This is a sequel to The Eternal Knot. If you haven't read that one already please do so ! :)

Diaozuan: Sesshomaru's mate and the father of Toshi.

Toshi: A Daiyokai fox kit. Toshi and Katsu were in the same litter, but had different fathers. Father: Dioazuan and mother: Sesshomaru.

Katsu: A Foo-Dog pup. Father: Inuyasha. Mother: Sesshomaru.

Ame: A Foo-Dog Daiyokai pup(female). Born from Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome died during childbirth to bring her into the world.

Inukezi: a quarter demon, eight years old. Inuyasha and Kagome's first born son.

Tiao-Wen: Sesshoaru's bodyguard, a lower ranking demon.

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It was all right, for a while.

He was almost as enchanted with her as he had been with Kagome. But something was missing. Inuyasha had tried pinning down the feeling but it was as elusive as smoke. Her eyes were as bright as her personality and should have swallowed up any doubt in his mind of how perfect they were for each other.

And unlike Kagome, her patience was as deep as a river. He reminded her more of Kikyo, but Kikyo had many walls up.

This girl was an open book. Her laughter; her tears were all genuine.

And yet.

He'd never gone farther than kisses with her. Though he'd toyed with the idea of bringing her to the Palace permanently it never seemed to come about. He also had not introduced her to the pups: he felt Inukezi wouldn't appreciate that until Inuyasha was a bit more sure of the relationship.

And at the moment, he was quite unsure.

He should have been content: he was constantly restless.

He should have been enamored: instead, he felt as if he was pushing something that simply wasn't meant to be.

He should have been happy.

He was desperate, dry-mouthed, and discontent. A flower of emptiness and want was blooming in his chest as it never had before and he couldn't understand why.

Inuyasha sat on one of the thatched rooftops of one of them many huts in the human village. His fingers tapped out a rhythm-less pattern on the thick straw, claws a pale silver in the moonlight.

The hanyou would have to return home soon to his pups. But he had about another half-hour before then.

His hand went to the mark on his neck: a beautiful blue crescent moon courtesy of his brother. From their connection, he could tell that for once Sesshomaru was asleep, his consciousness muted and soft.

Good. He's resting for once in his goddamn life.

The hanyou thought to himself and rubbed the back of his neck.

It had something to do with Sesshomaru, he knew that much. He didn't care what his brother thought: that's why he'd gotten involved with the human in the first place.

But if he didn't care, then… why?

Why did these feelings keep returning?

For instance: a week ago. Diaozuan and Sesshomaru had shared a light kiss in front of him. No big deal, they'd done it before.

And they were pretty good about not getting too hot in front of the hanyou or the pups.

Yet it had sent Inuyasha into a foul mood all day, to the point where he'd had to run for miles and sweat out the feeling, finally returning to the Palace at an obscene hour of the night.

Maybe he was disgusted by it?

That wouldn't explain the initial reaction though. Disgust wasn't what filled his chest: he wouldn't be agonizing over it on a rooftop at midnight if it was.

It was anger.

Anger was one of his favorite emotions because it hid more embarrassing emotions like fear and love.

Yet it was completely misplaced in that scenario. Why did he give a damn who was doing what? Sesshomaru and Diaozuan could do whatever they wanted. Hell, they should be able to bang right in front of Inuyasha and the only thing he should be feeling is disgust.

He gave an irritated sound and ran a hand through his own hair angrily.

Those touches.

The lips on his forehead. The arms around him, encircling him completely. The swipe of Sesshomaru's locks on his forearm, tickling the hairs there, white and pale as the fuzz on a peach.

It had been weeks… no, months, since any of those things had happened. Each incident themselves had been weeks if not months apart.

Yet the sensation of him lingered, just under Inuyasha's skin.

Burning. Hot and cold at the same time.

Haunted. That was the word he was looking for. He was haunted by those innocent gestures.

If only it would go away.

"Inuyasha?" She called to him from the ground and he huffed, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Yeah what."

"Don't you want any dinner?"

He scoffed, " I'm fine, I went hunting earlier. 'Sides, I can't run home very well on a full stomach." She shrugged her shoulders and went back inside. The village people had accepted her well enough when they learned of her miko powers and her healing abilities. She already had many human friends and Miroku and Sango had welcomed her with open arms.

He scratched his arm where Sesshomaru's hair had swiped him, hoping to get rid of the sensation.

There must be something wrong with me.

He thought. If he was patient, he could shake these feelings, he was sure. Shake them and live happily with the new Kagome and have everything turn out just fine.

Right?

He had to believe that. Because examining the connection any further was a place he didn't wish to go. Because the further he reached in, the less he would be able to draw back.

Better to keep certain curtains closed, he thought.

Shippou came and sat next to him. The kit was beginning to come into his own, and was finally growing, reaching Inuyasha's hip if he stood at full height. His tail had become less of a poof and more similar to Koga's tail, though of course much fluffier.

His illusions and strength had also improved, though Inuyasha could still beat him hands down in hand to hand combat. He'd even bought a new kimono for himself: greens and golds, with a leaf pattern on the sleeves and collar.

The little yokai clung to him whenever he arrived at the village lately.

Inuyasha had a sense that he was beginning to feel the mortality of Sango and Miroku and their children and was unsure what to do as he aged slowly and the humans raced ahead.

If Shippou asked, he would take him back to the Palace. But for now he would let him stay in the village with his adopted family.

"What do you want runt." He growled, his ears pinning back. Shippou leaned in and sniffed him, his little nose wiggling, and Inuyasha leaned away with another growl.

"You smell…different. And you never did tell us why you got those marks on your cheeks." Shippou huffed, his tan tail giving an irritated flick. The little yokai then reached over, moving Inuyasha's hair aside and gasping when he saw the mark on his neck.

He was so surprised that he toppled off of the roof and into the bushes below.

Inuyasha leaned over the side, half-irritated and half-concerned, " O-oi! Mind your own business you stupid kit!" as the little fox yokai yowled in pain.

When he was finished though, he looked up at the hanyou and stuttered, "Y-you…. You- I mean-with, what? Why? When? I mean of all yokai, Sessh-"

A clawed hand clapped over his mouth and the hanyou held the little yokai upside-down, snarling, "Now you listen here runt. You ain't telling no one what's on my neck, you got that? Or I'll shave this tail until you look more like a rat than a fox. Now, get!"

He tossed him lightly back into the hut, satisfied when he heard the surprised yelps from within and returned to the rooftop with his hair and fur all fluffed out in irritation.

Stupid runt.

He thought, looking up and then sighing in irritation as the heavens above cut loose.

He tucked his ears tight against his head. The rain was coming in sweeping waves, heavy and cold and intense. From here, he could see it bashing the rice fields like waves of the wind. Shrieks and irritated moans erupted from everyone still left outside as they rushed to their houses, even ducking in to a friend's home to escape the torrent.

The last time it had rained this hard, he'd been on the battlefield with Sesshomaru. The rain had slicked his mane down and around his face like a silver helmet. He would never forget the look on Sesshomaru's face when his evil bitch of a mother had come leaping up from the neitherworld.

The look on his face when Inuyasha had assured him that'd he'd fight her for an eternity to keep the pups safe.

He was the one going to the neitherworld first after all. The hanyou. The human blood in his veins ensured that he'd be the first one in the grave. But he was grateful. It would probably break him if he had to watch his pups die. He just hoped that Inukezi lived longer than he did... but he wasn't going to bet on it.

Kyoko peeked out from their reed curtain door, "Inuyasha! You're going to get sick!" and motioned for him to come inside.

He huffed and smirked, " Heh. I ain't as feeble as all of you. Sides. I'd better get going anyways. See ya soon."

And with that, he sped off beyond the trees and out of sight.

It took him longer than he thought to arrive back at the Palace. The rain soaked him through: His hakama and kimono and undershirt, all the way to his very skin. His skin itself became cold as ice, and when he rubbed his arms they felt like cool slabs of meat.

Hnh. Maybe I should have stayed.

He thought as he finally ducked under the back porch, nodding at Tiao-Wen the demon dog guard before entering their home.

Once in the main hallway he shook himself much like a dog would: on all fours, his hips going one way as his shoulders went the other. And he knew that he should have taken off his robes before going to sleep but he was too lazy.

It was only the next morning that he began to regret this decision.

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It was a weekend.

Diaozuan and Sesshomaru were surprised that Inuyasha wasn't with the pups bright and early, demanding to take them out hunting as he so often did.

"I'll take the pups and kits for the morning. You check on Inuyasha." Diaozuan hummed to his mate, nuzzling the purple markings on Sesshomaru's cheek lightly with his nose and earning a small hostile growl from the Daiyokai. The fox was large and tan, with dark purple hair and pretty red stripes on his cheeks. A worthy mate, as Sesshomaru had found out himself. And his choice of robes today complimented his figure nicely, which irritated Sesshomaru. The Lord of the West had paperwork to do, and that was difficult when his mate was so distracting and lovely.

The fox smirked. He was very much enjoying being back in his original male form. "Love you too." He whispered, earning a much larger growl and a crackle of magic from Sesshomaru's right hand as he sauntered off, still smiling.

Sesshomaru swept down the hallways, his tail lifting and wrapping over one shoulder as he knocked lightly on Inuyasha's door. He poked at their mental connection but the hanyou was blocking him out like usual.

Inside, Inukezi was the one who responded first. "Whose there?" His dad had been unusually grumpy so he'd decided to let the hanyou sleep in for once.

The hanyou groaned, "Sesshomaru. Go away." And pulled the thick red blankets over his head, tucking them tight enough so that his ears were pinned down.

Instead the Daiyokai opened the door and entered the room. "You're being unusually lethargic." Sesshomaru hummed, giving the little hanyou child a nod.

"How is he?"

"He's been really grumpy. I think he might be sick." Inukezi said, looking a bit shy around Sesshomaru as he always did. His green-yellow eyes flicked up to Sesshomaru before darting away again, respect for the Lord of the West clear on his face.

The lump became Inuyasha again as the hanyou sat up, spitting, " I'm right here you know! And I'm not sick! I don't get sick! I don't even know what that-"

His riveting and valiant speech was cut off by Sesshomaru's hand going to his forehead. Slim and cool. Long, delicate claws, clearer than his own, tickled his skin like icicles.

That touch again.

His ears went sideways on his head and trembled slightly. Damn it! He reached up to snap his hand away but he wasn't quick enough: the hand had already settled back in Sesshomaru's lap.

"You are boiling: you must have contracted a fever. Did you return in that awful storm last evening?"

Inuyasha's embarrassed silence was explanation enough. Inukezi gave him the 'I told you so' look, and then looked at Sesshomaru.
"Hey. Can I help Diaozuan with the kits today? I'd rather be of some help than hang around with this one all day." He said, jerking a thumb at his dad who growled.

The Daiyokai was surprised and nodded, " If you'd like. I think I may care for Inuyasha myself than burdening Wumei or any of the other servants with him. Shockingly, I have negligible meetings today."

Inuyasha straightened up in alarm, "No! No, oh god anyone but you, even Diaozuan-"

And a glance from Sesshomaru's yellow eyes cut him off once more. " Perhaps if you suffer, you will learn that your actions have consequences. And think before returning in a torrent." He stood, his tail giving a few irritated flicks and said curtly, " I will return. Come, Inukezi."

Inukezi leapt gratefully out of the bed. Inuyasha tried, but staggered and had to hold on to the bedpost for support. He shook his fist at his son," Abandoning your old man in his hour of need! I see how it is!"

And Inukezi grinned, sticking his tongue out before disappearing around the door frame.

Inuyasha made it halfway down the hallway despite his burning fever before Sesshomaru returned.

He looked down at the struggling hanyou who growled at him viciously. Sweat was forming on his forehead and had soaked through part of his shirt. He could tell by the glaze in Inuyasha's eyes that he was tight in the grips of a strong fever.

"Pathetic." Sesshomaru whispered. That human blood. The source of his initial distaste for the hanyou. The source his mother and the other Daiyokai had told him was weak, disgusting. Impure. Now, that same human blooded Hanyou had occupied an area of his heart in a new way.

Before the hanyou had a chance to react he was picked up by the scruff and dragged back to his room. Sesshomaru closed the door with his foot and half-set, half-threw Inuyasha back onto the bed.

"Hey! Be careful I'm not some damn Daiyokai!" He barked then started to twist away when Sesshomaru's claws settled on his outer fire rat robe. The Foo-Dog looked at him impassively.

"You're going to overheat with both layers on. Unless you prefer I shred both of them, I suggest you remove this layer."

They had a short, hate filled staring contest.

"Fine. Whatever." Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and Sesshomaru hung his robe up(which was still rather damp) in the corner of the room. Underneath Inuyasha had his usual cream colored undershirt with a sharp v-neck. Luckily his hakama pants were much drier, otherwise Sesshomaru would have made him change those as well. The Daiyokai cracked the window ever so slightly as well and took a few long breaths of the morning air. It was still raining, but it was the light showery rain that wouldn't creep into the room like the sideways rain would.

The courtyard was sparkling with color- everything was in bloom, and a rainbow of hundreds of different flowers blossomed, their scents tangling in the air. Dripping sweet nectar. Gods, he wanted to go hunting.

But that would have to wait. Sesshomaru had returned with a bowl full of icy water and a small washcloth.

As he soaked it and then wrung it out to optimum dampness the hanyou griped, "Damn. If this was a cold I'd just make my own stupid remedy. Doesn't Tian have anything that cures fevers?"

Sesshomaru looked slightly amused. Even the snake doctor could do little to help the average cold or virus." Oh yes. Rest and fluids. And bland foods. Now, look up." Inuyasha began to bristle, " Don't order me around damn it-" and a very cool cloth was promptly slapped across his forehead.

"Oww!" He whined and Sesshomaru almost rolled his eyes. He was grateful he hadn't made Wumei look after the hanyou. The cat nursemaid was a bit of a pushover sometimes. She wouldn't have even gotten him to remove the top half of his stupid robes.

"Go to sleep."

"How do you know how to take care of fevers anyway?"

"Rin often had them. She was somewhat sickly, in the beginning." Sesshomaru answered curtly, not looking at the hanyou.

Inuyasha looked up in surprise and then out the window. Inukezi had gotten a fever before but Ame and Katsu never would and he was grateful. There was nothing worse than seeing someone you loved suffer and not being able to do a single thing about it.

He wondered if Sesshomaru had felt fear when she was sick like that.

Inuyasha looked out at the courtyard and sighed. Damn. It was too nice a day to get stuck in here. What he wouldn't give to be stretching his legs, feeling the icy slap of branches as he ran after a demon. Cutting it down, maybe even bringing it back for the pups to snack on.

"Can you leave? I can't rest when you're in here." He finally huffed.

Sesshomaru settled in a chair beside his bed, adjusting his kimono this way and that until the sleeves and sashes lay just so. " No. You'll start walking around pretending you're fine and then embarrass me by collapsing somewhere in the Palace, dazed with fever. Go to sleep."

"No. Damn you..." Inuyasha growled, leaned over and reached for his sword- Sesshomaru carefully picked it up with his tail and moved it to the other side of the room.

"Hey!"

"Inuyasha. If you do not choose to sleep, I may be forced to put you to sleep. Do we understand each other?" Sesshomaru said, his voice getting thin and sharp and icy. Promising a cold and consuming death to the one who shattered the surface.

The hanyou lay back from his prone position swearing under his breath and shifting around. This was the worst.

It wasn't all that long before Inuyasha slipped into unconsciousness.

Sesshomaru checked his fever and changed the cloth on his forehead periodically, sometimes placing it around the hanyou's neck or over his chest as needed.

It was nice to see him silent, for once.

Like this, he looked almost the way he had when he was small. The ears had grown, and so had the ego, but the general makeup remained the same.

The resemblance between Katsu and Inuyasha was spooky. At least, when he passed, Sesshomaru would always have Inuyasha by his side in one way or another.

He was handsome in his own ragged sort of way. Thick caramel skin, a shade or two lighter than Diaozuan's. Surprisingly generous lips for a male. Strong nose. Black eyelashes, unlike Sesshomaru's snowy white.

Sesshomaru looked left, then right. No one around.

One claw lifted to one of the fuzzy ears. The fur was thicker at the base, thinner along the inside. The fur inside the ear itself was thin and fluffy as cotton candy, while the fur of the outside was thick and smooth, somewhere between the texture of rabbit and weasel.

He traced the shape of it, and it shuddered, flicking backwards. Sesshomaru withdrew his claw quickly.

The face was fascinating as well. Since it was usually so filled with emotion he hardly ever got to examine it thoroughly.

In many ways, Inuyasha took after their great and terrible father more than Sesshomaru himself.

The set of the jaw, color of the skin. Shape of the eyes… even thickness of the brow.

In Sesshomaru, only the eyes, nose, and forehead echoed his father. The rest was finer, more delicate. More of his mother.

Yet, he liked to think that his personality at least was more similar to Inu No Taisho's than Inukimi's.

Inuyasha groaned in discomfort in his sleep and Sesshomaru rubbed that particular spot on one ear. The hanyou's face relaxed almost immediately. He wondered if the new Kagome had noticed that spot yet.

His fever went on for hours, up and down. Just when Sesshomaru hoped that it would finally break, it dipped down again and Sesshomaru would have to wipe away cold sweat. It was infuriating.

He was more grateful than ever for so many yokai children. He would never have to watch them go through this.

Yet.

The fever reminded him of Inuyasha's mortality and somehow, that brought a great pain to his chest.

Ironic. Considering he was the one who had nearly sent Inuyasha to an early grave so many times.

Maybe if you'd been like this… the way you are with Ame and Katsu… I wouldn't be such a fuck up.

His words rippled across Sesshomaru's mind and he massaged his own delicate neck, feeling as if he couldn't breathe suddenly.

Why did those words hurt?

Perhaps because caring for him like this is what he should have done all along.

He removed the washcloth again, dunked it in the water. He'd have to get more soon, it was starting to become lukewarm.

He shifted down a bit.

Inuyasha was asleep after all. He wouldn't remember. And he didn't know why, but Sesshomaru's yokai was shrieking in his ear to come closer, to comfort the hanyou somehow. It was making his heart pound and his hands shake.

Inuyasha's hand was moving in his sleep. Reaching out, going near Sesshomaru's. The Daiyokai almost flinched away in surprise, but decided to leave his hand there seeing what the hanyou would do.

The hanyou's hand found his own.

Very gently, slowly, he started to entwine their fingers. Sesshomaru was taken aback, and again, resisted the urge to yank his hand away. Inuyasha's hands were calloused around the thumb, and upper palm, just as his father's hand been.

The two hands couldn't have been much different. Sesshomaru's fingers were long, and delicate, and tipped with glittering thin claws. Inuyasha's were shorter, thicker, and his claws were wide with cruel, thick curves.

Their fingers entwined, and their palms met. Sesshomaru felt a squeeze, and squeezed back in amusement and a little disdain, almost rolling his eyes. So typically human. So needy.

"Sesshomaru." He heard, and lifted his gaze. But Inuyasha wasn't awake- his eyes still moved under the lids, but he seemed calmer now, even though he was still in the grip of fever.

"Don't." He heard Inuyasha mutter. But via their little connection, and the crescent moon on the back of Inuyasha's neck that marked the hanyou as his, he heard his thoughts faintly:

Don't go.

The Lord of the West's expression softened somewhat. He was surprised- well, a bit shocked really, that the hanyou wanted him near. Especially after his initial reaction to their bond. And when he was sick, and weak. But…

Perhaps this was a step in the right direction, for once. Diaozuan had said this mental bond would help them. And though he could rarely read Inuyasha's tumultuous mind, he was grateful for this tiny gift. His brother wanted him nearby, and for some reason, that pleased Sesshomaru.

I'll be with you. Until your last sun sets, Inuyasha.

This comforted Inuyasha, somehow. Sesshomaru felt his fingers and body relax. Soon, the hanyou gently removed his hand and turned to one side, trying to get a deeper sleep. Sesshomaru sensed the breaking of a fever, and some distress on Diaosuan's connection. So he silently left.

And when Inuyasha's fever broke, he was surprised to wake up to an empty room.

The scent of Sesshomaru was left behind on his forehead, and hand. The hanyou sat up slowly and stretched, turning to look out to the weak drizzles of rain, his whole body feeling weak and damp.

He took a few deep, grateful breaths of the cool air, a little glad that the Daiyokai had left the window open.

He glanced over at the chair Sesshomaru had been sitting in, ran a claw gently along the wood.

Still warm.

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Sesshomaru checked in on Diaozuan. He was shaken, but had to put that aside the moment that he approached the fox. He could tell something was wrong.

His shoulders were slumped, and his tails, normally high and tucked gracefully over his shoulder, drooped and spread flat on the floor.

He didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular: just out the window, the beautiful jeweled purple of his eyes muted and dark.

"Diaozuan? Are you well?"

The fox indicated a parchment on the dresser with a flick of one hand. Sesshomaru took it and read it quickly.

Diaozuan,

On the third day of the fourth moon of this year, the eldest son to the Fox Tribe, Yao, heir to the Fox Tribe Palace and firstborn son of Sadao, Flame of the East, perished from poison of unknown origin. He is succeeded by his brother and the second-born son of Sadao, Diaozuan.

That first section was in a different handwriting then the second. This writing was thick, hasty, and the ink occasionally smeared the very word it was trying to express.

Son. I assume that you know what this means. I ask that you attend the funeral at the end of the month, and that you bring Toshi and the newborn kits with you to the Fox Tribe Palace. Assume that you will not be returning to the Foo-Dog Palace for some time.

I am sorry for this. But you are the heir to the throne now, and I will be stepping down soon enough. The people must see and trust that you will be able to handle the responsibility. And they will always want the appearance of you on the side of the foxes than the foo-dogs. Sesshomaru is our great ally, but I fear that our citizens are still mistrusting of him, which is why I request your stay to be longer than it normally would.

I greatly regret that this decision is laid upon your shoulders. I pray that I can get you back to the Foo-Dog Palace as soon as I can so you can continue to have your entire family around you.

Two signatures lay at the bottom: one must have been one of Sadao's generals, and the other was Sadao himself. The parchment as always was dotted with a drop of the fox's blood to show that he was indeed the one who had penned it.

Sesshomaru felt like he couldn't breathe. A light, irritating ringing began in his ears and he leaned heavily against the desk for a moment before stuttering, " You.. the kits, and Toshi? You all must go?"

"I will not leave you." Diaozuan snarled, and his tails writhed on the ground, puffing out silently like slowly inflating snakes.

"He cannot make me. You are my family and I will not leave you and the pups. I will not accept the throne. He may keep it as long as he likes." His hands were balled into fists, and from each one Sesshomaru could see a line of precious teal droplets of blood, each forming tiny puddles on the floor as his claws dug through the soft flesh of his palms.

Sesshomaru walked over to him and gently started peeling open one of his hands. He was tense at first, but then curious and allowed the Daiyokai to open his hand. When finished, Sesshomaru slipped his hand in Diaozuan's. Pale lily white contrasted with rich caramel as their fingers entwined, and there was a faint hiss as his blood came into contact with Sesshomaru's skin but of course he felt no pain.

He used that hand to pull the fox close to him. He slipped his arms around him, his claws digging into the soft black silk as he held the other tight to his own frame. Since they were nearly the same height he couldn't cradle him as he could with Inuyasha, so he settled for tucking his head to the fox's neck just underneath that curtain of hair.

"You must go." Sesshomaru did his best to keep the slight tremor from his voice, but it was there anyway.

"I will not." He growled, his tails bristling and writhing. They thumped against the floor, and the pens and vases in the room gave a little shudder.

Sesshomaru gave a kind of chuckle. " How is it that a fool such as you is equal to me in power. You will lose everything: your wealth, your Palace, your land. I am not worth-"

A finger was on his lips suddenly.

"Silence. You, and our children, are worth everything. Every hardship. Every sacrifice." He whispered, and the whites of his eyes held a slight teal tinge as his yokai writhed just under the surface.

Sesshomaru remained in stunned silence as two fingers cupped is chin, staring deep into the yellow depths of his eyes. It made him uncomfortable. It was as if Diaozuan could see all of him: everything that made Sesshomaru himself: good, cowardly, evil, ugly… vulnerable.

And loved every facet of him even more for it.

The fox could smell Inyuasha on Sesshomaru's hands. But he said nothing.

"What is land without kits to hunt across it? What are titles if they cannot keep me with the one I love? What use is this Daiyokai blood in my veins if having it means I'm obligated to be without you?" He whispered, his fangs overlapping his bottom teeth ever so slightly. Sesshomaru could feel his magic and demonic aura fluxuating with his emotions: the room felt denser, hotter.

The Foo-Dog hesitated for a moment as the beautiful words settled in his chest and made it suddenly hard to draw breath. The words touched his heart, but he knew he had to persuade the fox in the other direction… no matter how much his heart was telling him otherwise.

A good leader cared more about their people than themselves.

A good leader set aside their own ambitions, desires, hopes.

Sesshomaru set aside his freedom.

And it seemed Diaozuan's price was their family.

"If you reject the throne, it was cause immense suffering." Sesshomaru said quietly. "The Fox Tribe will be thrown into chaos. Relatives will come out of the woodwork just as they did to seize my throne. Not long after, wars will break out from their petty squabbling. The average yokai's sons, fathers will be drawn in and never return home. Children will starve.

You cannot justify your own happiness over the suffering of so many yokai-"

"Yes. Our happiness." He said as he looked down into his mate's eyes.

"I can justify it. I can feel your pain at the idea of my leaving with the kits. I would bear the screaming of hundreds if it meant I could keep seeing your smile…but I suppose that makes me a terrible candidate for the throne."

The fox murmured quietly and his eyes were wet as he finally whispered, "But… I understand it's the right thing to do. I just am loath to do it."

Sesshomaru met his gaze and held him like that for a long moment, just listening to his heartbeat and feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest. His mate. His life. The father and mother of their children.

"Sometimes the most correct decision is also the most painful." Sesshomaru muttered, thinking of Toshi and Katsu and bringing them into the world. He slipped his arms around Diaozuan, and rested his head on the Daiyokai's chest. The fox closed his eyes and savored the moment of affection for perhaps, it was one of few. Sesshomaru was not known for outward displays of affection, even after all these years.

He felt the fox's claws playing with his hair as he rested his head against that chest. Not once did those hard clear claws hit a snag through his silver mane.

The throne was Toshi's birthright. Diaozuan's as well. The fox had the audacity to throw that away but Sesshomaru did not for he feared the consequences. Wars begot wars. It wasn't entirely unlikely that a complete collapse of the Fox Tribe would lead to unrest in all territories.

This was all Rin's fault really.

From the time he'd seen her laying there on the dirt road, in a puddle of her own black blood he'd begin to think outside himself

And now, the circle was expanding ever outward. To the point where he could not tolerate the thought of another child like her, starving and beaten, and that the finger of fate could ultimately point to him as the cause.

His father's voice echoed back to him.

Have you not tired of killing?

He gritted his fangs, felt then almost squeak from the strain. Sesshomaru kept his face hidden and his arms around the stupid fox as let the connection between them bloom, whispering in the Daiyokai's mind,

Flame of my heart, you must go. It is your duty. As this throne is mine.

A year. No more. That is more than enough time for them to accept your loyalty.

He felt such a fool for claiming that no one would threaten his family- yet now, he was letting the kits be carted away to the Fox Tribe Palace because of Yao's death. Who would have thought a little piece of paper held more power than an army. He felt like such a hypocrite.

But how could he put his own family on a pedestal if it meant tearing other families apart? And not just one, but potentially hundreds or even thousands.

Practical matters like this were once so easy. But now… now. Everything ached. His greatest asset was also the source of his greatest pain.

And also. Let another taste anything before it passes your lips, or the lips of our children.

Sesshomaru added, his eyes a fetid yellow. If Yao had been killed by an 'unknown poison' it was likely an assassination... And they might try to take our Diaozuan or the kits as well.

Of course. Not a hair on their heads will be harmed my love.

Those purple eyes burned but he held his gaze steady. Purple seemed such a tame term- they were that color as the sun sank, the most beautiful, luxurious fading light. Right now though it wasn't soft at all: the color was sharp and jagged, little violet and lavender shards ringing that black pupil.

But then, it softened just a bit and he touched their noses together, earning a content noise from the Foo-Dog.

You've never called me that before. I think I'd like to be addressed by that name from now on.

Sesshomaru colored, his lips pursing as he struggled to keep composure.

Never. I am already regretting uttering it even once.

He really hadn't meant to give Diao a pet name- it'd sort of slipped out. But when he thought of the fox there was always a flame of warmth in his chest so it seemed to fit.

He tucked Sesshomaru's head against his chest and rested his chin on the part of his hair.

Let me stay like this for a while longer, orchid. Please.

The Foo-Dog tensed at first: he always did. But the muscles in his back and torso gradually softened and he nodded, closing his eyes.

Very well.

And as he rested his eyes he felt a slight vibration coming from Diaozuan's chest: and realized soon after that the fox was stifling a purr.

Sesshomaru pretended not to notice and the sound grew, comforting him from the outside in. Their tails entwined silently on the floor as a beautiful braid of black and white.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

With Diaozuan's scent still on him, he went to collect Katsu. Now was as good of a time as any, and the pup needed to learn of her.

Sesshomaru's mother. Inukimi. It was time.

Katsu, Ame and Toshi were all with their instructor when Sesshomaru arrived: a dog demon like Sesshomaru, but a simple yokai. His tail peppered like his hair, silver and black.

"Katsu. Join me." He said simply, and the usually warm yellow of his eyes was a searing gold.

At first Katsu was happy to get out of his lessons, but soon grew curious and a little scared when Sesshomaru picked him up and they drifted silently through the barrier.

It felt faintly warm as they passed through.

Sesshomaru protected Katsu from the rain with his tail and sleeves until they arrived.

Her ribcage stretched to the sky like naked tree trunks, thick and curved and powerful. Water ran down them in thick veins and pooled at the bottom in crystal clear puddles. Some were so high even Sesshomaru could scarecely make out the tips.

"Are… are we going hunting?" Katsu asked softly.

Instead of answering Sesshomaru settled them next to her shoulder blade: it protected them well enough from the weak drizzling rain. Once he'd made sure the pup was warm and dry in his tail he simply asked, "Do you know who these bones belonged to?"

And looked up. Dampness covered his face and his voice was unusually low, not at all full of the happiness he held for all his pups.

Katsu squirmed uncomfortably. " I keep asking, but everyone just says 'Inukimi'. They don't tell me who she is. She's some demon that you defeated right?"

He looked down at his son, his expression grave. "She was my mother. I suppose I should start from the beginning."

And so, he told him everything. Of his transformation. Of becoming pregnant. Of how the scent of the father would soon emit from her own skin. Of his mother's fear of losing the throne or worse- of Sesshomaru giving birth to anything but a pure blooded Foo-Dog demon.

"But… But Toshi's a Daiyokai. Shouldn't that be good enough?" Katsu asked, confused.

He lay a hand on his head. " It should be. But since Inuyasha is a hanyou, it meant that no legitimate heirs were in line for the throne. The pup would have to be like you: a pureblooded Foo-Dog demon. Markings and all. Anything else would sully the line and bring disgrace to the family."

It was clear that the little Daiyokai was trying hard to understand but that he didn't quite grasp it yet. But that was all right. He simply went quiet and let Sesshomaru continue.

"And so, when the spell's effect wore off and she smelled Toshi inside of me, she went insane. Inukimi set her Yokai on me, and I was hardly in the optimum condition to fight."

Katsu seemed riveted but scared at the same time, " B-but were okay. Everything's fine."

He gently moved Katsu's kimono, folding it down so the silvery grey scars showed. Then, he pulled up his own kimono, showing the pup the marks on his abdomen.

Katsu got real quiet and touched them hesitantly, running his tiny soft claws over the marks. Sesshomaru could feel his tiny hands shake.

"They're the same. Then, then…" It was almost as if he didn't want to finish. The pups' eyes were slightly watery as he looked up at his father.

" She attacked me while you two were both still inside me." Sesshomaru finished for him, his eyes blank but his emotions raging. Even now, it was hard for him to calm himself down and he had to take a deep breath as he lowered his clothing.

"And that is why your name is Katsu. Because you survived."

The little pup suddenly started to cry. Sesshomaru picked him up and held him against his chest, growling softly and wrapping his tail over the pup's back. Clawed hands rubbed the tiny red and white kimono gently as he comforted his son.

" I am sorry. But you need to know the truth."

Now Katsu was hiccupping as he was crying and stuttered, " I-I… why? Why would she… we didn't do anything wrong! Toshi didn't do anything wrong, he's just a fox! He didn't have a choice. Nobody decides what they're born as!" and he sobbed harder. Sesshomaru could feel hot wet tears on his collarbone and chest and continued the gentle rubbing. He even leaned down, grooming Katsu's silvery hair with a few soft licks of a rough tongue.

"You are correct. But that did not matter to my mother. And I want you to be mindful that this world is full of great evil, just as it is full of forces for good. Like yourself." He whispered, running a finger down Katsu's silky cheek gently.

The pup smiled weakly, " I-I'm not good. I skip lessons and chase chickens and yell …"

He picked him up so their faces were even and whispered, " You are kind and brave. You protect your brother and sisters fiercely without regard for consequences. You are good in your soul-and that is the only trait that truly matters."

Katsu hiccupped a few more times weakly and then lifted his arms, making grabbing motions for Sesshomaru. Sometimes the Daiyokai forgot how young his pups still were.

He smiled slightly and tucked the boy to his chest once more, still rubbing his back. The rain beat a soundless, low noise into the bones around them. An eternal song.

He felt Katsu's breathing even out and eventually heard his tiny voice whisper, " Sess. I'm glad I'm alive and… with you… I love you."

It was so faint he had to hold his breath to catch it.

The killing perfection held his son even tighter and repeated those three words back, nuzzling his pup amid his mother's bones and thanking the heavens that it was Katsu who was alive in his arms and not the monster around them.

And what a strange sight it was: a regal yokai, pale maroon stripes on his cheeks and a crescent moon on his forehead, laying underneath something so rough and primitive with his silks and swords spread like a fan from his hips.

And in his arms a mewling and vulnerable pup. Life blooming among tombstones of death.

Katsu eventually cried himself out and Sesshomaru returned to the Palace, tucking the boy into bed after inspecting him to make sure he was dry.

Inuyasha was out and about. He had to get out of the room and wash his mouth of the strange taste. When he'd finished, he saw Sesshomaru stepping out of the kids room and his ears perked up a bit.

"Hey. Is he okay?" He whispered, his expression changing to one of concern as he saw the way Katsu's cheeks were flushed and how tired he appeared.

Sesshomaru looked at him impassively for a moment before murmuring, " I told him about Inukimi and the marks he bears."

The ears on the hanyou's head flatted out almost completely. "Oh."

Perhaps he would appreciate waking up with you by his side.

He added after a moment, giving the other a pointed look. Inuyasha blinked and swallowed before giving a slight nod.

There was a right parent for every comfort needed. And Inuyasha would perhaps, be the better choice out of the two of them when Katsu awoke.

Sesshomaru glided out of the way for his little brother and watched the hanyou as he crawled into bed silently, tucking himself around Katsu as quietly as any cat, his movements scarcely ruffling the bedsheets. Yet when he'd settled Katsu must have sensed him for he gave a small noise and rolled until he was against Inuyasha's chest.

And Sesshomaru felt a strange rush of affection for the hanyou when he saw the look in Inuyasha's gaze as he looked down at the pup.

Love in its purest form. That was what he read in that sunset gaze.

Sesshomaru stifled the emotion from their connection quickly and left the room, his heart beating strangely fast.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Please read and review! It helps my writing and motivates me to post more chapters.

Also, to those who read my last story:

Inuyasha16541:I know I apologize for the cliffhanger. But I hope that this makes up for it!

EatEmUp:Aww thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

Gamma Cavvy: Yeah, you know I love me some complicated love triangles.