InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What Fate Has Brought Us ❯ Chapter 20

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

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. The honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

The weather was warm and the sun shined brightly upon the land, thus causing my pups to ask to play outside. I looked hopelessly at the two smiling pups and knew I couldn't deny them. So, we decided to make a day of it.

I had the servants lay out a large piece of cloth underneath a circle of Sakura trees in the garden and had them bring out an assortment of food for our lunch.

The pups ate their food quickly and ran off, leaving me to finish the heap of food by myself. I didn't mind that they left me. I wanted them to have some fun before the battle approached.

The sound of the pups laughter reached my ears. I raised my head to see Shippo tag Rin and run off into the distance. I didn’t have to worry about anything happening to the pups, because I had placed guards around the garden to keep watch over us.

My mate would be here if he could, but he was called away earlier this morning to settle a dispute amongst the soldiers and I haven’t seen or heard a word from him since. The matter he was called away to must be taking longer than he believed.

He told me when he returned we would have our discussion about the pros and cons of the battle. It seems like every time we try to talk, something always comes up. Maybe its fate telling us that nothing is going to happen and that we are being paranoid.

I hope that is true, because I don’t know if I can rule a kingdom on my own. I don’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom and I know I will screw something up.

The other lords will probably be against me ruling the kingdom and will probably appoint a male demon to help me or take the kingdom over completely. Or worse they could give the kingdom and the power to Inuyasha.

There is nothing wrong with Inuyasha and I wouldn't object to him receiving his birthright, but the lords will be desperate to go this route.

The lords wouldn't like Inuyasha to have it anymore than I would, but they won't have a choice. Female demons are not allowed to rule without a mate, even if she is pregnant with the next heir.

If the power and the kingdom goes to Inuyasha, my pup will be his heir and will lose his claim to the Western Lands if Inuyasha has a male pup of his own .

I will lose my title as Lady of the Western Lands and it will go to Inuyasha's mate, Kikyo. I will be reduced to being just a member of the royal family and Inuyasha will be allowed to decide my future and I will have no choice but to obey him.

I can fight with him about my affairs, but he will have the final say. He could even find me a new mate or choose me as a second mate. Either way, I will still be second to him. His first mate will always have power over me.

The thought of Inuyasha making me his second mate makes me sick to my stomach. After being mated to Sesshoumaru, I don't think there is anyone who can replace him. He is the demon I love and the father of my pups.

If anything happens to my mate, I will have to care for three pups on my own and I don't know if I can handle it by myself. I know I will have help from my friends, but I don't want to place such a burden on them.

I know I'm sounding crazy for thinking of these scenarios, but I can't help it. I need to prepare myself for the worse.

I just hope my mate has a plan, because I don’t. And knowing my mate, he already does have a plan in mind.

I reclined back on a staff of fluffy pillows, set up for me by one of the servants, and stretched my feet out before me. I had long ago removed the white tabi socks and wooden getas from my feet, enjoying the light breeze that caressed my feet.

In my hands I hold a piece of cloth and tear it into thin, narrow strips. I keep repeating this process until nothing is left. Then I pick out another piece from the pile and do the same thing.

I have this feeling that this battle will not be like the previous battles with Naraku. He has amassed more demons to fight for him than ever before. So I am making sure we have plenty of bandages and medicine to treat the injured soldiers.

I have already ordered tents to be erected in the courtyard for the arriving villagers and sent out hunters to get more food to carry us through the battle that is to take place in less than two days.

I wish I have more time to spend with my mate, but with the upcoming battle he will be spending most of his time with the other lords and finish training the soldiers to follow his command.

Rin came running up towards me with a wreath of white daisies in her hands. I smiled at her as she approached. "What do you have there, Rin?" I asked her, setting the piece of cloth to the side. She realized I had spotted her gift and quickly placed the wreath behind her back.

"Rin made this for you to wear," she answered, moving the wreath in front of her.

"It's beautiful."

I wasn't lying to her to make her feel better. She has a knack for arranging flowers.

She skipped until she was directly in front of me and I bent down, so she could place the wreath on my head.

She stepped back and admired her work. "You look pretty, mama." She then ran off to rejoin Shippo in their game of tag.

Reaching up to touch the wreath of flowers on my head, an unhappy thought appeared.

Constantly fighting with Naraku feels like we're taking the pups childhood away, something that should always be cherished.

"What is wrong, mate?" I heard Sesshoumaru ask standing before me, blocking my sunlight. He must have sensed my distress and come to investigate.

I sighed as I lowered my hand and placed it in my lap. "Are you done with your task?" I asked him, hoping to change the subject.

He nodded his head towards me. "Do not make this Sesshoumaru repeat himself, mate. You will answer his question."

There is no point in keeping my thoughts to myself. My mate will tell if I am lying or not. Might as well get it over with. "I fear that the pups are growing up too fast. They have seen so much in their little lives."

My mate sat down beside me with his legs folded underneath him. "It is not uncommon for pups to experience warfare, my dear mate. These are trying times between demons and humans. Did you think that the pups wouldn't be apart of it?"

I looked back at my pups with a frown on my face. "I wish I could have sent them to my time until this battle with Naraku is done with. I can't stand the thought of them getting hurt."

"There was always that chance when Shippo traveled with you, mate."

"I know," I spoke with regret. "But I didn't have much of a choice. No one in the village would take in a demon pup and Kaede was getting on in years."

"You could have gave him to another demon." He pointed out.

I shook my head regretfully. "I tried, but every demon we came across wanted to kill him. When at last we did find a demon family willing to accept him, I didn't want to part with him. I had grown attached."

"The pups will be fine, mate," he spoke, attempting to reassure me. "They know what to expect and they know we will protect them. It's nothing new to them."

"That's my point," I said, continuing on with my earlier statement. "They shouldn't be used to seeing blood and violence."

Sesshoumaru stared at me for a long time. "This Sesshoumaru doesn't understand why you bring this up now. You have always been conscious of the consequences."

My mate does have a point, even though I hate to admit it. I have to remember that I'm now living in a different time. In this ear its not unusual for children to experience wars. Some children are even allowed to fight.

"I don't know why I bring this up now," I confessed softly, but I knew he heard me. "I have always had the fear of the pups getting hurt, but since I became pregnant my fears have grown worse."

"It pleased this Sesshoumaru to know that you worry about the pup's safety. You will be a good mother."

I blushed at my mate's compliment.

We knew the time had come to discuss the possible outcome of the battle, but neither of us knew how to start the conversation. So we remained in silence, enjoying each others company and watched the pups tag team against Jaken, who had followed my mate outside.

A couple of pink sakura blossoms fell off the trees and landed around us. I knew a couple of the petals had fallen onto my dark colored hair, when my mate picked them off one by one.

He then reached down and grabbed a hold of my hand, lifting me from my spot and placing me sideways into his warm lap. I burrowed the side of my head into the hollow of his neck and wiggled myself closer to my mate's body.

After holding off as long as we could, Sesshoumaru was the first to break the silence. "This is one conversation this Sesshoumaru wishes he didn't have to speak. But one must be prepared for anything that may happen."

I closed my eyes briefly, dreading to hear the rest of his words. He's already speaking as if we weren't going to win the battle and he wasn't going to live through it.

He continued on, not giving me the chance to reply. "This Sesshoumaru has already spoken to Inuyasha and the other lords of his wishes and they had agreed to his terms."

"When was this?" I couldn't help myself from asking, tilting my head back to stare at him. I felt betrayed that he would discuss his plans before speaking with me.

He glared at me until he was sure I wasn't going to interrupt again, then continued. "If this Sesshoumaru should happen to perish, he has informed the other lords of his decision to make Inuyasha co-regent. Inuyasha will help you rule the Western Lands, until this Sesshoumaru’s heir is old enough to take over."

"Why must Inuyasha help me rule the Western Lands? Couldn't you find someone else?"

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "Would you like to choose someone else to your own liking? This Sesshoumaru chose Inuyasha because he knows his half brother is capable."

For a moment I was unable to do anything more than gape at him dumbfounded. I can't believe what I had just heard. My mate was actually praising his half brother.

"Its not that I don't believe Inuyasha can handle it," I finally spoke, after thinking things over. "Its the opposite in fact. I was only thinking that him and I are going be arguing over certain things. Somehow we always manage to butt heads."

A faint chuckle was heard from my mate.

He began to stroke my hair and I closed my eyes at his administration. We continued like that for quite some time.

He cleared his throat after awhile. "Do you remember the question you asked this Sesshoumaru earlier and he told you we would discuss it later?" He looked down at me and I nodded my head.

"When a pup loses its sire, the pup either dies or is born weak."

I tried to respond but no words would form.

"In other words you're telling me that there’s a possibility I might lose the pup if you should die."

If only he would respond. I never had to fill a silence before.

When a tear trickled down my cheek, he reached out and wiped it away with his fingers.

"This Sesshoumaru would never let that happen." He informed me, leaning down to nuzzle my cheek. "This Sesshoumaru plans on leaving some of his clothing covered in his scent. The pup will be able to sense his sire's aura and should be able to fully develop to full term."

It seems that my mate has prepared for everything ahead of time and I am very grateful to him. I would have never thought of making Inuyasha co-regent or have him leave his scent behind for the pup.

There is only one thing he forgot to mention. "What would I do without you?" I asked him, not wanting to hear his answer.

A gust of wind came through the garden. Blowing my blue and gold streaked black hair into my mate's face. A smile came upon my lips as he scowled, turning his head slightly to avoid anymore strikes to his face. I was disappointed to learn his silky, silver hair stayed in place.

When the wind died down, he dropped his chin on top of my head. "After this Sesshoumaru is gone, he wants you to find another to mate with."

My heart hitched. "No. I don't want to move on, not without you."

I could not imagine living the rest of my life without him in it, but I do understand what he is trying to say to me.

"He doesn't wish for you to be alone the rest of your life. He wants you to find happiness."

I shook my head. "Nothing will happen to you, Sesshoumaru. I don't know why you try to tell me differently."

He sighed. It was almost like he knew from the beginning what I would say. "It probably won't come to that," he told me gently. "But he wants you to be prepared in case anything does happen."

I stopped and took a deep breath before I lost it. he raised my hand, turning it over to run a finger lightly down the middle of my palm.

"I know, but I don't want to hear anything about another mate," I whispered. "No one else can take your place."

The thought of losing my mate, hit me hard.

I buried my face into my mate's shoulder, I couldn't stop the tears flowing down my face, and I didn't want my mate to see another set of tears, even though he can smell them.

He held me in his arms until I had quieted down.

The air around us had grown colder and the sun was beginning to set by the time we finished our talk.

"Pups," I called out to them, quickly gaining their attention. "You have bullied Jaken enough and its time to head in for dinner."

The pups jumped off Jaken's back and run up towards us. By the time they arrived, Sesshoumaru and I were already standing. I grabbed the pups hands and we headed back to the palace.

I left the strips of cloth behind. I will send a servant out for them later, when I send them to fetch the little toad.

To be continued...