Sesshomaru x Kagome

Chapter 44: Fools

Hotaka's arms were wrapped around her as he tried to give her comfort. It was welcome though it did little help.

Her relationship with her older brothers had not been the best in the years since their parents' deaths. They still blamed Goro for what had happened despite the fact that he had been a baby. Their little brother had just been a newborn, he had no control over anything at that terrible time.

It had always felt like her older brothers had been ashamed of their parents' last symbol of love.

"Do you want me with you?" Hotaka asked softly.

"No." She needed to do this on her own.

Though her older brothers had a better relationship with her mate, it was time. She was sick of them being children and refusing to knowledge Goro as their blood. It was time to channel some of their mother's spirit and teach her brothers a lesson.

She had raised Goro as if he was her firstborn. Plagued by their parents' death just as her brothers were, she never regretted what the outcome. If she did then she would be no different from them and it would only serve to hurt Goro.

"You all have trouble getting along, Rie...You almost ripped off Daichi's leg last time," Hotaka muttered.

She remembered that he had called Goro a filthy beast. As a mother, it was something that she could not allow to go unpunished. When she attacked him, Daiki and Daisuke had jumped in to help. It had ended badly for them just as it always had when they had been children. "Daichi deserved it, insulting Goro like that was unforgivable."

"He's still hurting, my love."

"So am I! But that did not mean I will let myself filled with it! I was forced to move on and to live when I just wanted to cry!" She shouted at him before she broke out of his hold.

It hurt to remember how they had been before everything happened. They all had been so close before...it was like the lost had ripped holes in all of them. Her older brothers had been the kindest and caring males that she had ever known until they lost their parents. The loss had been too great for them and it so often felt as if they were twisted by those dark days.

They needlessly blamed a newborn for deaths there were out of his control. They were all orphans but they still had the memories to heal them by.

Goro did not even have those.

"Was mating me that hard for you?" There was such pain in his voice when he asked.

"Oh yes...but it was worth it in the end. After all, you made me fall in love with you, you arrogant ass." She kissed him then, feeling that they both needed it.

"Please tell me that we won't have to see you two start mating?"

Rie twisted to see her three oldest brothers, Daisuke, the twins Daiki and Daichi stood there. All three looked were the spitting image of their father. It almost hurt to look at them and see their father in them.

They stood there in the doorway to their home, looking cautious of entering. It only served to make her feel more in control since it was clear that her brothers remembered last time as well.

She went to them and gave each one a hug before guiding them to sit down. Daisuke, the eldest of all her siblings was the first to speak. "What do you want, Rie?"

"Going to be direct are we, Daisuke?" She asked as she motioned a servant to serve tea.

Hotaka stayed in the room with them, most likely to protect her brothers from her but did not sit with them. Her love probably did not want her rage redirected at him if he spoke.