I am. One of them, anyway." Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, when suddenly, Kagome spoke. Her words came abruptly, as if she'd been holding them back. "Can I ask you something?"

A puzzled frown tugged at Teles' brows. "Certainly."

"Does anyone live... in that apartment across the hall?" she asked, gesturing vaguely.

Pursing her lips, Teles shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm sure... someone does. But I've no idea who."

***

Sesshoumaru stepped into his study and waited for Inuyasha before sliding the door mostly closed. "...I have a favor to ask of you. An important one."

Inuyasha folded his arms reflexively. Yes, by this point, he was convinced that the Sesshoumaru of this era posed no threat to the pup or its mother. Yes, this Sesshoumaru seemed to have changed a great deal from the one he fought a week ago. Even so, one could not possibly expect the hanyou to shift his entire perspective in one night -- the fact that the youkai had changed so drastically meant that now Inuyasha could not predict his behavior. "A favor?" he echoed dryly.

"Yes."

"So..." he narrowed his eyes, "what is it?"

The inuyoukai swallowed and paused a moment before speaking. "Kagome... needs to remain in her own time for another eight days."

"What?"

Sesshoumaru sat down and leaned forward, lowering his voice. "The timeline is changing. I am endeavoring to keep it from changing too much."

Inuyasha blinked a few times, processing this information. "What do you mean, it's changing? What did you DO?"

Gritting his teeth, Sesshoumaru's eyes darted to the door. "Do keep your voice down. They're human, not deaf."

The hanyou scowled, but said nothing.

"It is not what I have done. It is what is happening. The 'you' that I remember, all those years ago, did not come to visit me. But now you have. At this time, in my memory -- in the past, when I lived through it -- Teles was not living with me. She was still living with Kagome."

Inuyasha blinked. "What? Wait. How the hell do you know any of that?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, choosing his words carefully. "Aphrodite has... kept me informed. At any rate, my point is this -- Teles is now living with me, but in my memory, Kagome did not return through the well for another eight days."

"So, you're... changing stuff," he ventured, his confused frown deepening.

Sesshoumaru hesitated briefly. "There is nothing I can do about what has already been changed, except try to minimize future damage." He watched Inuyasha closely, reading his expression. He was suspicious, of course. The youkai expected nothing less. He only hoped Inuyasha could be made to understand.

When the hanyou folded his arms, his half-brother gave an inward sigh.

"Why can't I take Kagome through now?"

"Because," he replied patiently, "in the time that has already happened -- the time that has led me to be here now, having this conversation with you -- Kagome did not pass through the well again until eight days from now. If she returns to you early, then that may change the situation here in ways I cannot predict."

Inuyasha said nothing for several seconds. Finally, he blew out a long breath. "Fine."

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru said quietly, nodding once.

Inuyasha gave a brief shrug. "I'm not doin' it for you."

"...No, of course not." Standing again, Sesshoumaru walked to the door. "Well, I won't keep you. You never did prefer spending these nights with anyone else."

His steps stopping suddenly, Inuyasha looked up at his brother. "....What?"

He opened the door. "I said, you never did prefer spending these nights with anyone else."

"How the fuck would you know?"

Sesshoumaru gave Inuyasha a dry look. "Because I am five hundred years older than I am in your time. And in five hundred years, even I can learn something about you."

A long silence passed between the two brothers as Inuyasha waited for the taiyoukai to expound on that statement. When he didn't, a tingle of suspicion ran down his spine as a sliver of their earlier conversation ribboned through his mind.

'Yes, well I didn't trust your judgment then.'

It was a strange thing to say, all things considered. It was almost as if Sesshoumaru hadn't trusted his judgment then, but now... now he did? Why now? And what had he learned about Inuyasha in five hundred years that would have allowed him to know not only when his human night was, but who he preferred to spend it with? That wasn't the sort of information he would have just let slip.

Inuyasha pursed his lips in thought for a moment or two. "Fine. I'll get her to stay."

"Thank you," he replied quietly.

Inuyasha nodded once and left the study. When he was gone, Sesshoumaru picked up the phone to call for a driver. As he dialed, he shook his head, the words leaving in a whisper. "Ah, Aphrodite. I do trust you."

A short while later, Sesshoumaru returned to the living room. He paused at the entryway, taking a moment to observe his mate without her notice as she spoke; her expression was animated and her words were interspersed with laughter. He found, as he looked at her, that while he remembered that she had once appeared different to his eye when she was a goddess, he could not recall what those differences were, exactly. He seemed to remember that her hair had seemed to be threaded with gold, and that her skin had shimmered ethereally, like a pearl. But to his ancient eyes, she still held those qualities -- she still resembled the goddess she had once been. Intellectually, he knew she'd looked different, once, but he couldn't discern those differences now, aside from the fact that he seemed to recall that she'd been a bit taller before her transformation.

Something twisted in his heart as he watched Teles, deep in conversation with Kagome. She was asking about the monk and the taiji-ya and it struck Sesshoumaru again how important it was to send her back to the Sengoku-Jidai. She didn't belong here -- no matter how well she seemed to be adapting, no matter how much she loved modern conveniences, and no matter how staunchly she insisted she belonged here with him, she needed to return. As much as it pained the youkai, she did not belong to him. She belonged to his younger self -- his foolish, arrogant, proud younger self.

He would return her to that Sesshoumaru, no matter how great the pain, no matter how vehement her argument. She did not belong here any more than this Inuyasha did.

She turned and looked up at him, smiling warmly. He allowed himself to bask in the kindness of her smile for a moment or two before joining her on the couch. Inuyasha had been standing at the picture window, gazing out over the lights of Tokyo for a few moments before turning and rejoining Kagome on the loveseat. Sesshoumaru knew Inuyasha would likely -- did, in fact -- prefer the view from the apartment across the hall, since it faced the direction of the Higurashi shrine. From that picture window, one could see the uppermost limbs of the Goshinboku. After all, we designed this building that way. He insisted he had to be able to see the tree from his window.

As Inuyasha settled next to Kagome, Sesshoumaru could see the furrowing at his brow; the youkai knew almost instinctively that his half-brother was trying to reconcile within himself the fact that he was going to be returning to the Sengoku-Jidai without Kagome. But when all was said and done, Sesshoumaru knew that Inuyasha would do what he considered to be best for his mate. If he chose to ignore Sesshoumaru, there was still an element of the unknown to take into consideration. The unknown meant there was a possibility for Kagome to come to harm. Inuyasha -- at any age -- would never allow such a thing to happen.

After a brief wait, the telephone rang, notifying Sesshoumaru that a car had arrived to take Inuyasha and Kagome back to the Higurashi shrine. As a driver made his way up to the top floor, Sesshoumaru strode to the bedroom to retrieve his charm. He'd grown so used to his half-brother seeing him in such a state, he'd temporarily forgotten that this Inuyasha had not seen the youkai's enchanted appearance.

Violet eyes identical to his own widened and then narrowed. "What the hell is this?"

Sesshoumaru arched one dark eyebrow as he settled once again next to his mate. "I beg your pardon?"

"What's with the get-up?"

"If you're referring to my altered appearance, surely it has not escaped your attention that a taiyoukai cannot easily interact in a world run and ruled by men. Aphrodite assisted me by having a charm made that would allow me to move among them."

Inuyasha nodded once, still gaping at the youkai. "So you actually go out like that?" He paused for a moment, scrutinizing the youkai. "And why the hell do you have my mother's eyes?" he demanded, sending an accusatory glare directly at Sesshoumaru's identical violet gaze.

Sesshoumaru looked the hanyou up and down for several long seconds; at the end of the assessment, he tipped an eyebrow at Inuyasha. "I have a business to run," he replied, ignoring the second question entirely. Years ago, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had agreed that if they were going to appear in public as brothers, they needed to look like brothers. "What's your excuse?"

"I CAN'T HELP--"

"Actually, Sesshoumaru," Kagome interrupted smoothly, "if you don't mind my asking, what is it you're... doing now, exactly?"

He nodded once. "As time passed and the human villages expanded into larger settlements, I found it profitable to charge them for doing so. As more time passed, this became more beneficial. I've managed to maintain just under half of my original holdings. At this point I've found it more lucrative to build on my own land -- luxury apartments and hotels, for example, as well as corporate complexes."

Kagome blinked. "...Oh. So you've... kept busy, then."

A tiny flicker of sadness passed through Sesshoumaru's altered eyes. "It passed the time," he replied quietly. And then, just as quickly as it appeared, the sadness was gone, pushed beneath the polished facade. "Besides," the youkai's expression was now bland, stoic, "slaughtering them all was not an option."

Teles looked up at him, her expression shifting from pride, sadness, and then to affectionate annoyance as she swatted his arm lightly. He met her gaze and chuckled softly. "My apologies, beloved. Would you have preferred it if I had slaughtered them all?" he asked lightly, amusement warming his gaze. "Perhaps the lands would not be as overpopulated as they are now."

The former goddess opened her mouth to snap back a reply, but a knock at the door cut her off. Sesshoumaru stood gracefully, offering a hand to his mate, helping her up. "That will be the driver," he said, regarding Inuyasha and Kagome.

Inuyasha stood, stretching. He'd taken in a great deal of information in one evening, and now his head felt like it was spinning. Not only was Teles content here, his brother was now trying to make amends for the oni-sized blunder he'd committed on the other side of the well. He wanted to find something wrong with this, he wanted to accuse Sesshoumaru of lying, of having ulterior motives -- of something, but he couldn't.

Inuyasha shook his head briskly as he and Kagome said goodbye to the other couple at the door. It was all too damned weird.

Suddenly, something prodded at Inuyasha's memory. "Oi, Teles," he said, turning his eyes to the goddess.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"The bouzu... ah, Miroku wanted me to say hello for him."

Her smile was fond, but laced with sadness. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out right away. After clearing her throat softly, she tried again. "Thank you. And... when you see him again, please... tell him I said hello as well." Her hand went to her stomach. "And, if you would, please thank him -- and Sango too, of course -- for all of their research. It's proven quite helpful."

Brows twitching, Inuyasha frowned. "Their research?"

"They'll know what you're talking about, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru replied, putting an arm about his mate's shoulders. "But, yes, thank them both."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "... All right." As Sesshoumaru was closing the door, he narrowed his eyes at the youkai. "And you -- I'm comin' to check up on her every time I come through. And you know what happens if I come through and find you're treatin' her bad."

"Yes, yes, I know," Sesshoumaru replied blandly. "Teeth and claws, and they'll never be able to find the body. Consider it noted. Good bye, Inuyasha." The door closed.

They then followed the uniformed man back down through the "elevator" -- which wasn't any less unpleasant going down than up -- and into the "garage." Kagome seemed to be impressed by the long, black, wheeled machine -- the "car" -- that would be taking them back to the shrine. She crawled in through an open door and he followed, settling back on thick, cushioned seats. The area was only slightly less uncomfortable than the elevator, and Inuyasha was fine -- until they started moving.

He started slightly, his eyes bugging slightly as he grabbed at the seat, looking around suspiciously. Once again, he cursed his human night. Kagome, who seemed to be completely unsurprised by anything going on, read the discomfiture in his eyes and reached over, sliding her hand into his and giving a squeeze.

It's fine, she seemed to say.

After a few moments, Inuyasha felt a small fraction of the tension he'd been feeling begin to unwind. But as he felt Kagome's warm, soft hand in his, Sesshoumaru's words continued replaying themselves through his mind. 'If she returns to you early, then that may change the situation here in ways I cannot predict.' He sighed silently. Eight more days. She's gotta stay here eight more days.

Kagome's warmth sparked something in his chest, and the urge to have her closer was suddenly too powerful to ignore. He shifted slightly, tugging her just a bit closer. The change was minute, but soothed him and he closed his eyes, wishing he could inhale and feel her scent wrap around him.

It dawned on Inuyasha once more how close he came to losing this -- all of this -- forever. His brows drew together in a frown, and after a moment, he cleared his throat. "When... when Sesshoumaru came... to the village..." He fell quiet again, and Kagome turned to look at him. She didn't say anything, and he held onto his silence for a few moments longer. "...I don't think I'd ever seen him so..." he frowned, shaking his head, unable to find an adequate term. "-- Not even when he wanted Tetsusaiga."

"Well.... I guess... it really upset him," was Kagome's soft-spoken reply.

He nodded once, briefly, and the words came out in a whisper. "...He tried to destroy the well."

At this, Kagome's eyes grew huge, and Inuyasha gave himself a mental slap for telling her at all. He felt her hand go cold in his, and though he squeezed it to reassure her -- to reassure himself -- it didn't seem to be working.

Her voice was dry and soft, a barely-there whisper. "He..." No more words came.

He closed his eyes. "He said... he said, 'if my mate is gone, then so is yours.'"

When she didn't reply, Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at Kagome; she was trembling minutely, shaking her head as her fingers clutched at the material of his shirt. "But he ... he didn't," she managed quietly. "You're here."

He tilted his head as his brows knitted slightly. "You think I'd let him do something like that?"

Kagome blinked, and then shook her head quickly. "No, no.... Of course not. I know you wouldn't. But..."

Blowing out a breath, Inuyasha turned his attention back to the window, watching the shadowed streets of Tokyo pass beyond the glass. "I... he left. He was going to -- he tried to, but... it's funny. I told him he'd be leaving the pup all alone on this side. Abandoning it without anyone to tell him -- to show him -- what it meant to be inuhanyou. And then he left. He just... stood up and walked away." He shrugged once.

Drawing her bottom lip into her mouth, Kagome worried her lip between her teeth. "He... it sounds like he didn't... want the pup to be alone." When Inuyasha nodded, she tilted her head. "Wait. He... guessed we could pass through and he couldn't?"

"He could smell it."

Kagome was quiet for a second or two. "Oh... right."

"He was tracking Teles, and then picked up our scents," he explained. "The trail ended at the well. Sesshoumaru's an asshole, but he's not completely stupid."

As Kagome nodded, the car slowed to a stop. Inuyasha barely noticed this change, his mind still sifting through past events. When the door opened, Kagome got out, and Inuyasha slid out after her. He nodded briefly at the uniformed driver, who returned the gesture.

"Have a good night, sir. Give my regards to your father."

Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged a brief, puzzled look, and just as Inuyasha was about to ask the driver what in the hell he was talking about, Kagome grabbed his arm and began towing him up the shrine steps, towards the house. "I'll make sure he does," she replied, nodding and waving.

"What the hell was that about?" Inuyasha muttered, once they were at the top of the stairs

Kagome shook her head slowly, watching the car pull away. "I'm not sure. I mean, your father is..." she trailed off, looking at him. Comprehension lit in her eyes and she giggled softly. "Oh."

"Huh? What is it?"

"I think he thought you were Sesshoumaru's son."

Inuyasha's eyes bugged slightly. "...He WHAT?"

Pressing a finger to his lips, Kagome shook her head. "Shhh! You'll wake up the whole neighborhood!" After a moment she withdrew her hand. "That charm -- the one he was wearing? Between that and the fact that he's a lot older now, the driver probably thought that you were his son. You look like you could be, you know."

The hanyou looked wholly disgusted. "...Eugh." When Kagome began wandering towards the Goshinboku, he followed, shaking his head. "My father. Keh."

She stopped just shy of the tree and turned, shaking her head, a tiny smile playing about her lips. It was dark in the courtyard, but Inuyasha could see Kagome's features, lit as they were from the light coming from her house. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Slender shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I'm just really glad you're here; that's all." After a moment, she looked back at the well-house and let out a soft, nervous laugh. "I'm really tempted to jump through and make sure everything's okay."

He snorted a little, kicking at the ground. "Miroku and Sango are guardin' the well. It's been quiet enough, I guess." When Kagome only gave a brief nod, chewing on her lip, he exhaled in a huff. "So they're fine."

But the young woman didn't look convinced. "...I guess."

Dark violet eyes blinked once. "You guess? I just told you--"

"I know, I know," she replied quickly. "I'm just... I suppose I'm just a little scared," she exhaled a short, dismissive chuckle. "It's silly, I know, but--"

"Scared? Why?"

Several beats of silence passed before Kagome gave her answer. "What if... what if Sesshoumaru changes his mind? In the past, I mean. What if... if he comes back after you go through and..."

Inuyasha let out a long sigh. "Sesshoumaru didn't destroy the well. What's more, he never destroyed it."

She looked at him with large, haunted eyes. "But, Inuyasha, what if--"

"You're not listening to me, Kagome," he said, his tone somewhat sharp. "He never destroyed the well because he told me you weren't supposed to go back through for another eight days. The way he put it, in his memory, you didn't go back through the well until eight days from now. But you went back."

"...Eight days from now?" She shook her head slowly. "No, Inuyasha, I thought I was going to be able to go back with you. I want--"

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, quiet. "I want you to come back too, but... he said... he said it might change things -- how things happened. He's tryin' not to let that happen." A frown etched at his features. "I don't... understand it all, but I think -- I guess... I guess it's because in his memory, Teles stayed with you, and you didn't return right away, and... I think things happened a certain way. He doesn't want to... he doesn't want things to change."

After a long moment, Kagome nodded slowly. Inuyasha exhaled a silent sigh -- she understood. Of course she understood -- Kagome always seemed to understand, didn't she?

"...Inuyasha?"

"...Yeah?"

She blew out a breath and gave him a tiny, sad smile. "I think I need a hug."

He nodded once and closed the distance between them in one step, grabbing her wrist and tugging her close, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her hard. He felt her arms wind around him and her cheek settle against his shoulder. When she spoke her words were soft -- almost inaudible.

"...I just want to go home," she breathed.

Inuyasha sighed hard and brought one hand to the back of her head, cradling it. "I want you there with me, Kagome. I do." He felt her nod minutely, but neither of them spoke for several minutes; they simply stood there, clinging to each other beneath the Goshinboku.

"It just scares me," Kagome said in a tiny voice. It always scares me, I guess. I just don't think about it most of the time. I come through and you stay there... and if something happened... I wouldn't know."

Inuyasha listened silently, but his brows knitted slightly as Sesshoumaru's words slid through his memory. 'You never did prefer spending these nights with anyone else.' After a moment, he cleared his throat. "I don't think you gotta worry about that, Kagome," he said quietly, his expression thoughtful -- as if something was just dawning on him.

Kagome tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Just somethin' weird Sesshoumaru said. --The one from this side," he amended. Kagome giggled despite herself and he smiled faintly.

"What did he say?"

"He said... that I 'never did prefer spending these nights with anyone else.' And..." his frown deepened "that sounds like..."

Nodding slowly, Kagome added, "Like... he got used to knowing you spent these nights with me." A small frown contorted her brow. "Will spend."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

A hush settled over the couple as they absorbed this information. Slowly, Kagome lifted her hand and let her fingers slide through a lock of hair settled at Inuyasha's shoulder. His hand covered hers, and the silence between them thickened and grew charged. Blinking, Kagome lifted her gaze to find Inuyasha's eyes in the darkness.

For his part, Inuyasha found himself cursing the moonless night once again when he realized how much clearer Kagome's features usually were to his eyes -- even in the dark. But, despite the dormant youkai blood, he could still feel the warmth of her body in his arms. Her scent was faint, but he could still smell the perfume in her shampoo. In fact, she was so close that he could feel the warm puffs of air as she breathed. Apprehension danced over his nerves as he leaned closer. He became acutely aware of the scent of wood burning as it threaded through the chilly night air; it was layered with the clean scent of frost that promised to coat the world by morning. It all mingled with Kagome's scent, and instead of wishing for the moonless night to pass so he could experience these smells the way in which they were meant to be experienced, Inuyasha caught himself wanting to freeze the moment.

And then, as he leaned further forward and brushed her lips with his, he realized that, no, it was this moment he wished to freeze.

Kagome's mouth was warm against his -- such a stark contrast to the night's chill. Though the kiss was initially hesitant, both of them still shy, still nervous, Kagome soon let herself unwind as she exhaled a long sigh against his mouth. Inuyasha felt her relax slightly as she leaned against him, and at the soft, breathy sigh, he found he had to suppress a hard shudder.

But when Kagome parted her lips shyly, the tremor that traveled through him was irrepressible. Somehow, through the mad rush of elation, anxiety, and excitement, Inuyasha managed to let his lips relax and part as well. He could taste her against his mouth now, and a harsh, guttural groan sounded in his throat -- as close as he'd ever get to growling on a human night. His hands were splayed out on her back, and he was pulling her closer -- he only wanted her closer.

Kagome was breathless -- she'd imagined this plenty of times, of course, but actually experiencing it was something else entirely. She felt Inuyasha's warmth against her, his arms wrapped around her, holding her snugly against him. His mouth, which had dealt out only shy, chaste kisses before, was slowly growing less chaste. When she worked up the nerve to run her tongue lightly across his lower lip, she felt him tremble, his arms tightening further. She managed the courage to do it a second time, and slowly, the kiss deepened. Both parties were unsure, but every exploratory lick and nibble proved to be a successful experiment.

After several moments, when Kagome felt as if her heart were going to thunder its way out of her chest, she pulled away, breaking the kiss. She could feel the warmth in her cheeks, and could hear the desperate panting as each breath rasped through her throat. She didn't want to stop -- gods, she didn't want to.

Inuyasha was blinking dazedly. "...Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"...Is this okay?" he asked. It was too dark for her to see his face, but she could hear the uncertainty in his voice. That was understandable -- she was feeling much the same way.

"It is," she managed softly. "I'm just... I just want to be... careful."

"Oh... right. Right."

They stood there like that for several seconds; Inuyasha held Kagome, trying to imprint upon his memory the feel of her in his arms, and Kagome ran her fingers through Inuyasha's inky locks, memorizing the texture of his human hair. Slowly, his fingers came up, stroking Kagome's cheekbone softly. Her eyes fluttered shut at the soft ministration; she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again -- to let him kiss her again, standing right there in each other's arms, until daybreak.

A soft, husky voice broke through her thoughts.

"Maybe we should go in."

Kagome clamped down hard on her disappointment, but even she knew the voice of reason when she heard it. "...Okay."

Neither of them moved.

Inuyasha inhaled deeply and exhaled. "Yeah. So..."

"Oh. Right."

They stepped away from each other slowly. As Inuyasha turned, preparatory to leading Kagome to the house, he reached down, catching her hand in his. She laced their fingers together and, for a moment, Inuyasha honestly believed that everything would turn out for the best.

"...Inuyasha?"

He paused, looking down at her. They'd gotten closer to the house, and the amber glow from within illuminated her features slightly. "Yeah?"

She looked down, suddenly shy. "I... I was wondering." Her free hand came up to toy with her hair. "When... I missed you this week, I told myself that when you came back I'd ask you if you'd...."

His brows twitched in curiosity. "If I'd..?"

The toe of her loafer scuffed at the ground and she still couldn't make herself meet his gaze. "If you'd hold me," she said softly. "While I fell asleep. Is that... okay?"

The request took Inuyasha so by surprise that he found he couldn't formulate a reply, much less the "right" one. His chest was suddenly infused with warmth. She'd missed him that much?

Of course she had. She was his mate.

A tiny smile tilted the corner of his mouth. She still wasn't looking at him. "Yeah," he replied quietly. "That's okay."

The toe of her loafer scuffed the ground some more. "I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

The smile grew a bit. "Kagome." When she looked up, he cocked an eyebrow at her and said, wryly, "Uncomfortable? You dragged me to Sesshoumaru's home on my human night. I think I could handle holdin' you while you slept."

"Not that kind of uncomfortable," she said, somewhat defensively.

He snorted softly, though his eyes were still lit with fondness. "Keh. Same difference." Before she could reply, he tightened his fingers around her hand; turning again, he led Kagome out of the cold nighttime air, and into the warmth of the house.

***

Hours later, Inuyasha was still awake. He'd tried to fall asleep after Aphrodite left, but slumber eluded him -- was still eluding him.

There had been a light knock at the door around ten o'clock, but Inuyasha hadn't answered it. It was Sesshoumaru -- he knew that much. And if it was Sesshoumaru, then he was coming over to tell him that Kagome had left, along with his younger self.

He closed his eyes and tossed in the bed, Aphrodite's words coming back to him for what wasn't the first time that night.

'...the events as you lived them... those were not the events that were meant to occur. You had to live your life to get to this point so that your younger self could now do what it is he's doing. The way things are playing out now -- in the past -- are the way they were supposed to occur.'

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Aphrodite had assured him that everything he'd accomplished in his life hadn't been a waste, but...

Inuyasha rolled onto his back, bringing a hand to his face and pressing the pads of his fingers against his eyes. They'd defeated Naraku -- at a price, of course, but they'd defeated him. What if this changed the past in such a way that that changed? What kind of future awaited a world where Naraku had survived?

No. No, I refuse to believe that we weren't meant to beat that bastard. She said some things would remain the same and some things would change. That's got to be one of the things that stay the same. He pulled his hand away from his eyes, his arm falling back to the bed with a light thud. In that case, what's going to change?

Aphrodite had asked him to have faith in her, and after knowing the goddess for so many centuries, he believed she had only the best intentions where Teles and Sesshoumaru were concerned. If she was allowing Sesshoumaru this chance to repair the past, then she knew something they didn't. And he was confident that the goddess would not be so frivolous as to allow his half-brother such an opportunity if the results were going to be disastrous.

'No matter how the past will unfold a second time, I assure you now that it will be the way it was fated to be. This? This is not your future, Inuyasha. Oh, some things may turn out the same -- your gift with numbers, for instance, or the lasting alliance formed between you and your brother. But some things will be very, very different.'

The goddess had asked him to trust her. To have faith in her. To have enough trust in her to believe that she wouldn't ruin his life in order to repair his brother's.

He sighed into the darkness. "Fine." I'll trust you, goddess.

Aphrodite was frivolous enough to do a lot of other things -- a number of business ventures involving various matchmaking services, for example, or purchasing Manolo Blahnik's entire line of footwear when Sesshoumaru had just begun buying things in preparation for Teles' arrival. In that instance, the youkai had explained to the goddess that a pregnant human woman wasn't apt to find a pair of metallic slingback pumps particularly comfortable. Aphrodite agreed to return the shoes and all seemed well until she came back a few hours later, having exchanged the Blahniks for Prada. Sesshoumaru, sensing a losing battle, had simply given up.

So, yes, Aphrodite was frivolous and occasionally meddlesome, but she would not willingly endanger the world in which her grandchild would grow up. She would not willingly ruin the lives of that grandchild's family members.

But still, he wanted to know how that world would change.

Running a hand through his dark hair -- shorter now than it had ever been in the past, most of the length gone for the sake of convenience -- Inuyasha let his mind drift, allowing himself to sift through memories long dormant, and before long, sleep claimed the hanyou, and his memories melded into dreams.

"Keh! This game's stupid!" Inuyasha threw down his cards in aggravation, but Kagome only smiled at the outburst -- she was so glad to have him back, she was willing to overlook poor sportsmanship.

"But you're getting better at it, Inuyasha. You'll win soon -- Souta and I have just had more practice."

The young boy beamed at his sister's praise. "Yeah, Inu no nii-chan! You're getting better already! And we're only five games in!"

He'd only folded his arms in his sleeves scowling at the cards that seemed determined to work against him. "What the hell's this game called again?"

"Dai Hin-Min," Souta supplied.

"Figures," he groused. "Stupid name for a stupid game."

Teles was playing as well, faring slightly better than Inuyasha -- but then, she'd had more opportunity to play, having been there a week already. He noticed that she'd been rather subdued all evening, brightening marginally only when he relayed Miroku's greeting. But he couldn't help but notice how pale she looked, how worn. The pup was keeping her up nights, and she was growing increasingly more exhausted. Though she was frequently hungry -- the pup hadn't affected her appetite -- she wasn't able to keep very much down other than miso soup. He and Kagome were concerned, of course --but Teles continued to insist that she felt fine.

He turned with the sunrise, black hair fading to silver, and after breakfast, went through the well with the promise to return in a few days. Kagome had thought it best to stay with Teles, and he agreed with her.

"Keep an eye on her," he said, right before he jumped.

Upon his return, Miroku was initially annoyed at the fact that Kagome hadn't accompanied him, but when he explained the situation, the monk grew strangely quiet. Inuyasha caught the strange glance that passed between Miroku and Sango, but he'd chosen to ignore it.

No one had ever told him what could happen.

He went through again, two days later -- once again staying overnight. There had been rumor of a shard -- and he, Miroku, and Sango decided, after some debate, to investigate it. They planned to leave at first light the next morning. The disappointment in Kagome's eyes was evident -- she wanted to go, wanted to help, but in the end she understood -- assuring him that everything would be just fine.

They returned to the village five days later to find Kagome, her face pale and her eyes bloodshot, sitting in Kaede's hut. In her arms she cradled and was attempting to soothe a tiny, sickly infant, with a tuft of silver hair and downy canine ears. In the center of its forehead there was a familiar crescent moon. The child had been wailing, and for years afterward it would remind Inuyasha of a broken-hearted howl.

She looked up at them as they entered -- dizzying elation surged in Inuyasha's chest as his eyes settled on his tiny nephew. But when he looked at Kagome's face... He tried telling himself that she often cried for strange reasons, including happiness. He tried telling himself many things to explain Teles' absence. But when she met his eyes and shook her head, tears clinging to her lashes, he knew, and the revelation hit him with all the force of a punch.

Miroku, his expression stricken, took a few steps forward, looking down at the child in Kagome's arms. He stared at it for several long moments before sitting down -- slowly, as if he needed to be aware of every movement.

Swallowing hard, Inuyasha cleared his throat. "What's its name?"

"His name's Katsuro," she replied quietly.

He flinched at this. "Katsuro? What the hell's so 'victorious' about--" but he couldn't say anymore, and he snapped his mouth shut, gritting his teeth hard.

"She wanted to name him that," Kagome murmured, looking down at the crying infant. "Because he survived."

***

Hours later, Inuyasha was still awake. The entire Higurashi family was sound asleep and had been for quite some time now. Even Buyo was curled into as tight a ball as his ample frame could manage, and was snoring softly.

As was typical, he was sitting rather than lying down. He'd long since changed back into his haori and hakama, far more comfortable than the clothes he'd worn to see Sesshoumaru. He was on Kagome's floor, his back pressed against her bed. Kagome's light frame was curled up in his lap, her head resting against his shoulder. He felt every breath in and out, every twitch and shift of her body.

He never, never saw himself here like this, though he'd long wanted it.

Sighing softly, he ran his fingers through Kagome's bangs, savoring the feel of the strands against his skin. The general feeling of well-being hadn't abandoned him yet, like it so often did. No, he honestly did believe that everything would be fine between Kagome and him -- eventually.

For now, they still had responsibilities -- he still had responsibilities.

A/N: "Katsuro" means "victorious son."