InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Persistence ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

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

Okay, allow me to explain why Kagome used honorifics and titles. Being that she's in the castle and in the presence of “royalty” she uses the honorifics. She does use quite the sarcastic tone when addressing Sesshomaru as, in the past, he's been a stickler for using them. Also, Furisode is worn by single women to formal events like weddings and coming-of-age celebrations.

Kagome's Furisode: http: //i181.photobucket .com/ albums/ x128/ gradualwisd0m/ kimonodresscombowhite. jpg

Chapter 10 - The Vernal Equinox Celebration

“Special guest, huh.”

Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair, propped his feet on the corner of his desk and smiled. “Guess who I ran into?” he nearly purred into the receiver. There was an audible snort then a pause on the other end of the phone. “Kagome?” Inuyasha's voice sounded surprised and skeptic yet it was laced with hopefulness. A soft chuckle spilled from Sesshomaru's lips.

“Yes, Kagome. Your dear great, great grandson Suteki invited her to the vernal equinox celebration. I am having her picked up and brought to the castle at 2:00pm. You'll be here, right?”

“Yeah, Nyuka and I were just finishing up some packing with the kids for the flight over,” Inuyasha said over some muffled rustling on his end. “Our flight lands late tomorrow night.” Inuyasha switched the phone the other ear to be cradled against his shoulder. He could hear Sesshomaru's barely contained excitement when he spoke. So, the hunt is back on, huh Sesshomaru? Inuyasha knew long ago that Sesshomaru was interested in Kagome. He had seen the way the taiyouki acted around her back in the feudal era and how he seemed to grow even angrier after she left. Sesshomaru was even seen sulking. Over the centuries, Inuyasha had come to terms with Kagome not being his and that, if anyone could make her happy, it would be Sesshomaru.

“Sounds good,” Sesshomaru said, “I'll see you then.”

“Okay, bro. See you tomorrow night,” Inuyasha said before pressing the `end call' button on his cell phone. Wow, Kagome. It'll be nice to see her again, Inuyasha thought as he continued to roll up clothing to pack as much into their suitcases as he could manage.

“Nyu, honey, you'll never believe who's gonna be at the celebration this year…” he said as he walked out of the room toward the laundry room.

--000--

Kagome sat on her bed in her room, hands clasped in her lap. What an interesting day. I learned the history of what happened after I wished on the Shikon no Tama, had lunch with Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's family, and then was invited to the vernal equinox celebration that will be full of demons. Kagome sighed and flopped back on her bed, arms akimbo above her head. Sesshomaru had given her a ride home later in the afternoon after they both changed back into their `modern' clothing. He reiterated the instructions he had given her for when she would be picked up in two days.

“2:00pm, sharp,” Sesshomaru said, narrowing his eyes at her before he unlocked the doors, allowing her to step out of the car. Kagome nodded and got out of the car, closing the door and waving meekly as he drove off.

The next 36 hours passed uneventfully. Kagome fidgeted her way through the day, barely able to contain her excitement, curiosity, and nervousness of the celebration. I wonder if Shiori, Shippo, and Inuyasha will be there. She paused in thought. Of course they'll be there, they're demons! She smiled at the thoughts that she would finally get to see some of her friends again.

The car arrived promptly at 2:00pm and Kagome was whisked away to the castle. It seemed as if the driver, a thin blonde man, was driving at top speeds because the trip was 17 minutes from door to door. The door to the car opened, a white gloved hand was offered, and Kagome was helped out of the vehicle by the young driver. She took a cleansing breath, her heart still racing from the exuberant jaunt. She smiled and nodded to the driver, and walked up the few steps to the front door. Do I knock and wait or knock and walk in? she wondered. She reached out to knock but before her knuckles touched the door, it was pulled open with a whoosh. Kagome eep'd and yanked her hand back against her small frame. She stared into warm, amber eyes that crinkled around the edges from the huge smile on his face. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she let out a cheer of excitement and ran into his open and waiting arms.

“Hey you,” Inuyasha laughed as he hugged her tightly to him. “It's been a long time.”

Kagome pulled back and looked him over, not believing her eyes. “Inuyasha! I can't believe it's you! It's so good to see you!” She pulled him to her again in another crushing hug. She felt Inuyasha's laughter rumble from his chest as his scent enveloped her. He didn't smell like soil, pine, and wind as much anymore but it was still there. Inuyasha took her by the hand and lead her into the castle, closing the door behind them.

“There are some people I want you to meet,” he said, leading her toward a sitting room down the hall to the right. Kagome laughed, allowing him to show the way. As he pulled her along, she looked him over more closely. His hair was tied at the base of his neck with a leather strap and his snowy white ears swiveled about on top of his head. He was wearing wrinkled khaki pants with brown loafers. He wore a short-sleeved light blue polo with a white embroidered crescent above “Lafayette Academy” in red. Kagome silently quirked a brow at this but could not ask any questions as Inuyasha led her into a room already occupied by 9 people. Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru and Shiori were two of the nine but did not immediately recognize the rest of them. Not counting Inuyasha, there appeared to be 2 other adults and 4 children. Kagome nervously smoothed her clothing when Inuyasha let go of her hand.

Grinning, Inuyasha motioned toward one woman who was sitting on a comfortable brown leather couch with a young boy and girl. The woman's hair was braided down her back and was wearing jeans and a plain pink t-shirt. The boy sitting next to her had short, white hair that was spiked and pierced ears. The girl had her hair in two braids, tied at the ends with yellow ribbon. “Kagome, I would like you to meet my lovely wife Nyuka and our 13 year old twins - my son, Ira and my daughter, Arisa.” Nyuka, Ira, and Arisa all stood and bowed deeply toward Kagome. Kagome politely bowed back. “Family, this is Kagome Higurashi.” She watched the children's eyes widen slightly at their father's declaration. Blushing, Kagome fidgeted with her fingers, unsure how to react to the children's reaction. Arisa's bright gold eyes sparkled as she grinned, her mouth full of braces.

“You've always been my hero, Kagome. Ever since dad told us stories about how you guys defeated Naraku. I want to be strong just like you,” Arisa blurted, barely able to keep her excitement downplayed as she was face-to-face with her hero. Kagome blushed and smiled.

“Thank you, Arisa. I'm glad your dad is raising his daughter to have such a strong spirit,” Kagome said, glancing sideways and giving Inuyasha a knowing smirk. “So, Inuyasha, I imagine you're some kind of thug nowadays if you're anything like I remember.”

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and peered at Kagome. “I'll have you know that I am the Founder and Dean of Students at the Lafayette Academy for children of full or half demon ancestry. Full human students are also welcome to attend our academy.”

“Wow, Inuyasha, that's amazing,” Kagome breathed. Was it just her or did Inuyasha seem like he had matured just a little bit over the centuries? “It sounds like you've created a wonderful, inclusive environment for children.”

“You darn right. Nyuka teaches English at the academy and is also an author and motivational speaker on `communicating with your spouse' topics,” Inuyasha said while blushing.

“You could say that he's grown in the area of communication and understanding others' feelings,” Nyuka interjected with a grin.

“That's good to hear! So you just have Ira and Arisa?” Kagome inquired, sending a smile toward the beaming Arisa.

“No, we have older children that are grown and in their 20s age-wise. You'll meet a few tonight. I never heard back from Konsui though,” Inuyasha explained, his left eye ticking visibly when he mentioned his son Konsui. Inuyasha continued to give details to Kagome about his past relationships. He divulged that he and Kikyo had two daughters. Since they were quarter-demon, they passed away sometime in the early 1800s but carried on the tradition of melding demon and human ancestry. He smugly mentioned that there was some Inu-demon blood in the royal family of Spain. He and Nyuka had a total of 5 children: their sons Yoshi, Konsui, and Ira; their daughters Hayoko and Arisa.

Kagome laughed inwardly. I guess some things never change.

Shiori cleared her throat as she stood then walked over to Kagome and gave her a warm hug. “It's good to see you again, Kagome. I trust you remember my mate, Shippo.” Kagome looked over at the tall man with the stunning red hair, green eyes, and mischievous smile. Why didn't I realize it was Shippo?! She wriggled out of Shiori's hug and ran a few steps toward Shippo, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Shippo looked down at the top of her head and smiled.

“I missed you, Kagome. It's wonderful to see you again,” he said, pausing to hold her out at arms length. “Gosh, you look dang near just how I remember!” Kagome laughed at his comment, her eyes nearly tearing up from seeing her friends that she left in the feudal era.

“Daddy?” a small voice asked from behind Shippo. He turned to look down and Kagome peered around him to see a short, orange haired and freckled boy standing behind him with a death grip on Shippo's dark green trousers. Shippo smiled and scooped up the toddler.

“What is it, Sachi?” he asked gently. Sachi looked at Kagome, thumb in his mouth.

“Is that grandma Kagome?” he asked around his thumb. This time it was Kagome's eyes that were the size of saucers as she looked from Shippo and Sachi to Shiori.

“Grandma?!” she gasped, her voice an octave higher than usual.

“Well, Shippo always talked about you as his mother, Kagome,” Inuyasha explained. “You did practically raise him while you were in the feudal era. So, therefore, Sachi and Simon consider you grandma.”

Kagome smiled at such an endearing and respectful station her adopted son placed her in. She reached forward with a sigh and ran her fingers through Sachi's silky red hair. “I guess I am grandma Kagome, little guy. Where's your brother, Simon?”

“I'm over here, grandma,” a voice said from the couch behind her. Kagome inwardly cringed at her new age-defying title and turned to see a young boy with white and orange striped hair hunkered down on the couch with a Nintendo DS in his hands, mashing away at the buttons. She saw him press pause and turn his pale face up to smile brightly at her with a mouth full of white fangs and beautiful lavender eyes. Kagome laughed at the young boy's spirit and grin. Oh, how he reminded her of Shippo when he was young.

“Kagome, I present to you your… grandsons, Sachi and Simon. Shiori and I have a daughter who was not able to get away from college today. She has finals and I remembered how you used to freak out about your tests so I thought it was better if she stayed back. Her name is Hatsumi.”

Kagome smiled at this, remembering fondly how heavy her pack would be the days or even weeks before her scheduled exams. “So, Shippo, Shiori said that you work for Sesshomaru now? What's that like?”

“Yes, I work for the frightening and almighty Sesshomaru,” he said, grinning as Sachi giggled at the goofy face his father made. “I handle all of the business with the “western lands” for Sesshomaru so that he can keep doing his tattoo and art stuff. Shiori keeps him up to date if he needs to know anything. I enjoy it. He's really not as scary as he likes people to think.”

“He still gets cocky, arrogant, and demanding once in a while though,” Inuyasha grumbled, giving Sesshomaru a glance. Kagome giggled slightly but quieted quickly as to not insult Sesshomaru.

“Speaking of cocking and arrogant, whatever happened to Koga?” Kagome asked.

“Koga works with the Discovery channel and is fortunately stuck in Alaska waiting for the weather to clear to do a shoot about Mount McKinley, “ Shippo clarified.

“Oh... figures he would work in show business,” she said, thinking suddenly of the brawny, dramatic wrestlers shown flexing and yelling on some of the wrestling programs Souta sometimes downloads on the internet. “Did he ever settle down?”

“Koga mated Ayame who stays at home with their 8 kids. He travels and does his shows while she stays home and runs the house.” This made Kagome smile. So Koga got his mate and Ayame got her Koga and they had a boat load of kids. Serves Koga right to have 8 kids; he always seemed like a horny bastard, she thought to herself.

Sesshomaru watched the introductions and conversation from his comfortable chair off to the side. He thought it would be best for the friends to become reacquainted prior to the celebration so that they could have some private time together. He also speculated that Kagome would feel more comfortable if she was able to have such an emotional encounter behind her before being surrounded by demon auras. He took pleasure in watching her smile light up her face and her aura was bursting with happiness and joy. He felt it wash over him, calming him in ways he had missed over the past 550 years. She was laughing and it eased a coil that had wound up inside of him over the centuries. The more time he spent with her, the more the coil eased and unwound. Of course, he played his part in her amusement by rolling his eyes and scoffing at the side comments Shippo or Inuyasha would cast his way.

The clock chimed 2:30pm and all talking ceased except for the very quiet beeping from Simon's DS game. “Now would be a good time to take our leave to change to be ready to start the celebration on time. Yuui, would you please show Kagome to her dressing room so that she may choose her attire for the evening.”

Once again, Yuui appeared silently at the doorway of the sitting room, motioning for Kagome to follow her. Kagome distinctly remembered not sensing anyone at the doorway a second before she saw Yuui. She must be part demon with incredible hearing Kagome thought as she followed the small woman down a labyrinth of hallways.

Yuui once again brought her to the same room as a few days ago. She swung the doors of the armoire open to reveal a different set of clothing. It was filled with beautiful, intricately embroidered furisodes of a rainbow of shades and patterns. She, again, fingered the different pieces, never once allowing the thought that furisodes were for single women enter her mind. No, such assumptions on the demon lord's behalf were not acknowledged. After contemplating for a long time, Kagome decided on a beautiful white Furisode with vibrant pink flowers scattered along the hem of the sleeves and bottom. The flowers cascaded down from her right side and the Furisode was completed with a colorful flowered obi. After several long minutes of folding, stuffing and adjusting material, Yuui consulted Kagome about her hairstyle. Kagome insisted that she not wear it up - she wanted at least one part of the evening to be reminiscent of her days in the feudal era when her hair was down and blew wildly in the wind. Yuui applied some whitish cream to her hands, rubbed them vigorously together, and then combed her fingers through Kagome's hair. Instead of causing her tresses to become stiff, the cream caused her hair to shine and appear more voluptuous. Kagome was relieved to hear from Yuui that the white make up had long been banned by Sesshomaru from being used on castle grounds. She thought for a moment that it was odd how, for someone so traditional at times, Sesshomaru didn't want something so blatantly traditional as white face make up to be allowed. Oh well, she thought, it's his castle.

Kagome picked up a white fan, slipped her feet into white geta sandals and made her way toward the door. She was startled when the shoji door slid back in a quick *thwack* to reveal Sesshomaru. He stood imposingly over her, looking almost as startled as she felt with a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. He was dressed in a different kimono from a few days ago. This one was white with dark blue honeycombed accents that matched the Prussian blue crescent moon on his forehead. His mokomoko-sama curled about his right shoulder and cascaded down to trail lightly behind him but he wore no armor and no swords. This is to be a friendly and peaceful celebration, of course, so neither would be necessary.

“You are ready, I hope,” he said in a taunting tone. Kagome smirked up at him and tapped him playfully on his chest with her fan.

“It takes work to look this good I'll have you know, Sesshomaru,” she retorted haughtily. He stood looking down at her for another minute before `Hnn'ing and stepping aside so that she could leave the room. He offered her the crook of his arm. She looked at his arm, blushed, hesitated, and slipped her dainty hand in the crook of his elbow. Sesshomaru purred inwardly at the warmth of her hand against his arm.

They walked down the long corridor until they came to three sets of doors. Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and put his hands on her shoulders. “On the other side of these doors there is a staircase. You are to enter and descend the staircase which will bring you to the celebration. According to tradition and law, since you are a single female, Kagome, you must enter on your own without an escort. You… are a single female, yes?” he asked though he knew the answer himself. She was pure. He stared into her eyes intensely, wishing to convey to her that soon she wouldn't be single.

Kagome's eyes widened a miniscule amount before she dropped her gaze to the floor, blushing. “Yes, Sesshomaru-sama.”

Sesshomaru looked down at her slightly bowed head, a faint but pleased smile gracing his face. “Good. Inuyasha, Nyuka, Shippo, and Shiori should all already be there waiting for your arrival,” he said, using his hands to pivot her body toward the doors. He took a step back, a signal to Kagome that it was in her hands and at her pace at which she entered through the doors. She gingerly walked to one of the doors; not because she wanted to but because, with such a tightly wrapped furisode, she didn't have much room for liberal movements. She reached out to touch the handle on the door and looked back over her shoulder. Sesshomaru stood staring off into the distance down the corridor. Taking a deep breathe of courage, Kagome pulled open the door and stepped over the threshold.

She was greeted by warm murmurs of conversation, the sound of birds happily singing, and of water trickling. She walked toward a white banister that led down at least 25 white marble stairs and looked out on the room. The stairs opened up into what seemed like an outdoor patio area of immense size. It was constructed mostly of white marble and it opened up into the garden area. Why didn't I see this two days ago when I was here? It's so huge it would have been hard to miss, she thought to herself, admiring the room's size and elegance. The whole east wall appeared to be carved out of a very large jagged boulder. A small trickle of water cascaded from the top, snaking and dribbling down various crevices and slopes to pool near the base in a hollowed out area before it flowed out of the patio area, into the gardens. Kagome took pleasure in hearing the soft drops hitting the rocks as she edged near the stairs and began her descent.

The murmur of conversation went from a dull roar to soft murmurs and whispers as she came into view of the guests. Her steps slowed and she realized that she was probably one of very, very few mortals to be present at one of these celebrations. That and she was probably the only Priestess to ever attend. She swallowed thickly, straightened her back, and continued the last five steps until she was standing on the landing. Okay, remember Kagome, you're the Shikon Miko. Hold your head high and… search valiantly for Inuyasha or Shippo! Kagome scanned the crowd of demons who, likewise, looked her over. Her eyes glanced through the crowd, noting the various colours of hair and eyes, looking for silver hair and amber eyes. Blue hair red eyes, white hair purple eyes, green hair yellow eyes, silver hair amber eyes, purple ha- go back, go back! “Inuyasha,” she nearly whimpered and moved to make her way through the crowd toward a familiar face. The demons in her way briskly moved to create a path for her, afraid of getting in her way. All present had heard of the Shikon Miko's part in defeating Naraku several centuries ago and could only guess, given her strong aura, that this was the priestess they had all heard of. Trying to keep her eyes focused ahead of her, Kagome ignored the stares and whispers as she moved toward Inuyasha. Finally, after what felt like miles, she stood next to Inuyasha and Shippo.

Laughing at her skittish reaction to the crowd, Shippo looked her over. “You look very nice, Kagome.” She smiled and looked around. There were demons of all types around them; cat demons, boar demons, demons she couldn't quite identify, and more. Shortly after she joined Inuyasha and Shippo, the dull murmuring of the crowd returned until a soft gong was heard reverberating over the room. All noise ceased immediately and Kagome was startled by everyone's sudden attention toward the balcony. She turned around and looked in the direction those around her were looking. Sesshomaru stood at the edge of the balcony, looking down at all of his guests. He nodded his acknowledgement of everyone's attention and the room seemed to burst back into noise. Kagome blinked, not sure what that exchange was supposed to be about but shrugged anyway.

A soft strain of music floated to her ears and she noticed female demons pulling at their mate's arm, asking to dance. Couples slowly filtered onto the large dance floor to the right of the room. Shiori gave Shippo a knowing look and took his hand, leading him toward the dance floor. Inuyasha took Nyuka's hand in his, smiled lovingly at her, and lead her toward the dance floor. Kagome stood alone, watching her friends pair up and dance closely with one another. She sighed, realizing she was the third wheel. She watched Shippo and Shiori dance around the floor, Shiori laughing and swatting Shippo's arm as he whispered in her ear and grinned. Inuyasha held Nyuka lovingly close to him and she rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes shut. Kagome sighed happily. Her friends were all still happy. But was she happy? For so long all Kagome thought about was making sure that others were happy. She had always tried to convince herself that, by making others happy, she was making herself happy. So then why did she feel left out, like she was missing something?

A gentle tap on her shoulder brought her out of her revere. She turned around to be faced with a striking demon. His hair was black like hers and was braided down his back. His eyes were steel blue. His skin was a shade tanner than Sesshomaru's and he was a few inches shorter and was not as lean as Sesshomaru. His shoulders were broad without being imposing. His kimono was the color of bruised sage with white triangles pattered over the material. Midnight blue markings accented his cheekbones and the lids of his eyes, causing the orbs to appear even bluer. Kagome felt that he could almost be the negative to Sesshomaru with his dark markings and tan skin. Smiling timidly, she bowed politely to the demon.

“Priestess, my name is Takeshi. Would you honor me with a dance?” he said smoothly, returning her bow, his eyes trained on hers. They were the shade of a blade glinting in the moonlight and had such depth that Kagome had to blink repeatedly in order to bring her mind back to his question.

“Oh. You want to dance with me?” she asked quietly. He smiled and laughed softly.

“Yes, with you, Priestess,” he said, his voice like silk on her ears. Well, he knows I'm a priestess so I guess he knows what he's getting into if he pisses me off.

Her eyes met his again and she smiled, “yes, I would like that.” He offered her a clawed hand and she took it, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor. Oh yes, she knew that a demon dancing with a priestess was highly unheard of and damn near suicidal but his aura was calm and pleasant and she was feeling a bit left out. She placed her right hand on his broad, muscular shoulder while her other hand was held gently in his own. His left hand rested slightly above her hip, gently holding her as he led them across the dance floor. His steps were sure and graceful, matching the sway of the music beautifully. Kagome smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying her partner's skilled dancing abilities and the soothing music. When she opened them, she noticed that Takeshi was looking at her with an inquisitive expression. Kagome's eyes darted around and she blushed. It seemed as if they had danced themselves onto the middle of the dance floor and couples were slowly leaving more room around them. Every once in a while she saw two demons whispering to one another and looking at them. She became self-conscious, worried about what they might be saying about her.

“Don't worry priestess. They are only talking about how beautiful you are,” Takeshi said as he smiled down at her. “By the way, you never did tell me your name.”

Kagome's eyes grew wide, embarrassed for her rudeness. “My apologies, my name is Kagome,” she said, dipping her head in a polite bow. Sesshomaru watched her from the balcony, examining the demon who was leading her around the dance floor. Sure, she wasn't his per se, but what was to stop him from being a little protective of someone like Kagome. Instead of storming down the stairs and ripping her from the strange demon's arms and then ripping said arms off, he calmed himself.

“What are you doing at a demon celebration, Priestess Kagome?” he asked, his eyes looking at her delicate fingers in his hand.

“I am a guest of Lord Sesshomaru,” she said quietly, slightly baffled at his beauty. He looked very similar to Sesshomaru but his jaw did not have as sharp an angle and his eyes were softer.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Kagome,” Takeshi said as the music died out. He released his hand from her waist but brought her other hand to his lips, kissing it gently. Her eyes watched his lips press against the back of her hand, the warmth soaking into her skin. She blushed, not sure what to say to his obvious public display of affection toward her. All she could do was nod and say `MmHmmm.' Coming out of her daze, she realized she was standing by herself at the edge of the dance floor while another musical number started up. She looked around but did not see the dark-haired demon anywhere. That was weird, where'd he go? Not only that, will I ever see him again? She sighed, thinking of how warm his lips had been against her hand.

“Hey, Kagome, there you are,” Shiori said, coming up and wrapping an arm around her. “Sesshomaru is going to make an announcement and then we'll really get on to the good stuff!” If it gets better than this, I'm going to be in heaven!

The crowd settled and trained their eyes toward the balcony where Sesshomaru stood.

“Thank you all for coming to this year's Vernal Equinox Celebration. I trust everyone is in good health. It is an unfortunate year that we have no naming ceremonies to perform and no new intended mating claims have been brought to the attentions of the court. Therefore, it would seem that this year we will skip the formalities and mingle with our friends and family. I invite you all to enjoy yourselves in the Castle of the Western Lord-“

“Hah, Lord? What is a Lord of your age without a mate and an heir?” A tall, stately-looking man with silver hair spoke up. His hair was cropped short and he was wearing a navy blue kimono with white sakura blossoms scattered over the left shoulder. “You may as well be the end of the line of Inu Lords. I feel it is time that you step down and allow my son to rule.”

“And who is your son?” Sesshomaru asked, already bored and annoyed with the interruption. This demon must be new to my lands.

“Your cousin, Takeshi Nishimura,” the man proclaimed, “and I am your father's brother, Jirou Nishimura. I have come to enact the Writ of Taishou.”

Sesshomaru's eyes widened a miniscule amount. He had forgotten about the Writ of Taishou.

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Sorry, this was going to be hugely long if I didn't cut here. I wanted to get this to you all before the end of today. This whole idea came while hubby and I were on the “Poseidon's Fury” ride at Island of Adventure in Orlando, FL. It's twisted how some of these ideas come about - I never planned for this. I thought this was going to be a type of 10 chapter cutesy fic but I guess not! I'm planning some demon courtship, some “contests of love and skill” type things. Any ideas or suggestions?

If you need a visual of Takeshi, I modified a drawing done by MiSSTiquE. Her drawing is here http: //misstique. deviantart. com/ art/ Sesshoumaru-s-worst-nightmare-4520948

The altered/modified version is ONLY to see how Takeshi looks like Sesshomaru. He's a damn clone just about except for the hair and color of the facial markings. I didn't darken his skin and I have very very very poor computer graphics skills (I has no skills). I did it using Paint, okay? LOL so it is here http: //i181.photobucket. com/ albums/ x128/ gradualwisd0m/ Sess_and_Takeshi.jpg

Ira - “thorn”

Arisa - “best”

Konsui - “coma, stupor, lethargy”

Sachi - “happiness, wish, fortune”

Simon - “to be heard”

Jirou - “second son” - name typically given to second son

Takeshi - “military, warrior”

Nishimura - “western village”

For anyone wondering, I use this to translate: http ://www. freedict .com/ onldict/ jap.html