Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters herein. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: I told you it wouldn't take me as long to update. :P Thank you for all your reviews and your support. It means a lot to me.

Some of you may have noticed that I have picked up the habit of answering any questions left in reviews, and generally talking about the Fic, if this is possible, and I have something to say in response to your review. I enjoy doing this, so I hope you don't mind. Your opinions, whether good or bad are most welcome, so please review if you read this Fic. I am more than open to constructive criticism as long as it is constructive and politely worded.

The Old Cherry Tree Volume 2:

Falling Sakura Blossoms

By Evandar

Chapter 4

InuYasha returned to Kaede's hut with Sesshoumaru early the next morning, but not early enough to avoid Sango's pointed stare. She might not have minded their relationship, but it had been obvious what they were going to do when they slipped out the previous night. InuYasha ducked his head in embarrassment, but Sesshoumaru stared right back at her. Obviously his mate's human companions were oblivious to InuYasha's guilt over Kagome.

They sat in silence as they waited for the others to wake up. Rin was the last to stir, and when she did, she simply crawled into Sesshoumaru's lap and rested her head against his chest.

Breakfast was a quiet affair as well, with Kagome shooting hurt looks in InuYasha's direction every once in a while. Miroku had tried to start conversations, but his attempts fell flat. After the meal was over Kaede sighed as she stood up.

"Come now InuYasha and I will rid ye of the rosary," she said. InuYasha stood quickly and followed her out of the door. After a moment Kagome followed them. Sesshoumaru, with only one arm and Rin in his lap could not get up to follow, but he tried to look as if this was not bothering him.

Outside Kaede reached up to InuYasha's neck. The rosary beads began to glow purple as she chanted softly, but it stopped when her hands were slapped away. InuYasha and Kaede looked up in surprise to see Kagome standing there, tears running down her cheeks.

"Kagome…" InuYasha whispered.

"How could you?" she asked, her voice trembling as she spoke. "How could you do something like this? Sesshoumaru is your brother! How could you even think about sleeping with him?"

"It's not that simple," InuYasha protested.

"Yes it is!" she shouted. "You didn't have to go back to him. I'm in love with you; you could have stayed with me."

"Kagome, I wanted to go back to him," InuYasha explained softly. "I love him. I always have. It doesn't matter that he's my brother; it's different for demons. When we're born we already have a mate decided for us. Not by our parents or anything, it's just fate. I was born to love Sesshoumaru."

"It's wrong," she whispered.

"Not to me," he replied. "Kagome, I left him to come after the Jewel so that I could become a full demon and bear his children. That's the life I've always wanted. What happened with Kikyo was a foolish mistake, but it was the only way of getting the Jewel that I could think of.

"I'm bound to it now. I have to stick around until it's finished, but even if I didn't have that responsibility, I still would. I don't want to lose you or the others. I know I'll have to someday, when you, Sango and Miroku are all old and grey, but right now is way too soon. So…you don't have to fear losing me just because Sesshoumaru is around. I mean, yes, we'll need private time together, but it won't be all the time."

He reached out and put a clawed hand on her shoulder. She was still crying, but she was also smiling slightly. She reached up and touched his hand with her own, entwining their fingers gently.

"I guess I'm being selfish, huh," she murmured as he wiped away her tears with his free hand.

"Everyone is," he told her. "It's just part of nature. You'll never find someone who is completely self-sacrificing and noble."

She laughed softly.

"It's still weird that he's your brother, you know?" she said. "In my time, your relationship would be illegal. Incest is a very taboo subject."

"Humans look down on it in this time too, usually," InuYasha said shrugging. "But that's when it's among humans – usually the lower classes, since some nobles prefer to keep it in the family as well. When it's with demons, though, they just shrug and pass it off as a 'demon thing'. It's actually fairly common."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. I never found out why it bothered my father so much though," he continued. "He disapproved of Sesshoumaru and I right from the start."

"I know," Kagome said. "Myoga told us all the night you left to find Sesshoumaru."

InuYasha snorted and shook his head, muttering "damn flea" under his breath. He leant down then and kissed Kagome's forehead gently.

"Can I get these damn beads taken off now, little sister?" he asked.

She stared at him, the kiss and what he had called her shocking her to the core. She nodded mutely and he released her, waving Kaede back over. As the old woman approached them he turned back to her and grinned.

"Don't get any ideas though," he said. "You may be a sister to me, but I only do naughty incestuous things with Sesshoumaru."

"InuYasha you jerk!" she shouted, her cheeks going bright red. InuYasha laughed.

.I.S.

When they returned to the hut, they found Sesshoumaru watching the door intently. He relaxed visibly when InuYasha entered rosary free and unhurt. InuYasha went instantly to his side and leant against him, pressing a tender kiss to Sesshoumaru's lips before leaning up to whisper in his ear.

"I sorted things out with Kagome," he said. "Everything's fine now."

"Good," Sesshoumaru murmured back, as he nuzzled InuYasha's cheek. His mate did smell like the two miko, and he had tasted slightly of Kagome, but Sesshoumaru wasn't worried. InuYasha's show of affection when he had returned was enough to soothe him, and besides, the position InuYasha was in now, with his head against Sesshoumaru's shoulder, bared his throat to the older demon in a subtle sin of submission. InuYasha trusted him not to overreact to his dealings with Kagome, and so Sesshoumaru would not. Instead he silently swore that he would be dragging his mate back into the forest again tonight.

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru and InuYasha greeted each other. She tried to look at it from a different point of view than what she had done previously. InuYasha was happy, and Sesshoumaru's kisses and nuzzles were tender, although the smile on his lips was rather devious. They looked…good together. She smiled and shook her head. InuYasha had been right; he was born to love Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru to love him.

"How soon will we be leaving?" Sango asked. "I don't mean to sound hasty, but we shouldn't stay long. Naraku is still growing in strength."

"You're right," Kagome said, glancing around the room. InuYasha and Sesshoumaru had stopped their kissing, although InuYasha was still leaning against his brother, or was Sesshoumaru leaning on him? She couldn't tell.

"We need time to gather supplies," Miroku said. "So we should probably stay for a couple more days at the most. It'll also give us some time to plan where we should head next."

"Well, before we could never stray too much into the Western Lands out of fear of Sesshoumaru," Sango said, shooting the Inutaishou in question a brief smile. "Maybe we should head in that direction, providing we have permission of course."

"You do," Sesshoumaru said. "Although, might I recommend searching in the south west? There have been strange things happening there recently, and there are rumours of some of the Shards in that direction."

"South west it is then," Kagome decided. "Speaking of Shards, we should find a way to get those ones off Kouga."

"I'm look forward to that," InuYasha said, grinning broadly. The others laughed, Miroku ducking his head slightly when he did so.

.I.S.

After making sure that the others were all asleep, Sesshoumaru took InuYasha's hand and led him out of the hut. Realising his mate's motives, a previously sleepy InuYasha was suddenly alert and hurrying to keep up with Sesshoumaru's long strides.

Once inside the forest, InuYasha found himself in a very familiar position: pinned up against a tree. He grinned as he kissed Sesshoumaru passionately. He had missed this.

.I.S.

Hours later, InuYasha awoke at his mate's side. He smiled and nuzzled Sesshoumaru's chest, listening to the older demon's steady heartbeat. Ever since he was a pup, that noise had comforted him, and it was still, hundreds of years later, able to soothe him.

Lazily lifting one hand he began to trace patterns on his lover's stomach with the tips of his claws. Sesshoumaru stirred at the sensation and awoke, tightening his grip on InuYasha as he did so.

"Do you remember our first time together?" InuYasha asked suddenly.

"Of course," Sesshoumaru admitted. "How could I forget?"

InuYasha smiled and stopped tracing his patterns, pressing the palm of his hand against Sesshoumaru's flat, muscular stomach.

"A lot of things have changed since then," InuYasha said softly.

"I still love you," Sesshoumaru told him, entwining his fingers in InuYasha's long white hair.

"Do you still want children?" InuYasha asked quietly.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru admitted. "I would love pups of our own to raise, but I don't want you to get hurt trying to make that happen. We have Rin and Shippo to take care of now anyway, so if it can't happen then it can't."

InuYasha smiled again, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. Sesshoumaru had said something similar before he had left the Western Lands, and he hadn't believed the older demon then either. It was his duty to give Sesshoumaru children and it was one that he wanted to fulfil.

"Just concentrate on the Shikon Jewel for now," Sesshoumaru continued. "The world as it is now is far too dangerous to even consider children. Once the Jewel is complete and Naraku is defeated then we can try and find a way."

InuYasha nodded in agreement and shifted so that he was lying on top of Sesshoumaru, straddling his waist.

They didn't return to the village until well after the sun had risen.