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Fifty Years	By : nika1280 Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 27198 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. It belongs to the wonderful Ms. Rumiko Takahashi and her distributors. I do, however, claim intellectual property rights over this storyline and any original characters.

More insight into the kids, the fate of the other shard hunters is revealed, and a reunion of sorts...

~*~

Neither Keiji nor Akeno nor Mareo were stupid. The elder sons of the Inu no Taisho knew two things�their mother was dying and they were running again. The twins, with their keen sense of smell that could rival even Sesshomaru�s nose, could detect the minute changes in their mother�s scent alerting them to his rapidly decaying body. Their eyes also detected the small twinges of pain their mother would try his best to hide whenever he was doing something as simple as walking with them. His scent smelled increasingly foul, like he was rotting from the inside out. He looked so much paler than anyone else, even when he was outside in the sun. It was enough to upset the young boys, but they covered their unease. Their mother had enough problems on his hands�he didn�t need to deal with their petty feelings of discontent.

Mareo, however, knew more than the others about their circumstances. They were running again�he�d overheard Shippo and Kirara discussing their departure plans one night when he should have been asleep. Shippo had mentioned something about leaving before he found them. Whoever this he was, Mareo didn�t know; however, he did understand that whoever this person was, they were powerful enough that their mother feared him. It didn�t make sense to the young boy, though. Their mother was extremely powerful and their father was the most feared demon in all the land, so who could be so frightening that their mother would have to run and hide with them instead of sending their father after this person. The young boy had the sneaking suspicion that there was more going on than any of the adults were willing to admit, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

The three boys huddled in the back corner of the wagon, speaking in hushed whipsers. It was time to figure out what was going on with their mother.

"Kei, something�s not right," Mareo said.

"We know. Mama�s sicker now than ever before," Akeno added.

"No Keno, that�s not what I mean," Mareo clarified.

"Then tells us what you do mean," Keiji demanded.

"Well, the night before we left the den, I couldn�t sleep. I went to go get some water and I heard Shippo and Kirara talking," Mareo said.

"And�" Akeno prompted.

"They said something about leaving before someone found us. I couldn�t understand everything they were saying, but it sounds like whoever hurt Mama when we were at the palace is after us again," Mareo stated gravely.

The boys were silent for a minute as they pondered the new information, then Keiji piped up.

"Why didn�t you wake one of us up? You know we can hear better than you!"

"Because I was only getting some water. I didn�t know I was going to hear anything! I�m not a baby�I don�t need you guys� help all the time!" Mareo hissed.

"You still should have woken us up, Stupid," Keiji huffed, mad tat they missed vital clues about their mother.

"Shut up, Keiji! At least he told us what he heard," Akeno interjected.

"Make me shut up, Akeno!" Keiji challenged.

"Stop it you guys," Mareo pleaded.

"I�ll shut you up!" Akeno declared. The battle lines had been drawn�the twin fight was on.

Mareo sat starting at this twin brothers� idiocy before turning his thoughts back to his mother. Their mother was the strongest fighter they knew except for their father. If he were running away from something, it would have to be awfully dangerous and extremely strong. Mareo shuddered to think of whatever it was that so frightened their mother.

While the boys were having their discussion, Izayoi and Kameko were engaged in a similar conversation. Izayoi knew something bad was going to happen. She hadn�t told anyone, but she could feel the waning of her mother�s spiritual powers. Recently, she�d been able to see the fluctuations in his aura as time went by. The longer he was awake, the more unstable his aura. It also vacillated more when he was ill. There was one time, however, when his aura was so low that it was almost undetectable. That was when he was unconscious for a long period of time. Izayoi was so afraid that something was wrong with her mother that she reached out to him with her aura, gently supporting him until he had rested more and stabilized himself. Little did she know, but she had saved her mother�s life. If the waning had continued, the poor half-demon most likely would have expired that night.

Kameko, on the other hand, was worried for different reasons. Kameko missed her father terribly, and part of her ached for his presence. There were some nights when the longing was so intense that she couldn�t sleep. Those nights, she felt as if her father were calling out to her, asking her to let him know where she was and if she was safe. At those times, she would stare at the moon, concentrating her thoughts on her father. If she looked hard enough, she could almost see his face in the moon. The image of her father comforted her and she would fall asleep, face turned to the moon.

"Izzy, I miss Papa," Kameko admitted.

"I do too," Izayoi said quietly.

"Really?" her sister questioned. "I didn�t think you remembered him. I barely remember him."

"I don�t, really. I just remember this smell�it was of the earth and fire. I know I felt safe around that scent," Izayoi told her.

"That�s Papa�s smell! I used to love sniffing him because it always made me comfortable," Kameko said. The two girls quieted down for a while before Izayoi broke the silence.

"Meko, I�m scared," Izayoi confessed.

"Why?" Kameko asked.

"Mama�s really sick. He�s been trying to hide it, but I can tell. One time when he was really, really sick, I thought he was gonna die! His aura got so low, I almost couldn�t feel it. I was so scared," Izayoi said.

"I didn�t know it was that bad, Izzy. I thought part of it was because he missed Papa. Sometimes, when he�s asleep, Mama murmurs Papa�s name," Kameko said.

"Poor Mama," Izayoi commented, looking over at her mother. Inuyasha was sitting in the front of the wagon with Gin curled against his side.

"Poor Gin," Kameko stated, her eyes following her sisters�. He�s so close to Mama. He�d be really sad if anything happened to him," Izayoi stated.

"He would, and that�s why we�re not gonna tell him about how sick Mama really is," Kameko declared. Izayoi agreed.

~*~

Inuginsenshi, however, had different troubles. He had never seen his father before, and although he had been told that he favored the great demon many times by his siblings, mother and Shippo, he was very much afraid of meeting him in person. What if his father didn�t like him? What if he thought he was a disgrace? From all the stories he�d heard of the Inu no Taisho, the Great Dog Demon Sesshomaru, he was not one to tolerate weakness, and as much as he hated it, Gin was weak. He wasn�t very good at sparring like his brothers or sisters, he couldn�t control his spiritual powers as well as Izayoi, and he didn�t understand his studies the way the others did. All in all, Inuginsenshi was concerned that his father wouldn�t like him and that thought scared him.

�At least Mama loves me,� Gin thought, curling more tightly against Inuyasha, drawing comfort from his mother.

Inuyasha smiled down at his young son. As he rested in the wagon, he had no idea of the thoughts that troubled his children. He only wanted to catch some sleep and alleviate the incredible pain in his body. It was getting harder and harder to hide his ailment from his kids, but he was determined not to subject them to his suffering. That was to be born by him, and him alone. He would not have his children feeling guilty about his condition, especially Inuginsenshi.

Running his fingers through his son�s hair, Inuyasha thought about his children. Contrary to popular belief, Inuyasha was not a fool. He knew that his last pregnancy most likely exacerbated an already existing illness (although he was sure Sesshomaru�s poisoning didn�t help either) and probably weakened his healing ability, but he would not regret having his last child. While Inuginsenshi looked like Sesshomaru, he acted like Inuyasha. He was a bright child, but he constantly compared himself to his siblings, an unfair comparison at best. The other children, Izayoi included, had the benefit of their father�s presence and training for at least some part of their lives. Gin didn�t have any of that. He was also the youngest child, so his older siblings are just that�older.

Inuyasha had the same issues when he used to face Sesshomaru. At first he thought he couldn�t defeat his brother because he was half demon, when in reality it was due to Sesshomaru being over 750 years his senior. Hell, Inuyasha was lucky to have survived any of their encounters when he thought about it. His brother was almost a millennium old, and had fought countless battles while Inuyasha himself was only 200 years old (50 of which were spent pinned to a tree).

Inuginsenshi also had one major disadvantage when compared to his siblings: his mother was ill throughout his life. When the other children were younger, Inuyasha spent much more time with them�training them, teaching them, and interacting with them. With Gin, Inuyasha was too weak to do any of these things, and had to rely more on his friends than he would have hoped. Not only did Gin have the misfortune not to have his father in his life, he also was restricted in his growth by his mother�s sickness. Inuyasha knew that the boy felt inferior to his older brothers and sisters, but there wasn�t much he could do to change it at this point. All he could do was love his son, and let him know he is loved.

"I love you, Gin," Inuyasha said.

"I love you too, Mama," Gin replied with a smile. Yes, everything would be fine as long as his Mama was around.

~*~

The family spent months traveling around feudal Japan, never really staying in any one place for too long. Inuyasha, Shippo and Kirara would take them to various places that they had visited in their quest for the Shikon jewel, telling the children all about the battles they fought and the people they met along the way. Once, they even passed by the old village to visit the Goshinboku. There, Inuyasha showed the children where he was pinned to the tree and how he was resurrected. He let them feel the hole the arrowhead made, and told them of the now non-existent magic of the Bone Eater�s Well. The children were fascinated and confused at the same time�

"Mama, did the mean priestess really trap you there?" Keiji asked, wondering how the lady managed to get his mother (the strongest mother he knew about) stuck to a tree for fifty years.

"Yes, Kei, she did. And she wasn�t mean, so much as confused. Besides, it all worked out in the end," Inuyasha answered, smiling at his children. Today was one of the rare days that he felt up to talking and playing with his children, and he was experiencing very little pain. Inuyasha was determined to make the most of it.

"Did that other priestess really come from the future?" Kameko asked, entranced with the idea of time traveling.

"Yeah, Kagome really did come from the future," Shippo supplied. "She used to bring us all these neat things to eat and play with. I even have some of them left."

From a trunk in the wagon, Shippo produced his old drawings, done in crayon. The kids huddled around him to see portraits of the shard hunting gang, asking questions about what they saw. They were most intrigued by the monk�s perpetually red cheek and images of their mother being slammed into the ground.

"Shippo, why�s Mama always on the ground?" Inuginsenshi asked. Shippo snickered, ignoring Inuyasha�s growls.

"Because Kagome used to have a subjugation spell on your mother," Shippo told the kids. "It made him slam into the ground every time she said �Osuwari.�"

The kids couldn�t believe it.

"Really?" they chorused.

"Keh," their mother grumbled. The children fell into peals of laughter. Shippo and Kirara joined them. Inuyasha pouted.

"What happened to your friends, Mama? How come we�ve never seen them?" Mareo wondered. Shippo, Kirara and Kirara all quieted down. None of them wanted to revisit that hell, but someone would have to answer the boy�s query.

"I told you all about Naraku, remember?" Inuyasha questioned his children. They nodded their heads.

"Well, during our final battle, he managed to hurt Miroku and Sango so badly that they died. Miroku was injured protecting Sango, who was then wounded when she tried to avenge her lover," Inuyasha�s eyes grew distant. Kirara let out a pained mew.

"We won, but it was a hard victory. Kagome had the choice of staying here or returning home, but she told me that she couldn�t stay here with the deaths of our friends. She loved me, but she loved her home more. She wanted me to wait for her�to meet up with her in 500 years.

"But that was unfair to me. I was lonely�Shippo and Kirara had decided to stay with Kaede until her death then they went up North where we met up with them. I ran into your father during my wanderings around the countryside. He offered to let me stay in the palace, and I accepted," Inuyasha recounted.

It was quiet at the Goshinboku. All of the adults were lost in their thoughts of times past, old friends, and great loss. For Inuyasha, it was doubly painful. The battle with Naraku and its aftermath was simultaneously the worst and best time of his life. It was the worst time because two of his close friends died and the woman he loved left, but it was also the best time as it led him to his mate, the father of his six children.

After everyone recovered, Izayoi asked the one question that was on her siblings� minds.

"Mama, how could you have loved those priestesses. I thought you loved Papa. Does this mean that you don�t love him?"

Inuyasha sighed. He should have known this question was coming from the discussion of his past love life (or lack thereof), but he still wasn�t prepared to answer it. Of course he loved Sesshomaru�even after Sesshomaru attempted to kill him, Inuyasha still loved him. That was part of the reason he left so abruptly: he didn�t want his love to make him a slave to Sesshomaru�s fickle emotions. He was too strong to allow either himself or his children to be abused or live with an abuser. He wouldn�t tell his children that, no matter what. They deserved to love and cherish their father without any trace of malice. Strengthening his resolve, Inuyasha gave them an answer straight from the heart.

"Of course I love your father. I wouldn�t have had you and your brothers and sisters if I didn�t love him. Izayoi, love isn�t finite�it�s endless. I loved Kikyo and Kagome. That doesn�t mean that I can�t love your father or I don�t love him as much, because I do. I love your father more than I�ve loved anyone else, save you kids," Inuyasha told them.

"Love is such a huge emotion, kids," Inuyasha said, "it can�t be categorized or put into a box. It exists. Sometimes, you love someone who hurts you, or you hurt the one you love. That doesn�t mean you love them any less�it�s just the way life is."

He closed his eyes. He�d said more than he wanted, but then again, he�d needed to say those things. Inuyasha knew that his time was running out, and he wanted to impart as much knowledge and foresight as he could to his children before he died. He didn�t want them growing up with ill-conceived notions of love. One didn�t have to love someone less to love more than one person�he just loved in a different way. Having been with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha now knew the love he felt for both Kikyo and Kagome was genuine, but a fraction of that which he shared with his mate. He probably would have been happy with either woman had he not known what love would be like with Sesshomaru, but now, having loved his mate (even if they weren�t together), he wouldn�t trade their time for anything in the world.

The family rested that night in the roots of the Goshinboku, the old tree protecting her most cherished companion and his family.

~*~

Two weeks after their visit to Goshinboku, there was a feeling of unease within the group. Inuyasha knew something was wrong when he woke up that morning. The auras in the air felt strained, as if they were warning him of some impending danger. He tried to ignore the feeling, but as the day progressed, it only grew worse. To top it all off, he would be human in a few hours and unable to protect his children as well as he normally could.

If there was to be a confrontation, he wanted it to occur as soon as possible. That way he could take care of the problem before he was human. His sons were old enough to defend themselves against some minor demons, but his instinct was telling him that what was coming would be too great for the young boys to handle. They were only twenty and still considered children in both their ages and their fighting skills. It was up to Inuyasha to protect his children, and he would do so at any cost. He just didn�t know how high a price he would pay.

The day passed with little trouble. Shippo trained the children, and Inuyasha gave them their lessons. During his time in exile, Shippo and Kirara had discovered that their seemingly ignorant friend was a very capable teacher. His knowledge of history, literature and warfare knew no bounds. Intrigued, they�d once asked him how he came to know so much.

"No one wanted to play with me as a child, so I spent most of my time with my mother, sitting in the library reading as she sewed. When I was by myself, I often passed time listening to Myoga tell stories of the great wars of old and of my family�s history. Then, when I mated with Sesshomaru, I spent a large part of my time training in the dojo and reading in the library before we had kids," Inuyasha told them. Needless to say, the jokes about Inuyasha�s intelligence greatly decreased after that confession.

When dinner rolled around, Shippo and Kirara were able to discern the scent of youkai in the air. Wolf youkai. With Inuyasha in his human form and the kids virtually defenseless, it would be up to those two to protect the family. Telling Inuyasha about what he sensed, Shippo gathered all of the children into the wagon next to their mother. They would be protected from all harm if he could help it. Shippo was not about to allow anyone to harm his family, because that�s what they were. Inuyasha was more of a brother to him than ever before and the kids were his own nieces and nephews. Kirara stood next to him, battle ready in her large form.

"I know you�re there. You might as well come out�we can smell you," he said. Out of the shadows fifty wolf demons, many bearing weapons, came forward. They stared at Shippo, Kirara and the largely incapacitated Inuyasha for a long time before they lunged forward.

While Shippo and Kirara fought off many of the wolf demons away from the wagon, Koga sneaked around them and came upon Inuyasha and the children in the wagon.

"Well, well if it isn�t dog-shit and his bastard children," he sneered, scaring the kids who were protectively huddled behind their mother.

Inuyasha was surprised to hear Koga�s voice. He hadn�t seen or heard from him since he had defeated Naraku over twenty years ago. He actually hadn�t thought about the wolf demon, either. Inuyasha couldn�t understand why Koga was working with those who wanted to overthrow his mate, but he didn�t have time to think about it. Koga was staring at him and his children in a way that made Inuyasha uncomfortable.

"Kids, stay behind me," Inuyasha ordered. The children nodded their heads and scurried to get even closer together. Keiji held onto Inuginsenshi while Akeno grasped Izayoi�s hand. Mareo and Kameko were right behind them.

"Don�t move, no matter what he says! Do you hear me? Don�t move from behind me! Understand?" Inuyasha told them. The children frantically nodded, scared out of their minds.

Ignoring his children�s signs of distress, Inuyasha created a barrier of protection around the wagon. This barrier, unlike holy barriers, was linked to his youki, only recognizing his aura, thus ensuring that the children would be safe. Giving one last look to his kids, Inuyasha slipped off the wagon.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Koga?" he demanded, the minute he face to face with the wolf.

"I want revenge," Koga growled, slashing at Inuyasha. Even though he was human and sick, Inuyasha was quick and managed to dodge the full brunt of the attack, only getting his shoulder gouged.

"Revenge for what, shit for brains? I haven�t done shit to you!" Inuyasha yelled at him, continuously ducking to avoid the myriad of blows Koga sent at him.

"You killed Naraku and denied me vengeance for my fallen wolves. You stole Kagome from me!" Koga howled with rage, ramming Inuyasha in the stomach and causing him to lose his breath.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha gasped. "Is that all you�re mad about? Hell Koga, I did you a favor by killing Naraku. The bastard almost killed me that day. And Kagome? Please, she was never yours or mine. She went home because neither one of us were worth her family," Inuyasha explained, weakly shooting spiritual fire at his opponent. His magic was greatly hampered because of his illness and the fact that most of his energy was focused on holding the barrier. He�d be dead and in his grave before he let that barrier falter.

"I lost my pack because of you!" Koga raged, bringing down both fists onto Inuyasha�s head, knocking him unconscious. "Now you will pay, half-breed." The barrier flickered, then dropped. Several wolf demons lunged toward the children.

~*~

Thanks for reading my little story--it means a lot to me. Special thanks to nette, Caitriona, neko and Meg for leaving reviews--you guys made my day!

Caitriona: Yes, I know the back and forth can become somewhat confusing, but it's necessary to show what's going on. Just bear with me--soon we will be all caught up. I hope you enjoy this newest installment.
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Fifty Years