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Yuudai no Keikoku	By : ashlin86 Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 15516 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

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Yuudai no Keikoku Chapter Four

He found Rin playing in the stream that fed the hot springs. Naked as a babe, she splashed and giggled, Ah Un keeping one eye trained on her progress even as it bent to nibble on some clover. When it saw him, the heads raised and snorted a greeting before going back to their meals.

“Rin, dress immediately. We are going to the castle.”

At his voice, Rin looked up and fairly squealed, “Sesshoumaru-sama!” She scrambled from the water and fumbled into her clothing haphazardly, prattling all the while. “...and Rin is so glad Sesshoumaru-sama is back!”

“I trust you have behaved yourself in my absence?” he asked when she was walking beside him.

“Yes Sesshoumaru-sama!”

“Have you eaten well?”

“Yes milord. The yuzu fruit here is sweeter than normal. They're very yummy!”

As they strolled, Sesshoumaru let the girl chatter to her hearts content. It soothed some of his ruffled feathers that she had obviously missed him, and he let her seemingly perpetual cheer be a balm for his frazzled nerves. He had just spent the better part of a day in the company of a brother he'd thought he'd hated until last week.

It had actually been...somewhat pleasant, despite gratingly foul language and eccentric relatives.

“Rin did not know where to sleep in The Really Big House, and was afraid she would get lost, so she made a bed just inside.”

Sesshoumaru started out of his inward musings, and stared at the girl. “What did you make a bed with?”

“Extra clothes,”

“You will pick them up when we arrive at the castle. I will assign you a room to sleep in for the duration of our stay,”

“Okay. Will it be near Sesshoumaru-sama's room?”

“Perhaps.”

“Oh, yay!”

As they entered the vestibule of the castle, Sesshoumaru had to once again tamp down on the urge to gape. The inside of the palace was every bit as opulent as the outside, though a thin layer of dust covered everything. If it was this beautiful dirty, what would it be like clean? Would one even be able to look at it?

To distract himself, he addressed Rin, who seemed almost bored. He had to remind himself that she'd been staying here for over a week. “Gather your things,” If he remembered correctly, personal and guest chambers were in the left wing.

At that moment, Inuyasha skidded into the antechamber from another direction, looking for all the world like a... well, like an orphan who had just discovered he was the master of his own castle, actually. “This place is amazing! Oh, hey kid.”

Rin smiled shyly and bowed. “Good afternoon, Inuyasha-sama,”

His brother knelt down to the girl's level. “Just 'Inuyasha,' okay, brat?” Rin giggled and nodded.

Sesshoumaru frowned inwardly, and subtly sniffed to make sure this was really Inuyasha. It was, but he had never seen his little brother act thus. What had gotten into him? The aforementioned brother stood and looked around the grand room again. “Shit, this place is huge! Not even the monk ever got us a place this big!” he relayed gleefully.

Sesshoumaru decided not to ask what his brother meant by that. He was certain he was better off not knowing.

“So where're you guys going?”

“To procure living chambers for myself and Rin. Perhaps you should come along to choose one for yourself.”

“Nah, I can't. I'm gonna look around a bit more, then I gotta get going. I still have the quest, and especially Naraku, to take care of. This'll be a nice place to come back to if I survive, though. I'm glad you showed it to me.”

Inuyasha was turning to leave when Sesshoumaru cut off his exit. Inuyasha was fast, but he was faster. He bent his face to his sibling's, crowding him. “Little brother, what makes you think you can leave when you've only just arrived?”

“Well this is what you wanted to show me, ain't it? This was that important 'business' you kept talking about, right?” Inuyasha asked, though he didn't seem as certain as the words would imply.

'Poor, naïve little hanyou' “Not quite,” Sesshoumaru denied softly.

Inuyasha frowned. “Then what else?”

Sesshoumaru backed off, fortunately. Having his older brothers face inches from his own had been...uncomfortable. “I had hoped you would be so enamored of this place that I could put off the full explanation for your abduction a bit longer.” If he didn't know better, Inuyasha might have thought he sounded regretful.

“Full explanation? The hell are you talking about, bastard?”

“Before I continue, I must extract a promise from you—you will not speak until I give you leave. Do you agree?”

Inuyasha was fair to bursting with curiosity, despite himself. His instincts were screaming at him to leave while he had the chance, but Inuyasha told them not to be ridiculous. Sesshoumaru wasn't going to hurt him—he couldn't. If he tried he'd be thrown from the Valley, or something.

“Okay. Explain, bastard.”

“You may not leave this place for six moon cycles.”

“Bullshit! I told you I have to--”

“Hanyou! Have you forgotten the promise I made this morning and the one you made just now? Continue to disrespect me thus, and you will be without a tongue and without an explanation!”

Inuyasha recognized the sharp tone and wisely kept his peace. He sulked, but he didn't say anything else.

“Rin, find something to occupy yourself,” Sesshoumaru waited for her to leave before beginning again. “In six moon cycles you will reach your two-hundredth winter. This is the traditional age an Inuyoukai is officially introduced to the rest of the clan in a court assembly and participates in a coming of age ceremony. This is especially crucial in your case, as the closest kin to the Inu no Taisho. Upon completion of the ceremony, you will become the successor to both the title and to the Western Lands should I perish for whatever reason. Do you have a question, Inuyasha?”

“Yeah. What do you mean 'closest kin’? And 'successor'?” It could not mean what he thought it did.

“I have chosen you as my heir until such a time as I sire offspring.”

“Why me?”

“There are no other viable candidates.”

“B-but, you hate me! I know you showed me this place, but that was just duty—you said so yourself. I can't be your heir! 'Sides, I have no idea how to be a—a whatever you are!”

“Which is the other reason you will be living here for the foreseeable future. As you so eloquently put it, you have no idea how to be a proper Inu no Taisho, or even an heir to that title. Over the next six months you will be attending a myriad of lessons—etiquette, academia, and physical and sword training—to prepare you for court and the many dealings that go along with it, and for the task of being next in line to my title. You may speak.”

“Look, I get that this is important. Can't I just come back for the court thing?”

“I will not have you embarrassing me in the presence of the court Inuyasha. You will stay and complete the lessons I outlined, or you will not attend at all.”

“Then I won't! I don't want to be a stupid heir anyway!” Inuyasha huffed and began to stalk away.

“If you do not complete the coming of age ceremony, you forfeit your right to this place.”

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. “What do you mean? You said the Valley was mine.”

“An Inuyoukai cannot claim his or her inheritance until he is recognized as an adult. This does not happen until the end of the ceremony. Should you refuse, the Valley will revert to the Inu no Taisho's ownership at midnight on the winter solstice.”

“Even though it was my mother's?”

“It is still part of the Western Lands, and under Inuyoukai dominion. Your ownership of it rests entirely on your status as the second son of the former Inu no Taisho, and you will not be recognized as such until the completion of the three coming of age ceremonies.

“Fuck!” Inuyasha spat, turning away. He was conflicted. He could detect no hint of deceit in his brother's scent—he was telling the truth.

In the short time he'd been here, Inuyasha had fallen deeply in love with this place—the valley, the castle, and everything about it. He didn't want to give it up. He did not want to give it up so badly, and his heart broke at the very thought.

But he couldn't give up the quest. He needed to complete the Shikon no Tama. He needed to defeat Naraku, for all the evil he'd done and to avenge Kikyo. And if the dead priestess followed through on her promise, Inuyasha would be dead anyway, and wouldn't get to enjoy this place at all.

“Then I give it up,” he said, and was proud his voice didn't crack. He turned back and took some small, bleak satisfaction in that Sesshoumaru looked completely stunned for the first time in Inuyasha’s memory. That had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to say. He began to walk away.

“It is your crusade that forces you to make such a choice, is it not?”

Inuyasha stopped. “I can't let Naraku have free reign, and I can't leave the Shikon no Tama incomplete. I have responsibilities that I can't turn my back on. You're the one that forced me to make the choice, bastard.” Inuyasha disliked his brother more in this moment than he ever had, for giving him this wonderful gift, only to take it back.

It was the story of his life. Being given things that make him happy and having them taken away in almost the same breath.

“Inuyasha.” His name was spoken quietly, but it nevertheless made the hanyou look back.

“What?”

“Do as I ask. Stay here. You will receive useful training. You will learn how to wield Tetsusaiga properly. You will gain much more than you will lose by simply waiting for six moons. It is hardly the length of a breath for you or I.”

“I--”

“And when you have completed the coming of age ceremonies, I will...assist you in dispatching the miscreant hanyou you seek. You know as well as I that should we work in tandem our abilities would be more than sufficient to accomplish the task.”

Inuyasha's knees almost buckled. Had his brother really said...? “You'll help us kill Naraku?”

“If you do this, yes.”

Inuyasha contemplated his brother for a moment. “You really want this, don't you? All these decades you couldn't stand me, and now you want me as an heir? What changed your mind?”

“As I said, you are the only feasible choice. I realized this at the same time I realized my hatred of you had faded. The Inuyoukai court is rife with corruption and treachery. I...do not believe I would have cause for concern of such things if I name you as my heir.”

'In other words, he won't have to worry about me stabbing him in the back to get ahead.' Inuyasha thought. Sesshoumaru trusted him not to betray him.

He told himself not to take that to heart. He told himself that it wasn't worth it. He told himself that he could kill Naraku himself. That six months here would be a waste of time. That he couldn't go that long without his friends. That it was madness to live in the same place as the youkai who had wanted him dead for as long as he could remember.

However, in the end it was Sesshoumaru's eyes, calm, straight-forward, staring at him with seemingly infinite patience, and as emotionless as always that decided him.

“Alright. I'll stay.”

Things were not going well for Kagome and the others. Getting anywhere was exceedingly difficult without Inuyasha. Apparently, his presence had kept quite a few of the lower youkai away on their travels, and without him those youkai had declared open season on the small group. None of them were very difficult to defeat, but all the battles were time consuming, and they were quickly becoming exhausted from lack of sleep and near-constant fighting.

The youkai didn't stop attacking just because it was night, and after sixty odd hours with little or no rest, the humans were beginning to despair.

But things were starting to look up. As it happened, they didn't have to go all the way to the Eastern Plains to locate Kouga. When Kagome felt two shards heading their way fast and Kirara didn't seem to be worried, she almost cried with relief. He was coming to them instead.

The wolf prince arrived in a tornado of wind and debris and, predictably, headed straight for the girl from the future. “Kagome! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Did you miss me?” He grinned at her winningly over their suddenly clasped hands. He took a sniff and frowned, looking around in confusion. “Where's the mutt?”

“Kouga! I'm so glad you're here!” ‘Finally’ Kagome thought to herself, then immediately felt ashamed. Just because she was exhausted and irritable, didn't mean she had to take it out on him. He was a friend, after all, and the first best chance they had to get Inuyasha back.

“What's going on? Where's the puppy? Not that I care or anything, but he's supposed to be protecting you when I'm not here.”

“That's actually why I'm glad you're here. We were headed toward the plains to find you. Inuyasha...” Kagome trailed off.

“What? He didn't die did he?” Kouga asked, with a snort. But at Kagome's stricken look, he sobered quickly. “Did he?”

“No,” Miroku intervened, when it appeared Kagome either could or would not continue. “He was abducted five days ago. We have not seen him since and there is no trail we are able to follow.”

“We were wondering if you might help us get him back?” Sango asked politely.

“Hmph. Why should I? That stupid hanyou's been a thorn in my side since we met. It’s not my fault he went and let himself get kidnapped.”

“Please, Kouga?” Then, doing something she swore she'd never do, she used his feelings against him. “For me?” she pleaded. She hardly had to fake at all—her desperation was very real. If it took leading the wolf demon on, she would gladly do so to get Inuyasha back. She'd do almost anything for that.

Kouga's expression immediately softened, and Kagome knew he would help. She sighed in relief.

“Alright,” the demon said finally. “D'you know who took him, at least? That might give us a place to start.”

“Well, it was his older brother, actually. Sesshoumaru.”

“Sesshoumaru!?” That exclamation came not from Kouga, but from Ginta. He and Hakkaku had arrived sometime during the proceedings. “Sesshoumaru the Lord of the Western Lands-Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha’s brother?”

“The very same,” Miroku said drily.

“That's why we're worried. He didn't say why he took him or where he was taking him and Sesshoumaru hates Inuyasha!”

“They were heading northwest, at least initially.”

“Probably to the Western Lands, then. That's Inuyoukai territory, so it makes sense,” Kouga mused.

“Can you take us there?”

Kouga sighed heavily. That did not bode well. “Sorry, Kagome. You don't want to trifle with the Inuyoukai. They...well, let's just say they aren't very accommodating to strangers. At least not uninvited strangers.”

“So how do we get invited?”

“You don't. Far as I know, the only time they hold inter-territorial court is at funerals, births, or whenever one of their whelps comes of age.”

“Inter-territorial court?” Sango asked, interested. She'd never gotten such an in-depth view of daiyoukai customs before. She could have kicked herself for never bothering to ask before. Not many demon slayers had the chance to actually speak with demons.

“Yeah. They invite delegates from some of the other demon tribes to their court, usually to witness something. My tribe doesn't normally participate unless we want to discuss treaties or trade routes with the other territory.” Kouga explained.

“Fascinating,” Sango mumbled. “I had no idea youkai were capable of such advanced concepts.”

“Hey!” Hakkaku blustered indignantly. “Youkai have been doing this since before you humans even came to this island, you know!”

“Yeah, it’s not like we learned our customs from you. It's the other way around, missy,” Ginta chimed in.

“I meant no offense. Truly. Could you tell me more about these customs?”

“I think that's enough.” Kouga said uneasily. Open-minded or not, there were some things humans—any humans—were not meant to know about youkai culture, and which could be very bad if they did, somehow, find out. Ginta and Hakkaku meant well, but he couldn't trust them to know just how far to go with their outpouring of knowledge.

And, even if they were unaware, he was not that the group they were telling these things to made a career of exterminating demons. He was all for helping Kagome, but not at the cost of higher demon civilization. And this was unnecessary to their quest anyway. So he steered the conversation back on track. “I have a proposal,” he announced.

“Not again,” the kitsune cub muttered.

Kouga glared at the little ingrate. No wonder Inuyasha bopped him so often, if he sassed like that all the time. “Inuyasha's a big boy, and even though he's a hanyou, I think he can take care of himself. Trust me—there is no getting into Inuyoukai territory unless you have an invitation or an early-death wish. You wouldn't make it a mile in—their sentries are very vigilant.”

The whole group looked dejected at this, especially Kagome.

“But,” he rushed to reassure her, “we can go back to my den to see if any Inuyoukai invitations have arrived in my absence. Our tribes are on reasonably good terms. We usually get a courtesy invite to all major occasions.”

Kagome hesitated. “What if it's a waste of time?”

“It won't be. Even if there isn't anything there now, there will be at some point. Those Inuyoukai pop out pups at least every other year. And in the meantime I can search for the Shikon no Kakera with you. Until the mutt comes back, at least.”

“Really? You'd do that?”

“For my future mate? Anything,” Kouga swore. And when she hugged him, he would have promised her the sun and the moon if it meant she held on a little bit longer.
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Yuudai no Keikoku