Inuyasha || A Woman's Wile || A Sequel

A Woman's Wile|| scottishfae
sequel to Unexpected Endeavors
INUYASHA || I own nothing and do not make a profit from writing or posting this work of fiction.
R || Romance, (Bad) Historical Fiction, Angst
WARNINGS || Later lemon scenes, mention of homosexual relationship, angst
PAIRINGS || Sesshomaru x Kagome (main), mentions of Inuyasha x Kikyo, Miroku x Sango, and others.
SUMMARY || Kagome's 'happily ever after' is threatened from new and old antagonist from within her new courtly life.
NOTES || I struggled with this chapter. I wasn't sure if I had the flow I wanted, but since it's a shorter story that UE, I decided to go with it.

CHAPTER TWO

Kagome sat stiffly on the edge of the wooden walkway. Aoi was trying to teach Mamoru and Daichi some basic fighting techniques, but the younger boys’ attentions were hard to keep. Beside her, on either side, were Haru and Sesshomaru.

Haru was holding Tomoe, bouncing and talking to her. Sesshomaru was reading a scroll casually, often looking up to see what the boys were doing. He was pleased with the patience his eldest son was showing.

“It’s almost your birthday, sweet girl. If only you knew that the whole country was coming to a halt just to celebrate you.”

Kagome snorted. “I think it’s more like the whole country is halting for a party, it doesn’t matter the reason behind it.”

Haru joined her in laughing as he looked at her – and past her. Sesshomaru seemed to notice the attention and rolled up the scroll and put it down beside him. 

“Rin should be here in the next couple of days.”

“Is she being escorted?” Kagome asked.

The Taiyoukai nodded. Rin had become a very handsome woman and was set to make a very lucrative, and suitable, match in marriage. She would be happy, even with the loss of friendship the two human women had with the other.

“I’ll be glad to have her back, even if for only a little while. My only comfort in the affair, besides knowing she’ll have a capable husband, is knowing that the wedding will take a long while to prepare for and she’ll be here until then.”

“Capable indeed,” Haru snorted. “Devoted and loving would be more appropriate.”

Jaken came walking down the path. He was laden with scrolls, his staff nowhere to be seen. He stopped at the family and tried to do a half bow. 

“Do you need any help?” Kagome asked.

“I am just fine, Kagome-sama.” 

She gave him a smile. He wouldn’t accept her help with Sesshomaru to see. 

The Taiyoukai handed out the scroll he had reading. Jaken shifted the scrolls in his arms so he could grab the new one and place it on top of the pile.

“For Pete’s sake,” Kagome growled. 

She leaned forward, over Sesshomaru’s body, and grabbed the scroll. She couldn’t quite reach Jaken while sitting so she lifted herself further over her husband and placed it on top. “Be quick Jaken, or you’ll spill them and it’ll be hard to pick up. Call Hana if you need help.”

The retainer thanked her but asked Sesshomaru if he needed anything first. He shook his head and dismissed the toad youkai. “Only you would pamper my retainer,” Sesshomaru commented, obviously amused more than angry.

“No, you just like making things difficult for him.”

“True, I do so like some of his faces when he’s bumbled up something.”

Haru joined his elder brother in chuckling; Jaken was quite high-strung.

“Any news from Inuyasha?” Sesshomaru asked.

Kagome brightened up. “Yes! Kaede-san is in the clear, at least for now. Kikyo wants Kaede-san to step down of her position in the village and live with them. I’m not sure if she’ll agree, but it’s not like the village isn’t well protected with half of Koga’s tribe married or settled in with the villagers.”

"I'll send word for Inuyasha to return with his family in tow. We can easily make accommodations for a retired miko and her health would be better monitored and kept here anyway."

"Just when I've settled on you being a complete and utter asshole, you go and do something nice."

There were snickers from the boys in the garden. "Okasama used a bad word," Mamoru sung.

Aoi boxed his ear, though he was looking between his parents curiously. He had observed his parents tension keenly, but he had never heard his mother disrespect his father.

"You must be losing your touch," Sesshomaru teased. "Asshole? Hardly your most creative term of endearment."

Kagome rolled his eyes. "What can I say? Sometimes the simplest fits the bill."

"Eh, did you heart Oto--"

"Mamoru, quiet," Aoi hissed. 

Sesshomaru held out his hand, palm first; his own way of saying that everything was okay. The two parents were sitting comfortably together, despite the banter.

Aoi told the two younger boys to continue what they were practicing.

“What a beautiful garden,” a melodic voice called around the corner.

Kagome stiffened and glared at her husband before turning her attention to where the voice came from. Not but a few seconds later Misaki and one of Sesshomaru’s advisers came walking towards them. 

“Sesshomaru-dono,” the adviser bowed. “I hope that I am not disturbing you. I was just telling Misaki-san about your kind invitation to visit your gardens.”

Sesshomaru nodded. “The invitation was for you only, and was to be asked before entering. My family is here.”

“Oh, Sesshomaru, please don’t fuss,” Misaki admonished. “I was the one who pushed the point. I’ll take the blame.”

Tomoe began to cry and both parents turned to see Haru trying to bounce her lightly. Kagome clucked her tongue and took the young girl, carefully, and tried to quiet her down. Tomoe only stopped when the Taiyoukai ran a finger down puffy cheeks. 

Misaki sneered at the scene, a fact not missed by Haru, before she turned to look at the boys still trying to train in the grass. She watched Aoi carefully. “You have such a talented son, Sesshomaru, you must be proud of him.”

The Taiyoukai looked up to see Aoi grabbing Daichi and Mamoru before they ran in to each other. “I am.”

“I wonder what you’re true first son would have been like, if Kagome-sama hadn’t carelessly lost it—“

Sesshomaru was up in a second. He held back his anger but still slapped the woman roughly. She stepped back, her hand coming up to grab her cheek, eyes wide, and horrified…for only a second. Her eyes narrowed and she regained her posture. Behind them both, Tomoe was crying and everyone in the garden had frozen.

“You’ve said enough, Misaki-san. Please leave my private quarters.”

She turned and walked out the way she came, the advisory apologized profusely before bowing and following her out.

Sesshomaru turned. His normally stoic face was bent in anger. He moved forward, out of the garden, with his own simple grace, and immediately tore into a tree that was set there. It came down easily.

Aoi had gathered the two younger boys and were slowly walking them towards the buildings, away from the angry inuyoukai. 

Kagome was just barely holding back tears, Tomoe wasn’t holding back anything, and both of her sons went and stood on either side of her. Haru gathered Daichi up next to him. 

The Taiyoukai turned once again and stared at the people on the walkway. His face was skewed in frustration and anger and exhaustion. He walked straight to Kagome, his sons moving for him, and sunk to his knees. Haru took Tomoe from Kagome again so she could reach down and cradle the head that was now in her lap. 

“Boys,” Haru whispered. “This way please.”

He stood up and walked towards the general meeting room. The door had been left opened and they went through it. Haru instructed Aoi to close it.

“I am sorry.”

Tears came to Kagome’s eyes but she said nothing. She felt numb to those words. “You’re sorry?”

“Please let me explain before you chose to hate me completely.”

She snorted. He still didn’t understand her. 

“When Misaki-san was introduced to our courts, Ichimaru sent papers with one of her escorts. Most of it was the formal, courtly tripe, but there was also a written warning.”

“Warning?”

“She left the Northern court when a tremendous number of accusations began to be thrown at her. None of them could be proven, and almost all the accusations were being made by women. Since Misaki is an uncommonly handsome woman, many men of the court began to stick up for her, thinking the women were just being jealous.”

“So, chaos.”

Sesshomaru smiled. He was still leaning on her, his white hakama getting dirty. “Yes, very perceptive.”

“So he kicked her out?”

“Yes and no. He couldn’t banish her, he had no evidence and she was one of his family.”

“So she sent him to us why?”

“Because he had to. He had reason to believe that Sai and Misaki had contacts with each other—“

“Sleeping together?”

“—Yes, I believe so. And he knew I would be angrier with him for sending her to Kai. So, knowing I could deal with her, he sent her here.”

“Funny way of dealing with her,” Kagome grumbled.

Sesshomaru sat back and then stood. He leaned over her, putting both hands on either side of her face. “I have never and will never lie, love, or even desire someone who is not you, my Kagome. You are and will always be the only one for me, for all of my life to come. There was no affair, though Misaki tried, and I tried to convince her that she had wooed me away from you. I wanted to know what her agenda was; what she was trying to accomplish. It was the easiest way of doing it.”

“Easy for who? Not for me!”

Kagome allowed some of her anger to creep into her, but it was quickly dashed. Sesshomaru’s faced showed just how broken he was. “Why can’t you let me be mad at you?”

“Because you cannot be mad at me, my love. Just as I cannot be at you. Though, you still thwart my attempts to protect you,” he prodded her cheek with his finger.

He moved away and sat next to her again, their sides touching completely. “So you didn’t discover anything?” Kagome asked.

“Not enough. I know she desires a powerful match, but for what reason I do not know. She could easily be one of Sai’s wives, he loves to collect them.”

Sesshomaru sighed. “Unfortunately. My next move isn’t any easier. I regret not informing you of what was going on, and I really am sorry.”

“Yeah, I’m not forgiving you that easily, even if I’m not angry.”

He smirked. Reaching down, he squeezed her knee. “That is acceptable. My next move, he began again, will to bring in someone who can gain Misaki’s trust and feed us information.”

“Haru?” Kagome asked, knowing he and his father had done the same during the omiai that was forced upon Sesshomaru years back.

“No,” he shook his head slowly. “My mother.”

Kagome froze. “Not a chance, she hates me.”

“Not as much,” he tried to reason. “Plus that front of hatred would serve the purpose well.”

“And how do you know she’ll do it?”

“I wrote to her several weeks back. She replied that she would be willing to help.”

Kagome narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

Sesshomaru sighed. “For one, she wants to be reinstated in the courts.”

“Where would we put her?”

As his mother, Amaya would be given quarters with the rest of Sesshomaru’s family. Currently, all rooms were taken.

“The boys will have to share until a new addition can be added. Though, with Tomoe, I was thinking of adding more rooms anyway. It would be inappropriate for her to share with her brothers and Aoi will need a permanent room to himself for his studies.”

Kagome nodded. Currently their youngest slept in a small room off their own with a wet nurse to tend to her needs. 

“So, she comes back, helps you, then what? What is going to prevent her from hurting the children?”

Sesshomaru leaned over and kissed Kagome on the temple. She never worried over herself. “Other than the fact that the court is loyal to me and would see her killed before harm fell upon my family? She is indebted to you, for your help with Haru.”

Kagome gave a sneer; she wasn’t sure that would be enough to keep the woman in check. There was no love lost between Amaya and herself – though she could understand where the woman came from, and she had respect for how she could work the courts. 

"I believe she is also lonely," Sesshomaru continued after a comfortable silence.

Kagome took a deep breath; on that the two women could console.

"When is she going to arrive?"

"Once I send word, immediately. I wish to have settled back within the courts before our guests arrive for Tomoe's party."

The former miko's brows knit and she looked over at her husband. "Are you expecting something to happen while everyone's here for the party?"

"I'm not sure, but with the magnitude and numbers of people here, not to mention the mixed company of youkai and humans, I want to be cautious. And of course, I hope you and Rin will stick together."

"I'd like to keep everyone together, if possible, lessen any type of attack with a group."

Again Sesshomaru squeezed her knee; he was proud with her strategic thinking. She really had matured since they first met.

"I do have good news in all this," he interrupted the silence.

"Oh?"

She watched as Sesshomaru held his hand up. "My other arm should be growing back soon."

"What?"

"Did you not here this Sesshomaru?" he joked. "I've felt the itch at my shoulder for awhile, and I believe my body is ready for its regeneration."

"I didn't know you could even do that."

The Taiyoukai smiled. "I can, and I can also tell you I look forward to being able to touch you with both hands."

Kagome rolled her eyes, knowing exactly his plans for when he had both arms again. "Fine, but if you try to grope me in public, I'm cutting them both off."