Love is a song

Thank you KooKooKitty and Patty for the reviews. Here is to suspense!

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Tasshomaru paced the small sitting are where him, Ash, and Touga were currently residing. Celina was greeting guest, as the family members of the mated ones should be doing, while the closed mating ritual was happening. Only the fathers and mothers of the two being mated, and the Inu priest would be present for the actual ceremony. After the ceremony was completed they would be introduced as the newly mated couple to family, friends, and allies, then one big party, well technically a mating feast, would happen.

“Stop pacing,” Ash growled, as she looked out the window over the main gate and courtyard, where guest where mingling in. “You are giving me a headache.”

“I should call her and tell her not to come,” Tasshomaru mutter, as he continued to pace. He was now wearing a formal kimono of white silk and a red swirling design on his sleeves, much like the one his grandfather and father were wearing today. “This was a bad idea.”

“None of my ideas are bad ideas,” Touga replied, as he patted his kimono’s sleeve to make sure all the dust was gone. “The servants should have store my kimonos more properly, then there wouldn’t have been as much dust in them.”

“Hey I went through a lot of trouble sneaking that out of storage,” Ash informed him, as she was still searching the crowd for someone.

“You mean Celina went through a lot of trouble sneaking that out,” Tasshomaru corrected as he looked out the window as well. “You have been staring out this window since guest started to arrive. Who are you looking for?”

“Leo of course,” Ash sighed, knowing one part of her past would always haunt her. “I lost track of him while in America. Would not surprise me if he showed up here. Will you tell me what bothers you so about this female showing up?”

“Besides the fact my father could blow a gasket and embarrass her,” Tasshomaru sighed. “Also he could try to forbid me from seeing her again.”

“Why would he do that?” she asked, tearing her eyes from the window to stare at him. He turned and stared at the wall above his grandfather, refusing to look him in the eye. “She is a mixed breed, isn‘t she.”

“Yes,” he confessed, inwardly flinching at what he thought Touga’s reaction would be.

“Hum,” Touga muttered as he was thinking about the situation. “As Ash has informed me, mixed breeds and Hanyous are not uncommon in this time period, and are rarely frowned upon except by the occasional few. So you believe your father will be little the female because of her breeding.”

“Of course he will,” Tasshomaru snorted. “Look how long he looked down upon Uncle because he is a Hanyou. You want the truth! I’m scared shitless of what he might do to her.”

“So bring her in here first,” Touga said, getting questioning stares from both Ash and Tasshomaru. “Well I’m not going to defend someone I haven’t met. If you want my help, go see if she is here and bring her to me.”

“Of course grandfather,” Tasshomaru replied, giving him a small bow before he bolted out the door.

“Besides his father I believe you are the only one who can make him move to action,” Ash informed him as she went back to staring out the window. “This is going to be one hell of a party.”

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Celina had greeted more guests then she cared to think about, and she did not remember almost any of their names. Faces, names, lands were all a blur after the first twenty guests. She was going to kill her brother for leaving her to this task. At least Mya was helping her with guest greeting, although it was not her job. Worst part was Koga, he just kept staring at her from afar, and she made sure he stayed afar.

“Ah Lady Celina,” came a caw from a hawk demon. Celina forced a smile as she turned to the hawk Youkai dressed in a dark green kimono. He took her hand, and pressed a kiss against her knuckles, making her inwardly cringe. “You are as beautiful as your mother.”

“My Lord,” Celina replied, as she forgot his name. Moving her hand from his grasp, her silver eyes met his pale yellow eyes.

“Rumor has it you are approaching your hundred year birthday this year,” he said making seamlessly idle chat, but something gleamed in his eye. Celina knew trouble when she saw it, and as he brushed his black hair behind his shoulder, she knew him as trouble. “And yet you have no suitor.”

“With a father like Lord Sesshomaru, male Youkai are always running away with their tails between their legs,” Celina replied, taking a small step back from him. What she wouldn’t give for a savior right now?

“Excuse me Lord Afrananie,” came Koga’s voice from behind her. Was it too late to take back her pervious request? “But I must steal the lady’s company for but a moment. She has a slight situation to attend to.”

“But of course,” he said with nothing but friendliness, but his eyes betrayed his great displeasure. “My lady, we shall meet each other again.”

“Lord Afrananie,” she said as he gave him a slight bow. Koga took her arm and steered her away from the lord. When they were out of eyesight and ear shot of the other lord, Celina yanked her arm back. “Is there really a situation, or did you believe I needed your assistance?”

“The lord was obviously looking to court you,” Koga sighed, as he rubbed the part of his arm her arm had just been touching as if it were stinging. “He is a minor lord looking to over throw someone above his station, and what better way then taking Lord Sesshomaru’s daughter as a mate.”

“I can take care of myself,” she growled lowly as they continued to walk away from the hall.

“I’m sorry then,” Koga sighed. He knew he was not going to win this argument or any others with her today.

“Will you stop apologizing!” Celina growled, as she pulled him onto a balcony and shut the doors, not wishing to be over heard. “Why can’t you just let things be?!”

“I love you,” Koga told her, and forced her to look at him when she turned away. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but you don’t seem to want that anymore.”

“Who ever said I wanted that to begin with,” she replied, yanking herself from his grasp. Going over to the rail, she looked over the palace gardens. “I refuse to be her replacement.”

“You are not a replacement,” he assured her as he went to stand next to her, crossing his arms over his chest. He did not want to risk touching her, it would only make her run. “I’m not sure I ever really love Kagome more then a sister. It was not like this, sure, I have the urge to protect you both, but with you, it is fiercer. That day we were fighting against the southern lord’s army, I saw both you and Kagome in danger and I ran to you first with out a second thought. Kagome is more of a sister, and it is you I want to be with.”

“You once told me I was like a younger sister to you,” she replied, as her eyes locked with his.

“You were also twelve years old,” he replied, as he cupped her cheek. Getting braver, he took a step forward.

“No,” Celina sighed, as she broke contact with him. Straighten her dark blue kimono with red sakura blossom trim. She headed towards the hallway doors, away from him. “I have guest to attend to.”

“More like running to do,” Koga snorted, earning him a glare as she left him there. Turning to look towards to courtyard, he saw Tasshomaru walking with a female in a fire red kimono beside him. It appeared that Tasshomaru was attempting to sneak the female in the back way. “What other surprises will this day hold?”

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“How you holding up?” Ash asked, as she looked at the slightly pale Celina. Having left Touga alone waiting for Tasshomaru, she went in search of Celina. “Maybe you should sit down and rest a bit.”

“I’m fine,” Celina sighed, not having the strength to fight Ash as she dragged her over to a chair. “Please stop hovering over me like a hawk. Someone might get curious as to why you are so concerned.”

“Look,” Ash huffed, as she took a seat next to her. “You will tell your mother everything tonight, no argument. Are we clear?”

“I guess,” Celina sighed, as she went to stand but was stop once more by Ash.

“You will tell her,” Ash threatened as she gave her a piercing glare. “Or I will leave you here why I’ll return to America alone.”

“Understood,” Celina replied, as she watches Ash stand and stroll away. This just was not her day.

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“Are you sure about this?” Catalina asked, as her and Tasshomaru approached a door. She was having her second thoughts about meeting his parents, hopefully they wouldn’t look down upon her too much. “After all I wouldn’t wish to make you feel obligated to do this.”

“Are you finally admitting you are scared of my father?” Tasshomaru teased her. Almost everyone was terrified of the great Inu Demon Lord Sesshomaru.

“I am not afraid of your father,” she growled, which was partly true. She wasn’t scared of him, just terrified at what he could do to her. Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, Tasshomaru knocked n the door to the room his grandfather sat in.

“Enter,” came a voice from beyond the door. It sounded so final to Catalina, as Tasshomaru opened the door.