Part Seven

Her explanation brought confusion, tears, anger, suspicion and relief. Perhaps not in that order, but the emotions were there, nonetheless.

Telling her family she'd killed herself with every intention of never waking up again had been surprisingly easy for her. It hadn't been as easy for them to hear it, though, and she felt some guilt for the pain she'd caused.

It'd been centuries for her, but only a very short two years for them.

Of course, her father still had trouble accepting her explanation, so she offered him proof.

In the form of magic.

All the members of her family stared at her in awe as her hands glowed purple, but it was Sesshomaru's display as his face began to shift into his true form that had them all on their feet in a panic.

"It's okay," Kagome said to calm them as her mate shifted back. "You don't have anything to worry about. He won't hurt you."

"Not without cause," he joked, snapping his teeth at her brother, who jumped.

"Stop it," she reprimanded, slapping him lightly on his chest. "You're not helping."

"Of course, I am only joking," he offered. "I would never harm my mates family."

"Mate?" Her mother asked, remembering Kagome mention him before she'd…died.

"This is who I told you about," Kagome said, smiling at Sesshomaru. "Mom, dad, Sota, this is Sesshomaru. My mate. My husband." She said, for their benefit.

"Demon," her father mumbled fearfully, remembering what else she'd said about him as they'd spoken to the psychiatrist.

Sesshomaru was used to the fear, thrived off of it even, and smirked slightly at the man.

"One of the most powerful," Kagome said proudly, her eyes flashing with lust as she looked at her mate.

"It is fitting, then, that you are quite powerful yourself," he said in response to her praise. "As only the best would be acceptable for this One."

"I love it when you refer to yourself in the third person," she teased, a slow smile spreading over her face.

Pausing a moment to observe her, he lifted a clawed hand to brush a finger down the side of her face. Hooking it beneath her chin, he tipped her head back, so he had a good view of her face and the mark that bound her to him.

"Your daughter has faced many challenges," he spoke to her parents' but his eyes remained on her. "Most of them out of her control, though she always carried herself bravely, gracefully and with the poise expected of and befitting the future Lady of the West." At this, he glanced at her parents' from the corner of his eye, just as they'd begun to relax. "My own mother holds the title currently, you see."

When they didn't respond with more than an anxious nod, he continued, his eyes returning to her and his hand sliding down her throat, his claws grazing her flushing skin.

"But I digress. As I was saying, you should be proud of all that your daughter has achieved. There are none who could surpass her power," he paused to consider his words. "Save one, perhaps." She gave him a knowing smile and he smirked at her. "Her battle prowess alone is nothing to scoff at. She has fought by my side on many occasions, always coming out victorious."

Sesshomaru withdrew his hand and she felt the chill of the air take its place. Turning his head, he eyed each of them individually before his eyes landed on her father.

"You raised her well and she was delivered into my hands where she was always meant to be. She has served me and my house in ways that no one else ever could have. Kagome has earned more than the lack of respect with which she has been shown since arriving here," as his agitation at her father grew, he rose slowly to his feet. "She has lived one-hundred-and-twenty-five generations, fought wars, mended wounds, advised the Lord of the West soundly and gave me something no other could. She has survived your scrutiny and your disregard, however unwarranted. You will show her the respect she deserves."

His last words came out as a threatening growl and Kagome stood, placing a calming hand on his arm, which, to everyone's astonishment, seemed to soothe him instantly.

"It's okay, Sesshomaru," she said, her smile bright and genuine. "Don't forget what I told you this morning, my love."

"I have not, but I will not stand for anyone treating you with disrespect. The man you claim as father has regarded you with nothing but suspicion since we arrived. You have said your piece, mate. Allow him to make his judgements as he will."

"I understand," she said with a nod. "He can't help his suspicion, just as you can't help your over-protective tendencies."

At that, he scoffed, turning away from her, though not far enough that he was out of reach of her touch.

"Over-protective," he grumbled, glaring at the wall.

Laughing, she leaned into him, resting her head against his broad back.

"I get it," she said, looking at her father. "You saw me die. You buried me. You mourned me. I've offered my explanation. I've offered proof. There's not much more I can do at this point to gain your trust or belief. And he's not wrong. You never believed me before, so why should you now, when it's easier to rationalize? And if that's your choice, I won't hold it against you.

"I've lived a long time. I've seen things you couldn't begin to imagine. And I'm not alone. I have my mate, his family has become my own. And we have our daughter. If you can't accept me, I understand. I'll miss you as I have for a long time, but it won't kill me."

It was the cold, hard truth, but it needed to be said. They needed to know they had an option. With a sigh, Kagome pulled her cell phone from her pocket, dialed a number and let it ring. Her mother's cell phone began to chime for a second before Kagome hung up.

"You have my number now," she said. "Think about it. If you decide you want to be a part of my life, call. I'll answer. Let's go, mate."

Before they could make it too far past the front door, her mother was there, hugging her again.

"I will talk to your father," she said then looked up at Sesshomaru. "Please, don't judge him too harshly. I think Kagome's…disappearance has been harder on him than anyone. He blames himself."

Sesshomaru regarded her a moment, weighing her words. She looked so much like his mate. If Kagome aged, she'd resemble her mother greatly. This was likely the reason he chose his next words carefully.

"I will reserve my judgement of him only until he makes his choice," he allowed with a nod.

"I understand. Thank you." To her daughter she said: "I'll call you, Kagome. I want to hear all of it. I promise to listen this time."

"That means a lot to me, mom," she said, accepting another hug from her.

"Don't leave me out," Sota said, coming over and enclosing them both in a hug. "So, I have a niece, huh? When do I get to meet the little princess?"

Sesshomaru lifted a brow and Kagome laughed.

"Well…I suppose princess is a fair description, but she's hardly little. She's around your age, Sota, at least in appearance."

"What?!"

Kagome's laughter filled the yard again.

"You can meet her soon. She wants to meet all of you, too."

"What's her name?" Her mother asked.

Before she could answer, Sesshomaru growled low in his throat, scenting the air.

"Terumi," he said sternly.

Kagome recognized his reaction for what it was and sighed.

"Terumi, come out. Now."

Jumping down from a branch high up in the God Tree, Terumi pursed her lips guiltily, looking anywhere but her father, who only had eyes for her currently.

"Terumi," he prompted apathetically. "What are you doing here?"

"Praying?" She tried, blinking up at her father with eyes just like his own. Her smile was blinding and not even Sesshomaru was immune to the charms of his offspring. Kagome, however, was well versed in the ways of the female.

Closing his eyes, Sesshomaru pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Terumi, you were told not to interfere." Kagome said.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just…I know how much this meant to you, mom. I wanted to be here to support you."

Okay, so maybe she wasn't as well versed as she'd thought. With a sigh of her own, her irritation subsided, and she opened her arms.

"Come here, brat."

Terumi smiled winningly, knowing she'd won, and walked willingly into the open arms of her mother.

"This is my niece?" Sota exclaimed, looking at Terumi closely before narrowing his eyes. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"Nope. Hm-mm." Terumi said, frozen.

When her mother's arms began to tighten around her, a purple glow beginning to spread over her, she had a brief moment of panic. She'd been busted.

"Terumi, what did you do?" Kagome asked, her voice sugary sweet, even as her arms tightened further.

"Mate, release our daughter before she suffocates."

"No, it's fine," Terumi said melodramatically, much preferring suffocation to her mother's true wrath. "I'll take suffocation. I deserve it. Do it, go ahead. I'm ready to meet my maker."

"I am your maker," Kagome said, pulling away from her daughter with narrowed eyes. "Have you been sniffing around your uncle?"

"I was curious! So, shoot me."

"There's that attitude we know and love," Sesshomaru commented offhandedly. He glanced at his mate. "Reminds me of someone."

"I'll show you attitude," Kagome said, growling impressively and Sesshomaru smirked.

"I look forward to it, mate."

"You're insufferable," she laughed before sighing and looking at her daughter. "Terumi, we appreciate your desire to know the other half of your family, but you disobeyed your father and me. Don't think your defiance will go unpunished."

Scratching her head, she looked between her mother and father and Kagome was given the distinct impression of Inuyasha.

"Okay, but can it be daddy that punishes me?"

"Not a chance, sweetie. Your father is too soft on you."

"When, mate, have you ever known me to be soft?"

She stared at him as if the answer to that were the most obvious thing in the world. Finally, she lifted her arm and pointed directly at their daughter.

"The moment she was born, you lost any credibility you had of being a cold, cruel, emotionless demon. I know you worked hard to earn that title, but your daughter wipes that slate clean anytime she's in the vicinity. Sorry to disappoint, my love."

Unable or unwilling to deny that, he lifted his chin and looked down his regal nose at her before scoffing and walking away.

"Come, Terumi. You will have a chance to meet your other relations properly another time," Sesshomaru called over his shoulder.

Smiling at everyone in the yard, she bowed, waved and ran to catch up to her father.

"Will he be okay?" Kagome's mother asked with concern.

He was a demon, after all, and angry with her daughter it seemed.

"He'll be fine. He's just not used to being knocked from his high horse."

"I heard that, woman," he growled, pausing to look at her from the top of the shrine steps.

"I know," she said with a devilish smirk.

Eyeing her from head to toe, his eyes rested on her lips before lifting to her eyes. And once again, he thanked the Goddess for his luck in being bound this this woman.

"Come, my love," he said, extending his hand to her.

A breeze blew gently, sending long, silver hair to flow around him. The setting sun was behind him, accentuating his tall silhouette. She didn't hesitate, the same pull that'd always been there, tugging her in his direction.

"Call me," she called to her mother before waving goodbye and following her family down the stairs to the waiting town car.

"That went well," she said once inside the car.

"Your father is…stubborn. Your brother is acceptable. Your mother cares for you."

"I like Uncle Sota," Terumi put in.

"My father is difficult. My brother means well and my mother cares for me. Is that enough?" She questioned with a shrug. "That remains to be seen. But as long as I have you two in my life, I have all I'll ever need."

"Hn," Sesshomaru hummed, contentment filling him.

"Hm," Terumi agreed, so much like her father.

Resting her head on her mates shoulder, Kagome relished in her happiness, love blooming brightly in her chest. Terumi leaned in to her mother, hoping she'd finally gotten some semblance of closure with this visit.

She wouldn't have missed it for the world. But there was something else she felt needed to be addressed. They were hiding something from her.

"So," Terumi drawled, filling the silence. "Can we address the elephant in the car?"

Kagome glance over at her daughter in question. Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly, lifting a brow.

"What?" She scoffed in offense. "I have your sense of smell, dad. You can't exactly hide it from me."

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked.

Glancing from her mother to her father, she watched in fascination as her father began to subtly sniff the air around him. His eyes widened as he caught the scent she'd caught days ago.

"No way," she said with a laugh. "You had no idea."

Grinning triumphantly at her father her eyes flashed as her competitive side came out, but she kept her gloating at an internal level. Crossing her arms, she sat back and waited.

Sesshomaru's eyes were stuck on his mate as he leaned closer to her, sniffing less discreetly than before.

"Why are you sniffing me?" Kagome asked in amusement, her brows rising.

Pulling back, he eyed her warily, memories of Terumi's birth filling his mind. They'd been painfully careful to avoid pregnancy since that event had taken her from him. Despite now living in the modern era where things like that were a rarity, he couldn't help the anxiety felt at the memory of her death.

"Sesshomaru, what's wrong?" She asked softly, lifting her head from his shoulder and grabbing his hand.

"You're expecting," he said and watched as her own anxiety spiked slightly.

Reading the energy in the car, Terumi eyed her parents.

"Why is that a bad thing?" She asked cautiously.

She'd been ecstatic when she had scented her mother's pregnancy. To think that they'd consider it a bad thing concerned her.

Her question seemed to bring them out of their worries and Kagome shook her head.

"No, it's not a bad thing. It's just…having a baby used to be very dangerous for humans so you're father and I have been very cautious about becoming pregnant again." Shrugging, a smile began to form on her lips. "But things like that don't happen very often these days."

"So…you're not upset about having another baby?" Terumi asked.

Kagome looked up at her mate, interested to see his answer. She wasn't disappointed.

"No, Terumi. We are far from upset."

Sesshomaru's large hand moved to cover Kagome's abdomen, his youki racing through him at the prospect of his child growing there. Kagome sighed contently, her head resting on his shoulder once more.

She may have been faced with a lot in her life, but she wouldn't change any of it. Not for all the stars in the sky.

"Terumi…did you just call me an elephant?" Kagome asked flatly.

"Ah-ha-ha…no?"