InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reunion ❯ Chapter Sixteen: Requests ( Chapter 16 )

Chapter Sixteen

A/N: Interesting. I am glad that you liked the last chapter. There are more things to reveal about the death of Sesshomaru's mate later. Now, to answer some questions. I can't tell you everything because that would reveal too much, however, I will say that Rin is healing Sesshomaru's heart but not as a potential mate. Sesshomaru still has too many memories of the demoness that he loved and those will not be easy to overcome. However, he doesn't have any memories of the daughter he lost so Rin fills that void in his life. Will Inuyasha and his brother get closer? Eventually. It will take time to overcome the years of resentment and hatred that went on between the two. Kagome will help in the healing of those two. There is an impending explosion when Sesshomaru finds out about a certain hanyou, especially when he thinks about his own past interactions with him. That's enough. I may have said more than I should have, but I do like answering questions. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot one. Rin is about a year older in this fic than she is in the series. I don't own Inuyasha, I couldn't afford the ramen bill if I did!

Sesshomaru rejoined the camp at daybreak. He had spent the rest of the evening meditating to get his emotions back under lock and key.

Inuyasha noticed that his brother appeared more stoic than usual, but let it slide. 'None of my business.' he thought. His feelings for his brother were hard to describe. He didn't trust him, but he didn't think that Sesshomaru would do anything treacherous. He was too honorable for that. He didn't like him and he definately didn't love him! But, he did have a grudging respect for the demon lord's fighting ability. It hurt his pride to think that Sesshomaru was stronger than him, but Inuyasha wasn't a complete fool. He knew that it would be a very near thing in a death duel between them. Indeed, they would probably do enough damage to kill each other! One thing puzzled Inuyasha though. Puzzled and irritated him. Since when did Sesshomaru care about humans? Apparently he had adopted one, so he must care a little. And Rin irritated him. Not Rin herself, just the fact that Sesshomaru cared for her and she was a human. Sesshomaru had not cared for him at that age and he was his brother! He watched the little girl in question play with his adopted son. 'No. I don't dislike her.' he thought. 'I just wish that Sesshomaru had shown me the same care that he shows her.'

Kagome came up beside Inuyasha. "A penny for your thoughts." she offered.

"Huh. What's a penny?" asked a confused Inuyasha.

"Oh, sorry. It's a small coin from America, though I think it may have come from Great Britain before." Kagome stopped when she saw the glazed look in Inuyasha's eyes. "Oh, never mind! A yen for your thoughts, then."

"Okay." agreed Inuyasha.

Kagome waited. "Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" Inuyasha asked back.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me what you were thinking about?" Kagome said, with some exasperation.

"When you pay me the yen, I'll tell you what I was thinking."

Kagome gaped at him. "I didn't mean that literally!"

"Well, why did you offer then?"

"It's a figure of speech! No one actually pays for your thoughts when they ask that. They just want to know what your thinking about!"

"Then why not just ask what I'm thinking about instead of offering to pay me when you have no intention of paying?!"

"Oooohhhh!! I give up! Just keep your thoughts to yourself then!" Kagome turned to storm away.

Inuyasha sighed. "I think I'm jealous." he said quietly.

Kagome stopped and looked back at him over her shoulder. "Jealous? Of who?"

"Rin."

Kagome turned back around to face Inuyasha. "Rin? Why on earth would you be jealous of a cute little girl like her? You don't like her?!"

"No, no! Not that. I don't have anything against the kid." He looked over at the child in question. She had tackled Shippou, since she was bigger than him, and was tickling him unmercifully. "She keeps the runt occupied and out of our hair." He looked from the children to Sesshomaru. "I just wonder what he sees in her that he didn't see in me."

Kagome's face softened and she reached out to hug her mate. "I don't know, but I'm not sure that it would have been a good thing if he had taken care of you."

"WHAT?!"

"If he had, then I probably would never have met you."

sigh "You have a point." Inuyasha's face hardened, slightly. "Besides, I didn't need him then, so I don't know why I'm worried about how he treats an orphan girl now."

"Inuyasha! Give him a chance. He's older now. Maybe he's just trying to make up for some of the things he did earlier in his life."

"Feh! I doubt it! Whatever his reasons, you can be sure that he won't be telling us!" Inuyasha looked into Kagome's eyes and grinned, suddenly. "So, when are you going to pay me?"

"What!?"

"Well, I told you what I was thinking, and now you owe me a yen."

"Why, you....you!" Kagome sputtered.

"But, I'll settle for a kiss!" He bent his head in quickly and claimed his payment.

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The days travel went well, if slow. Miroku was able to ride Kirara but Sango insisted on keeping it slow so as not to aggrevate the monks injuries. Inuyasha chaffed at the delay but said nothing after the looks he had recieved from both Sango and Kagome when he had started to complain earlier in the day. Surprisingly, Sesshomaru had stayed with the group. Rin had begged him to let her stay with her new playmate and the stoic demon lord had finally agreed. When the group stopped for the mid-day meal, Daremo approached Inuyasha.

"My lord." Daremo inclined his head to Inuyasha.

'Here we go again!' "Daremo, I am not your lord!"

"As you say, my ... Inuyasha." Daremo paused before continuing. "I would like to deliver the message from your cousin to your brother. Would you assist me?"

grrr "All right, Daremo. But don't expect too much. My brother is arrogant at the best of times. He may not even acknowledge Genki since he is human."

"I have to deliver this message. Whether the Lord Sesshomaru honors the request contained will be up to him."

Sesshomaru looked up from his food as Inuyasha and Daremo approached. He stood up before the two reached him. "You require something?" he asked when they had halted before him.

Inuyasha glanced at Daremo before speaking. "Daremo has a letter for you from the human Lord of the Western Lands."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow as Daremo sank to one knee and bowed his head. He brought out the message and held it up to Sesshomaru on his palms. "My Lord, I bring you greetings from my master, the Lord Tanaka."

Sesshomaru stood silent for a moment. "And why should I accept greetings from a human." "My master, the Lord Tanaka, explains himself in his letter. Would you please consider his petition that is contained within?"

Sesshomaru made no move to take the letter from Daremo's hands. After several minutes had passed he turned to Jaken, who was standing behind him. "Jaken. Retreave the letter and read it for me."

"Yes, my lord! At once, my lord!" Jaken rushed over to the kneeling swordsman and snatched the letter from his hands. He broke the seal and began reading to himself.

"Out loud, Jaken." the tall inu-youkai said with some impatience.

"Oh, sorry, Lord Sesshomaru! Out loud, of course, of course!" He cleared his throat. "Hhmm. Hhmmm. To the Demon Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshomaru. Greetings. I request a meeting with you to discuss the pact made between your father, the former Lord, and my grandfather, the general Yamata. I await you at your earliest convienience. By my hand and seal, Lord Genki Tanaka."

Sesshomaru looked at Daremo when Jaken had finished. "Your lord presumes much." he stated, coldly. "However, I will consider his request, for the honor of my father."

Suddenly, an extra voice piped up. "My lord Sesshomaru, you were present at the agreement, as was I." It was the flea demon, Myoga. "You know that your father made it clear that you would continue to honor the pact in the event of his death."

"You presume much, flea! I do not need you to remind me of my father's desires."

Myoga blanched but for once held his ground. "I am only reminding you of your father's wishes."

Sesshomaru looked at the flea demon with hooded eyes. "Very well, Daremo. I will meet with your master. It seems that to do otherwise would dishonor my father."

"Thank you, my lord. My master has much that he wishes to discuss with you."

"Indeed. It had best be worth my time. I dislike being summoned by a mere human as if I were his equal."

"Trust me, my lord. While I am not at liberty to divulge my master's reasons for this meeting, I can say that it will benifit you."

"I doubt that, human." Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha. "I will be staying with your party for the time being. I trust that you will behave yourself."

"What do you mean by that?!" retorted Inuyasha.

"Watch your mouth around my ward. I do not wish her to learn some of the more unsavory terms that you know."

"I'll say what I want, when I want, and you can't stop me from doing it!" shouted the indignant hanyou.

"He may not be able to, but I can!" Inuyasha spun to see that Kagome had come up behind him. "I think that it is a wonderful idea for you to watch your mouth! And I will be more than happy to enforce it with the "s" word, if I have to." She crossed her arms and looked at her mate levelly. "Well, what's it going to be? Will you behave or will I have to do what I do?"

Inuyasha glared at Kagome and then at Sesshomaru, who was watching this interacton with an amused look in his eyes. "Aaarrrggghhhh!" he growled, and leapt straight up into the branches of the tree they were under. From the top of the tree, they heard an inarticulate scream of pure frustration. After a moment, Inuyasha dropped back to the ground and faced Kagome. "All right, I will not curse in front of Rin."

"And Shippou." added Kagome.

"What! That runt has heard me swear before! Dammit, wench ...."

"Inuyasha, SIT!"

"Aaahhh!" crash "What was that for?" Inuyasha spat through a mouth of dirt. "They aren't near here! They couldn't hear me!"

"Practice." Kagome said sweetly. "And just to remind you of what you will get if you forget yourself in front of the children."

Inuyasha peeled himself off the ground, growled, and stalked away.

Daremo watched him go and shook his head before going back to join his comrades.

Kagome started to follow Inuyasha then stopped and looked at Sesshomaru. "I am glad that you are joining us, Sesshomaru. Inuyasha will be going to reunite with his human family. Maybe he will be able to reunite with his demon one, too." This said, Kagome walked off, following Inuyasha.

"I do not think so, little miko." said Sesshomaru, too softly for her to hear. "But one never knows what the future brings." Sesshomaru looked at the kitsune and girl playing tag together. "One never knows."

A/N: Done with this one. My thanks to the reviewers again and my thanks to InuGirlTeen for her correction of my spelling of Onigumo. By the way, before anyone says anything, I don't know if they had yen in Inuyasha's time, but he has been to Kagome's time so I made an assumption. See you later.