Across the Ages

Ok, have been playing with some ideas for one shots. Will let you know. Sorry for not updating in a few days, had to work and all that. So if a day goes by and I don't update then I am either at work or too tired or have a damnable case of writer's block. And to the person who sent me the lovely e-mail and who thinks that I am sick to write this stuff, well..you read it... all the way to the end..so what does that make you? Just admit it...we're all friends here and no one will judge you LoL! Enjoy! Sorry to give you a cliffy!

Chapter Fifty-Three

Days flew by in flurries of activity. Inuyasha commented that planning wedding celebrations took about as much work as going to war and was glared from the room by both women in question. He'd wisely refrained from making anything other than yes or no statements for the past week. Being sat just wasn't worth it.

He was able to spend time with Sesshoumaru, having decided that he and Kagome would remain in the palace, he felt it only right to learn about the duties of the western lord. Sesshoumaru was an effective teacher and Inuyasha an apt pupil. Inuyasha was quite surprised by the way his brother lived.

Most lords he'd encountered had been lazy, allowing vassals to to the daily duties. Sesshoumaru, however took an avid and active interest in the goings on of his fortress and surrounding domain. He was up before the sun and retired long after night had fallen. Kagome said he was a workaholic. Inuyasha suspected that his busy tempo stemmed from his lonely years.

So, they'd both had hard lives. Filled with long hours of struggle. Inuyasha came to the realization that while he had only had to defend himself from other youkai as he grew up, his brother had defended lands and countless families, human and youkai alike. Perhaps his brother wasn't such a heartless bastard after all.

"Inuyasha pay attention" Sesshoumaru said, breaking his reverie. Inuyasha dutifully turned to the large map on the wall. Sesshoumaru was going over the patrol vectors and he could see that in the seeming randomness there was a pattern. His brother carefully mapped and categorized his kingdom. Inuyasha also noticed that those areas most dangerous were the ones he patrolled himself.

Hours past and Sesshoumaru was apparently convinced that Inuyasha understood the processes of daily life. He nodded, more to himself, "There is much to do , we should cover the schedule and make any adjustments that you wish" he said. Inuyasha flopped into a seat beside the now gracefully reclining youkai.

"First is the retirement ceremony" he said. Inuyasha arched a brow at this. "Retirement?" he asked. Sesshoumaru nodded, "I am retiring Ayeka from active duty. Her days of battles and drilling are done". Inuyasha looked skeptical, "Have you talked to her about this? I mean, she'd pretty good at it, and she seems to like it" he advised.

Sesshoumaru shook his head, reaching for a sheaf of paperwork. "She hates it. To live by the sword is to die by the sword" he replied, "She has long wished to be more and now I want to give her that option". Inuyasha was more than a little surprised. He'd not thought of it that way.

Sesshoumaru looked past him, "She was her father's only child and he wished to spread his legacy of combat regardless. He trained her and she learned well as you can see, however she did not live the life of a woman, not really. Until father brought her here".

His father. Inuyasha thought on that. "Why?" he asked. Sesshoumaru gave a small enigmatic smile, "Perhaps because he saw more than a fine sword arm. Perhaps he saw a lonely child who wanted a home". That about summed it up. Sadly, it had taken him far too long to see it, in all it's faceted glory.

"So," he continued, "We will retire her and appoint her strategic advisor". Inuyasha was once again surprised. "You really do care don't you?" he asked, his voice showing his wonder. Sesshoumaru grunted in slight amusement, "How do you feel about your miko? DOuble that" he replied at last.

Inuyasha propped his chin on his hands, "Retirement and appointment. Got it." Sesshoumaru nodded, "I had considered having our mating ceremonies at the same time, however I think it will be more appropriate to have them a few days apart. These things are special to women and they should have their own memories".

Inuyasha snorted but his brother kept speaking, "Then there is the three days of purification before the vows. You will have no contact with the miko in that time, and I will have no contact with Ayeka. That's the minimum allowance of tradition." he continued. Inuyasha balked at that, but he understood that tradition was tradition. So be it.

So the schedule went. The ceremonies would be held two days apart and the formal feast would take place a day after the second ceremony. Sesshoumaru as lord and master would be wed first. Inuyasha was fine with the arrangements. Sesshoumaru retained the scroll with the spell for immortality, he offered it to his brother. Inuyasha wanted to use it very much, but he needed to know that Kagome wanted to live for always. Sesshoumaru understood completely. He told Sesshoumaru that Kagome and Ayeka were looking at modern wedding gowns. "Are they traditional?" he asked. Inuyasha smirked at him, "Nope, but I don't think you'll care about that. Modern gowns allow you to mark your mate at the public ceremony".

Sesshoumaru's interest was piqued. Most markings were done in the privacy of bed chambers because to reach the junction of neck and shoulder required a certain state of undress to the female. Which was not acceptable to inu males. They were very possesive of the mates they took.

It was a rare but honorable thing to graze the flesh of the female, enough to draw blood before those assembled, it established territory publicly. But even this required the rearrangement of many layers of silk to reach the desired flesh below. If blood didn't show through it was seen as a bad sign. "Show me" Sesshoumaru told him. Inuyasha nodded, "I'll get one of those cat-a whatevers tonight before dinner" he promised.

Ayeka and Kagome giggled over the dresses with Sango. While Miroku had asked her to his wife, Sango wanted to wait until he was healed and they could travel the slayer's village. She wanted the vows to be spoken in the place that they would bring life back to. The others thought that was a wonderful idea. The slayer had blushed prettily when asked how the monk was doing. It seemed that the loss of his hand hadn't slowed him much at all.

Inuyasha managed to pilfer a bridal magazine and take it to his brother. Sesshoumaru was amazed by the quality of the paper and the inks. Inuyasha had been forced to remind him that it was not the pictures he was suppose to be looking at, but what the pictures were.

Sesshoumaru had looked over the gowns with a critical eye. They were lovely and he could certainly mark her in it. It did however, reveal a healthy amount of flesh and he pointed that out. Inuyasha merely snorted and flipped the page. It seemed the females had also thought of that, sheer gauzy robes with sleeves were shown, it would provide that traditional covered look without covering at all. Perfect.

Inuyasha and Kagome would be returning to the future at the end of the week. Kagome had decided on a gown already. Ayeka would no doubt wish them to get hers too. That was far from a problem. The small sack of coins that Sesshoumaru had given him before, while a small fortune in this time, were far more valuable in kagome's time.

Kagome's mother had a friend who sold antiquities and he'd pounced on the coins in a flash. Kagome's mother had opened an account under Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's names. They were both very wealthy in the modern era. Sesshoumaru was surprised by the foresight his brother showed. They would of course live that long, longer still. Even Sesshoumaru knew that in time, he would have to relinquish parts of his domain, publicly anyway. Youkai were not known in Kagome's time.

They would be able to provide for their families. Rin and Shippo would be marked as children and pack. Shippo was already immortal, however little Rin was very much human and Sesshoumaru refused to lose her either. When she was older, he would offer her the option of the scroll. It was his desire to keep close the first child he claimed, the daughter of his heart.

Over the next two weeks, guests arrived and took up residence in the palace. Ayeka had discovered while making the guest list and that her dear friend Ryu had died shortly after she had fled. He'd challenged the plotting dragons and died. She'd been deeply saddened by that news.

It was a week before the required three day cleansing and Ayeka and Kagome wanted to scream. There was so much to do! Servants constantly prodding and poking and it seemed there was no rest for them. Miroku was feeling better and he sympathized with the women. Sango decided it was time for some action, "It's a really nice day outside, how about we go and have a picnic. No servants, no stess, no wedding thoughts?" she offered.

Kagome and Ayeka were more than happy to go. They took a small guard of soldiers for security and headed out into the fields of flowers beyond the castle walls. Laughing and cheerful with the bountiful feast prepared by the castle cook, they sang their way across the expansed and settled on the large blanket that Miroku carried draped over his arm.

The afternoon was peaceful and it was a welcome relief from the tense activity in the walls. Kagome was propped on her side, her swollen belly cushioned. She patted the distended flesh and smiled. "Not much longer" she said with a sigh. The others were happy that she looked forward to being a mother. Sango was struck by how cute she was waddling all over the place.

Inuyasha insisted on carrying her up and down the stairs and more often than not he groaned over her added weight. Teasing her to temper and getting sat for it. Miroku swore he could watch that all day. Ayeka agreed and they erupted into good natured laughter.

On the battlements, Sesshoumaru lifted his elegant nose into the air, inhaling deeply. There was a scent playing on the breeze that teased his memory. His eyes narrowed. What was that? He hadn't caught that scent in a very long time, which is why he didn't place it instantly.

Eyes still narrowed he turned toward the source of it. On his lands, in his meadow. Then his eyes snapped wide and he knew what he smelled. The ones responsible for his mother's death, and his father's mortal wounds. The ones responsible for the cursed mirror, the slaughter of the plotting villagers and Ayeka's flight. "Dragons"