Mother's castle Part 2

"Oi, wench!"

Kagome did not slow down.

She was furious and partly devastated. Why would he insinuate that!? She would never cheat on him!

"Kagome!"

"Don't breathe her name, you mangy half breed!"

"Kagome turned on her heel, raised a hand and mustered a ball of pure reiki and threw it at the wolf youkai, all the while snarling, "Don't talk to him like that!"

With the dazed wolf lying on the ground, Kagome turned around to stomp off.

In an unconscious move, she masked her scent and power, simultaneously, making her way down a carefully sculpted garden path, covered in strands of vines and flowers, giving the area a mystical appearance.

She could feel her power fluctuating wildly as she tried to reign in the anger and the disappointment but it kept slipping from her grasp. So she walked, throwing barrier after barrier behind her with every step to prevent her from being followed because she knew. From somewhere deep inside her, she knew how dangerous she was at this very moment. She could kill without a second thought. She knew that but her instincts warred with her rational side. She wanted to rage, to scream, to hurt something or someone like she had just been ravaged from the inside.

Bokensuno's parting words flitted through her mind but she discarded them.

"You will need to keep your emotions reigned, young phoenix. Because when your kind loves, they love true, and when they hurt, the world burns."

She walked further down the path, Seshoumaru's words revolving in her head 'If I ever find you in an intimate position with anyone ever again-'

She sat on her haunches, her face in her palms trying to breathe past the pain. A hot tear splashed onto the grass and she rubbed her face roughly. How could he say that to her? He didn't trust her.

And it burned.

Her chest hurt.

She pushed herself off the ground and walked into a massive garden which was centered around a pond. She made her way to its edge and sat there, her legs in the cool water. Brightly colored fish swam around her legs and some even dared to nibble at her toes. She let them, her mood dark and gloom.

"They don't trust easily, you know."

Spoke a cold but familiar voice.

Kagome stilled and then turned around to look at a face that was still the same, no hint of aging present. Her eyes welled with tears as she recalled memories that had been lost to her till recently.

"InuMama."

The name escaped her lips as she remembered warm afternoons sleeping on her lap, surrounded by comfort, warmth and love.

She made to get up but Lady InuKimi stepped forward and leaned down, grasping Kagome's face in her palms. Those beautiful golden eyes, so like her son's, studied her features and she murmured, "My son has made you cry again?"

"I -" Kagome put her hands over the ones cupping her face, trying to speak. No words would come out. She struggled to say something and her vision blurred as tears started pouring down again.

Those cold eyes softened as they once had for a small child who had come crying to her after injuring herself. The inuyoukai allowed Kagome to fall into her, wrapping her in her arms, both unaware of the golden healing tendrils that surrounded them, mellowing the pain that was a constant part of Lady InuKimi now.

They stayed like that for a while, in silence, as Kagome cried silent tears for both her InuPapa and InuMama. The latter closed her eyes as her heart felt lighter than it had since her son had turned his back on her.

The silence was broken when the slender inuyoukai spoke, her voice a melodious bell ravaged by the brutality of the past, "It is true. These creatures are as rare as you are and they do not trust easily."

Kagome put her hand in the water and watched as the fish moved towards her hand and started nibbling on her fingers. A delighted laugh slipped out of her lips. Lady InuKimi felt her own lips curve slightly at the familiar if not mature laugh.

Silence descended upon them till Kagome said, "Seshoumaru does not trust me."

His mate's mother studied the shimmering water and smiled sadly, "Seshoumaru is not the same as you would remember. Time has not been kind to him and -" She closed her eyes with grief, "-neither has he been kind to himself."

Kagome looked at her inquisitively.

Lady InuKimi placed her hands on her lap, "He blames himself for allowing you to be stolen from his side. And ever since that day he has not stopped aiming for more power. My son still fears, you see. He fears that you might once again be snatched from him. And this quest for power has made him cold."

"But it wasn't his fault!"

Kagome saw the flash of pain that crossed Lady InuKimi's face and stated resolutely, "And neither, do I believe, was it yours." She paused for a moment to look intently at her companion, "But I would like to know what happened."

Lady InuKimi started and then smiled, a small curving of her lips, "You always were an inquisitive child. Very well." She rearranged herself, gracefully, "This is your right. You are aware of your origins."

Kagome nodded, "Vaguely, but yes."

"Well then, what you might not be aware of is that there was a prophecy that has been present since the near extinction of your race. I am not aware of the exact wordings, those were lost long ago, but it implied that an offspring of your race would bond itself with a youkai of equal strength and the phoenix would once again rise. When Seshoumaru brought you home and we saw your aura, we knew who you were. You were too young to protect yourself and we, despite out massive strength were no match for those who wished to destroy you."

Her eyes turned distant as she recalled something painful, "Our decision was made when news reached us about an impending attack. To this day I do not regret sending you away because had you stayed here, you would be dead. Their strength was such that even my mate and I suffered grievous injuries. They left only because your presence was not there."

She looked at her hands, and then closed her eyes, "Seshoumaru never forgave us and his pain and fury at our actions drove a wedge between me and his sire. We blamed each other. We could have handled it better, we believed. Soon after, InuTaisho met a human hime and sired a child with her, thus breaking our bond, weak as it had become. And I left."

Her voice trailed off, her silence being witness to the pain in her being.

Kagome's tears were those of heartbreak.

Her voice was choked as she asked, "Didn't you blame me?"

"For a while, yes. But it was not your fault. Fate placed you in Seshoumaru's hands."

"I'm sorry." A low voice.

Lady InuKimi looked surprised, "Whatever for, little one? You have a bigger role to play in this than all of us." She touched Kagome's hands, "Do not judge my son too harshly, Kagome. He is trying his best."

Kagome looked away, hurt evident in her gaze, "He said -"

"No matter what he said, he loves you deeply. His love never faded, it just took a different form."

A small smile at the growing blush on the young woman's face, "You need to be patient with him and be direct. Tell him what you feel or think. Do not make the mistakes I made."

And just like that, Kagome let those barriers fall, the ones she had erected to keep out her two companions.

A rush of wind and a red eyed furious Seshoumaru stood in front of her, his face savage. Clawed hands lifted her by her forearms, snarling, "Never hide your aura or scent from this Seshoumaru again!"

Shocked, Kagome tried to take a step back and then recalled what her mate's mother had said and so instead, she stepped towards him, burying her face in his chest. He stilled and then he lowered his head and ran his nose over her neck, scenting her, reassuring himself of her presence.

One hand shaped her back and then he used a claw to slice the back of her shirt, his hand finding skin and petting it. Kagome's gasp was swallowed as he ran his tongue over her neck and his hand lowered.

"Sesho-"

He didn't even falter as he licked her neck in a contented manner and before she could think, he sank his teeth in. She screamed, but didn't struggle, confused but not frightened. Seshoumaru licked the wound and held her limp form.

As the red receded from his eyes, he didn't wince as his mate kicked him, "You tore my uniform."

His voice was rough, "Good. Now you can dress properly."

That earned him another kick which he did not attempt to dodge.

He looked up to find that his mother had left to give them privacy. His arms still holding her to him, he murmured, lips brushing against her ear, "You were upset. Why?"

Kagome was silent.

He bit the edge of her ear, "Tell me."

Kagome pulled away from him and he let her, enough so that she could look him in the face and yet still be in his arms, "You don't trust me."

"That is not true."

"You said -" A glimmer of pain in her eyes.

He lowered his face till his forehead rested against hers, "You are mine, Kagome. I cannot tolerate any scent on you which is not mine."

"I healed Inuy-"

"I trust you. I don't trust others."

She paused and he licked her cheek making her blush again, and murmured, "You were sitting on Inuyasha in a very intimate position."

Kagome looked confused, "What do you mean? First off, I wasn't doing it deliberately and second, how is that intimate."

Seshoumaru raised a brow. Did she really have no idea? He blinked and a strange smile crossed his lips, one which made Kagome feel strange inside. Her mate pulled her into him and ran a clawed hand over her face and down her neck, delicately, making Kagome shiver.

"I'm going to enjoy teaching you exactly how intimate that position is, Kagome."

Kagome's hands clenched on Seshoumaru's haroi as her heart started beating loudly. "I-"

"Yes?"

She shook her head, and mumbled, "I need a shirt."

He smirked.

A.N: I do hope you enjoy this